The tune of Willie’s “on the road again” could be heard at Wellsford just after 7.30am when I rolled out of the motel to be greated by a heavily overcast sky and rain looking like it was going to threaten, but warm enough as again no arm warmers.

There was a great decent basically immediately to get out of town, but this was followed by a steep incline which certainly got the blood pumping..

Within 5 minutes it was raining quite hard.. great, if this is what the day is going to be like too late to get jacket out so just continued and thankfully while wet it was not cold and then after about an hour the day looked like it was improving and then continued to improve.

It was 80 odd k to Whangarei and it was a bit lumpy for the first half with a really nice climb with a great smooth road surface, unfortunately at the summit (forgotten the name but less than 300m) I felt that by now familar feeling of a soft front tyre… wtf is going on! I have had nearly as many flats this tour as the number of complimentary hotel rooms that have been provided to Len Brown for his dalliances..

The cause was a small piece of glass, the tyre itself showing no sign of wear, but with a wet road there is always an increased risk of a flat and there is a bit more weight with the backpack even on the front as my forearms have been quite sore for the last couple of days as I guess they are absorbing some of the weight.

From approximately 30ks out from Whangarei the traffic was just continious in both directions, cars, trucks, camper vans.. I had forgotten that the road goes right next to the coast for a short distance and would have been a great photo out to the islands if the day had been a bit brighter…

Found the Avanti shop in Whangarei and purchased 3 inner tubes cost $45!. Last night I was looking at my bank account on line and the 3 inner tubes I purchased from Avanti in Hastings cost $38.97 which at the time I just paid by eftpos and did not look at the amount, but I purchased the same inner tubes from a bike shop in Napier for $8 each.

I opened up the packaging to leave this with them (as all weight and easier to just pack the tubes) and it always annoys me when the inner tube is not nicely folded, it is nearly not like that it has been used, but at least the packet opened..

The guys in the Avanti shop were encouraging me to take an alternative route to Paihia which involved riding to Russell and then getting the ferry. This stage of Russell to Whangarei is used in the Tour of Northland, obviously going the other way and the way I would be going would be easier. They said that it was a far nicer road than SH1 with great views, less traffic and some nice climbs, but it was also further, by my calculations about 20k. Having already done over 80ks and those in the Tour of Northland do not have backpacks and the total stage is only 97k, it was a nice idea but I flagged it.

The route is also remote with no towns or shops after you turn off SH1.

I am pleased that I did as I think I would have struggled as it was difficult enough on SH1 with some really sharp climbs and even when you think you are there (Paihia), there are further inclines. When I thought from my calculations that I was about 12k out, reached a town of Kawakawa and the road sign said 17k.. buggar, this is very demoralising when you are getting tired as you could do without the extra ks.. I opted that I would stop for a coffee but after a climb in a residential area I must have missed the town itself as the next thing I am in an open speed limit area. Well I am not going back so just continued and at the top of the next climb decided I would stop for a picnic of almond nuts.. Just as I was about to sit down on a grassy bank, noticed the skin of what looked like a pig, so no way that I was stopping there!

In regard to dead animals, what I have noticed since being in the North is the number of signs advertising home kill services something that I have not seen at home or at least noticed.

It was good to finally make it the day being 151k. There was also a total accent of 1,828m and decent of 1,907 so you can see that it was an up and down day.

The motel has a pool that is 28 degrees and a spa, so just what a tired cyclist needs. The lady motelier was very impressed with the travels for the day, what had been achieved and what is planned.

I am staying here 3 nights with check out on Saturday so am looking forward to having some rest and recreation before the “real” tour starts which is now only a days ride away..

Even with staying a couple of nights here, I am ahead of schedule and can then probably flag the rest day that I had scheduled at Kaitaia, although the only issue might be whether Labour Weekend has any impact on getting a ride in a bus to the Cape.

It has been a oouple of years since I was last in Paihia but there has been a lot of high end holiday accommodation.

There was also a sign advertising the harbour swim on 22 November. Any takers…….?

Forgot to mention in yesterday’s post that the little Asian man motelier had the right idea with brown towels!!

Of all the days that I wanted to get an early start it was today, but slept in and did not wake till 6.30am, so after a further check of the Map application it was not until just after 8am that the sound of “on the road again…” could be heard.

I had rearranged the contents of the backpack today, as suspected that I would need access to the tablet frequently and this would prove to be true..

In typical Auckland fashion it was raining when I woke and thought that this is going to be great in getting the tablet out, but thankfully by the time I hit the road it had stopped and in fact today was the first day that I was riding without arm warmers all day.. yeah!

While I was a bit disappointed with myself to be leaving this late, it actually ended up probably being a good thing as traffic was not that heavy and I had the bus lane when it was available to 9am.

I had tried to memorise as much of the route as I could and had made myself some notes. The only paper I had though was a supermarket receipt so I wrote on the back of that in a navigator rally style, unfortunately as everyone knows my writing is not great and only a short time later I admit that I had trouble myself decifering what was written…!

