29 Mar Pukenui (Houhora)

 Houhoura- halfway up
I left Hihi Camp very early because I knew I had a long day ahead.  The original plan had been to go to Awanui and then down to Kaitaia and then head up the peninsula the next day.  The manager of the camp suggested this was a silly idea and I agreed.  The revised plan was to head up to Pukenui from Awanui, which made it a 70km day - quite long in the context of the trip.

There were some quite steep hills between Hihi and Awanui including some roadworks.  The sign before Hihi said it was the last campground for miles which is the reason I had chosen to go there.  I realise now I could have gone on to Mangonui which has lots of shops and a pub with accomadation so I would have been Ok if I had gone on.

Got to Awanui about 1 and had a coffee  and 2 sandwiches at the cafe on the corner.  Then headed up the road north.  Lots of logging trucks use the road as well as other normal traffic.  And the road is quite narrow in places so I was a bit concerned, especially around blind corners.

Just south of Pukenui is the turn-off to the Houhoura Holiday Park which looked really nice from the advertising. I dithered about whether to carry on to Pukenui or detour to Houhoura.  Lethagy and pretty pictures won the day and I rode down 2 kms  into Houhora to the backpackers.

I would love to go back and stay there for 3 or 4 days to explore with a boat, because it was lovely .Unfortunately there is no shop and so I had to ration my my depleted food stocks.  To the rescue came a couple from Wellington.  They are retired and twice a year tow their runabout up to Northland to go fishing for 3 or 4 weeks.  They bring their small chest freezer and fill it full of fish before heading back south to Wellington. They generously offered me a fillet of snapper to supplement my small rations, without even knowing how low I was getting in food.

It was enjoyable meeting up with them as they live in Kingston in Wellington where I used to teach.

27 Mar Kerikeri and the sun is out

A tale of 2 cities (villages really, but it sounds good)
I really enjoyed staying with Ted and Dorrie.  It wasn't just that they looked after me so well. and kept plying me with food and drink. That helps of course. But they are both such nice and friendly people. And I also met up again with  John, Kevin and Margie. I didn't see Penny unfortunately but it was good to see the others.
I left the farm at about 8.30 and headed for Towai for a coffee.   Unfortunately both the pub and cafe were closed so I pushed on to Kawakawa where I stopped for my coffee.
As I was taking my cycling gear off a 'suit' approached me and asked me about my trip.   He got really excited about me starting at 'The Bluff' and introduced me to 3 other 'suits'. I had assumed they where either estate agents or funeral directors.They wore name tags, but I didn't study them closely . One of them I found out was the local MP, so politics was involved somehow. I couldn't resist a little name dropping by mentioning cousin Johnathon,MP for New Plymouth.  My hand got shaken twice as a result. Mayor Wayne Brown was around too so I assume they were all having coffee together. Who knows.
I couldn't help comparing the affluence and prosperity of Kawakawa with Moera. The former has very few,if any, empty shops.
As I biked past the AFFCO meatworks the hundred or so picketers responded well to the horn and bell that I rang as I rode passed. (I am a union member myself).   The picketers were nearly all Maori. I don't understand all the issues but I don't trust Talleys. Then I ride through Moera itself .  Lots of empty shops
, graffiti, windows boarded up. Almost nobody on the streets - certainly no 'suits'. The contrast was poignant. 
I pushbiked through to Kerikeri and made a brief pilgrimage to St James church which have a couple of camino stain glass windows.It is clearly a much-loved building and I felt very peaceful there. Open unlocked and accessible to anyone.
Tomorrow I head north around the coast.  The campground is by a small river, busy and lots of birds
Delightful.
Probably 2 days from Kaitaia - its going well.

25 Mar Back in the North

Whangarei
I thought the section into Whangarei would be quite straight forward. Much of it is flat and the road is mostly wide with a wide shoulder .  I forgot about the traffic. I forgot about the lack of cafes and toilet stops. I also forgot that when we lived in Whangarei years ago the trip from Waipu always seemed to take forever.  
  There was a nasty little head wind too which makes the biking so much harder.  The ride into Waipu was quite pleasant but the next bit was a trial.It was quite a relief to bike over the brow of the hill.into Whangarei and see our old houseand the familiar supermarket and shopping centre in Otaika Rd..  I had a cup of tea at the information centre and then made my way to the camp ground just down the road.  In retrospect a cabin at 3 times the cost might have been a better option than the tent.  In the afternoon the light rain set in and continued all night..   The tent once again handled it well but it was not a pleasant night and I didn't sleep well.

