Te Wera to Stratford
I climbed Strathmore Saddle and admired a house dating back to the earliest road.
In turn I was admired by a handsome South American.
At one stage I could see the road stretch for miles ahead (left to right in the background of this photo). So, I didn't look.
Around midday I saw rooftops ahead and realised Toko might be an actual place, not like Strathmore or Douglas were behind me. Towns gutted by time and better roads. I fantasied about a corner store, a happy half hour wondering if there would be a bacon and egg pie or even an apple.
I passed a village hall, a fire station, a derelict garage, Aitkens Transport, and on a corner the " Junction cafe bar". New, Cape Cod chairs on a verandah, exciting, closed.
Rats. So I sat on their front steps and made my own lunch, with 10km left to walk.
Except, a man drove over from the transport company, pulled up next to me and said, "want a lift?"
Those are the sexiest three words in English and I put up no resistance whatsoever. Nek minit my knight in shining armor delivered me to Stratford, just as it began to rain!
He told me, he lives in Hawera and sold a car dealership and missed people so he works part time for the truck company (he is 86). He gave a lift to a young woman once, who demanded to be taken to Dawson Falls on the mountain. He demurred and she threatened to say he'd touched her. He drove to the Stratford Police Station and went in to say a female wished to lodge a complaint. Apparently I looked like less of a risk ("I'm careful not to offer lifts to pretty ones any more"). So, my appearance worked in my favour at last!
Stratford has a Hall of Remembrance as its World Wars' memorial - a photo of each and every local man martyred for Europe's freedom.
It also has a very pretty walkway between that campground and the main street.
I bought a map of Egmont National Park and cooked up an anticlockwise route passing Holly Hut which will allow me to pop out at Cape Egmont on 2 January.
Holly Hut has to be booked in advance. Nightmare. DOC's website was down! I rang the North Egmont office and a disbelieving staff member said "a few people have rung in but you're all using cellphones". Duh. Well, yes. I persisted and insisted and she went through the palaver of creating a new account in my name (my actual account is only for Great Walks apparently). And then booked the bunk. And then the system told her I have a lifetime pass (true) so nothing to pay. It reminds me, a car went past yesterday with a plate reading IH8NAIT. The National Animal Identification &Tracing system is like DOC's, unfit for swearword purpose.
Uphill tomorrow.
