February 21: Over the Hills, by Granny's Rules

Rain wakens us thru the night in our tropical nest. Three other travellers have come in last night and we all do "breaky" together. Derek and Julie are on holiday from Dunedin, and their friend Sarah is from Melbourne.

Off we go along this gorgeous east cape coast; grinding up short hills only to descend back to the sea, rounding bays with small clusters of farm homes tucked in neatly. Mature, stately pohutakawa trees line many sections of the route and we welcome their shade. (Pohutakawa trees are known as the Maori Christmas tree because they produce a bright red set of leafage during the holiday season)
As we climb from Whanarua Bay we hear "Go, Washington, go Ellen, go Gary! and turn to see our tablemates from this morning waving vigorously, urging us in for mid-morning tea at the Pacific Coast Macadamia Nut farm. Biking up, our tires become stalled in a driveway of packed macadamia nutshells.
The road leaves the coast at Whangaparaoa and we head into a nasty southerly breeze as we ascend the Raukumara Range and turn our compass SE ward. Let me detail what you are missing:: Round a bend, see the immediate incline, downshift to one of your lowend gears (called granny gears, for some reason. My granny was always sharp tongued and endlessly, deliberately active). The first 50m is easy as you burn thru your available anaerobic reserve , then when the "burn" starts, you begin breathing so to trigger your aerobic cycle. I use various counts, always tied to pedal downstrokes, depending on grade and my fitness (or lack thereof!) A climb may need intermediate stops, but I find it easiest (less hardest??) to find a pace that will complete a climb without stopping. (Ellen has a whole other approach.) Congrats, you have reached the top, soaked with sweat and are trying to enjoy all of God's creation below. Now to descend, carefully now, for the slow upward grind flips to a deceptively quick descent. (I have reached 20 mph within 3 seconds of disengaging brakes and up to 31 mph downhill already! With a trailer!) But the exhilaration of a downhill run, as your sweat cools you instantly and tired legs rest, is unexplainable... Care, care, care, for shoulders are small and variable, there are many tight curves with the occasional gravel patch and pothole looming...And you get to do this alllllll day!

Our last descent drops us into Hick's Bay, bonking and out of water, for a welcome drink and ice cream, at 5:10pm. One last 2 km climb, then desent into Te Araroa, plops us at the Holiday Park (sort of a combo campground, RV park and primitive motel complex). Meet Oliver again, and Roy, a 67 y.o. from Christchurch, who is cycling northward. Wine, beer, fish, chips and other carbs are rapidly consumed by all the cyclists. I think we are asleep before the sunsets.
55 miles, 444 cumulative.