All went pretty well to start as the first turn was just past Manakau which was easy to recognise. There was the odd cycle way on a shared footpath, but by the time I had seen it, it was too late so I was riding in the car lane which was okay although just got squeezed a couple of times.

The drivers here are pretty good, but just like at home the driver first in line at the intersection does not indicate until the lights change..!

The Map application route had taken me in a roundabout way through some “interesting” housing where I nearly felt that I needed to have the bike locked while I was still riding it… I love Indian food but not so fond of it first thing in the morning as the smells hit you coming out of resturants..

I should have kept my old Wolseley as it could have been a valuable ornament to put along with some others in front of some of the houses..

Finding the way over the “first” Onehunga bridge just took a bit of a review, but what you ride over is not actually a bridge but a road, it is just that the traffic goes over a bridge..

The second part of the Onehunga harbour crossing was on a cycle way, although there was major construction going on, but got through okay.

It was a really stiff climb out of the harbour and a bit of a jiggle around and this is where I made my first mistake for the day but I did not find this out til later.. Still without checking the tablet I thought that I was going onto Dominion Road, but actually ended up on Pah or Manakau Road but it was all pretty similar.. I got distracted and missed the Mount Albert intersection and before I knew it I was just about in Newmarket.. buggar, so out with the tablet to get me back on track and at this point I thought that I was on Dominion Road but no worries as at least it was parallel and still intersected with Mount Albert Road.

To find the cycle way that runs parallel to the north westerly motorway, you needed local knowledge or a Map application, as it was just not signed, nor were the intersections running off the cycle way, but I took the overpass as seemed to be heading in the right direction and this proved correct.

Again there was major construction going on some presumably another motorway.. It was a bit of jigging around to get to Henderson, the only reason that I wanted to go there was that I was down to just 1 inner tube and did not want to risk going too far without some more, particularly with the number of flats I have had so far. Somewhat surprising, to me anyway, was that there were no bike shops, but there was an Avanti Shop at the new Waitakere shopping down Lincoln Road and only a couple of ks away.

I find it amazing that you can just be sitting down at a cafe and checking out things on line and with the Map application it identifies exactly where you are.. Certainly have become a high tech cyclist if only I could find out how to insert photos into the blog..

The Avanti Shop was very large with a number of new Scotts on display including models with the rear brakes fitted under the bottom bracket like Trek did a year ago on Jens Voight bike. It was good to get a track pump to put 120psi back into the tyres and the bike feels totally different afterward.

Bought 3 inner tubes and left them with the packaging as all weight and they do not pack that well. Dwayne from the Avanti Shop was pretty impressed with the Retirement Odyssey and gave me directions which in about 3k I had gone off track which ended up being about 8k by the time I had realised and back tracked to where I should be. Dwayne did say that there was a sharp climb and he was not wrong..

The road was then a bit undulating in a suburban area until got to the junction for SH16 which I was to follow then for the rest of the day, initially to Helensville and then to Wellsford. The road surface was awful, being big chip which also had big gaps between the chip and you just rocked and shook and very unpleasant riding.

I made pretty good time to Helensville which was my original destination when I was planning to stay at Pukekohe, But as I had gone further yesterday to Papakura, was keen to push on to Wellsford to have a go at getting to Paihia tomorrow and not stopping overnight at Wangarei as per my planned schedule.

Again it was good to use the tablet to arrange accommodation at Wellsford as wanted to know that I had a bed for the night, Al knows that I like this comfort as against just winging it!! While it was only 59k from Helensville to Wellsford and I knew that it would be “lumpy”, it certainly proved to be the case, Lovely country with rolling to steep grazed areas with clusters of groves of native trees and foilage.

I was also keem to observe the road as likely I would be returning this way and as often is the case you think that it is harder if you were riding the other way.. There were nice views out over to the harbour and mangroves but the road continued to go up and down, up and down. Most of the climbs were not particularly long, but they were testing afer 100 odd ks and reminded me a bit of riding out of Akaroa.

For some reason there were a lot of road signs showing gradient percentage, but given that the road was pretty straightforward I am at a loss to understand the necessity for this..

Then what could spoil a nice ride…. that sinking feeling that my front tyre is soft…again!. There had been a lot of glass in the city which you tend to expect, but was surprised and a bit miffed to get yet another flat.. I have had 4 tours in France and numerous ones in NZ and have only had I think 3 previous flats, but this tour takes it even with new tyres, or they were when I left home.

Once again I opted to just give the tyre some air which made me a bit cautious on some of the decents. I should have just changed it as it required a couple more stops for more air.

I noticed today that the elevation on my Garmin needs to be recalibrated as when I was riding at sea level it was showing -39..

I was counting down the ks as the 59 to Wellsford could not come soon enough, plus I did not want to stop again for yet more air into the front tyre..

The motelier saud that they were quiet so rather than put me in a studio he gave me a 1 bedroom unit and although I only have what can fit in my backpack, it is amazing that with the bigger space the unit can still look a mess!

Total for the day WAS 158K, although probably 15 of that is due to errors in navigation, but overall a good day and easier crossing the city than I thought it might have been, but a pain clipping out and in at all the traffic light controlled intersections.