I made the traditional trip to Arthur's Emporium in the central city and bought some hooks to act as struts to hold up the front panier.  It seemed to work OK but it is not a permanent solution.

20 Mar A train to Auckland maybe

My sojourn in Hamilton had to come to an end eventually. The awful weather began to abate so I checked out rail trips to Auckland so as to avoid the strong and unexpected wind gusts that combined with the heavy traffic to make cycling a real hazard. The train that day had room for me but no room for my bike.  So I posted off my last bit of moderation (hopefully forever) and waited for further improvement in the weather tomorrow .

24 Mar. Hello Northland Waipu

Waipu Cove
One of my dilemas of this trip is how to deal with the Bryndyrwyn hill . For those who haven't experienced this piece of road, it us a long street piece of State Highway 1 that connects Northland with the rest of New Zealand . The big heavy lorries grind their way up in the left hand lane of the many passing lanes while the cars in general. shoot up the right  lane to minimise the time on the road.
One plan was to head left to Dargaville but that would have added 2 days at least.   There's a gravel road that goes round the west side but I wasn't game to risk it on a bike.
In the end I decided on the eastern route through Mangawhai. It is a pretty route that also has its steep bits but for the most part there are no big trucks.
What helped me decide was lying in my pub bedroom metres away from SH 1 through my hours of insomnia listening to the lorries grind their way through Wellsford. Decision made - easy.
Waipu Cover campground is right by the Bream Bay surf beach
  I would love bring a land yacht on a low ride with strong steady on-shore wind.  Heaven.  Nice to be beside the sea again.  And back in Northland

22nd Mar Helensville to the west

Helensville in the rain
I left my sister's house at 8.30 and decided tofollow her suggestion of riding the cycle trail that parallels the NW motorway.   Its a great idea and I wish more councils would follow suit (Dunedin for instance)  It was a leaden sky with occasional fine misty. rain. I got to Helensville just after 1 and wanted to press on.  The info office showed a backpackers for $30 but it was quite a lot more. There was no real alternative. I could have gone back to the hotpools close by but didn't fancy riding back 20 minutes after a hot swim so I had a spa instead. I slept quite well but tomorrow I face lots of up/down bits.  The forecast is fot fine weather (unusually).

19 Mar Weather !!!!

Just to allay any fears, I have decided to stay put in Hamilton until the extreme weather eases.  There is no point in taking the risk of wind gusts putting life and/or limbs in danger. I am very grateful to be at home - safe and warm in Hamilton.  And really enjoying being with Kay again.
Here I will stay until it is safe.

15 Mar Hamilton (on the way through)

15 Mar   Hamilton and home
I was familiar with the road to Honikiwi to Hamilton and left early to avoid heavy traffic.
I was hoping to pop in to Melville High School to catch up with my friends at morning tea.  I was pleased that the country is that rolling Waikato farmland which made the riding fairly easy and I made good time into Pirongia for that coffee and muffin. It was fascinating to watch a helicopter spraying areas of farmland with some chemical.  I was hoping that I was  not going to be included in the spray drift but I haven't shown any symptoms of it yet.

I worked hard to get to the outskirts of Hamilton in good time and rolled up the drive at Melville High School 10 minutes into interval.  My colleagues were mostly supportive and but some made suggestions of further activities that I might want to (some physically impossible) that was good-hearted banter.   It was good to be back and see them again.  The students I saw were also supportive and that was nice.
 After morning tea I headed home and caught up on emails, letters, bills and washing.
It was good to be home again.

15 Mar Freedom Camping

15 Mar     Piopio

It was a chilly morning in Mokau and with a steep range of hills it was quite a long time for the sun to get up and warm up the area. It was headed for a fine autumn day with little or no wind.  I stocked up on some food at the local garage at Awakino.  I wasn't sure what was actually at Piopio although I did remember it as being quite a small village.

