Back to the Bay of Islands

Day 24

Kahoe Farms Hostel to Russell

Location: 35 15’ 40.9” S, 174 7’ 33.7” E
Distance: 69.32 k
Time: 4:48:19
Avg Speed: 14.4 k
Terrain: Rolling

We reluctantly packed up our things today and headed back to Russell. Kahoe Farms has been a highlight for sure. The guidebooks pay it just a little attention and that’s probably enough. You wouldn’t want a place like that to get spoiled. If you ever travel to New Zealand and want a unique and memorable experience, visit Kahoe Farms.
We stopped in Kerikeri to do a few errands. First stop was the bike shop to see if my shifting could be adjusted. After three weeks of hills, I was down to limited gear combinations. Tim at Fat Dog Cycles was very kind to me; he cleaned and lubed the chain and adjusted the rear derailleur all at no cost. We chatted about mountain biking on the North Island while the smell of chain lube filled the air. Ah, it was like being at home…
The next stop was the Vodafone store – we decided to get the wireless broadband modem for the laptop. As many of you have read, I’ve been lost without the internet. I suppose it’s some sort of weakness, but it’s actually cheaper in the long run.
Finally, we had lunch. It’s been awhile since I’ve had a Quarter Pounder at McDonalds and it actually tasted good. It’s probably not a good idea to roll into town being really hungry.
It was late afternoon when we rolled into Paihia. While we waited for the next ferry across the bay, Chris chatted with one of the tour operators and found out that there was a big sailing race headed to Russell for the weekend. They started in Auckland and sailed up the east coast to finish in Russell. While we were excited at the prospect of seeing the race, we were a bit worried about getting a campsite. No problem, the lady was kind enough to call the campervan park for us before we headed over on the ferry. Kiwis are definitely some of the friendliest and most helpful people we’ve met while traveling.
Tonight we’re snug in our tent in Russell listening to all the boaties party around us.
LK

Day 17 Russell to Kerikeri

Distance: 28.21k
Time: 2:09:46
Avg Speed 13.0kph
Terrain: Rolling

Today was a typical day in the Northland of New Zealand. We started out in sun and ended with a nice little headwind. Evidently there is more to come. The low pressure systems have been lined up to take a whack at us and here comes number 3. We did finally meet with some other cycle tourists in Russell. One was a man traveling solo heading north. He was on a bit of mission since he was not phased by the weather earlier in the week. The other was a woman from Switzerland who was on her way back south. She had been where we are heading and was enjoying the benefits of the wind that has been taunting us the past week. She commented that it was hard cycling all the time since you are always exposed to the elements. Her words have rang true so far. We were commiserating tonight at the fact that after even only 30 kilometers into the wind we are just wiped out. We set the tent up when we got to camp, had a sandwich (pb and honey—no tuna today!!) and took a little nap before heading into town to go see the oldest buildings in New Zealand. The oldest European buildings I guess. A store and missionary’s house were built in Kerikeri in the 1820’s and served the incoming sailors and the Maori. You could get a blanket for the price of a pig and musket for the price of eight pigs. We then ran to the market for a dinner of salad and pull apart cheese and bacon bread. I guess it dangerous to shop while you are hungry, but it sure does taste good.
Adios.
CK