The North of the North Island - Let's go ....

7.2. (64 km / 770 to Wharekawa)

first day - I feel sick ..

Ferry to Beachlands then along the coast... very idyllic.... green meadows with sheep, cows and horses

We are allowed to sleep at Hamish's friends' beach house garden...

8.2 (71 km to Tapu)

In the morning we pick peaches from the garden before we start...
Luckily it's relatively flat, because there's a strong wind HEADWIND

On the way we stop and pick blackberries...

great campsite

9 and 10. 2. (37 km to Coromandel)

It's raining and I'm sick.

We decide to stay in Coromandel for 2 nights.

First at Vic's and then at Sue and Wally's.

They are all Warmshowers and spontaneously agreed.

At Wally and Sue's we get delicious rhubarb crumble that Wally made especially for us and we learn a new dice game '10,000'

Dear family, you will like it :)

11.2. (80 km )

We're allowed to sleep at acquaintances of Hamish's mom...

Still raining

12.2. (92 km  / 1000hm to Katikati)

-Hamish is cycling back

-Warmshowers Ian

-there are 2 French women there who have to end their bike tour because of an operation

-evening meal together with tomato cake and pasta

-We are allowed to sleep in an old bus

- Ian builds 'Tiny Houses' - Patrick thinks that's a great idea...

13. + 14.2. 50 km to Mount Manganui

-Warmshowers Dave and Jody

-invite us for risotto

-want us to stay an extra night

-Patrick rides with Dave and his friend in the morning and completes his 10,000!

-we climb the mountain on the 2nd day and watch the surfers

In the evening we cook in the small apartment... until Patrick has a little mishap... hehe

15.2. (100 km to Ohope)

-we eat the best ice cream in a long time... at a stand where the farmers sell their berries, you can buy fruit ice cream.

They mix their frozen berries with vanilla ice cream.... YUMMY

-Warmshowers Corinna and Garry, who raised the German flag just for us....

-swimming in the sea and delicious dinner by Corinna

16. + 17.2. (84 km / 1200hm and 105 km / 1200hm) MOTUTRAIL

-we cycle the Motutrail

- very beautiful but all steep

-very exhausting

- 1 night wild camping

We ask at a tangerine farm if we can pitch our tent for the 2nd night.

The lady is a bit confused, she wants to cancel but then she thinks again and brings us to her garden.

She shows us a Nashi pear tree and says we can take some. Also there are delicious figs and the best tangerines in the world.

The next morning we find this note.

Very nice....

18.2. (102 km /1000 hm) to Wairoa

Here we accidentally meet 2 French people... Manuelle and Olivier.... We decide to sleep on the beach together. As we are on our way, a man waves to us who has been waiting for us by the roadside.

he tells us to come to him and sleep on his property.

He brings us beer, bread and butter and lights up his grill for us...