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Distance pedalled: 53.862
Average Speed: 14.6
Time pedalling: 3:41:40
Distance since Palmerston North: 508.59
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In the morning, I give some of the kiwifruit packhouses another call but I just get more recorded messages saying there are no vacancies. It's a bit rainy this morning so I decline to ascend Mauao, I've hiked bigger summits already anyway. I pick up some more bungy cords at the $2 shop and set my sights on Katikati. Lots of ups and downs, but the ride is beautiful. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves:
New Zealand's famous Silver Ferns, you may have seen them in the All Black's logo
Once I get into katikati, I consult my campground directory. There are two in the area, the one that's closest is also the cheaper of the two, but it happens to be a naturist (i.e., nudist) campground. I figure what the hell.
The old lady at reception is thankfully not naked and does not ask me to take off my clothes, so I pay the $14 and set up camp by a beautiful stream. Perhaps not the best idea in the end with all the moisture nearby, but at least I get to go to sleep to the sound of running water and wake up to that sight.
I wave to a couple climbing out of a campervan nearby and, bags unloaded, head off to wooloworth's to get some ingredients for a real (uncanned) dinner. I decide on pasta. Looking at the community bulletin board on the way out, there are sea kayaks for sale, and whole steers for the taking ($70). Hmm.
Over dinner in the kitchen, the couple I saw earlier, Mike and Manuela are, surprise, German and looking for fruitpicking work. We're joined by two other german guys who tell us they've been waiting for a week for work. The wet weather means that the kiwifruit will just fall apart when you pick them, so you can't work on those days. Oh yes, none of us are naked. It turns out we're all just pretty much looking for a place to camp. Also, the night is a bit too chilly for that, eh?
I recycle my jars in the bin that says "recycle with care." As if it were a dangerous activity.
In the morning I see some guy walking butt naked from the kitchen to his campsite. Good on him.
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