Opoutere

What a great place. Beautiful trees and beach and the YHA has to be in one of the most impressive settings I`ve ever seen with a view of the eastuary from the garden and cliffs behind. There are free kayaks you can borrow. It was too windy to go out into the estuary very far but there is an inlet you can follow for a while . One of the nice things about Kayaking is that if you don`t splash about you are pretty quiet and there are lots of cool birds in that area. Came close to some Pukeko and right up to a heron perching on the bank.

Really nice walk to the beach through some forest. I camped at the hostel the 2nd night right underneath a peach tree and found a stepladder and picked a very juicy one for my tea. Yum

The Coromandel - to Opoutere

Left pretty late amongst some pretty heavy traffic but it was a bit cooler and I enjoyed the riding. Spent the night at Waihi Beach. Was going to sleep on the beach as it was fine but really windy so I ended camping in a park in front of a bunch of houses near the beach which is not something I`d normally do. Anyway it was OK and once I`d decided that I`d probably rather not be conscious as me and my tent was hurled into the sea I managed to get some sleep. Next to a picninc bench which was very convenient for breakfast. Headed on to Opoutere via lunch and a swim at Whangamata which had a great sign, all you need in the world really and the traffic slacked off soon enough so pretty good day and much cooler.

Yeah right....

So while many drivers show great consideration to your humble bicyclist quite a few frankly don`t give a rats arse.

So here is an ode to you guys. (not that you`ll either be reading this or care)

May your head grow bald as your tyres,

May your jokes wear as thin as your brake pads,

About your large metal gear shift I shall say nothing,

And won`t even use the word,

knob.

May the price of oil force you behind the wheel of an old Toyota Starlet with smelly seats

And a Broken radio.

May your girlfriend leave you for someone with stronger legs.

V. Grumpy Hotnortherly

Tauranga

Long old ride but flat terrain tho there was a pretty strong headwind and still obscenely hot. Stopped by Jules and family for a cold beer which was nice and then headed into Tauranga via the port which was very industrial compared to the kind of country I`ve been in for the past week. Nice YHA with a great garden full of funky sculpures and stuff in the garden. There was an incredibly lively girls softball team from New Plymouth at the National tournament on in Tauranga who made me feel quite old and tired despite my current mission. Went to the movies and saw `The secret life of words` which was excellent excellent excellent.

Opape - Whakatane

Still hot - nice ride though through Opotiki and then some beautiful wetlands. Stopped near the beach soon before Whakatane for a picnic and then a couple in a motor-home kindly gave me a cup of coffee and some biccies. Almost dark by that time. As I was ataching my head torch to Monty a couple pulled up in a car and kindly offerred me somewhere to camp. So I camped in Chris`s back garden for the night and enjoyed a good shower and an omellette that Manu made made me.

Surely one of the most random signs ever, painted shipping container, Roadside memorial, another post-box and yes we did indeed keep left...

Opapi Beach - where I get to wear John Lennon`s sunglasses

Hot hot hot ride. Stayed at a Opape Beach which had a really nice little motor camp and another beautiful beach. As I was having breakfast I met Brian who is an interesting person. He has done lots of things and knows Mr Dow of Dow Chemicals and has spent many years fighting for recognition for the damage of Agent Orange to soldiers in the Vietnam War and a similar chemical used as a pesticides in New Zealand in the 1970s. Anyway he lived in the US for many years and these sunglasses were made a gift to him by the John Lennon society. He says that he is not 100 per cent sure they were John`s but they certainly look like they could have been made in the 1960`s and are beautifully engraved on the rims.

He also gave me a letter of introduction to Jeannette Fitzsimmons, leader of the Green Party but unfortuneately I wasn`t in that part of the Coromandel when it came down to it.

Maraehako Bay

Good ride with no big hills. Ended up in beautiful bay round the north coast of the cape with a great campsite. Couldn`t find any replacement gas cylinders for my little stove and so i`d run out but Pete and Jacqui kindly let me use theirs and invited me to their fire with some fellow campers. So i made my dinner and was then plied with Macadamia chocolate and some fine port. Next morning I borrowed Jacqui`s kayak and went for an awesome little paddle on the sea. There is a little bay you get to through a little channel out from the beach and it was so beautiful. Surfed my way in on a wave. Good way to start the day.

WARNING - COWS ON LONGBOARDS

Well it seems that cows in the North Island have gone one up on their southern counterparts. I think a longboard actually would make a lot more sense in those rolling paddocks rather than skateboards which must really only be useful on the road.

Flower, fence post, xmas lights, and a weird doll in the window

Tologa Bay - Te Areroa

Another pretty short day the next day to Waipiro Bay. Great windy hill to shoot down at the end and a nice cool southerly to help me on my way. Camped right by the ocean. The next day headed on to Te Areroa which is at the North East point of the cape. Warmed up again but the road was not too hilly really. Tony who was with the lady who gave me the water at Pouwa beach told me to stay at `Sunrise` there which is a campground and B&B/Backpackers. Great little place with a walk through a couple of fields to a deserted beach. Tony`s father, Albert lives there on his land in a little bach and he gave me tea with manuka honey and home baked fruit bread which was delicious. When I asked if he`d been there for a while he suggested i might want to re-phrase the question and explained that his family had been there for 1100 years. `How many Europeans can say that about a peice of ground?` he asked me and stamped his foot. And I thought about it and couldn`t really think of any. No-one I know, anyway.

The East Cape Begins - Tologa Bay/Uawa

Pretty short ride but Tologa bay is so lovely and has such a nice freedom camping area I just had to stay the nice. Famous for having the longest wharf in NZ or the southern hemisphere or something. It is indeed very very long. Met a friendly cyclist, Stuart, who had a puncture in exactly the same place I got my first of the trip. Anyway caught up with him in Tologa Bay and he and his wife Marylin kindly bought me a coffee and a bun and an ice lolly.

Later after i had had a swim and relax on the beach a big group asked me over for tea and fine fine banana cake and tangerines picked off the tree that morning so I didn`t really need dinner after all that.

2000k!!

How you feelin` Monty?
Good Jimbob
You ready for the next 1000?
Pedal on, Jimbob, pedal on...

Napier to Pouwa Beach

Set off from Napier pretty late and arrived at beautiful Lake Tutira which had a nice DOC campground. The road was grand skirting a big valley.

Next day the road wound up and down through a gorge and crisscrossed the railway. Finally arrived at Wairoa and stayed in a campsite by the river which I lost no time in jumping in as soon as I arrived. Very swish campground with music in the toilets and that sort of thing. Waroa also apparently has the second biggest cinema screen in the country but unfortunely I was late for the movie so I missed its bigness. Very very hot the next day again but I had the wind behind me for the first part of the day and sailed through. The final hill of the day was brutal and i thought i was going to implode. However ended up at a nice beach at Muriwai, just camped in the picnic area and had a swim in the morning.

Then on through Gisborne were I stopped for a rather elongated coffee and toasted sandwich which a chocolate muffin was soon added to and then on to Pouwa Beach which was the first of a few freedom camping areas provided by Gisbourne city council. No water there though but someone came by and offerred me some so that was fine.