Longstride

Today was a busy day of chores to prepare for the South Island.

After breakfast, I completed an extensive list of chores:

• I got a new eSIM, since my current mobile data plan will be running out in a few days. (This time, it worked immediately.)
• Across two different outfitters, I purchased:
  • new trekking poles
  • a new foldable water bottle since one of my two has a small leak.
  • a replacement buckle for one of my food bags
  • a replacement (and slightly smaller) compression dry sack for my sleeping bag
  • a replacement Swiss Army Knife since my old one got wet and rusted
  • two pairs of liner socks
  • a Garmin inReach Mini 2 PLB
  • a new power bank
• I set up the inReach, which was a bit of a hassle, and the thing has the wrong time and there’s no way to set it.
• CareFree and I went to lunch at the international food court across the street from our hotel. Peter and Susanna joined us to chat.
• Peter, Susanna, and I booked a water taxi for 9 am on the 31st from Picton to Ship Cove the start of the Te Araroa on the South Island. Due to campsite locations, we’re planning on a very short first day.
• I got the permit for the Queen Charlotte Track, the only section of the TA that requires paying for a permit to hike.
• I went to the food store and got 5 days of resupply to reach Havelock. That’s probably more food than I’ll need, but it depends a lot on the campsite situation on the Queen Charlotte Track.
• CareFree and I got dinner at The Arborist, our hotel’s restaurant, with a significant discount obtained by opting out of housekeeping service for the first three nights we stayed.
• I repacked my food.
• I swapped out (my half) of the Big Agnes Tiger Wall tent we’d been carrying for the North Island for CareFree’s Zpacks Duplex. The Tiger Wall has been a great tent, but it’s too much tent for just one person. I’m not really happy about using the Duplex, but it’ll be pretty light-weight, and I expect to spend most nights on the South Island in huts, so I don’t need a great tent, just a lightweight one that will work.

Tomorrow, Peter, Susana, and I will take a ferry to Picton on the South Island, and (quite unfortunately) CareFree will fly back to Auckland to go back to work.