I will need to review on the return trip as if I go this way I may not be retrace my path given the time that I would end up trying to traverse the city and I suspect by then the bread crumb trail I have left would have well and truly gone.. Still that is a few days away yet before I need to worry about that.

Time now to go back to the motel and change the front tube..

Target tomorrow is Piahia 151ks away and all on SH1 and I think that it will be lumpy! The “top” now is just about within reach!

The Willie Nelson song “on the road again..” was in voice shortly after 7am and while it was fine although slightly overcast, it was very cool and took a while to warm up helped by the sun finally breaking through after about 30 minutes.

For a minute or two I thought I had made a mistake and was retracing my path from yesterday, as both roads had “other” roads running parallel that made it look very similar. Thankfully I had not made a mistake (as appreciate navigation not always my strong suit) so all good.

While the Maps application had worked out a cycle route to Pakuranga at 150k, talking with the motelier this seemed to be a bit of a roundabout route, so it was down SH27. With the change of route basically at the last minute, I was a little under prepared as to what towns etc were on the SH27 route and it was 57ks before there was a cafe, as I was not going to stop less than 10k out from the start.

This cafe was in the middle of literally no where, but it was a very welcome stop as I was hanging out for food by then.

SH27 had some long straights and there was quite a lot of traffic, especially trucks and there was not always a road shoulder, plus there were those bloody rumble strips to continually cross.

The lady at the cafe warned me about the terrible hill that was 20 minutes down the road by car, but I am still looking for it, so I guess it is just a matter of perception…

The road was quite undulating and disappointingly there was a high presence of glass on the road, which is somewhat surprising as it is quite isolated.

Nearing I think Maramarua a dirty black cloud arrived out of no where and the next thing I was drenched and temperature dropped several degrees very quickly. Nearing the Waikato Expressway I had that sinking feeling again of another soft front tyre, the tube having only been replaced yesterday.. Thankfully the rain had stopped by now, but I elected to cheat and just put some air in, I don’t know what I do that as you know that it is not going to last..

At the start of the Waikato Expressway there was a sign for cyclists travelling either south or north to exit, which I did, but must have missed the next sign as then I am on SH1 heading south and I don’t think that I supposed to be riding on this motorway.. Well I have done it in France so might as well do it at home as well.. Thankfully the first exit was less than a 1k and it was all down hill so it was done quickly and ended up in Pokeno.

Time to get the tablet out to check the Map application, but first the front tube needed to be replaced. Surprisingly with all the glass on the road this was not the cause of the flat, but a small piece of wire which even new tyres cannot protect against.

Riding out of Pokeno there is an extensive area of new housing development, which if it is for Auckland city, it is still some way out. The road was quite a steep gradient as needed to climb and cross over SH1 (motorway) and ended up on Razorback Road which then had some steep inclines and short decents for a number of ks. There were some lovely homes with obviously lifestyle blocks, but although it was some distance from SH1 and it was not always visible, the drone of traffic was continious. This road was quite narrow, but had very little traffic which made up for this morning where the trucks were just horrendous and there is not too much slowing when they go past you.

The road finally joined Great South Road that went through Drury and then ultimately on to Papakura where I had intended to stay the night. I was tempted to continue as thought with it being early afternoon it could be a good time to make some progress across the city, but having done 137k, I felt a need to consult more closely the Maps before just blundering on and that finding a room for the night was the best option.

Out with the tablet and found a motel that I had past on the way in, but still within easy walking distance to the shops and resturants.

My bright blue sandels fit in well here, now I just need a really bright yellow shirt and green trousers!! Papakura is an “interesting” place with different nationalities. Everyone is very friendly, but it just different. It was great to be able to purchase some fresh fruit and just chill out until it was time for dinner!

Unfortunately there is no bike shop and Stirling Sports do not stock inner tubes, so I will have my fingers crossed for no more flats until I get some replacements as only 1 spare left.

Having studied the route for tomorrow, while the Maps application provides good detail I can see that I am going to need to be getting the tablet out frequently to check that I am on course.. I was originally intending to head for Helensville, but now am aiming for Wellsford so that hopefully I can get from there to Paihia in a day and skip staying at Whangarei.

The map on the Garmin is a bit small and you cannot scroll through the route so you don’t know if it is the same as the Map application on the tablet. The Maps application route includes going part way down Dominion Road, so knowing that road from being in a taxi on a way to Auckland CBD for meetings when I was working, it could be interesting in peak hour traffic!

I find it hard to believe that I have arrived in Auckland under my own steam (apart from the ferry crossing) and when I riding along my mind wanders as to how many pedal revolutions there have been since leaving home.. That’s enough to put me to sleep!

As it was raining heavily when I walked back to the motel after dinner last night and then continued during the night, I had got myself into the frame of mind that I would be having a somewhat “enforced” rest day in Taupo and the Met Service forecast was also not promising.

