Today was the day we had all been waiting for......Cape Reinga was just around the corner. Our finely tuned drill had us up at 6-30am each morning but today we had decided for a 7am rise...ah a sleep in. So with the final pack of the vehicles we set off at 8.00am in search of a certain light house.
Again the weather gods were looking after us. With brilliant blue skies and little or no wind, we got into a good pace and were soon averaging a little over 30kph. At around the 43km mark the mandatory cafe stop was had at a place called Houhora. We were a little unsure how many more cafe’s would be up the road so this seemed like an excellent spot....the extra hot coffee was good as were the cream do nuts!
As I was getting back on the bike, I knew the next time we stopped it would be the last. Leaving Bluff seemed an absolute age ago....not far to go now. As the ride progressed we noticed the terrain was tipping upwards with allot more intensity. Good solid “snorters” as Kim would say. Allot of 10% climbs with the odd 14% climb thrown in for good measure. At about this time word had got to us Mike had won the final stage in the Tour of Northland and clinched the yellow jersey......it was going to be a Great Day!!
The scenery on the ride to the light house was superb. Ange has captured some great shots. So after approx 4hrs in the saddle we reached our final destination..Cape Reinga. ....what a feeling.! From here we all went down to the lighthouse for the obligatory photos. This was the moment we had all been waiting for. After countless hours training and planning we had done it. Everybody was all smiles including Dad who was there to enjoy the moment.
So it was back to the cars but this time as a passenger. We set off for a picturesque Bay down the road called Tapotupotu Bay. We had a swim in the surf then a barby followed by a glass of champagne. Paihia was our next stop where we were joined by Page’s family. A great night was had by all where we relived some of our experiences from the past 18 days travelling the length of the country.
Some Statistics :
Days riding...........18
Total distance...2,277km
Total time.....79hrs 55mins
Total elevation gain.....21,297metres
Average speed....28.5km
Average cadence....77rpm
Punctures......4
On a final note, although Ange is going to have the final say. I would like to thank all of our sponsors,
Ian Stewart of House of Travel Takapuna , Kiwi Velo, Big FM, Quadrant Properties, Balance, Mother Nature’s, Ascot Park and especially all those who have donated to such a great cause AND exceeding our target of 10K.
Finally I would like to thank Carol and Gaynor from Nth Shore Hospice and to all of the riders (Bluff to Cape) Kim Libby, Shane Page, Tod Penberthy and (Bluff to Picton) Geoff Chilcott, Brian aka Dave Evans and Al Johannesson. Also thanks to Ange for driving the support vehicle and capturing all of the photos. It was a pleasure and heaps of fun spending time with these guys. It’s going to be interesting getting back in to work mode.
Page’s stats for the day, 9 road kills, 3 one lane bridges and 2 road works.
Thanks for reading......wow what a way to see the country.
Steve.
Departure from Kaitaia
Last day in the saddle
Yes Toddy this is the way to Cape Reinga.
Next stop Cape Reinga.
Seagull in flight
Thirsty work Kimbo
Another warm day
Making good time
Boat in harbour
Great weather again today
Sand Dunes
Alot of climbing in the last 40k's
Almost there
Arriving at Cape Reinga
From the bottom to the top of NZ
At the light house....
It was good having Pop there in support.
All smiles, Steve, Tod, Shane and Kim some 2,200km's later
A Swim, sausage sizzle and a drink to celebrateClick on Garmin connect to view the days activity:
Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Untitled
EEE haa well done to all of you I feel like I've been with through the whole journey with you because of the writing on the blog and those outstanding pictures. Difference is my backside is not sore, my legs are not wobbling but ... I wish they were. Great work
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