AKL to Greymouth 2024

  A casual start to the day knowing we only had 52 km to ride. Temperature in the mid twenties with a bit of a breeze so not getting cooked like the previous two days. Stopped at Robyn and Henry's farm on the outskirts of Matamata as we were riding right past there gate - I met this lovely couple on the Kopiko back in 2022. The trail takes through some lovely undulating, lush Waikato farm land and past the turn off to Hobbiton and perhaps if I'd seen the movie then it may have had more meaniing! Anyhow there was still several touristy type cars heading in that direction. We then were on the main Tauranga to S H Way1  highway which fortuatley for most of the 7 km's has a readonable shoulder, we then turned South on S H Way 1 for 950 m before getting off it and heading along to Arapuni beside Lake Karapiro. This had us on a section of the Waikato River Trail through to the Rhubarb Cafe at Arapuni. A smoothie, a muffin and a pot of tea was had before we took the direct route i...

  Another very hot day,  day! While it was a "flat" ride we were ot in the open with no getting away from the Sun! We got away cloes to 6:45 AM as we wanted to beat at least some of the heat of the day, jst as well the route was shorter than anticipatted as the trail that skirts the South end of the Firth of Thames was closed. It did however mean we had 20 odd km"s riding on S H Way 25 (another reason to get away early). We arrived at the Hotel just before 7:00 PM - so all  in all a reasonable day.

 Self, Peter and Stephen about to leave Heartland Hotel, Auckland. My thanks to Shelley and Paul who who had me stay with them at their great bach at Ngarimu Bay on the Coromandel and then back at home in Auckland. Ours is a friendship that goes back 48 years and over 50 for Shelley - we might not see each other for sometime however when we do catch up we simply pick up where we left off. True friends. I left their apartment in Ponsonby a bit after 7:00 AM and rode out to the Heartland Hotel at the airport to meet up with Peter and Stephen who were ready and waiting. It's cycle trail out from the airport out beside Ardmore then the Hunua Ranges before dropping back down to Miranda. Whacked.  Whacked is how I describe how I felt at the end of the day. Not too many hills in my training and a close to 30 degree day meant the end couldn't come soon enough. The shop at the Miranda Holiday Park closed at 5:00 and we arrived at 5:05. Fortunately it was still open. For the first time ...

A flight to AKL first thing Tursday morning, assembled the bike in the terminal and then met at Airport by Shelley and Paul and off to their bach at Ngarimu Bay up from Thames for a few days. After losing all the air from my rear tubeless tyre I visit the Thames Bike Shop to  buy some more tyre sealant and use their compressed air to inflate it. All good however the next day I saw the front tyre had lost some rubber from its sidewall so back in to the bike shop I rode this time for a new tyre. The bike now has two brand new tyres.