When I looked out the window at 6am it was still raining, so back to bed for some more sleep and I thought that I would give myself to checkout time to make a final decision. As the morning progressed, the weather improved and in fact looked better in the direction I was going so after breakfast at Dizzie Browns Cafe at Taupo it was my version of Willies song “on the road again…” at the somewhat belated hour of 10am.

I had to laugh at the Met Service site which said very cold and yet I did not even have a jacket on, or arm warmers on, so these North Islanders must be a “soft” lot and the use of blankets and outdoor heaters at the cafe was further proof.

Before I left Taupo I did the visualisation of leading the swim in the Iron Man and then still leading after the cycle leg several minutes ahead of Cameron Brown and Richard Merrett… no sign of Marty Langridge even with binnoculars, well anyone can dream!!

I am keen to keep moving as would like to stay a couple of days at Paihia before the trip really starts, but Labour weekend may make accommodation limited and am already seeing motels with no vacancies when they had some a couple of days ago. I am reluctant to book to far out in advance just in case I don’t make it!!

With the climb out of Taupo it is a bit of a wake up call and reminds me of the around Taupo race, but the road was pretty good going past Wairakei and you start to get the thermal smells which confirms that you are in geyser land..

Music was playing up again and there is only so many times that you can listed to the same track, over and over and over.. Finally managed to get it sorted1

I had a pretty good run to Tokoroa although got soaked at one stage, but did not last for too long and dried out. Tokoroa, well that is an interesting place!

Tokoroa was a good stop for lunch after 67ks which was roughly halfway as had elected to get to Matamata rather than Tirau just to shorten the day to the edge of Auckland city.

The road surface today continued to vary between big chip and nice smooth seal and with the shoulder often going down to nothing, it was a day of continully riding over those bloody rumble strips…

Traffic was quite heavy for a Sunday and a lot of those cars with trailers with motor cross bikes past me again today, so whatever event there was in Taupo it obviously got entrants from out of town.

The behaviour of drivers has been better than what I thought it would be and most give you plenty of room. Al would be in his element here as they all like their sewer pipe exhausts on their cars!!

Tirau was familar from when I drove from Auckland to Wellington in Decemher last year, stopping off at the Taupo half iron man on the way, although I did not recognise Tirau until I was actually there…

It was 19ks to Matamata along a number of straights with some lovely entrances to properties along the way, I suspect that there is no shortage of the folding stuff..

Matamata is a nice tidy town made famous for …………………….. hobbetville! Not that I understand or am interested in any of that!

The motelier is a cyclist and guess what, there are brown towels!! The motel complex is very nice with a lot of lawns, pool, spa and doves!

When I was putting Mr Scott away before going out to dinner, the front tyre was flat, buggar.. In a way it does not surprise me as there was a lot of glass on the road today and the lead it to Matamata. I don’t know what causes punks to drop glass on the road but it is a real pain from a cyclists point of view in that you are continuing running your hand over the tyres to hopefully flick off any glass fragments.

The last part of the ride it was getting warm and with there basically been no wind for most of the day, it was a good day and helps to make up for a day like yesterday…. Forgot to mention in yesterdays post that rode past the flash entrance for the proposed farm sale to overseas interests that has been in the media recently.. Good to see these places in the flesh.

I have been checking the maps for tomorrow and have decided to go for Papakura as against Pukekohe being basically same thinking as today to get me further down the road and Papakura is on the old great south road, whereas Pukekohe is off the track a bit.. Wises shows it as 150k so still a decent day in the saddle.

I will be relieved to get north of Auckland, but the map makes it easy, just need to remember it all as it is a pain to be pulling the tablet out which is a reason why I have not taken photos, sorry.. Sometimes I feel like Michael Phelps training in just following the black line, or on the road the white line without taking in the landscape.

Today was a total of 120k and would have arrived early afternoon had I left at the normal time, but all good as still time for the washing to dry on the line and watch a replay of the AB’s test.

Late yesterday afternoon I decided to not risk the rear tube as although it was holding pressure for an hour or so, there was obviously a leak so given that the forecast was for rain, I did not want to be shagging around on the side of the road in the wet so changed it and bought another tube and used bike shop track pump to get tires up to 120 psi which you can not do with the hand pump!

As there did not look like too many towns or settlements between Napier and Tarawera (which is basically half way) made the call to have breakfast at Napier which in the end was a good decision and was on road with the theme song from Willie “on the road again…” at around 7.30am after saying goodbye to lovely Tania (bronze statue).

While there had been rain overnight, it was fine, but overcast although not sure how long that the rain was going to hold off and there was already a bit of wind which made it is a push to get out past the airport but a bit further on entered a valley with beautifully manicured vine yards and properties.

While I had some apprenhension about this section of the tour due to its reputation with having a high number of vehicles using it, as well as a high number of accidents, I was expecting there to be some lovely climbs through native bush, unfortunately I came away very disappointed..

The road has a signficant amount of climbing and the Garmin has recorded a total accent of 2,130m, but all the climbs were just direct ramps and most of them were “teasers” in that when you think that you have got to the summit, around the corner there was another ramp and often another…. Certainly there was no finesse in the road design department!

