Last night was wet. Today is wet. We planned this rest day well. I don’t really fancy biking in the rain. We have a great big breakfast and drink a few cups of coffee

Last night we met a couple from California. Brian and Janet are really nice. They have cycle toured in 40 different countries and they are on a tandem bike. Oooh I want one of those! I would love to let Rowan push me up the hills. Brian has diabetes and I talked to him about moving to NZ where he doesn’t need a mortgage to buy insulin. I have a feeling they don’t need to worry about the cost but still! I took full advantage of the washing machines and dryers and cleaned our clothes. At one point I hid in the tent. The rain only eased around 3pm. Rowan and I went to the 4square for a few road supplies. We didn’t bother with lunch because breakfast was huge.

Then in came Marley and Catherine, a couple from Perth. They looked all shiny on their new bikes and all their gear looking fresh. Hey Durston twinning

They have the ultra light version which is DCF. It is super light but not the most durable. We got chatting and no shit we are like twins (we are the fat version). They hiked the North Island and got to St Arnaud and Katherine hurt her ankle. They ended up in a hire car for a week hoping it would get better. When it didn’t they made the decision to add bicycles to finish the South Island. They started in Nelson. It is pretty hilarious how many things are the same. Katherine needs to be back mid June for work so I think they will have plenty of time once they have finished to do a tiki tour.

Before we knew it, the time was 8pm so we all head off to our homes. I joked to Marley that his tent is so transparent he can’t have sex with the lights on. “Why on earth would I want to see her.” Haha