Opotoki to Whakatane

 My shortest day yet at only 50 km and 390 m of climbing.

A foot log Subway out of Opotoki was saved for morning tea at Ohope Beach and then lunch at Whakatane. Having already ridden over the "Burma Road" going to Gisborne I thought today I'd take the more coastal route back in to Whakatane. We're very muh back in to a hot NZ summer and I have bought a long sleeved shirt that stops the UV burning my skin as my forearms were getting quite a hammering from the sun.

While at Kathmandu I also lashed out and bough an inflatable pillow as my stuff sack full of my spare clothes is a bit too minimilistic I have found so I will see if the extra weight I have to carry is worth it - if not. It will get tossed.

Am considering sending my cooker and plate back home as I'm not using it very much and it takes up a lot of valuable space - I also need to carry the gas cannister which I could also jettison.

Have got a Zoom meeting on Wednesday night that I would like to attend - the problem being that on Wednesday where I ideally would like to be I'm pretty sure there will be no cell phone reception. This means that tomorrow might be an even shorter days riding and I'm not good at just chilling in any one place when I'm on the road by myself.

A local passed me on the way in to Ohope pulled over in front of me and hopped out so that when I got to him it was clear he wanted to talk. A lovely chap who had friend's doing the Kopiko and he thought I might have missed the turn off for Burma Road. We chatted and I said I'd already done that section and today was the run up the beach.

Good supermarkets and vege shop in Whakatane so I have fresh fruit for today and tomorrow and had a nice fruit smoothie. Back at cmp now dinking copious amounts of tea!