Day 20, final day at Leithfield Beach camp.

In two days I would be in the Molesworth. But rather than struggle through 200km of gravel which my bike is not good for, I decided to end the trip here and come back another time with wider fat tires.

My bike has narrow tires which dig deeply into the gravel, and slip and oversteer badly. It's exhausting concentrating so much.

Plus I am heavily loaded so the bike doesn't float over the gravel, it sinks in.

I have a bus ticket and have disassembled the bike, and will stay in Blenheim for a few days before cycling to Picton and on to Wellington on the ferry.

It feels good to have made the decision, and I don't regret not doing the last 270km this time.