Jan 10th

Awoke to another glorious day of about 75F. Left by 9am and cycled through Huntly- a coal mining town, over the Waikato river and then beside the river for much of the way to Hamilton - the largest inland city in NZ. The countryside was very beautiful and the road almost traffic-free; the lush pastoral landscapes with grazing cattle and sheep gave one a glimpse of a bygone age and so not surprisingly not far from where we were was filmed the rural paradise of Hobbiton village in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Finally cycled into Hamilton - a ride of about 35 miles as opposed to nearer 50 yesterday. Saddle sore but not suffering in the way we had yesterday.