Once I left Awakino I was climbing up the Awakino Valley, it began gently enough with a reasonably wide road and a good shoulder.  There were a couple of serious slips along the way that are quite scary on a bike. Partly its a fear of rock falls, but also of dodging the rubble on road.  And when that rubble might go flying with cars and trucks going past at speed, the danger is real.  The narrowness of the road with the trucks that go flying past given that its a state highway that connects Taranaki with the King Country and the Waikato. I was a lone cyclist andI can see why fellow cyclists would avoid the route.  There are a couple steep hills that I walked up. And I was pleased when the sign for Piopio came into view.  I asked at the  local dairy and they pointed me to the free camping area and gave me a key to the toilet block.

I pitched tent, bought some further supplies and settled down for the night.

16 Mar A taste of the country life

14 Mar   Honikiwi
I awoke early after quite a good sleep.  It hadn't been too cold and the mattress stayed up. The campground was free but I left a donation.   It was 22k to Te Kuiti where I had a coffee (as usual) and a nibble or two.  There are a couple of steep hills just before Te Kuiti which I knew about. The first one I managed to bike up - albeit slowly but the 2nd I had to walk up.  It was quite narrow and several big trucks came up the hill and they can be scary as they thunder past.

Once I got through Te Kuiti, the road to Otorohanga was quite moderate with only one major hill.  I had a nice Pizza and cider for lunch and then headed for Honikiwi - rural area between Otorohanga and Kawhia.  There were a few hills to contend with a really steep just before my hosts' house whichwalked up.

The house is newly built and has some excellent design features including solar power and water heating.
My hosts arrived from Hamilton we caught up on family news over an excellent meal

New Plymouth we are here

12 Mar.   New Plymouth
Reading the weather forecast, I made the decision to head off in the morning to Urenui about 40 kms from New Plymouth. That at least would get me further on and just. a little bit closer to home.  Debbie suggested that we do a ride along the magnificent walkway created for people to bike/walk the waterfront. Once we came back from that. little trip she offered to drive me over Mt Messenger which us a daunting obstacle for a semi-geraitric cyclist carrying quitea lot of gear. I am bound to say the scheme appealed to the afore-mentioned geraitric. 
I enjoyed the walkway,as did. many others as  it was a public holiday for the province of Taranaki.

New Plymouth here we come

11 Mar
I had intended to stay 2 nights in Hawera as the forecast was pretty awful. The one last was not so bad so I decided to do an early morning dash  and try and make New Plymouth before the weather turned bad.   The mild cold I was developing was another reason for moving on. I had arranged with the bar staff at the hotel  to move my bike out of the secure area after closing time so I could make an early get-away.  It was a huge relief to find it in the lobby when I awoke at 5.30. By the time I got everything loaded up and crept out the main door it was 6.30 and still dark.  It took a little while to orient myself and begin heading north. I brought lightls for the bike and helmet for exactly this kind of situation and was pleased with how they worked.
The ride up to Stratford was really hard work.  A combination of uphill terrain, a slight northerly headwind, the early start and fatigue from the long ride the previous day all played a part. It was pretty gruelling going.

I talked with a real cyclist outside a cafe in Stratford who told me the downhill bit started  just after Midhurst. It wasn't just psycholgical, or the caffein affect. The light misty rain started at Stratford, the terrain was mostly downhill, and maybe the caffein kicked in as well. I started making good time. It certainly wasn't the custard square which was truly awful.
The rain continued until Inglewood and then went away.
I also saw  the first signpost for Hamilton - that brought a lift in spirits. I arrived at the Garretts tired but satisfied
. As always they welcomed me generously and it is good to see them again. My cold hasn't got any worse and it will be good to wait another day for better weather and health. Mt Messenger awaits.

14 Mar A taste of the country life

Honikiwi
I awoke early after quite. a good night's sleep
It hadn't been too cold and the mattress stayed up. The campground was free but I left
a donation.  It was 22km to Te Kuiti where I had a coffee and a nibble or two.  ThTere are a couple of steep hills just before Te Kuiti which I knew about - then another
the first one I biked up bu
t the second got quite narrow
so I pushed the bike up that one. It was a fairly easy ride in
to Otorahanga with only one major hill. I had a nice Pizza for lunch.  I got let down by my GPS trying to find. Homikiwi Road and biked a whole lot of extra distance as a result . But I am here and looking forward to Hamilton tomorrow. A sweet homecoming.

