Day 53 - Palmerston North

 Day 53 - Palmerston North

Zero day. And that means sleeping in. I can’t sleep past 7 anymore, but that’s good enough. Today will be a shopping day. Palmerston North has good outdoor shops so I’m planning on making the most of it. 

First things first is new shoes day! I’ve been really looking forward to this. I ordered them a couple weeks ago on a Boxing Day sale and the store has been holding them for me.

My old shoes are essentially flip flops at this point. The tread has been worn smooth, the toe box is shredded, the heel cushioning worn away and was giving me friction burns, and the soles are as thin as paper. 1500km on the shoes, they were begging to be thrown away. 

My new shoes are the same make and model, just a different colour. My feet feel a world of difference.

I also bought new socks (my ones I bought new for this trip are already full of holes), and a sea to summit pack liner. My nylofume bags are lightweight and cheap, but only seem to last a month of hiking. So a slightly heavier but much more durable option is what I’m going for now. 

For the rest of the day I went to the cinemas for the new avatar movie, went out for sushi for a hiking buddies birthday, and catched up with friends and family. 

Back at the trail angels house Gail cooked us an excellent meal of curries and hams and potatoes. Easily the best meal I’ve had in NZ yet. It felt very good to be in such a welcoming wholesome home.