I had to rush the last few times I was on the internet, mainly due to tight schedules and expensive internet costs. Now that we are back in Auckland, I have a few hours to kill before I go to sleep and get up and fly to Tonga!!! Nee is asleep in our tiny studio room - that is unless Elli woke her up :)

I wanted to write a post that would summarise the bike trip as a whole. Here is my first effort.

The bike ride from Gisborne to Rotorua was nothing short of fantastic. Even though we were on the bike for at least 5 hours a day, it was very rewarding and not too strenuous. My new bike helped out HEAPS. I don't think it would have been as easy if I was riding my old bike. As my shoes clipped into my pedals, my pedalling was a lot more productive, even though I fell off a few times at the start - I was travelling too slow and forgot that my feet were clipped in. And...... my new bike doesn't squeak like my old one. Oh and the pedal doesn't fall off after a few kms of riding. YAY!

I was lucky not to have a flat tyre the entire trip - I wasn't carrying a spare, and there would have been no options other than hitching a ride the rest of the way. I am also very lucky that Ed carried all of my gear as well as his. Luckily I didn't pack much.

The area around the east coast is very desolate. Many of the places are really undeveloped, which is great for peace and quiet, but not so great if you want simple things, like fast and accessible internet :) The scenery is so beautiful, and at bicycle speed we saw everything in minute detail. The hills were a bit of a bastard, but the way down the other side was worth it.

OK, minor disruption in the blog entry for a general update... As I told you in my last post, our digital camera is shot, and I'm looking to pickup a second hand one before we leave for Tonga. I just checked now on trademe.co.nz and found one that was recently listed, so I have to go home and get my phone in case he/she texts me. I really really really want this camera. Back soon (maybe)