Day 14 Puketi to Kerikeri

Today, I was feeling a bit tired in the morning, so I let the others take off without me while I slept in a bit (I know, you're all surprised). The day seemed easy, a mere 20k through farmland into kerikeri. I set off just before 9, and almost immediately got lost in the poor signage in the farmland. I doubled back and began to walk down the more boring but far easier to navigate road bypass. After about 7k a young couple stopped and asked where I was going. When I told them I was headed into kerikeri they said they knew the exact track I was on and where it picked up on the other side of the farmland! They told me it would even be a shorter walk into kerikeri, so I agreed to take a ride with them around the small rural farms to the drop off point right by their home. Now back on the track i began to follow it climbing through more rolling farmlands and meadows. It went up a final ride displaying the beautiful Bay of Islands beneath me all at once. I was glad that they had convinced me to return to the track instead of the road. I took some time on the last hill looking out over the bay and once again marveling at the vastness of the ocean. I began to descend the farm in high spirits which were almost instantly crushed by getting lost once again. After about an hour of cursing more poor signage, I found the stile I was looking for in the bottom right corner of the pasture, where i had started on a hill in the top left. I then was able to hike along a beautiful river walk for about 5k before getting to a nice little roadside park at the end of the track. A man in the park agreed to take me to the Holiday Park in town, because I's had enough of road walking today. I was sure the group would have been there waiting for me with all of my directional challenges. They ended up coming in about an hour after me, having gotten lost in the same places! We got some delicious cheap burgers, some beer and had our own bunk room in the hostel to rest in. It was a good end to a fun day.

I found myself quite happy when I was alone today. It is still kind of strange to me having expected to be solo for the first half of this journey and ending up in such a large group. I like it, but I also really enjoyed the freedom that I felt today, especially at the top of the hill overlooking the bay. However, when I truly was hiking solo all I did was find people to hike with. I think that no matter where I go in my life I will always be striving to meet people. I don't yet know why because I do really enjoy time alone, but I don't find myself alone often. Getting true isolation on this trip or in life I think would be good but very difficult for me. I value it, but I always have a backup plan. I have friends in NZ now like I did at home, so even when I am alone I know support is nearby. It seems like a good way to be doing my own thing, but how isolated is it? Then again, if you isolate too much you just end up being a useless hermit, and no one wants that!