Author: neil

  • Hilo, HI to Laupahoehoe, HI

    Hilo, HI to Laupahoehoe, HI

    We’re roughly going to be doing a counterclockwise loop of the Big Island, mainly following the “Ring Road” (which is the only real option). Due to that return to Bob and Paloma’s, we’re lucky to be able to travel slightly lighter, leaving some of our warmest clothing and various random extras behind. We said our…

  • Auckland, NZ to Hilo, HI, USA

    Auckland, NZ to Hilo, HI, USA

    One option we had to get our boxed bikes on the airplane was to ride to the airport, get boxes from Air New Zealand, and pack them there. It takes me forever to pack the bikes, but our 10pm flight would allow all day for that. And maybe the cost of being at the airport…

  • Kerikeri, NZ to Auckland, NZ

    Kerikeri, NZ to Auckland, NZ

    We finished our tourist-time in charming Kerikeri with breakfast at a cafe in the less-charming modern town center. But the cafe itself was still really cute, we were the morning’s first customers, and the food was excellent. While we waited for our eggs to be poached, I wrapped our bike chains in garbage-bag strips and…

  • Kerikeri, NZ

    Kerikeri, NZ

    Day 2 Kerikeri has a strange layout. The historic foundation is to the east, at the mouth of the Kerikeri Inlet (a branch of the Bay of Islands). But the modern center is entirely separate, on higher ground a mile or two west, but still a few miles east of the SH10 highway. Our AirBNB…

  • Waiare, NZ to Kerikeri, NZ

    Waiare, NZ to Kerikeri, NZ

    We got plenty of light rain pattering on the tent overnight, but thankfully woke to a cloudless sky. Except…it didn’t take long for the mist to return again. I think the mountaintop location is generating precipitation that probably isn’t happening at lower elevations. We were able to do breakfast again under the small shelter, so…