Day 68: Mount Lees Reserve to outside Palmerston North (1442-1492)

Sunday, February 5

I woke up early and quickly packed since I didn't need to put away my tent. I left by 7 to try to meet Marjolein, Sara, Creya, Erinn and Trevor at Fielding before they left. It was all road walking and as I got closer to Fielding they told me they'd probably be at the aquatic center. They were still there when I made it to town around 9:30, so I paid the $4.50 admission and joined them in the big hot tub. New Zealand has amazing aquatic centers. Most little towns have them and they usually have a lap pool, kid pool, hot pool and nice showers for a few dollars admission. It's such a nice way to relax without spending too much money.

After spending a little time in the aquatic center we walked around town to find some food. I was so hungry, I got a huge breakfast and ate every bite. While we were in there we met a former mayor of Fielding. She was so nice and really liked hearing where we were all from.

They had all decided they were hitching to Palmerston North, so I decided to join them. I was sick of road walking and wanted to get a new headphone adapter as soon as possible in town. We paired up and Sara and I tried to get a ride. We were the first pair on the road and got a ride after waiting about 10 minutes. The couple that picked us up had two more seats so they picked up Marjolein and Creya too. They were so nice and the guy had heard of Cleveland because of a rapper he liked from there. He played us a song that was all about Cleveland. It was great!

They dropped us off in the city center and we ran our errands. I ordered new lids for my Nalgene bottle to be sent to the bivouac in Wellington, got a new pair of $5 sunglasses and found a new phone chord. It worked and I could listen to my podcasts with headphones again. Hooray!

I got a coffee while everyone finished their errands and we all went to Pak'n'Save to resupply. Marjolein had a friend that was willing to let us all stay where she was living. It was about a 2 hour road walk on the trail out of town. We wanted to get them wine but didn't want to carry it a few hours so we called a taxi to drive us. It's amazing how fast a 2 hour walk is when you drive!

The house we stayed at was wonderful and Marjolein's friend Susan was so kind to us. She and a few others rented rooms from John, the owner. He helped us all make delicious wood-fired pizzas and we had fun talking over dinner. After dinner John and two of the housemates watched Sherlock. It's a great show so I watched it with them before blogging and going to bed. Erinn and Trevor slept in their tent and we all fit on the living room floor. It was so comfortable and nice not to have to worry about packing a dew-covered tent in the morning.