By the numbers
12.63kms
18,311 steps
I woke up early enough that I was refreshed and not feeling
sore from my trip on the previous after my very long walk across the country. I
took a wander where the sign said 9kms to 5 mile Bay and I turned around. That
would be for next time and as I had seen scooter hire I will hire one to get me
17kms away to the Te Kooti memorial along with the dam in the other direction.
A British girl looked at me confused when I was back in the room and she said
morning and I said afternoon. She replied that it was twenty to nine. I replied
I know though I didn’t explain that it was my sense of humour. I pottered
around the hostel until it was time for me to go even though I knew I would be
early for the bus.
The bus arrived on time from Hastings and it was the same
driver as I had several days before. There was another driver that was waiting
for a bus to turn up with passengers as he had a smaller mini van type thing
who directed people to the areas they were supposed to be. Once at the bus and
loading the girl before me couldn’t find her information on the driver’s
manifest. Turns out she was after a different bus service called Mana bus,
which is a big red bus. At least the driver wasn’t that worried and there were plenty
of other people around. I tried to post a blog and the wifi on the bus actually
blocked the page though it did the same with the ABC website too. The bus did
stop at the same place as last time, Tokoroa for a meal break
and I looted the information centre of interesting places to visit. I don’t know
how much it costs, but a boat trip and a walk around White Island sounds like a
great idea especially when it includes a gas mask. I do want to visit Whakatane
sometime in the future and I think this is one place that will do it. It only
really took another hour or so to Hamilton where I would spend the night before
heading to my next crazy destination.
I found the place I was staying alright. I had to walk or
climb up two flights of stairs to get to the reception. I was not too worried
as it is a bed to sleep in and I have a room to myself that I can hide in
though the internet signal doesn’t seem to go that far. I would say it is way
better than the hostel that I usually stay at as it is a converted motel, but
not enough toilets. Once I dropped off my bags I went wandering to have a look around
and also planned to see a movie. I found a cinema, but i turned out to be one
of those artsy ones, but looking at the map it showed there was another one
right next to it in the shopping centre. I was also looking for the second hand
bookshop called Browsers as I liked them last time I was there for New Zealand
books. I was wanting to see what they had on AH Reed, but those books were too
big for me to carry especially his autobiography and one about his walks when
he was 80. There was even one about his walks through NSW in Australia. I think
you can guess by now that I found some books. They were, 100 Historic places in
New Zealand, The Suffrage trail and The New Zealand Wars and the Victorian
interpretation of racial conflict. The lady at the counter told me the guy who
wrote that book is an expert on the New Zealand Wars. She asked if I would like
a loyalty card and I explained I was from Aussie and loved the shop so much
that I came back after 3 years.
I had found that a train ran along Hamilton’s streets in the
yesteryears right through the middle of Victoria Street. They now run under the
street through a tunnel though I don’t know much about that at all. I was
thinking of going to look, but did not end up doing so. When visiting Riff Raff
from Time Warp movie as it has something to do with a kiwi being the writer, I
found a piano that said anyone could play it as it is something that Hamilton
does. The local cathedral is on the grounds on a Redoubt built during the New
Zealand wars, but I do not think that there would be anything that remains of
that. I wanted to visit the Rangariri boat that had been part of the NZ wars
that was opposite the museum across the Waikato. It is under a shelter so I am
pretty sure it is protected from the elements as it used to sit in the river
overed in mud. It was getting pretty hot as the weather was like that again
today. I thought it was supposed to be cooler, but I survived.
Once I had crossed back to the other side of the bridge I
has a look at a Pa site or former Pa site that no longer exists in Hamilton
that was around London street. I was wanting to see a movie as I had said
before so I went looking for the cinema again. I found I had not walked far
enough so followed the signs to the shopping centre where the cinema was. I was
wanting to see Deadpool and found I was just in time to see the movie as it had
only just started. Luckily there were plenty of ads and I chose a seat up the
back. I never sat at the number I was supposed to though I was kinda close when
I was in number 7 and sat in 18. I did enjoy the movie as it was a superhero
one, my kinda thing and once it finished I was surprised it was still day light
outside. I had to put my sunnies back on it was that bright.
I needed a shower as I was hot and sweaty after a long day.
I wanted to borrow a towel though the girl could not understand a word I was
saying and kept on pointing me to Hamilton gardens. Though I did say shower and
towel, I had no idea what else I could have said. I gave up and used my travel
towel as I bring it with me as a just in case a situation like this happens. I
think the girl was either Chinese or Japanese so her English was not that good,
but she was taking check in so I have no idea what is happening. So long as I
have a bed to sleep in I am happy and will go with that. Tomorrow I leave for
Te Kuiti and stay there for a full day. The hostel’s internet is faster than
many of the other places I have been to so might use a little bit of that to
upload some videos that I have made.
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