Jan 12th

After 48 miles yesterday we slept well and left at 7am. The style of accomodation is different from the UK in that normally breakfast is not provided but each room has cooking facilities which suits the average tourist here and we find most convenient. We were actually woken at 5.40am by what sounded like a world war 2 siren which went on for at least a minute. Linda suggested that perhaps it was to rouse all those sheep shearers. Any other observations by our NZ readers would be of interest. We continued up the stinker of a hill which was the first of many today but none were quite so horrific. Harold Macmillan was asked what were the most difficult problems he faced in his premiership. To which he replied 'events dear boy events'. We were 30 minutes into our 51 mile excursion when the gears started playing up which they continued to do for some time and so after much faffing, and a 2 hour delay we got going again, only for the gears to mess us about again and again. However we eventually got them sorted out which was just as well as we spent the day on what someone described as the 'forgotten highway' namely Highway 4 which goes throught the most beautiful countryside we have encountered thus far; very remiscent of lowland Scotland. The road travels for some 45 miles through the Taumaruni National Park , with virtually no settlements. We saw Australian Harriers circling overhead and the fields were either full of maize or cattle and sheep. On one occasion we had stopped to have some water and opposite was a herd of cattle who thundered down the hillside and stared at us- all standing in a row. The weather was glorious today - clear sunny skies and a light cool breeze, at least this morning but the effect of the thin ozone layer in these parts is obvious. Having lived in Cyprus with a much hotter climate for years we are both peeling!