Travelled: 175 kms (Total 3,668 kms)

The morning dawned cloudy and a brisk Southerly carried with it both the promise of winter and of a tail-wind. Stuart kindly waved us off as we headed out into the delightfully light mid-morning Palmerston North traffic on fresh legs and following the scent of adventure.

This by now familiar thrill is one I guess universally understood by cycle-tourists. The gratitude for being given shelter, being very well fed and fondly farewelled, having unexplored territory ahead along with the sheer joy of riding a bike after a good rest are a heady mix, untainted by the yet-to-be-faced realities of headwinds and hills.

On top of this we were out to defy the authorities today, to ignore Waka Kotahi’s warning of further slips at any time and ride through the closed Manawatu Gorge to Dannevirke. The gorge was closed in April 2017 after a massive slip, followed by another in July that year. Ongoing instability and movement in the hillside above one large section makes for an understandable official position . . . just not one that suited us.

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Riding alongside the Manawatu River on an excellent cycle trail, assisted by the tailwind and following Stuart’s excellent directions, we rode out toward Ashurst alongside market gardens and were soon on SH3, across the river and at the now-closed entrance to the Gorge.

Feeling like lawbreakers we rode to the entrance of the walking track, expecting at any moment the commanding shout of officialdom and at the ready with our counter-weapon of resolute deafness.

No shout came and, pulses quickened, we squeezed our bikes through one of the holes in the fence helpfully made by previous delinquents. We were on our way! The tailwind in the gorge was impressive and once past the massive slips and over obstacles placed by Waka Kotahi (for reasons we couldn’t fathom) the riding was such fun.

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Such a thrill to be alone on the road with such magnificent views.

The gate at the Woodville end was, helpfully, unlocked as was (all appearances to the contrary) the subsequent barrier – tacit acknowledgement I guess of the unauthorised bicycle and pedestrian traffic.

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Through Woodville and onto Pinfold and Top Grass Roads and the wind really started to pick up. We were leaning well into the cross-winds and concentrating to stay upright. Later we would discover that the winds had been extraordinary – strongest in living memory with vehicles blown into ditches.

Into Dannevirke, home of the Vikings and down the hill to the calm of the very well run Dannevirke Domain Campground to place our tent, as has become the custom, in entirely the wrong place to catch the morning sun. Tent up and us showered and changed it was off to explore and stock up on provisions before returning to make dinner.

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We bought fruit & vegetables at the beautifully presented Shires, the oldest continuously operated shop of its type in the country and a real reminder of childhood for me.

The following morning was clear and sunny, heralding a good day’s riding to Waipukurau, 59km further on following the Tour Aotearoa route. So we packed up our wet tent, carefully separating the dry-ish inner into it’s separate dry-bag (giving praise yet again to Alison and Brian for this great tip) and set off, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

The more familiar North Island landscapes were green & verdant looking.

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Waipukurau was bustling and we arrived tired but satisfied at the again well-run campground. There was no cabin available and the night promised to be chilly, so getting the tent up promptly was a priority before we showered, changed and set off to explore town in the gathering gloom. The promising-looking Tavistock Hotel had closed so the prospect of a bowl of chips appeared slim until we stumbled across the bright yellow shipping container in the main street housing “Two Taniwha Street Food” – chips were excellent!

Friday dawned clear & still, ideal for our final leg to Havelock North and to Russell & Sue’s. Left out of the campground & over the Tukituki river we took SH2 to cute & bustling Waipawa before heading off along the picturesque Racecourse then Elsthorpe Roads to join Middle Road for a lovely ride into Havelock North and to the warmest of welcomes . . . including champagne and an oh-so-welcome spa. Could life be any better?

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With bad weather forecast, a very cosy place to stay and such wonderful hospitality we very gratefully settled in for a week, thanks so much Russell & Sue! A champagne & spa-pool welcome, delicious food, cheery fire & great company; what else could a tired cycle-tourist want?

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The views from Te Mata Peak were stunning . . .

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Russell, with the patience of a saint, even managed to explain The Chase to me in a way I could finally understand (I still think those Chasers are being whispered to though and how do the contestants know they have received the A set of questions?).

Mindful of Benjamin Franklin’s epithet “Visitors keep like fish . . . about three days” and with that familiar itch to be back on the road making its presence felt it was time to go.

Russell, ever the planner, suggested we ride the excellent cycleway through to Napier for lunch with Sue as our guide, and he’d meet us at the end with our panniers to load the bikes and drive us over a tricky section of SH2 to Lake Tutira – such kindness from such good friends.

Plan made, we were on our slightly fishy way to Tuhoe Country!

What we are reading Greg – Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell and Jeanette – The Denniston Rose by Jenny Pattrick