10 Mar Wanganui A hard day at the office 92kms

Although it was a cold night the new day dawned clear and bright.  I didn't sleep that well,  not helped by some locals using the isolation of the to do wheelies and burnouts on the road behind the camp.
The objective today wash to get to Hawera. 92 kms away - long haul.
I knew the road followed the coast closely so there would be a number of river valleys to negotiate. Going down is great of course.   Going up the other side is a hard slog.  There were a lot more than I realised.  But I an quite proud that I only walked the last very steep one just south of Hawera.
Heavy rain was forecast for the next two days so I had planned a two day stop here.  I booked in to a single room in a local hotel because the info. centre told me the cabins at the camping ground would be all taken. With. a slightly improved forecast tomorrow I am going to head north to New Plymouth as early as possible and hopefully beat as much of the rain as possible. Time will tell if I have made the right call.

Heading north from Wellington

7 Mar
I awoke early at Anna and Rob`s but spent a lot of time  sorting out the packing arrangement of my panniers. It us a lot easier doing this at a tent site because if you clear the site you know you have everything even if some things are in strange places. A cabin is usually OK but it pays to check under pillows and beds for stray items that can easily get left behind. I am pretty sure I left my soap at Anna's but its not a major loss. Wallets and mobiles are a different. story and I fortunately haven't bad a repeat of the missing wallet episode.  It is a major relief being back back in the North Island where a return home in an emergency is a single 6 or 7 hour bus trip home. Unlikel Temuka.
I packed up the bike at the top of Brooklyn and ride to the Railway Station. For $9.50 I thought it was worth avoiding the madness of the hilly and narrow roads out of Wellington by taking the train to Waikanae.  It is a pretty train ride once you get out along the coast and the  sea was dead calm. At Waikanae I put the front panniers back on the bike.  It was a beautiful day-the sun was shining. It felt like summer - finally.  It feel good to be back on the road and the bike wash going well

I craved a banana milk shake and a paua fritter for lunch. I should have gone for the gourmet fritter because the cheap one was all mush. This was in Otaki where the clothes shops. are. No room for going wild in the shops there.

The next major town is Levin with a choice of Foxton or Shannon next, dependending on the route. I chose to stay in Levin in a nice camp east of the town. It seemed like summer is finally here.

Heading west -a wild ride

9 Mar
I left Palmerston North at around 8.30. Margaret fed me breakfast and suggested a route out of town that would get me going in the right direction. Because most of the city is flat its hard to get a fix if there is a lot of cloud around.Its a problem I have always had in Palmerston North on the occasions I have driven there.  I used. the GPS to guide me to main road. heading west. I knew the wind would be strong and hoped and. prayed it would. be from the east still.
My prayers were answered - I have never had a ride like it. The wind blew me across the Rangitkei Plains - I barely had to pedal. I was maintaining 30km/hr+ for long periods of time. Had the wind been a westerly I would have really. struggled. I got to Whanganui early afternoon and decided on the camping ground by the sea rather than the more expensive one in the centre of town. The strong wind didn't die down until after dark. I had a long. discussion with a Canadian woman and her adult son about things to see and do in New Zealand. Which us partly why this blog entry us a day late.  I talked so long I bad to go to bed in the dark.

Palmerston North

8 Mar Palmerston North
It was too good to be true.  Summer for a day and it was back to cold and cloud.  I knew I had a 50km ride so I made some changes to the bike and left Levin quite late. I stopped at Shannon for an early lunch. - coffee. and pita and salad wrap.  The 30 km ride into 'Palmy ' was assisted by a strong SE wind but it swirled around and was quite unpleasant. It never actually rained but the threat was always there.   My GPS got me very successfully to my those for the night - fellow Camino enthusiast and  teacher trained in Hamilton at the same time I was. Tomorrow I head west to the coast - weather permitting.

13 Mar. Freedom camping

  Piopio
It was quite chilly in the morning at Mokau. Although it was headed for a pleasant autumn day with little or no wind. I stocked up on some food items at Awakino Garage in case I couldn't find. somewhere to sleep at night. I then began the climb up the Awakino Valley. It began gently enough with quite a wide shoulder and nothing too strenuous.  There are a couple of serious slips where there is a significant amount of rubble on or near the road which are quite scary.  There are also narrow sections of road where the big trucks have little room to get past the odd cyclist. I can see why cyclists might avoid the route because of safety.  At the top of the valley close to Piopio there are 2 really steep climbs that I walked up. I arrived there and asked at the dairy about camping and they told me that camping there was free. No showers - just a toilet.  So I pitched my tent, bought some supplies, lit up the cooker, had some dinner and when to bed.

