Simply cycling around
Today is the day when I finish the first of my two loops but the second one will be a little bit longer… Just a little bit…
Finally the Northland region was just a warm up, a test to verify if I’m capable or not to do it. My 20 days of cycle and 70 camping days didn’t discourage me so I’m ready to ride and to visit all the rest of New Zealand!
Aaah that’s was a good day yesterday finally with a good surprise at the end :-). Wellsford wasn’t so far but I don’t see cow camp around. I chose the right solution yesterday.
Ready at 9am, I know today I will start with a long straight road, it’s good for warm up. It’s cloudy but not so cold so here we go :-). I crossed the bridge and directly the long straight road start. I bet for 10km :-)
This morning for the first time, since the beginning of this trip, my tent is dry. Ouha very important news but everyday I pack my tent when it’s wet and it’s getting to smell moisture. I need to clean it :-). But anyway I eating my energy for the morning and Karl is already ready to go, it’s 8am. He is going to Dargaville today and I think I will do the same so we will meet in the next camp :-). Ok, I have now all the necessary energy to ride 87km and it’s 9pm so here we go! Today I will pass through Waipoua Forest, the highest point is around 400m, gloups.
Today I will traveling almost only along the harbour coast. It not a long trip but I need keeping my energy for tomorrow, waipoua forest. I’ve seen in the Rawene camp’s kitchen a place where we can see enormous stones balls : kouru boulders. It’s seems to be interesting and free :-). Let’s go!
Today I’ll go along the coast at the morning, and then through the campaign and finish next to natural harbour to take a ferry for the first time in NZ.
Aaaah 7.35am, the sun is knocking on my tent and I feel like I’m in an oven. So, it’s time to wake up. Rah! Bloody sleeping bag! Open yourself NOW I feel so warm! Ouf! finally outside! Okay, let’s think a minute. If I want riding on the beach I have to wait until 1pm but it’s too late if I want to join Peter today. Hmhm, maybe I can go now! I have… 2 hours, the ocean is coming up so I have to hurry! I’ll eat on the way:-) I’ve never been as fast as today to pack all my stuff:-). 15min later and okay! Let’s ride on the beach!! 16km to join “ninety mile beach” camp. I’m really lucky because, this morning, there is no wind. The sand is quite hard and my fresh speed reach 25km/h cool :-). But after a few kilometers I’m getting tired a bit and I remark that my three wheels make only one shape. It’s means that the second wheel goes deeper than the front one and that’s worst for the trailer’s wheel. Solution : curving :-) If I move slightly like a snake, every wheels will make their own mark and it should be easier to ride. Ah yes it works more than I was experted :-). I never ride no a beach and it’s a great experience. Thanks new zealand :-). Almost one hour later, I arrive to the camp and peter is still preparing himself and his bike. I warm now and I don’t want to wait for him. He doesn’t seams to want to be fast so I can go. Like every time he will join me later on the road. To go to Haipara, I need to pass through Kaitaia. It’s the same road I’ve took before and it’s not so interesting. Arrived to Kaitaia, I need to eat something, go to the bank and find an internet access to put all my last pictures. 2h30 later I going toward Haipara. That’s a little village front of the Tasman see and the camp is quite good.