It’s finally here. The Last Day. It feels sort of bittersweet, but mostly sweet. The last leg of the trail was a breezy six kilometers or about 2 hours of walking. I had a bus scheduled to pick me up in the afternoon and was paranoid about missing it (I definitely did not have enough food to spend another night there) so I headed out early, taking my time and snapping photos on the path, which was a beautiful as it was steep.
A Swedish woman who passed me along the way stopped to ask if I was alright because I looked as she put it, “wobbly”. I actually feel pretty good today all things considered, but I must look much more exhausted than I am, or perhaps I’m much more exhausted than I thought I was.
Just before the final decline of the trail was an incredible view looking out over Wainui Bay. It felt like a trophy in a sense. Congratulations! You walked all this way – here’s another splendid view. But it did feel worth it. I wound down the trail and reached the end, which felt like a finish line – a Maori carved gazebo lined the end (or beginning, depending on which way you’re going) of the trail. I felt accomplished. I did it – I finally finished.
And then I had no idea what to do.
The end of the trail.
So I headed towards the car park and sat on a bench, looking out over the bay and eating my lunch. A short time later, the Aussies joined me, and we sat for a few hours chatting, each waiting for our prospective buses. This felt bittersweet. It’s a strange feeling, going on this multiday journey with people, sleeping in the same room, sometimes even the same bunk, and then saying goodbye knowing you’ll never see each other again. Hell, I can’t even remember their names (which I feel terrible about, by the way. I should have written them down. I’m terrible with names).
Their bus came first and we said our goodbyes, and mine came shortly after. The bus ride ended up being just as torturous as the hike, the bumpy bus testing the limits of my motion sickness as it sped up and down hills and around tight corners. Thankfully, I was so tired that I slept most of the ride.
I made it back to my not-so-trusty rental car Hilda and was very relieved to see that all of my things were right where I left them. I headed back to Nelson and stopped at Burger King to reward myself with a chocolate shake. I then headed to my Airbnb for the night, where I was greeted with a hug, a dog, a clean bed, and a place to shower.
I couldn’t ask for more.