I have ridden most places in the South Island and I cannot recall experiencing any ramps like these, that just went on and on.. I started to dread the signs indicating that a passing lane was approaching as you knew after a while as to what was coming,, I don’t know how many there were as did not count them but would think that there would have been at least 15.

Just to cap off the day, the road surface was generally big chip and to add to this the wind which was not assisting, it then started to rain.

Some of the decents off these ramps would have been great and very fast had it not been for the wind, as the backpack acted like a sail and made the bike very unsteady.

One of the small settlements I went through which although had a sign announcing it, would have been lucky to have 3 houses made me laugh as I thought I was seeing things as there was a young piglet on the wrong side of the fence and then just further up the road there were a number of them also on the wrong side of the fence and squealing as I went past. I did wonder how much longer they would last before road kill, or uplifted by a passing motorist!

Finally reached Tarawera where a pie and a cup of tea was very welcome, but not so welcome was yet another ramp when you came back onto the road from the cafe.,

On reaching the top of this ramp though, there was a great decent and the nicest part of the ride for me with the road continuing down the valley, but there were quite a few more ups and downs before getting out of the hills (finally) although the Garmin told me that there was still at least 45k to go.. I could see a very distinctive flat shape mountain in the distance and sure enough this was quite close to Taupo as I found out!

At this point while it had been fine after Tarawera, it started to rain and did not stop all the way to Taupo.

For the last 40 odd ks, there were some long straights through forested areas with the inevitable climb at the end and these just seemed to go on and on as did the rain.

There had been a motor cross event in one of the forests, so all the way to Taupo I was past by cars and vans towing wide trailers with motor cross bikes that just added to the spray.

The final 15ks the road was obviously decending as the speed varied between 40 and 50ks and it was a real hoot with the final decent in viewing the lake (finally!) and then joining the main road which brought back memories of the time that I did the round Taupo race.

It was easy to find the motel I had booked and I stood outside the office to check in as I was that wet and water was just pooling off me.

In reviewing the ride, after the initial climb, most of the day was spent at around 700m with a maximum of 767m.

I received a number of enouraging “toots” but no “flashes”, perhaps that might happen tomorrow, or the day after.. Has not happened on any of my tours yet, but you have to be optomistic!

A sobering impact from the ride was the number of white crosses on the side of the road, at one location there were a total of 4. I did notice though that there was a lot of rubbish on the road and glass, most alcohol related and made me wonder whether this was a factor, but it is just such a waste of life. There is really nothing wrong with the road, so it comes back to the driver..

The distance for the day was 142k and with the road surface, elevations and weather as for the last 45k it was miserable, this ride would rate as one of the hardest days that I have had on the bike.

The cover on the backpack has kept everything dry, so after a long hot shower and then some beers (and some more), the day does not seem so bad afterall!

Message though for “Phil 3”. How could you not warn me about this road or was I not listening!

Motel is basic but clean and tidy and although it has white towels, some are also blue! It also has cultery, unlike the motel in Dannevirke where I had to use the end of my toothbrush to stir my coffee as there was no cultery that I could find.

The forecast is not great for tomorrow, so will make a call in the morning as to whether to stay put and have a rest day, or box on in the hope of getting an extra day at Pahia.

End of day 6. With the BP Group ride on Saturday and Sunday of last week and 6 days of the tour, by my rough calculations the total ks for the 8 days is 1,015.

Rolled out of the motel at Dannevirke at just before 7am and temperature definately several degrees warmer than previous days and while over cast, it still required arm warmers and the skull cap.

After a couple of ks there was a short little climb out of town to wake you up and then it was undulating riding to Waipukurua where I was again eagerly looking forward to breakfast after 55ks. I am getting used to riding 50 to 60ks before having breakfast, although know that this is about the limit before food is needed!

Yesterday I was tempted to continue riding to Waipukurua and even though the wind changed late in the day yesterday meaning that it would have been helpful, I am pleased that I did not do it as it would have been quite hard after 100ks.

While the road surface was good today, the width of the shoulder varied from being quite wide to nothing and given that there were a few quite fast short decents, I rode in the traffic lane to avoid crossing the rumble strips at speed.

Before I go to Waipukurua with a combination of good road surface and little wind, I was frequently at 35k plus, but then had that sickening feeling that the back feels a bit loose and sure enough rear tyre was soft. Buggar. As there was no obvious cut on the tyre, elected to just pump it up although might be only delaying the inevitable.

Last night I got the music sorted on the phone so this certainly helps the average speed as against listening to intermitent radio signal, or the national programme, although there was an interesting interview yesterday with Julia Gillard ex Aussie PM relating to the book that she has just written which is causing some reaction in Aussie.

No Willie Nelson or Roger Whittaker just yet with the music, but there has been David Gray, Moody Blues, Meatloaf and some others I won’t mention!

Actually there is one Willie Nelson song, it goes “On the road again….” which is what I say to myself every morning!

Made good time to Napier and found the Avanti Shop, but unlike at Blenheim, the Heidi (better than Blenheim) did not offer to pump up my tyres and had to do this myself..

