Walking out today, in the rain,
Good luck on my part, three other southbound TA walkers joined me in Waiopehu hut late yesterday evening. It was great because the hut was a little warmer with four bodies inside and more cosy after a little conversation. This morning however the rain was continuing but at least the wind seemed to be easing back a little. I was sitting in the hut, surrounded by the “white room” until after 10am when I decided that it was time to go.
I put my raincoat on, took one last picture before putting any- and everything that needed to stay dry… away, deep inside my pack. The next 11km to the Poads Road junction was not going to be fun, so I just had to get it done.
By the time I made it to the junction, I was completely soaked, through and through, inside out and all over. On top of this I was also sweaty, filthy and stinky… so I didn’t feel right about calling a taxi or hitching a ride into Levin, another 10km away. So I started to walk and to be fair, not much traffic was going in my direction in anycase… until the universe surprised me. A fancy grey SUV pulls up next to me and the lady asks me if I would accept a ride into town. I couldn’t believe it, I didn’t even stick out my thumb… I said thank you, for stopping and offering a ride and that on any other day I would have accepted her offer BUT today I could not. I could not do it to the interior of her car, it just didn’t sit right with me. She actually said thank you, understood and off she went, on I walked. But then, almost an hour later, the same SUV, coming the opposite way stops again next to me. Same lady, holding a steamy cup of hot chocolate out the window… wow. There are still good and kind people in this world, because I needed that (not coffee) hot chocolate to make my cold and wet body into Levin. Thank you, who ever you are and thank you universe for sending something when it was truly needed.
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40.6310 – 175.2915
4 December 2024
FP-328
4 responses to “Poads Road and to Levin – Day 61.”
Shame man..
You’ve had a hard few days!
Tough and really wet..
BRAVO for doing this 20km under these circumstances..
The Universe definitely knew you needed “something”..
The small precious things that count..
Made me smile wide “-)
Makes me smile wide.
Trust in the universe… not knowing how it is going to turn out.
It’s people like that lady who attracted us to New Zealand, and not once have we regretted making the decision to live here since our first visit in 2001.
I must admit, I like this place too and feel privileged to be calling it home as well. She deserves a medal… but instead she is just an ordinary Kiwi.