Day 55 - real paddling

Downes Hut —-> Durie Hill, Whanganui

44km paddle + 9km walk

The river couldn’t have been calmer for our final day on the water. Starting out with a stunning clear sky, we we paddling by 7.30am, all keen to get to Whanganui as early as possible.

The flow was now virtually non-existent. In fact as we started to edge nearer to Whanganui and the ocean mouth, the current was working against us as we battled the tide. For the first time in four days, if we didn’t paddle, we didn’t move. It was hard work.

Our only break of the day was a short stop on snack island for some mid morning munchies and some stone skimming.

By the time we pulled up to Whanganui holiday park we were starving and aching but on an extreme high from the last four days. A journey we very nearly didn’t get to come on because of the weather but could not have had better weather for!

After unloading our barrels, packing our gear back into our backpacks and lacing up our shoes again (which felt extremely weird), Ollie, Peter and I said goodbye to Steph and paced it along the road for 9km into Whanganui centre. We were all staying in Durie Hill and in order to avoid climbing the 355 steps up, we were racing to get the elevator up the hill before it shut at 6pm.

An elevator, through a long tunnel and then up a mountain. It was like something out of Willy Wonka, except it had been there since 1916 and was in pristine condition. I could have ridden it up and down over and over again I loved it so much.

It popped us out at the top of Durie Hill and we peered down over the town below and the river we’d just paddled down.

I walked the final km to Vanessa & Ian’s - the wonderful trail angels I had arranged to stay with. After a much needed hot shower and incredible pie and veggies for dinner, I retired to bed, pulled the finding Nemo duvet cover over me and fell immediately asleep.