I hate to tell our loyal reader this but again it is a lovely sunny morning. After a short while dealing with her men, the LLW was keen to drive a few miles down the coast and explore the main resort on the Kapiti coast, Paraparaumu beach.
On our way we wanted to stop in Otaki, seek out Decobikes and to procure two inner tubes with Schrader valves. Ray had made a major faux pas in bringing two inner tubes fitted with Presta valves (as used on our bikes at home) only to find that our two shiny new bikes had tyres with Schrader valves. Now this may seem a boring technicality to our reader but the thought of trying to repair a puncture in the fierce sun is not a good one. Far easier to simply fit a new inner tube and of course it has to include the correct valve! That was bit of a ramble and in any case it transpired Decobikes was firmly closed with no sign of life and no notice on the door to indicate when they might open again.
We had to give up and sped on our way to Paraparaumu beach. A new expressway is being constructed from Wellington to Otaki and most of it is finished except the short section just south of Otaki which is currently causing major traffic jams by NZ standards which means about a 5-7 minute delay.
Soon we we close to our required exit but the lady SatNat was totally confused. Apparently she had not been told about this new expressway and insisted on constantly telling us to turn off at non existent exits. Despite the SatNav we made it quickly to Paraparaumu beach and the LLW decided it was time for an early lunch before any type of exercise could be contemplated. We found a small bistro type restaurant where lots of noisy ladies who lunch had rather taken over. Luckily we found seats outside in the warm sunshine and enjoyed our meal.
Time for a gentle cycle ride along the front and we were treated to excellent views of Kapiti Island which is immediately offshore from Paraparaumu beach
The ferries to Kapiti island comprise of fairly small water taxis launched by tractors into the surf.
On our way we wanted to stop in Otaki, seek out Decobikes and to procure two inner tubes with Schrader valves. Ray had made a major faux pas in bringing two inner tubes fitted with Presta valves (as used on our bikes at home) only to find that our two shiny new bikes had tyres with Schrader valves. Now this may seem a boring technicality to our reader but the thought of trying to repair a puncture in the fierce sun is not a good one. Far easier to simply fit a new inner tube and of course it has to include the correct valve! That was bit of a ramble and in any case it transpired Decobikes was firmly closed with no sign of life and no notice on the door to indicate when they might open again.
We had to give up and sped on our way to Paraparaumu beach. A new expressway is being constructed from Wellington to Otaki and most of it is finished except the short section just south of Otaki which is currently causing major traffic jams by NZ standards which means about a 5-7 minute delay.
Soon we we close to our required exit but the lady SatNat was totally confused. Apparently she had not been told about this new expressway and insisted on constantly telling us to turn off at non existent exits. Despite the SatNav we made it quickly to Paraparaumu beach and the LLW decided it was time for an early lunch before any type of exercise could be contemplated. We found a small bistro type restaurant where lots of noisy ladies who lunch had rather taken over. Luckily we found seats outside in the warm sunshine and enjoyed our meal.
Time for a gentle cycle ride along the front and we were treated to excellent views of Kapiti Island which is immediately offshore from Paraparaumu beach
The ferries to Kapiti island comprise of fairly small water taxis launched by tractors into the surf.
The LLW declared it was now time to return to Otaki and deal with a few more documents before undertaking another cycle ride. Ray busied himself by writing an article about Amberley Primary School for Sussex Local, the circulation of which august journal closely challenges the Daily Telegraph.
These various tasks were completed and we rode off along the seafront. It was a glorious evening, brilliant sunshine, cooling slightly to a perfect temperature and a remarkable lack of wind which pleased the LLW.
Tomorrow we leave for Martinborough which is an excellent wine region with some of NZ's best wines and offers innumerable opportunities for cycling through the vineyards, tasting some wine and enjoying a lunch overlooking the vines. What is not to like about that!
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