Sunday, 3rd October 2021

 A better night's sleep last night although I was still first up. Today was to be our longest day but also our last.  Taking the main road home would only be about 40km, but we wanted quiet and scenic, so that meant 70 km.

When we pitched the tent last night we realized we'd left the tent pegs in Opunake so improvised with twigs (above). Luckily there were no strong winds to test our improvising skills!

It was cold this morning so all the layers were on again and the grass was wet, so time to bust out the Drysteppers. Not sure if Stratford was ready for this look - even Pete and Gary kept their distance.  But they did the job of keeping my feet warm and dry, so I was happy.

First stop was a cafe for breakfast in Stratford township before grabbing some snacks at New World then turning east to hook up to Beaconsfield road.

The scenery was lovely and with a few climbs, the layers started to come off.  The cloud almost lifted so we could see the mountain,  but never quite made it.

We were planning to stop in and see Tip Top Toffa and wife Linda but Gary and Pete were getting hungry again, so we pulled over for some snacks. I told them I thought we were pretty close to Toffa's, in fact I thought it was just over the hill in front of us, but they needed food NOW! So we had a lovely snack in the almost sunshine before cycling over the hill and seeing Toffa's place right there.  So we cycled up the driveway and were rewarded with an ice cream at the top.

Gary offered to trade rides, but I don't think Toffa was too tempted.

Only stayed a short time as they were heading out and lunchtime was looming.  So we cycled about another half hour into Inglewood where we had lunch.

Then we headed east again on SH3A and then turned left onto the much quieter Hursthouse road.  This was idyllic to start with, but then we got the steepest hill of the whole trip. Both Gary and I almost got off and walked it but it was only the thought that we hadn't walked any other hill that kept us pedalling to the top.

There were a few more hills along this quietly idyllic road, but the views and peace and quiet made up for it.

The weather was ideal for cycling and before long we were back in familiar territory,  cycling along the walkway and saying hi to people we knew.  

It was a great long weekend with a lot of laughs and a good test of our gear, and bodies!