Usin' the Thumb

Right at the last moment, I decided to get outta here for the weekend. Palmerston North is so much quieter in the summer than I ever remember it. Probably because us rowdy travelers were always off on some adventure.

At first, my plan was to head to the South Island, but due to a "Wicked Awesome" ACDC concert, there wasn't a hostle or ferry available for about a week. So instead I headed North. It was already nearing 6pm, granted there was tons of light, but I figured I'd stick my thumb out and just see how far I could get.

I remembered seeing something about a CouchSurfing event and hiking the Tongariro Crossing, and hoped I might join them. After a quick phone call, I took a quick shower, stuffed my pack, and took off on my bike! Granted, it only had a couple of working gears, and my pack was so large I couldn't look up straight. I pedaled as fast as I could to the edge of town, stashed my bike, and pulled out a thumb.