Cycle: 100km

The weather on the day of our departure from Akaora was beautiful! So we decided to tackle the road that had beaten us but with even better views today. The climb up to the Summit Road was really tough, our hardest yet. We climbed 700m in 6 1/2 km and were at our limit for steepness and distance. Once at the top though the cycle round the rim was amazing and we really enjoyed the route. The descent into Little River was fun, long but not too steep and I did my best descending yet, using Scott as a pacemaker! We stopped at the bakery in Little River for an unhealthy but filling meal and to cool down. It was hard to beleive how hot the day was when it had been so cold during the last week. Hopefully this means the summer is not over here yet!

We retraced our steps to Tai Tapu and then west to Lincoln, where we intended to camp. However, the motor camp symbol on the road atlas proved to be a red herring and the only camping available to us was the grass of the rugby pitches, currently in use! A very friendly local cyclist appeared at just the right moment and rather then just telling us where we could camp, cycled about 10km out of his way to show us to a camp ground! The thought did cross my mind that he could be a nutter but he left us safe and sound at a huge but basic camp ground. The coincidence of our hottest, sweatiest day in a while with no showers for the night was unfortunate. Despite the size of the camp ground we were treated to some RnB anthems late into the night from some neighbours as we snuggled down for a sticky night. Lovely.