Leigh - Dargaville - 158kms

Two days of lying low, catching up on school work and hunkered down from the rain we were ready to roll again from Goat Island Campground. Mangawhai was our next stop , it was a good 56km with some tough hills. The kids pushed hard even though our food supply was fairly low, we were running extremely low on our much needed snacky foods. A number of meltdowns from each child throughout the day made for a tough one, the adults patience was certainly wearing pretty thin! Our main motivation was to get to Mangawhai before the shops shut, it seemed every corner we rounded had a hill and a big one at that. But slowly but surely we inched our way north. The quiet roads felt like the country was still in lockdown, that was until we heard the growling droning noise of a highway inching closer and closer.

It really hit home how busy the release of Auckland was as we stopped at the intersection ready to enter State Highway for the last 9km into Mangawhai. The kids spirits had picked as we had almost made it, although Mahe decided to stay in his grump which made tackling the highway extremely difficult, a few strong words from Mum and we had him sitting in front of us peddling hard. Most cars were considerate but the not so nice drivers were growing in numbers. It seemed the more expensive the vehicles were, the more we cringed as they went past. Everyone was in a rush.

Rolling down the last hill into Mangawhai and finding a footpath was bliss. Round our first corner and a local supermarket is spotted, after these big days we give the kids free rein in the shop to choose whatever they fancy, as long as it is full of fat and not straight sugar! Pies, chippies, chocolate milk, chocolate biscuits and Powerade comes out. We plonk ourselves on the pavement and enjoy our feast after another tough day. After 56km on limited food the kids deserved a binge on junk food and so do the adults! We always attract a lot of attention and people are flabbergasted to hear we've come all the way from Leigh today.

We ride a little further to Mangawhai Heads to Simon's place - a good friend from Fiordland days to a welcoming dinner and comfortable beds. Mahe is extra pleased that he is not in a tent tonight, he always seems to enjoy the beds and fresh sheets more than the others. They all make themselves quite at home in Simon's lounge and take it over!

Simon shows us around the sights of Mangawhai, we re-stock our supplies and print our vaccination certificates just in case we are stopped somewhere by authorities.

The first weekend was coming after lockdown so we pushed off from Simons to get across State Highway One and distance ourselves as far as we could from the manic traffic. We rode on State Highway One for just 1 kilometre but even that short distance was hair raising enough. The kids are very road savvy now but it still scares the living daylights out of us parents. Luckily we survive yet another frightening ride along the highway. We hit the gravel road west of the highway and come across our first border control. Feeling pleased with ourselves, we hand over all the appropriate documents, we enjoy a chat to the police officers and get an amusing photo with them. The kids buzzing from the interaction.

The hills again came thick and fast, but the kids were now gaining the attitude of. “It’s just a hill. Get over it!"

At Paparoa Motorcamp we were welcomed with pretty awesome kiwi hospitality. Neville and Jonna were great hosts. Providing a great campsite and rewarding the kids with ice cream and praise. It was hard to leave the next morning.

We set off lazily after enjoying a morning at the Paparoa markets, always nice to chat with locals and get some local knowledge. One local warned us about the winds we’d encounter closer to Dargaville. He was right! Just 5km out of Paparoa, the head winds started. It was slow going, so the Matakohe Kauri Museum and Campground was a great excuse to stop for the afternoon and enjoy the rest of the day exploring the history of the Kauri days. Sure beats battling the wind!

The Matakohe Kauri Museum was interesting and well stocked with amazing artifacts from back in the 1800's.. and the kauri trees are one of a kind. The kids were intrigued on how they managed to fell these incredibly precious trees and transport them out to use the gum and the timber. A very informative museum with plenty of entertainment for the kids.

The wind continued to drive from the west as we woke in the morning. However by 8am when were ready to set off to Dargaville, it changed slightly from a head wind to a side and then tail wind, an hour later. A tail wind on a bike...this really doesn't seem to happen too often!

The kids are ecstatic about a nice tail wind to help on the big long straight to the top of the Kaipara Harbour. Flying at 20km/hr is always a buzz!

Surprisingly Dargaville is quiet, once again we have a campsite to ourselves. The kids spot a community pool which is prefect as the heat is tough going. Meanwhile we re stock our food supply, wash and try to rest before heading onto the Waipou Forest. We manage a quick scurry around for some Christmas treats as this is our last big town.

We make a plan for having some early starts to beat the heat - the heat is certainly sapping everyone's energy levels. We try to aim to be on the bikes around 7.30am instead of our usual 9.30am. Surely we can be organised enough to make that happen?