Started early in the morning today, with the Beachcomber watertaxi out to Ship Cove, a place Capitain James Cook has visited several times on his expeditions to NZ. It has been raining the last few days so the track is muddy as hell. In dry conditions it's easy to drive this scenic trail in one day but with the mud a big part of the trail becomes unridable and it took me 6 hours to get from Ship Cove to the Portage Backpackers (just 50km) My bike and me have been completely covered in mud and it was partly impossible to cycle. Hot shower in the hostal was just awesome and my bike looked much better after beeing hosed down (with cold water) and the chain freshly oiled ;-)