Unfortunately they did not stock any front lights, as I lost mine off the bike this morning somewhere in my travels. I have to remove the light to get the Garmin on and off and obviously it was not clicked in properly, but I am surprised that I did not hear it fall. I am sure that this is what happened as against some low life flogging it..

While there is good cycle lanes in Hastings CBD, everywhere else they are marked in green, but in Hastings there is only a green dotted line on each side of the lane.

After checking out “Phil 3’s” old stamping ground, it was direct to Napier via the express way and another very unhelpful wind direction.. There was a lot of traffic, but a very wide shoulder made it good riding.

The cycle lane into Napier was dotted with whatever falls off the palm trees but again it was good for cycling.

Having the tablet is worth the weight to check routes and also arrange accommodation without mucking around when you get to a destination and it is good to check in early and get the laundry done already for tomorrow.

Nice Motel with yet more white (at least when I arrived!) towels..

Total of 127ks for day. Today was perhaps the most comfortable on the bike with all the body bits hardening up and it has certainly helped to put some of the weighter items like multi tool and North Island heavy duty lock under the seat and the lighter tubes in the backpack.

From the forecast, it looks like that I will get a wet backside at least at some stage over the weekend. The plan is at this stage that I will ride to Taupo tomorrow and that I may have a rest day there, unless I decide to do a lap of the lake without the backpack.

Although I was on the road just on 7am, it took a bit to get moving this morning, not that I needed sleep, just that the bones were feeling the effect of the last few days…

While it was sunny, it was cool with a breeze and yep, I was riding into it.., again! Approaching Mt Bruce there was fog and the temperature although already cool, felt liked it dropped about 5 degrees in the same number of minutes. I was not sure as to how high the climb was, but elected to put on a jacket before getting too cold as it was starting to get miserable. While I was wearing my skull cap, I had made a rookie mistake by leaving my full finger gloves in the bottom of the pack and given the weather conditions I was not going to dig everything out just to get to them.

I like to the have the first aid kit near the top of the pack and normally have the additional clothes that I might need near the top as well and while it was sunny when I left Masterton, it was a reminder that whatever the weather to be prepared.

The climb for Mt Thomas was only just over 250m but it was still very cool when I arrived in Eketahuna after 40 odd ks for breakfast as had only had a cup of coffee and some hazel nuts before leaving so I was looking forward to food!

It was good to see that Eketahuna actually existed, as to me the name is like Timbucktoo…. Apologies to the residents of Eketahuna!

Some of the place names in the North are real tongue twisters and I amuse myself in trying to pronounce them in passing the road signs.

There were some long straights today, not assisted by some magpie attacks, but they were only half hearted and large chip seal which does not assist the bike to roll.. Thanks Transit NZ! Most of the tar seal in the North has been great. Not hot mix, but a fine chip that makes the surface very smooth.

Again there was a wide shoulder for most of the way which was handy as there was a surprising amount of traffic.

A Heidi at the Hotel where I had dinner in Masterton said that it is always wet and raining in Woodville but thankfully it was sunny and startng to warm up by now. At the junction, left to Palmerston North, or right to Napier which is SH2 which is what I am following.

Rode past the Toohey Beer plant, unfortunately no Tui girls present as in their TV advertisement. Yeah right!

I arrived in Dannevirke just after midday and while I was in two minds about continuing, given that I am intending to stay at Napier tomorrow, it is within easy reach so decided to rest up for the afternoon and enjoy the sunshine. Great to be able to check in early, get the laundry done so that there is a clean riding kit for tomorrow.

Checked into a motel within walking distance to the CBD and yet another motel with white towels… often not a good combination for a cyclist after a day on the bike.

Total for day 108k.

After checking the K2 site I saw that there was an option for twice around, which would be 400ks, however, have since decided to flag it, even the once around, as concerned that if anything was to go wrong it most likely to be in an event and I did not want this to distract me from completing my lap of NZ which is my objective for this trip.

On the Heidi cycling score, none met yet. Bugger.

Another early start to catch the 6.30am sailing of the Arahura.

Good spot in the checkin position for cycles in watching all the off loading and reloading (especially the trucks and number of them) before it was my turn to board which was basically last after all the railway wagons were on.

Thankfully David McCormick had let me know the process which was helpful as when on board I was shown to a small area on the side of the ship where there was already a 3 wheeler cycle secured so Mr Scott had to go against this and a mobile welding unit.. There were some rope ties, but the bungy cords with a toggle that I had borrowed from Al were just the trick.

By the time I got Mr Scott sorted, I looked around and seemed to be the only person on the deck and until I found my way out, thought for a few minutes that this is where I might be travelling for the crossing… It might have been a bit too early in the morning, but it took a while to work out that the doors were watertight ones and don’t look like the type that you would normally use. That is my excuse anyway.

When I got up to the lounge and deck level, I was surprised to see that we were already down the sound, I just did not feel the sensation that the ship was moving.

