The day started with a cooked breakfast. We waited around a good 30min to help digest it, but really needed longer. The sunrise was lovely to watch on the mountains. 11km this morning and it is up. Joanne and I walk the 5km to the top while Rowan rides the whole thing.

The views are fantastic. The track is quite rocky in places and a grade 3 so not so good if you are not confident on a bike. We spoke to a few people who said they walked parts of it. 100m off from the very top we sat and had our packed lunch.

The downhill from there was really fun, we had to go slow in some hairy places. When we reached the gravel road it was smooth sailing from there. We did the last kilometres of the day much faster. It was exhilarating going downhill all the way to Ōmarama. We got swooped at by some magpies. Rowan the worst as one hit his helmet and glasses a few times. Nesting season so of course they are protective. we arrived at the top 10 around 5pm, our latest day so far. But of course the hardest day for the whole trip. Here is our cute hobbit hut.

Anakarang (Eddy) did a community initiative and they planted 1000 coral fragments. Which is pretty amazing!

We had dinner at the local pub, which had a surprisingly varied menu. We all enjoyed our meals.

Rest day, it is also a day I must toast to my grandpa. Happy Birthday Grandpa! He would have been a big 94! The day is really relaxing. We go out for some breakfast. At lunchtime we have a beer and a toast to g/pa. The day disappears fast and we head off to the hot tubs for a 1.5hr dip. They are really quite well done. You have lots of privacy. There are showers, you can order wine and food. Not a cheap thing to do but a worthwhile experience. With our wine in the tub we have another toast.