Tunnel beach to mokau 45 km

Tunnel beach to mokau 45 km

After packing up camp I head back up the no exit 4.5 km gravel road to I get back on the road south (tarseal)  I have 1 larger hill to ride up today - it's a lot more easily that the last one before I get to enjoy the down hill to the coast - just after turning on to S. H. 3 (with the road sign saying Hamilton - so it must be true - all roads lead to Hamilton after seeing many of the road signs latery saying Hamilton on then : )  - first thing I noticed after turning on to the main road from my little back road is the traffic - a lot more cars and trucks - most of the trucks giving me room as they pass - though I wish they wouldn't do it on to on coming traffic or around blind bends on the road at times - many of the trucks are large loging trucks or gas tankers? ) 

At a sivure station I stop for a pie (I had been looking forward to having a pie (the things one dreams about on the road at times - in this case a good pie) only to find they had no pies so had a ice cream instead - the pie will have to wait...

A few?  Km down the coast is the village/town of mokau - first stop being the history place for the area what happeneds to be open today - offing it's closed when I'm been past on other trips - after leaning about history of the place - things like the old river bridge had a one span that lifed up on a frame work so boats could get up or down river and near by was where the electric dog collars first came from - as well as the idea of reuseding ship rescue rockets (used to take a light rope to shore in rescues)  to get TV wire over bush (from the TV antenna high on a hill down to a house in the valley) so that back country homes could get TV for the first time - I like to visit history places in nz as you never know what you may lean : ) 

After having a good look around the museum  (where the nice people there let me charge up my phone as I looked around the place)  I headed across the road to a cafe for a late lunch - where I finally got to have the pie I had been looking forward to having : )

After the pie (and it was a nice pie too : ) I headed just down the road to the whitebait Inn - a shop/caff/camping ground where for $10 a night a got a nice tent site for the night (and for a few $ more did some washing (as was running out of clean things to wear on the bike) - ended up having fish and chips for dinner before heading back to check on my e-suff to see how they was charging  before doing a few things on line (very slow Internet over the cellphone network - gprs (dial up or slower speed)  - no 3or 4 g high speed Internet by cell phone out here : )  and some reading before heading off to bed for the night