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Ben McF rang me at about noon yesterday suggesting an overnight camp at Otaki Forks. Didn't have to think about it, just threw some stuff together and jumped on a train. It was pissing down when we got there. There was some serious discussion about doing the bolt after the 7 o'clock weather forecast talked about a heavy rain warning, hail, and thunderstorms (which together with the sign next to the precipitous road in that said 'unstable road edge' could have been a little too interesting). We had dinner, went for a bit of an explore, and (as the sky was looking a lot less ominous) checked out the 10 o'clock forecast. That talked of showers, sometimes heavy, instead, so we decided to stick it out. Sure enough, the night passed uneventfully and this morning I was woken at dawn by the birds and the sun streaming through the tent walls. Sat at the front of my tent in my sleeping bag and smoked a cigarette as I looked at the hills and watched the birds (mostly swallows). It was all absolutely brilliant. I actually felt not nuts for a while. Took some pics from various spots on the way out:




And I couldn't resist this photo of some northern European touros' van outside a cafe in Pekapeka (despite the goddamn all pervasive advertising, of which the paint job is a sneaky part):