Rotorua riding north
Was so great to meet Clint and Rosie 
the next morning they were up early and off to work.
That gave Simon and Lisa and me time to recover 
and spend a bit of time talking about the realities, logistics and experiences of being on the road for large amounts of time.
Was great meeting them for sure! 
Simon and Lisa.
I packed up and left in the afternoon to ride to Mt Manganui to meet up with Tony and his Wife Raewyn. Somehow I forgot to actually take a photo of us together 
Bummer . They were gracious to contact me and invite me to stay.
We hiked to the top of the mountain for a look. Cool place, and I wish time would have allowed me to stay longer.
Loved the world map in the room they had set up for me!!
Amazing see the difference in size of places. I have spent 7 weeks in NZ and ridden almost 6,000 miles. So much to see and do, wish I had planned for 3-4 more weeks 
After a great evening with Tony and Raewyn, I was off in the morning to connect with a couple more riders….. You might remember one of them
First Meet David. He contacted me and wanted to grab a bit to eat. We had a really great meal and conversations about life. It is the perfect example of what has made my ride and connection to people along the way the most valuable! Thanks David!
and he offered to show me the way out of town and up the coast!!
After a bit of traffic, we were back on some great twisty roads along the ocean!!
After we parted way, I continued onto the Coromandel Peninsula. Was awaiting the arrival of another World rider…….
and soon enough…… In rides Sherri Jo Wilkins!!
We stayed at a Holiday park in Hot Water Beach.
Checked out all the people who dug holes in the sand to get to the hot water….
and looks like there might have been a turtle coming up on the far end of the beach
Next day we took a ride around the area.
Had a bit of wet roads, but no rain gear needed
Stopped in Coromandel for a cup of coffee and dessert!
Then looped around and back to Hot Water beach
couple of muddy roads…
Another small town NZ post office
and a few places to try and get a good photo
Brillant Sunset
Nice sunrise on the beach
Couple days of story telling and catching up !
And then we were off in different directions!! Adois Sherri Jo Safe travels to you!
I arrived back in Auckland so I can sort out bike shipping, service on my Bike, and also have connected with people from the Alzheimer’s org of NZ
I will be participating in a large Dementia meeting on Monday and then doing a public talk on Thursday night, so i need to get ready 🙂
My time in NZ is coming to a close. It has been a great place to come and ride. Great people, wonderful roads and sights to see. Looking forward to continuing my friendships with the KIWI’s that I have met on my journey. They have all made this part of my trip exceptional!!
Will talk more about the next steps in my trip…….. Stay tuned for more updates soon!
