I was late to wake this morning as I was expecting my roommate to be up early for the 8am opening of the post shop. She had a parcel to post further along the track for herself, but she also slept in! Unfortunately a few things got forgotten so I was tasked with carrying them to Nelson with me and stashing them at the YHA there with other packages she had already sent on. What's a few extra bits and pieces?!
I had a leisurely breakfast as my pickup for Anakiwa was not until 11am. I had just enough time to visit the isite in Picton to try to do some organising, and to visit my favourite bakery just across the road from the hostel to get something yummy for lunch. My ride arrived almost on time and took me along the windy but scenic road to Anakiwa. A small village at the end of the Queen Charlotte Track where there is nothing but the Outward Bound Centre and a couple of backpackers servicing weary walkers finishing the track. The YHA was a peaceful 'boutique' backpacker and it was actually like staying in someone's house in their spare room. It was far nicer than my old flat in Hawker Street! It even had a hot spa to soothe tired legs. There was no such thing as keys and locking doors. It would be a great place to relax after finishing the 70km track. The track finishes only a few hundred metres away. I was fortunate enough to be offered a boat ride at a discounted rate by the owner of the hostel to Mistletoe Bay as he already had a German couple booked on. My reason for being here is to do this last 12K section of the track which I was unable to complete when I did the rest of it almost exactly two years ago. Although walking to Mistletoe Bay and back in the afternoon was tempting I opted for the boat to give me more time and allow for a more relaxed pace! It was great to finally finish the track and now be able to say that i've done the whole thing! It was as beautiful as I remember but there was no sun today so it was not quite the same. It was a comfortable walking temperature though and there were still plenty of photo opportunities.
The evening was spent resting at the lodge and chatting to the German and French girls who I shared with and a couple from Sydney. She was Brazilian and he was Polish, so I took the opportunity to glean information about Brazil as they had recently been for a visit. Some of the stories were slightly alarming but I was told not to worry as I would not be driving - apparently it is safer to jump a red light than stop at it even with the car doors locked!
