For the first time during this trip, I woke up to something unpleasant… sore calves. Since the dominant, logical Jenny was barely awake, the dramatic Jenny kicked in: “nooo, not my calves, I need those. I want to lie in bed all day”. Obviously my legs were just sore from yesterday’s effort, and while I didn’t schedule a rest day, at least I planned an easy day.

After staying in bed for a little longer and attempting to stretch my calves while lying on my face, I packed my stuff and hit the road. At 10am I was standing in the driveway, trying to absorb as much sun as possible, to offset the cool chill of the 1 degree morning. The hostel I stayed at had heaps of paintings all over the place, so I took a photo before leaving. I know it’s a bit cheesy, but it made me feel all warm on the inside.

The weather ended up being very nice, sunny with a slight tailwind, so I just coasted. Along the way, I kept seeing parts of Lake Taupo, in gaps between the streets and houses, so I pulled over for some pictures.

Soon it was morning tea time, so I enjoyed some fruit and a muesli bar, while basking in the sun some more. A passing couple were kind enough to stop and chat after taking a photo for me. FYI, I don’t normally look this awkward when I sit on benches, my hands were just really cold.

My legs were doing alright, but as soon as the path went inland, there was a hill. Boy did my calves burn… at least it was towards the end anyway.

After I reached the sign to Taupo, I took a picture of the mountains behind me and wondered what it would have been like if I had done the Tongariro Crossing today instead. I continued around the lake and saw dozens of signs for hot spas, so I knew my rest day tomorrow would be a treat.

I made it to my hostel early, so I was able to settle down and still enjoy the rest of the day. I wandered through town and collected some maps to plan my next day. I shared my dorm with a lovely British girl, Ziggy, who also happens to be writing a blog. We had dinner in town and both fell asleep like grandmas by 9pm. I guess we’d just been having too much fun…