Whakatane

WAHKATANE (56km, 859km total) - It started raining last night and didn't really stop until we reached toady's destination - Whakatane. It was our first day of riding in the rain this entire tirip. Aside form making me extremely sweaty, my rain gear seem to work pretty well. Good.

Shad always eats muffins.

It was an easy day's ride in spite of the rain. The second half took su through a very pretty area called Cheddar Valley to Ohope Beach where we had lunch. After that we climbed our only real hill of the day before descending into Whakatane. I would say the only really interesting part about Whakatane is how you pronounce the name: fa-ka-ta-ne. It seems nice enough though, and there's a walk down by the river to the beach that I'm going to try to do in the morning.

Shad and I wandered around town for a bit and met an American widower who has come to New Zealand to start a new life. We had a nice chat with him and then went to see Sherlock Holmes at the cinema. I wouldn't recommend wasting your money on it. Now I'm back in the room we've got at the Whakatane Hotel. It's hot and humid here, too hot to sleep well even with the window open. Shad's out at the bars searching for the meaning of love and marriage. Tomorrow we'll hopefully be sleeping on the beach somewhere between here and Mt. Maunganui. At least that will be a little bit cooler. It's so hot!

Whakatane, New Zealand