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Published: November 12th 2010
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Private First Class Dodd
Starting point in Kawakawa - check out the panniers! After a shortened sleep doing last minute packing the night before, and then being a little too relaxed about airport check in times, the first part of the trip was a missed flight. Note to self for future trips when taking a bike: Arrive at the airport with plenty of time to pack it into the bike box. I now have a bad perception of Air New Zealand, although with hindsight I can see how they need to stick to their check in time policy. My travel companion, Ben, who is also a work buddy, was already checked in and they had to find his bike box to get it off the plane. How that was any different to putting my bike on the plane I don't know...as we asked them repeatedly and tried to pull rank with Ben's silver elite club status. Bummer.
Plan B was quickly devised after a transfer to the next flight to Kaitaia would cost a ridiculous amount and have us waiting all day in Auckland. We threw our bikes back in the car and drove up to Kawakawa opting for a round trip instead of Kaitaia to Whangarei.
We filled our water bottles at the most decorative public loos in New Zealand in Kawakawa, where you can wallow in the artistic wall details while you take your tinkle. Then we drove up to a residential street to park the car. I was feeling a bit worried about leaving my car parked for 4 days in Northland as it has a reputation for a population with not much else to do, so we chose a spot right outside the police station.
I geared up into my lycra and was amused to see that Ben was going to forgo his kiwi bloke aura, to wear his new lycra bike shorts also. However, the D-I-Y kiwi ingenuity was still showing through in Ben's home-made canvas army bags converted to panniers.
The first part of the cycle was now ahead of us. We started up Paihia Road to follow the coastal tourist route, unaware of the elevation fluctuations ahead. With no definitive destination, just a general northern direction, the roads we chose were a spontaneous decision at each intersection. At the end of that half day cycling we had only a measly 40 kilometres under our belt, but due to the hilly road our legs were feeling like we had just finished 80. Although we couldn't chat during the ride being in single file, it had been reasonably entertaining listening to Ben "baa" at the sheep as we encountered our woolly spectators along the route. As I cycled into Kerikeri my criteria for finding a spot for the night was based solely on the presence of a spa pool to rejuvenate my aching muscles. Unfortunately, no such luck with the spa pool. But we ditched the idea of camping and opted for the Hone Heke hostel instead - a good choice as it turns out. This was a peaceful spot quite close to the township, decent bunk rooms for $26 each including bedding, hot shower, and a large undercover outdoor mingling area to chat with other travellers.
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