Cycle: 42.6km

After a very rainy night in Kuaotunu, I lay in a sticky heap of bedding waiting for a break in the rain so that I could make a run for the loo and we could get the hell out of there. (Ok, camping is not so clever when it rains a lot. We also learnt not to pitch a tent under trees in the rain as the drops of rain falling from the trees onto the tent are super loud when you're inside.)

We packed up in double-time and headed off taking the "interesting Bluff Road" instead of the hill of impossible steepness. The Bluff Road was bumpy and unsealed but still preferable to the other monster. As we reached the summit of the second of the two smaller hills of the day, and just as we thought we would never be dry and happy again, the valley in front of us filled with sunlight. So, we stopped off at Castle Rock Winery for Coffee LaLa (Coromandel coffee) and carrot cake (again, spot a theme?) and to squeeze the rain water out of our gloves. The owner told us we really must make the side-trip to Whangapoua as it is beautiful. So we did and were pleased that we did as the sun put his hat on and all was right with the world again. We saw the harbour, Opera Point and made the walk/scramble to New Chums Beach, an untouched piece of paradise. We also met a nice Kiwi family there who were cyclists and had lived in London for 10 years.

We tackled the big hill (the 370m Whangapoua Hill) in the opposite direction to two days ago and it was easier but still tough enough. We glided down to the always sunny and immaculately clean Coromandel Holiday Park to wash and dry ourselves and all our belongings. We treated ourselves to the most generously topped pizzas and a bottle of Pinot Gris at Umu to mark the successful end to our first section of cycling and breaking 500kms on the bikes.