As we were preparing for bed last night, I was surprised to see my headlamp lighting up small raindrops in front of my face. We were still supposed to be in a rain-free period here! I pulled up the forecast, and yeah, no rain in Northland, “except for an odd shower on the west coast”.… Read more…

I think we’ve woken up to a 40-or-below temperature in each of the 8 calendar months that we’ve now been in New Zealand. What’s new is the temperature dropping to 40°F before we’ve even gone to bed. I guess the good news is that it actually “warmed up” to 41°F by the time we groaned… Read more…

We’d always been planning to wrap up our time in New Zealand with an exploration of Northland. Not because there was some event happening, or because there was something specific we wanted to see,, or because we were “saving the best for last”. It was simply because the far northern peninsula would be the last… Read more…

We weren’t able to enjoy a relaxed morning in our cottage upgrade, because we had a long ride ahead with the wind projected to be in our face all day. So in an effort to beat it, the alarm went off at 6am, we made some egg-bagel sandwiches in the kitchen, and then Keith opened… Read more…

The closure of State Highway 1 into Northland is forcing all of that major artery’s traffic onto three detour options, and one of those options is an eastern scenic road that we would have cycled north on. That’s why we instead took a bus from Auckland to Whangarei several days ago, to “teleport” us into… Read more…

Early-morning rain pattered on our tent as predicted. Normally we keep our bikes standing right next to the tent, but last night thanks to the forecast, and the quiet holiday park, I had moved them under a large tent that covered the barbecue area. We have rain covers that keep our bags (and everything in… Read more…