In looking from the deck onto the trucks on the open vehicle deck there was a cattle truck with cows on board and felt sorry for them all cramped in their pens.

Thankfully the strait was relatively smooth and with the Arahura not loosing its propeller or hitting the bottom, she docked in Wellington on time (you can note that KJT) and Mr Scott was still upright. It was sunny, but the wind was rather fresh.. It was good to get off though and walked off with seemingly the end of a shift with another number of workers walking on for the return crossing.

As I had my riding bib on under my shorts, it was easy to get into the riding gear and hit the roads of the North Island. A quick check of the maps application in the tablet refreshed the memory of how to get onto SH2 and although it was also signed, I missed the cycle exit on the flyover, but I was sure that I could still ride on the road, something that my niece Kate and her husband Grant (a very active mountain biker) had confirmed. Despite this, when you are riding on what appears to be a motorway, it is reassurng to reach a major intersection and there is a cycle lane, so phew it is okay.

There is a cycle lane but it appeared to be a bit of broken ashpalt and crossed in front of all the commercial buildings, so it was safer to be on the road and the surface was great.

Like yesterday I was now looking for breakfast, as while I had some carrots with my dinner last night, I did not want to risk breakfast in case the crossing was a bit rough. Found a cafe in Lower Hutt and was good to go after this continuing on SH2 and a really good road surface with generally a very wide shoulder. Again like in France, when it is a busy road, it is reassuring seeing cyclists coming the other way confirming that it is obviously okay.

Out to Lower Hutt there was basically a cycle lane off the road, but I was not going to bother with this and were going to use the road and noticed a number of Police past me and as no one said anything so all good.

The wind was basically not that helpful but from the Dominion I was hoping that the wind would be behind me on the other side of the Rimutakas.

One of the strangest things that I saw on the road today, following a spark plug removal tool yesterday, was a hook with a handle that you would use for moving wool bales. Bloody dangerous that it was just lying on the road.

Riding through Upper Hutt observed a church Saint Peter Chanel, which was a surprise as other than the one named in Motueka and one in the Bay of Islands, I did not know that there was another one.

Before getting to the Rimutaka climb, there was a rather sharp ramp that went on a bit and then it was slightly undulating before reaching the start of the Rimutaka’s which was a lovely climb and went to just over 500m based from my Garmin. About 2/3rds of the way up there was a pipe with a lovely flow of cold water so good to get my feet doused and have a cool drink as it was getting rather warm. On the weather the TV weather showed Blenheim yesterday at 27 degrees which I think was a bit optomistic.

The decent off the Rimutakas was a real hoot and even when you decended to effectively the foot of the valley, it continued to be a decent right into the town of Featherston where it was time for a pie and coffee.

All the planets must have been in align as finally the wind gods were looking after me and while not directly behind, was very favourable and 35 to 40k was achievable, as Les would say, a lazy 35k. This was very fortunate as there were some very long straights in the 40k to Masterton.

Riding through Greytown I was very impressed with the rewnovation of the older buildings with lots of cafes and resturants. The other thing that I noticed was the number of building companies that had built display show homes, so obviously a lot of building is going on in the area.

I need to compliment the authorities for the cycle lane shoulder from Featherston as it is a busy road, but for once the cycle lane was wide and the surface was really great so certainly prepared to use the lane.

Arrived in Masterton and while only 98ks ridden, it was enough as had been a long day for day 3.

It is very hot so a nap was deserving while washing is drying prior to getting up tomorrow and doing it all again!

Al has sent me an email advising that the last day for entry into the K2, being a 200k race around the Coromandel is today, as it would work to do this on the way south, but while tempted I would be a bit frustrated if I got taken out in this which prevented me completing the lap of NZ, so think that I will pass.

By the way for those checking my Garmin and Strava, for some reason while todays ride was downloaded from my mobile, day 2 has not. I have tried uninstalling the application and then applying it again, but no joy and for some reason I cannot download it to the tablet direct from the Garmin, so will need to find another computer to do this.

Another early start with rolling out of the Lazy Shag (accommodation not Heidi!) just before 6am and suprisingly ligher and warmer than leaving Christchurch at the same time yesterday.

The views of the Kaikoura ranges (snow covered) were fantastic as they were just receiving the first of the sunlight.

With only having a couple of hard boiled eggs and an apple I was hanging out for a proper breakfast at Kekerenga 60k into the ride. The Store is a great place with fantastic views out to sea.

While it had been very calm to this point, about 5k afer Kekerenga like a switch had been flicked a nor/easterly wind sprung up and it was then a battle all the way to Blenheim and then later to Picton.

Thankfully there were not many magpie attacks today, but yesterday there were plenty and if they continued I was going to consider joining the plonkers who put cable ties on their helmet.. With the magpies it felt like they all telegraph one another than a cyclist is approaching & that they are waiting for you..

Unfortunately I don’t have room for a rifle as otherwise the magpie population could have been a bit less.

What I have found interesting and disappointing is the amount of rubbish on the side of the road that you don’t see in a car, but you certainly notice on a bike. New Zealand might portray itself as “green and clean”, it might be green but has a long way to go to be clean. You would not go 50 metres without seeing a bottle, milk container or other rubbish that has clearly been thrown out of a car.