Goose Bay Kaikoura

4 Mar  Goose Bay
I packed up my gear, loaded up the bike and left early.  There was rain but it was very light drizzle. I had plenty of layers on and so the light rain didn't bother me.  The strong southerly, though cold, was my friend.  I achieved good speeds first to Cheviot for a full English breakfast and later Parnassus for a cup of tea. There the sign said 56km to Kaikoura - a fiddle I thought. The range of hills south of Kaikoura were a lot steeper and longer than I remember them.Memories of the Gillespie Pass came flooding back.  Walk 10 metres, recover for 10 minutes.Slow and painful progress.  Then I saw the ocean and the bad memories faded just a little. I stopped at the Goose Bay camp and took yet another cabin. Had fish and chips back a couple of bays - just got in before they closed for the day.  The plan tomorrow is to catch a train to Picton and thus avoid the narrow windy coastal road. And there is little accomodation on that route.  It is quite exciting to think I could be back in the North Island tomorrow night. It was passing comment from the young woman who booked me in to this camping ground about there being a train.  I will need to be up early enough in the morning morn meet it in time.

Greta valley day 1

2nd mar
I was very grateful to Douglas and Vivienne who hostess me last night.  It was organised very much at the last minute partly through the Sellars who had been their  guests for the last couple of weeks as David's mother was dying. It was really good to see them again an d they very good to me.
Today was a hard day.  There was a sea breeze head wind which marks the cycling hard work.  I was never going to achieve the tail wind heights of yesterday.  It was relief to see the Greta Valley signs showing accomodation  because I was all in and it was a real mental struggle to keep going. I have made myself at home with a shower but there is no-one in the office yet to tell me what the costs are.  Bad weather is on the way so a cabin is the goal so long as the price is ok.   Had a shower, washed some clothes and will cook dinner soon. 

Greta valley day 2

3 Mar
Today the weather bomb hit the North Island. I lay in my cabin and it became obvious to me that I had 2 choices.  Wait for a break in the weather and try and make it to Cheviot more or less dry a distance of 33km.  That would leave 56km to get to Kaikoura the following day. The 2nd choice was to stay put in Greta Valley and try to do 100 plus kms with a southerly to push me along. I chose the latter and had a very lazy day listening to 'Feet of Clay'. There isn't much to Greta Valley village.  One can exhaust the social possibilities very quickly.  I bought a 'Press', read it and did the puzzles.  But at least I was dry and warm and comfortable.

Made it to Christchurch

! Mar
Last night was a dreadful but I shouldn't have been surprised because it had been forecast. If I had been sensible I would have opted for a cabin and the night might have been easier.  However it gave the tent the weather test it hadn't had until now. It passed with near flying colours.  I was lucky I had pitched the tent with the 'door' facing north so that the southerly that blew up had the opening on the leeward side. Trips to the loo were relatively painless.
The tent passed because
a) it didn't blow over
b) it didn't leak
Sure things became damp-it happens with heavy rain.  But the tent did its job.
I wasn't in a hurry to get on the road this morning.  It was cold and gray with a strong southerly blowing.  When I mentioned I was going through to Christchurch, James offered to join me on the road for some company. It would have been churlish and rude to say no, so I didn't. James is a welsh stonemason who does a lot of travelling and cycling in particular.  He doesn't have as much because he doesn't have a tent, and bedding and things. He stays in backpackers so his budget is different as well.
I don't regret taking most of what I have and it hasn't slowed me down too much. I kept up with Tom and James most of the time and with the southerly pushing us along we kept a good pace. I drifted back a bit when the grade went up as age and weight took their toll.  After 90 minutes we finally found a coffee and had break.  It was enjoyable riding and I was pleased he had joined me.  The only issue is the width of the shoulder gets a bit narrow with the big trucks that charge through. I rode the rest solo and still kept a good pace.   I had a wee bit of trouble finding Idris St. When I arrived there was boomed here so I sat on my stool and typed up my blog.   The goal tomorrow is Cheviot.