Saturday 11th Jan Bay of Islands

We have to move the backup car so Tony drove and Catherine and Loretta cycled. 96 kms today and  all done by 3 pm after an early start.

Our evening camp. This photo was taken with a flash and proving that reflective materials do work !

Our view from the tent which was right on the shore

Talking on Skype the next morning

Friday 10th Jan to Cape Reanga

We got up at 5.30 as it got light. A road trip of eighty miles to Cape Reinga. At this point the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet.  Now the end to end journey could start for Tony and Loretta as Catherine volunteered for the first days back up driver. As the driver Catherine managed to take in the sights of Nighty Mile beach as well as guy diggers Park which showed the history of the Kauri tree and the development of the NZ amber and gum for good quality wood varnish. Catherine also strolled along the White Silica sands while Tony and Loretta cycled the towards Awanui where we all met up for refreshments. The giant sand dunes at TePaki Stream where it is possible to toboggan down then is also a sight to be seen. 

Loretta takes in the view before heading South

Thursday 9th Road Trip

We had to head North to start our end to end cycle ride . 0ver two hundred and fifty miles to a campsite . Tomorrow we go the final 80 miles to reach the far north. So a day of motoring today although Loretta volunteered to do all of the driving.

Our first campsite.

Our new Trangia soon gets put to good use!

Our new tent gets it's first pitch

Wednesday 8 th Jan Touranga and Mount Mounganui

 Loretta has a new car but it had been agreed on purchase that a frayed seatbelt would be replaced. So before our road trip tomorrow we needed to get that sorted. So the car went to the dealers in Touranga and then we hit the shopping mal whilst the garage sorted it. Got a local sim for the iPhone and some light shoes so that we can get away from always wearing our cycle shoes.

Picked up the repaired car and then drove to Mount Mounganui and walked to the top a 250 metre climb from the beach and was rewarded with superb views.

An gentle afternoon was spent milking the cows and sorting things to get ourselves to the Northlands to start the end to end of North Island.

Hauraki Railtrail . Tuesday 7th Jan

At breakfast we ate the fish that we caught just last night. What a great start to the day.

We had a lift to Paeroa with our bikes and cycled back via the Hauraki Railtrail. Paeroa is where they make the N.Z pop called L&P.  It was hot today, clear blue skies and the tarmac was wet under our tyres and sticking to them. Only 18 miles done and we took most of the day, so we had a nice relaxed pace. What a relaxed start to what will be many miles of cycling here.bWe stopped off at the station cafe at Waikino, this was the very cafe that Loretta stopped off at on our way to her parents home when she met us from the airport.

Lovely cycling today and now champing at the bit to get started on the touring for real. We drive North on Thursday and will then start our quest south from there on Friday. Loretta will be joining us with her car as back up for North Island only. We will take turns to drive the backup vehicle although the deal is that Loretta will do the whole North Island end to end ride. Her mum, Jan, will join us at Hamilton for the last half of the North Island end to end making now a team of four.

Monday 6th Jan Doing "The Windows"

We started the day with a sheep shearing lesson which was an incredible experience. Number one has a new meaning now, Catherine only managed a number four!  Poor sheep.  Then Loretta said we were " doing the windows" . I imagined a day spent on ladders with a wet cloth, but instead we explored old gold mining tunnels, which had windows cut into the tunnel side. It was amazing that these miles of tunnels are left open access.

Catherine gets to work shearing!

Treading down the wool

The gold mine windows

Waihi 

The Waihi gold mine

A very pleasant evening of fishing

Catherine gets a good size catch

The sun goes down as we arrive back to the harbour.  Our new RAB jackets have been used for the first time today!

Our first day Sunday 5th Jan - Kia Ora (Welcome)

Well we are here. Marc dropped us off at Heathrow and after a twelve hour flight, three hour transfer in Kuala Lumpur, then a nine hour flight we arrived here at Auckland.

We were very glad to see Loretta again at airport arrivals.bShe had borrowed a large estate vehicle from her brother to get us on our way and we were soon at her family's farm in Waihi. On the way, we stopped of at an old station cafe for refreshments.  The cafe is now part way along a new cycle trail.

            The plane touched down in a downpour in Auckland and it then rained during all of our 100 mile car journey to Waihi, to compensate though the temperature was a comfortable 24 C. 

We have not fully checked the bikes yet but so far they all look good. In the late afternoon we drove to Waihi Beach with Loretta to see the seaside just as the sun came out.