Thanks Vince. Hopefully bump into you at the shops soon.

Good question Vince.
I didn’t really need the EPIRB, but I did use the Garmin communicator a couple of times to message my wife updates when there was no phone signal.

I got into the habit of having a back up emergency signal when I was taking groups into remote areas in my previous job. We’d have a SPOT, EPIRB and Sat. phone on the assumption that something wouldn’t work as planned.

Also the EPIRB and Garmin mini are both extremely small and lightweight. They don’t add much to the load.

Thanks for another interesting blog mate. See you in Canberra. Vince

Hi Graham, why did you have an EPIRB when the inreach has the same function? Thanks Vince

Hi Vince,
Yes NZ local and national governments have put a lot of thought, resources and action into cycling infrastructure.

It’s certainly not perfect but it’s much better than Australia’s, especially when comparing regional towns.
For example, Napier and the Hawkes Bay region have an extensive network of cycleways. So does Nelson. These aren’t big places but they’ve done a lot to encourage recreational and commuter cycling.
That said I’m very happy with Canberra’s cycle ways.

Hi Graham, I'm just catching up on your blog. Congratulations!
This stuff just makes sense. If only we could have it in Canberra, more people would be riding their bikes.

Joel thanks for that mention of the bike shop guys. I’ll do an edit of the journal.

Joel now you’ve mentioned it, there’s an idea brewing for an autumn tour in Oz. Possibly starting 2 April. Heading north to a state capital.
Nothing epic. Flat, smooth roads all the way. Tailwinds. No rain. Excellent restaurants every 50km. Low cost 5-star accommodation in every hamlet.

Some of that’s true.

Special mention of Chris and Wayne of Bay Motorcycles Waipukurau. Taking great sympathy on my dud ankle they took Tony's and my bike, boxed them up and sent them on to Wellington with a maximum of service and a minimum of fuss. The manager of Waipukurau Holiday Park also went out of her way to provide ice and advice. The kindness to cycle tourists was crtainly a feature of the ride.

"Luxury, and very welcome"

"Did we mention rain?, sorry, New Zealand mist?"

"If you zoom in you can see Tony climbing out of the valley" 🚴‍♂️

"I swear", said Neil, "That brown trout was as long as from my finger to the ground".

Thank you Graham (Cycle Tour Leader Extraordinaire). The planning, the doing and the support made for a superb adventure. The Ohakune to Hawke's Bay (Gentle Annie) ride was challenging and exciting. Napier on, picturesque. I'm looking forward to the next one.

Thanks Robyn. Picton is one of my favourite towns. The view from its waterfront is outstanding.
Yes I noticed the widespread damage from February’s cyclone in the Hawke’s Bay region, and heard some stories about sheer volume of water.