People are nice, aren't they. We mean it - everyone has been so damn good to us on this little road trip of ours. Even Yvonne had the best of intentions when she insisted on plucking hairs from Rob's eyebrows ears and nose (though just what those intentions were is uncertain). Her husband too had our best interests at heart when he tried to steer us away from St Hwy 1 - Terry, we are way too tough to be frightened by that little stretch of road! We flew along the shoulder as if on the wings of eagles, nothing could touch us, nothing.

And then there was the lovely ladies from Sport Waikato who came to see us off this morning from Matangi Motors - thanks Paula and Janis. Dave MacCalman has promoted us around the region and met us on a couple of occasions along the road to spur us on. Dave is a gold medal Paralympian and was an early role model for young Rob when he first broke his neck, so it's been really great to have his support.

We get a lot of encouragement from passing traffic - nice, nice, nice!

The only really sour event that has marred an otherwise uplifting journey, was the refusal of the Morrinsville Cafe to give Rob a marshmellow with his coffee. This has become a rather sensitive issue as John's favorite drink is hot chocolate meaning he is always getting the marshmellows - an unfair situation.

As for the ride itself - well, John remains as stoic as ever, and Rob has temporarily stopped crying about his swollen hands. The boys will be cycling into Rotorua tomorrow ending the first leg of the tour. If all goes well they may even do a victory lap of the lake.