What is also interesting is the bolts, pieces of chain and other metal items just lying on the road you wonder what they have come off.

There was broken glass on the road yersterday to well north of Waipara, nut noticeably today there was far less rubbish so either well done Marlborough Regional Council, or all the louts have got rid of their rubbish by the time they get there..

Al was driving up to Blenheim for work and caught me just as I was about to summit the Dashwood Pass and he had a cream rasberry bun which was very welcome at this stage for a picnic on the side of the road.

Thanks Al, much appreciated. For all the BP Group, Al was looking to compete in a club race at Motueka tonight, so with all this “secret riding” no wonder he is fit as he is.. Not so secret now with my disclosure..

At Blenheim I went to the Avanti shop to borrow a track pump, but the Heidi there insisted that I bring the bike in and she pumped up the tyres and then looked after my bike while I went to the Spark shop. Great service Avanti.

Unfortunately the same could not be said about service with Spark, as I have had an issue in getting the sim card on the tablet to work in that it says that there is no credit, yet it has not been used…. The only assistance they gave was giving me an 0800 number, thankfully there was more sense there and they were able to sort it for me as seemingly the sim card had expired before it had been used despite it only being purchased last week. Just goes to show that you need to test things before you leave on a trip.

The battle to Picton into the prevailing wind reminded me why I should NOT do Grape Ride x 5, in addition to the poor road surface and the cat eyes in the cycle lane..

The new pack is giving me a bit of a hard time, but like our other tours it takes a oouple of days for everything to “harden” up. Bring on Heidi!

When in Picton caught up with Chris Wilson who has been working in the area so it was good to see a friendly face, or at least one that I know as in the North it may be a while before that happens…

If I was really in a hurry I could have booked on the evening ferry, but have it is good to stay in Picton and have made a booking for the 6.30am ferry tomorrow, so just hope that it is calm…

It was a total of 157k for the day and for some reason my Garmin and Strava has not automatically updated off my mobile and the tablet will not allow a download… grrrr. technology!

Okay that is it for the day, off now for a few beers and dinner.

Finally ride under way after postponing for a week due to a combination of replacement parts required on the bike, school holidays along with really unpleasant weather across most of NZ.

Early wake without even the alarm & rolled out of home just before 6am in the dark which reminded me of some of those crazy 3am starts for the gorges in preparation for the Nelson to Christchurch in a day ride.

On the scales in the raw I was 86kg, hope to drop 5kg aso time will tell..

Unfortunately backpack is heavier than what I have normally carried which is normally less than 5kg. When I weighed it this morning it was 8.6kg but this is partly due to new pack which is heavier & that I am carrying a tablet for communication which I have not done before, so all up in those 2 items alone is over 2kg.

What also does not help is having to have a heavy duty wire lock for the North Island but when I am back in the “friendlier”South I will swap to the lightweight version.

I also had on board which I wont have tomorrow, half doz hard boiled eggs, 6 eggs & sandwiches so it all adds up in the weight department.

All good until only about 1k from home, the radio on my smart phone stopped.. Buggar, I hope that this is not an omen for the trip but cannot be bothered in the dark trying to fix it, I will wait for daylight.

Quite thick fog to just north of Woodend when sun came out but still quite cool & via SH1 made good time to Amberley & thankfully traffic started to drop off.. Got radio sorted, but then lost reception.. buggar.

North of Waipara arm warmers & gloves off & later on toe warmers.

Forecast was for nor easterly, but if anything more northerly going from left to right so as not right on your nose not too bad.

First coffee stop at Cheviot after 110k & Cafe staff were so impressed with my plan that they replaced all the content of my water bottles with iced water.. did not last like that for long as day warming up..

No “Heidi’s at Cheviot, or even a “Helgar” so will have to keep searching…

I think some drivers think that I should be riding in the “bike lane”but it is not really a lane & is just marking the edge of the road & while it is quite wide in some places, it then goes to nothing in places & on the white line are those little rumble strips which are not pleasant to ride over.. Some places they have re-sealed over the top of the rumble strips which you cannot see, but can certainly feel..

The Hundalees had more squiggles than I remembered even after just recently driving on the road.. Quite a hoot decending & then the Kaikoura coast was magic as very little wind, seas calm & stopped for a picnic lunch to take it all in..

Through the two tunnels & calling out “toot, toot”, is not the same as being in a car… Boys will be boys..!

After leaving the sea the wind made more of a presence for the last 10k to town & of course the final climb from South Bay certainly saps at tired legs.. Early in the day I had thought of going further than Kaikoura but now that I am here 180ks is enough for day 1 & allows opportunity to check for any Heidi’s in Kaikoura!!

Washing all done & although a bit of an issue to get sim card on tablet to work, now all sorted.

Arranged accommodation for Picton, so no sleeping on any park benches as want to get the early 6.30am ferry to get to Masterton on Wednesday.

Time for dinner & an early night, end of day 1.