Dargaville, day off

After a long trip yesterday, I prefer to have a break and Karl told me that it should rain today… Dargaville is maybe not the best city to visit but I can find a internet cafe :-). This morning, as every day, I wake up at 7.30am. I would like to spend more time in my “bed” but it’s not so comfortable so finally I prefer to have an entire journey doing something useful. I didn’t take so many pictures today because I spend most of the day on internet to find a way how to be faster when I add a new day in this blog. Actually the pictures I take with my camera are to big so I need to use an online program to resize them. I like to take 16:9 pictures but this format use only the largest pixel’s number, grr! I think it’s not fair from Canon. Acting like this, they are almost sure that we use this mode, so we need bigger memory cards. Not cool canon, it’s not cool! Ok so I wanted to find another way and improve my blog but I almost break it. The solution now : I’m going to use Gimp (a free photoshop) to resize automatic all my pictures in 3 clicks :-). I will earn so much time and save so much money. This month I’ve spend 70$ in internet cafe. It’s really too expensive here. It’s 1$ for 10 minutes and in the camps the computers are really slow so I pay for wait. Grr! I know it’s not the most important thing to read but I wanted to write it :-). I would like to spend less time on internet and continuing to collect souvenirs.

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Opononi > Dargaville (87km, 5h)

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.

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Hukatere > Haipara (49km, 2h30)

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.

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Tapotupotu Bay > Hukatere (84km, 6h)

Today is the first day I travel towards south :-). But there is a little place in my mind where I feel sad. It’s strange but I’m really motivated to come back today to the ninety mile beach camp which is between 90 and 100km far. And I WANT to ride on the beach this time because, with Peter, we took only the main road on the way north. It’s 9.30am already, I’m ready to go, peter is not. I’m going anyway because he is always faster than me :-)

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