It’s day two of the official route. I pack up my tent and set off by 8am. Today’s journey begins with a sunny ride through countryside. I had actually passed through here on my journey to the starting point, so it’s all very familiar. Hills and cows. That’s the bulk of it. I arrive in a small town (small by UK standards, but large by Kiwi standards, in that it has a shop and a population of 738 people). I arrive at the general store and buy myself some goodies. I snack on a banana and a pastry and the woman running the shop kindly offers to top up my water bottles. I then ride on.

The next section takes you onto a gravel track. These are my favourite bits. No cars to worry about and lovely scenery. I ascend a big hill, taking the occasional break. At one point, in an attempt to start riding again, I pop a wheelie as I push my foot on the pedal and release the break. This is not my intention. Getting going again on a back-loaded bike is not easy, so I walk for a bit. After the ascent, I am able to glide down the rocky path (with the knocks and bumps resulting in several items flying off of my panniers along the way – something to get used to) and eventually make it back onto the sealed road. It’s always fun switching from here to gravel. It’s mindblowing how fast one can go. Following an easy, but drizzly ride, I arrive in Kohukohu in time for the ferry. This is a short journey and the service runs every hour. I am the only cyclist. Naturally, I therefore let all the vehicles go first and then begin my final leg of the day.

The heavens have now truly opened. I am stuck in a downpour with 25km to go until I reach Omapere, a seaside town boasting stunning coastal views (or at least, I reckon they’re stunning when you can see them through the fog). After this somewhat forgettable stint, I arrive at my campsite in the pouring rain. Fortunately, the woman running the place offers me a dorm for a supplementary 10NZD. This is worth every penny. I get inside, shower, snack and sort my life out. Later, my dorm mates arrive – two Canadians touring the North Island by van (because they are sensible) and we eat dinner. I eat rice, they eat beans and we realise that we should have collaborated on the meal front.

The next day, I am the first up and set off at about 8am. It’s a drizzly, windy day and I sport my new waterproof for the first time. The bright red with my green high vis on top must make me impossible to miss. This section starts with an epic climb of 500m into Waipoua Kauri forest. The road is quiet, which is lucky, because it is steep and windy. I arrive at my first stop of the day: Tane Mahuta (meaning ‘God of the forest’). This is basically a very big tree. One has to brush off and sanitise shoes before entering this area. They take biosecurity seriously in New Zealand.

I then continue downhill for about 10km and last roughly half an hour without the need to pedal. I find my brain switching off a bit as I take in the pretty views. I then stop at the river at the bottom before continuing my next ascent. That is the sad thing about going downhill – knowing that it will be no time before you go back up again. Fortunately, following this ascent on the road, the descent is then all on gravel path through the jungle-like territory. I love these parts. What I don’t love is what comes next. I take my next rest in Trounson Kauri Park and the heavens open. I get very wet and very cold. My phone screen won’t register my finger with all of the water on it and I struggle to load the route. I am feeling a bit defeated. I decide to get cycling again to warm up and push through the next 38km.

After a speedy mostly downhill journey, I turn onto the Kaihu Valley Trail. The rain has eased by this point and the sun begins shining. My clothes dry off in no time and I whip out the suncream. Things are looking up again. I ride a bumpy gravel track through farmland and gorgeous countryside. On my way, I see a fellow biker ahead and stop for a chat. Her name is Lorriann and she has travelled from Canada (everyone is Canadian). We discover that we are staying at the same campsite later, so although we are parting ways for now, we will reunite very soon. I continue on the last leg of the journey in the beaming sun and my spirits are high as I pull into the campsite.