Day 34 - Te Kuiti

A half day, a mere 15km to the town of Te Kuiti, but I hoped to do some tourist stuff as well. Waitomo is famous for its cave systems, some of which house glow worms. The tickets were all sold out, but I managed to scoop up a single last minute cancellation. The caves were spectacular, and actually worth the high price tag to see them. The glow worms did not disappoint, it felt like you were looking up at a starry night sky. Pictures were not allowed, but it’s a stupid rule so I tried to snap some anyway. Mostly blurry but I managed some. 

Afterwards I started up again my trek to the Te Kuiti. It was mostly pasture land in this section, with many stiles to go over. Stiles are a convenient way to get over a fence. I climbed over forty today, a new record. It was also incredibly hot, the hottest day yet. 

I reached my end point for the day, a trail angel house hosted by Colleen and Bruce. They are an elderly couple who just started offering some beds to TA walkers a week or two ago. The best trail angel experience I’ve had yet. A bed, shower, laundry, kitchen access, and Colleen drove us into town to get groceries. An absolute legend.