“Watson estimates the man could have reached Greymouth in a day’s walk and been halfway down the west coast in four days.”
Watson answered the question I was going to ask, which was, how far could this guy have gotten by walking during the four days instead of waiting around for a ride? He probably could have gotten a ride somewhere along the road the first day. I am assuming that if you are trying to hitchhike, you aren’t carrying a lot of luggage that would keep you from walking.
Exactly ...
hitchhiking involves hiking along with the hitching...
otherwise its just bumming a ride...
Maybe he should have called Uber..
Plus he may have been doing the wrong hand signals etc...
In the US and Europe you face the traffic and hold out your right thumb...
in NZ where they traffic is on the other side of the road you walk with your back to the traffic and look over your right shoulder at the cars with your right thumb out making a sweeping motion forward...