Thur Feb 2 (Kawerau to Rotorua, 55km):

It was so cloudy and humid in the morning, Eric put the fenders on his bike and wore his water shoes instead of his norrnal canvas shoes.

Terri, Eric, Carole, Jenni, Edwina O'Brian, Mary, Fran, Robert

After a breakfast of French toast, we set off to the council offices to meet with Edwina O'Brian. Fran and I had met her the previous day, and told her about our trip.  It was Bikewise month during which there was a special emphasis on safe cycling.  So she took pictures of us all decked out in our florescent vests and gave us pannier covers, patch kits and water bottles. 

As a bonus, there was a market underway just outside the council offices, so we got to browse around there as well, sampling fruit and honey, etc.

 

There were 2 climbs today:  a 40-min one just outside Kawerau and then another 15-min one at about the 35 km mark.  Otherwise the ride was very pleasant; we passed 3 lakes (Rotoma, Rotoehu and Rotoiti) in the first 30 km.  With threatening clouds and the ride so short, no one felt like stopping for long, so we reached Rotorua before noon.

However, the gears on Fran's bike weren't working well, so we stopped in at a bike store.   The 3 bike mechanics looked at her bike and spent more than 45 minutes trying to adjust it. They finally asked that Fran leave her bike overnight so that the main mechanic could look at it when he got in the next morning.

YHA Rotorua is large, modern and very noisy because there's a constant stream of people.  We'd been out in the country so long, it was a shock to be back in a city.

Rotorua YHA

One of the lounges at the YHA

Our kitchen at the Rotorua YHA