By Liz

14th February – 58km cycled

My oh my the dew this morning, might as well have rained. Took a while to get the tent dry before we were on our way! We went to the Little River village shop and had a fancy breakfast! I had crushed avocado with feta and salad and a poached egg and it was the most delicious thing I had eaten all week. No insta photos because I was way too hungry and wolfed it down immediately. Andy had a full breakfast. I am sure he enjoyed his equally..!

The plan for the day – Find. A. Stove. And of course, get to a campsite vaguely on the way.

Cycled out of the valley, back the way we had come, right into a head wind. Very hard. Stopped for a refreshing ginger beer at Gebbies Garden Cafe. Yum.

We then carried on for another half hour to Tai Tapu. We tried all the Challenge! Petrol stations and stores in sight for a gas stove, no luck. Looked like we would need to go to the bigger town of Rolleston (which was going to add to our journey if we went today). We had decided to camp at the free site in Coes Ford Recreation Park. If we could find gas or a stove, then we could cook. If not – well we would have to think about that when the time came.

Onward to Lincoln which, though larger and had a New World store, also had a Hammer Hardware store. Ooooh maybe this store would stock stoves!? Nope!

To commiserate we got a subway. Guilty pleasure. Next to New World to pick up supplies for the evening. Starting to feel like all we do is cycle to shops for food.. anyway we had a brainwave to get a cooked chicken and some potato salad and a bottle of red wine. That’d do!

Coes Ford Recreation Ground has some toilets and a river running through it, some suspicious virus laden water and a stay limit of 4 weeks. When we arrived we had a dip in the river, ate our delicious food, and called it a night. Rolleston for the stove could wait til tomorrow.