Wangharoa to Kerikeri

At 09.15 we said goodbye to Wangharoa and took off in the direction of Kerikeri, apparently a more touristy town with plenty of shops. We left more excited than other days as we were going to stop for a few days in Kerikeri. It was necessary we took a break because this was the 5th day in a row we were on our bikes and Ella in the buggy.

The road to leave Wangharoa was easygoing in the beginning but the wind turned and blew straight in our faces. We were warned of quite a steep hill once we would turn away from the riverbank and sure enough, there it was in front of us. This bloody hill turned out to be a wall of 2 km and it took us a lot of moral to reach the top.

We were over the moon and felt as strong as a thousand horses when we stood looking down on the valley below us. The views were stunning and a nice reward for our efforts. As we continued the road rolled forward but became increasingly more dangerous due to the lack of a shoulder and a sudden and strange change in driving behavior. All of a sudden cars did not care for us and passed fast and close.
A few kilometers a truck blew us both off the road and our day was ruined. I demanded the driver to come back as I wanted to smack the guy but I guess it was all a waste of precious energy.

After consulting the map we found a much less busier road into Kerikeri and we got there fine, although exhausted. After a few inquiries we found a beautifully located Backpackers called the Hone Heke Lodge. It is run by a lovely couple that will give you the warmest welcome and attend to your every need. The facilities are in perfect condition and there is a large common area where you can play pool, table tennis or just chill out and chat with other travelers. If you like a bit of fun during your stay, get one of the rooms near the area and you´ll be sure to have a great time. If on the other hand you would like to have a quieter stay, try to get one of the rooms further away and you´ll be absolutely fine.

Kerikeri is quite a lovely little town and perfect for us as it had a big supermarket where we could buy plenty of stuff that we will need for the coming weeks. Baby nappies are hard to find in the Far North.