March 14: Headwind 2 Havelock

Should have been easy today. Twenty flat miles. Day off. Duh, except for the 25 mph headwind. Yea it was flat, and it was pretty, real purdy. But it took hours longer to arrive in Havelock than expected and we were exhausted again. (=big nap for G)

Havelock, a quaint town of 400 persons, 400 boats and a lot of shoes hanging on a fence, is located at the base of Pelarus Sound, and is known as the green mussel capital of New Zealand. Our YHA hostel building was an 1881 schoolhouse, so our room was taller than wide, with 15' ceilings and barely enough floor space for a double bed, and with paper-thin walls. (One of those "bring earplugs" places.) But the internet connection was fast, and aside from the resident chicken that walked in, the place was full of touring cyclists and their stories.

For a diversion, we ambled downtown in the evening wind and devoured a couple dozen delicious mussels at, where else, but The Mussel Spot. We also had to try the Kiwi's dessert specialty "pavlova", an indulgent fruit and cream-topped meringue cake. Not our fave, but it disappeared.

The clouds were still racing by our windows quite rapidly, lit up by the moon's glow, as we fell sleep.