A glorious morning in Oturehua. It is so silent and still at the dawn, very peaceful.
The whole town has a hangover from last night: it was Burns Night, with kilts and haggis and piping at Waipiata. Apparently it's a big thing up here.
I go into New Zealand's oldest shop and buy a toothbrush to replace the one which has mysteriously disappeared.
Then I cycle in the morning sun, first on a good gravel road, then it gets rougher and worse, then worse again, until my speed has dropped to 7kph, down from the 20kph on the rail trail.
Tussock replaces the farmland as I slowly gain altitude.
It's really a 4x4 track now, rocky and muddy, and I push my bike through at least 8 fords. The water is almost knee deep, and I am glad I triple bagged everything in my panniers. The panniers float up and try to escape from the bike.
I pass a family who has stopped their 4WD because the water is too deep. They say they're going to walk the few remaining kilometres to the hut instead of risking the ute getting flooded.
SNAP, suddenly one of my front panniers falls off. The cable ties attaching the crossbar have worn through and failed. Fortunately I have a lot of spare cable ties.
It takes only 10 minutes to fix, but while fixing I notice my front tyre has been torn deeply by a rock. Oh dear! It is rideable but that will be something to watch for sure.
30 minutes later I'm at the hut , a humble DOC hut which smells strongly of mouse. It's not a bad smell.
The family of 4 joins me at the hut after an hour. Friendly kiwis not accustomed to the great outdoors. They have a dog, I love dogs at huts, they're so enthusiastic.
I'm happy to be inside tonight because heavy rain is forecast overnight, clearing in the morning.
Rain while tenting is dreadful, mostly because it's difficult to go for a pee in the night.
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