Day 14 Hawai to Maraehako Beach 60km
Awoke to mizzle. Packed tent away in mizzle. Set off cycling in mizzle. Uphill. But it soon stopped and we found an open cafe where we warmed up and refuelled.
In the end an easy 60k led us to this beach retreat where we have treated ourselves to a room for the night. We can dry out and charge our phones and chargers. Went out in a boat setting the lobster pots for crayfish. Actually all I did was sit feeling terribly seasick and wondering what possesses me to go. So now we are sitting on the beach, in the sun, with a dry tent and looking forward to an early supper and sleep.
Maraehako means sheltered gathering place. A Maori woman we got talking to explained that a marae is partly a description of a house where people meet to remember their ancestors and where they come from and partly a description of the land they belong to. A bit like a Ugandans connection to their home village. A connection to family & place that we seem to have lost....