Cycle: 96km

We decided to get the hell outta Mokau campsite because it was grotty and we had a hilly day ahead. Our first view of the day on looking behind the PVC curtains was of drizzle and grey skies. By the time we'd eaten and loaded up the bikes the drizzle had stopped so we were able to get warmed up before the drizzle started again.

We cycled along the coast for a few km and then turned inland for the rest of the ride. The first section was through the Awakino Gorge and we really enjoyed it despite the wet weather. We were still optimistic that the sun would burn off the cloud! We exited the gorge through a tiny tunnel and then the rain hit as we continued following the Awakino River through more open countryside which had some amazing limestone cliffs and karst formations all set in very green grass. It was a shame we were so wet and getting miserable as it would probably be a really spectacular ride in good weather.

We stopped at a small town called Piopio and sat outside the only cafe so that we didn't get their upholstered chairs soggy! It wasn't flash but we got some hot food and drink in our tummies and got back on the bikes. We'd been pretty upbeat before lunch but the persistent showers wore us down in the end and we were thoroughly fed up after two large hills and another downpour when we arrived in Te Kuiti. We nearly went into the Warehouse for an early challenge(hopefully more on that later)...

...instead we made use of the conveniences and rallied for the last 20km to Waitomo which seemed to take forever and were really tough! This was the eighth day of cycling in a row for us and we were feeling it. The final approach to Waitomo was undulating and each hill seemed bigger than it should. We finally arrived at the Kiwi Paka YHA and after a bit of confusion got the right room. We treated ourselves to a pizza and bottle of wine at the Morepork restaurant on site and then made our way to bed. Ti-red.