32km total 1836km
9.5 hours
And up I went in the Richmond stretch. The first 14km were on a gravel road and I got full of dust each time a truck passed by. I wanted to make a break at the emerald pool but the amount of sandflies was so bad that I carried on. I changed my sandals at the first hut to have a more sturdy sole. I then made a second break at the Middy’s hut and had a swim in the river. With almost ten days of food my backpack was heavy and made me sweat a lot. With my clothes wet and nicely cold, I started the last stretch up to rocks hut. I made it at around 6pm right before a few drop of rain. The hut was quite busy with almost 12 people there. It was a nice evening and two students made us delicious Manuka tea.