Tairua to Whangamata

When cycling, take nothing for granted. We will always remember Tairua for the lovely people we were lucky enough to meet and the last three days had been simply sublime. The people, the scenery, the beaches, the perfect weather and great cycling roads made us feel like the most fortunate family on the planet. Leaving Tairua probably was one of the toughest decisions we had to make but without a campsite and the urge to keep advancing, we got on our bikes to head for Whangamata. We could not have felt better after the luck and great times we had the past 3 days but the weather was going to give us a reality check. No sooner had we left town, a ridiculously strong wind came head on. We struggled to get forward even downhill. At times we were cycling at 8 km/h downhill! The first 10 kilometers were agonising, with strong gusts of wind constantly trying to throw us off the road. When we got to the junction to turn onto the highway, Vanessa saw a sign saying it was another 22 kilometers to Whangamata, while our map stated 14. After 10 kilometers of suffering in the wind, this was the last thing we needed. We stopped to have a break as we could see how not only were we in for a much longer ride, the road also started to go uphill.

Just as we were struggling to find the energy and moral to continue, an Australian couple we met in Whitianga pulled over and joined us on our improvised break. A few laughs, encouraging words and energy bars made in Australia did the trick. A big thanks to our Aussie friends! Believe it or not, although it was a long and though climb, we had no trouble overcoming this one. The scenery here is quite dramatic, with a lot of pine forest for logging industry. Where logging has just been carried out, whole moutainsides are devoid of trees and look like it has been bombed. Not a very pretty sight but I could not help but enjoy it somehow. Maybe because it was so different from everything else we have seen before and the impact of logging at such a scale really is quite impressive. Pine forests are not native to New Zealand and most conservationists would like to see them replaced with native forest and I agree but still I have to admit I love these pine forests. The aroma is great and it reminds me of the south of Belgium. Majestic pine with that long grass undergrowth, these forests have a peculiar type of quietness and mystique about them.

After the climb we had lunch underneath some pine giants before completing the last 10 kilometers. For the first time on our tour, however, I fell without juice in the legs and I was feeling very weak. Vanessa was going strong and Ella was singing in her buggy but I struggled all the way to Whangamata.

There is nothing wrong with Whangamata but I saw the place through the eyes of an exhausted cyclist. I had to find energy from somewhere to pitch our tent and shop for our dinner. I didn´t like the campsite, nor the town. Things got really strange when after having set up camp and wondered into town, we met a couple we had encountered a few times before and once even way up North in Mangonui. They offered to stay at their place and so we found ourselves going back to the campsite to get the tent. By that time I was with energy again and we had a great evening, a beautiful dinner and a real bed to sleep in. Ella had a horrible night.
I am sure we will meet our friends Daniel, Tina and their cute son Fritz again!