Day 32: Mercer Motel to Rangiriri (719-745)
Erinn, Trevor and I left the Mercer Motel around 8 to go to a cafe in town and then we packed up our tents after they had dried a bit. Around 9 am we hit the trail.
We decided to walk the highway from Mercer to the racetrack because the river trail was so poorly maintained yesterday. It was a good decision! Turning on the road for the racetrack got us right back on the trail and we avoided all the dangerous river trail.
It was a day of trails similar to the trails into Mercer. Some sandwiched between trees, bushes and prickly shrubs and farmers fences. Other areas between the river and curious cows. When the trail paralleled the road, we usually took the road. It was a long hot day without much cloud cover or shade, but we arrived in Rangiriri around dinner time.
A nice lady named Cathy lets campers stay in a flat grassy area behind her business for free and you can pay for showers and food. She made us such a gourmet meal! A huge delicious salad each, amazing boiled and broiled potatoes, broccoli, and a meat pie. And she made us each an apple pie for dessert. It was so much food but I ate it all and my belly was full and happy. Her meat pie definitely wins the award for best meat pie in New Zealand so far. That bakery in Russell will have to be the second best one now.
It was also New Year's Eve, but after dinner we were ready for bed. I guess I'll wake up in 2017.
Morning hiking and snack break with Erinn and Trevor. Thinks on the stopbank.
Some of the trail today, sandwiched between the fence and the bushes
Some more of the trail
Erinn the cow whisperer.
The river we walked by most of the day
The most official TA sign we've seen. It was right outside of Rangiriri.
Our dinner feast!
Delicious apple pie. I couldn't wait to take a few bites before I took a photo.