New Year

Tuesday 27^th December

Empire Apartments Auckland – Tapapakanga Campground, Seabird Coast.   75kms.

Sitting at the Mission Bay Café after seven kms of town and flat. Long black. Flat white. Wi-fi. John realised he booked tonight’s campground for the 27^th Jan – whoops!! Just rang to sort that so all good.

Biked along Quay St and Tamaki Drive and then through St Heliers to Glen Innes (vast socio-economic difference – quite shocking) and then on to Panmure, Pakuranga (where we had lunch in the park across from the supermarket) and Botany (quite vast and uphill).

Wound our way out to Whitford but huge steep hills up and down and testing traffic, narrow shoulders, frantic drivers. Seemed to go on and on before we reached Clevedon where we collapsed into a little organic coffee shop and the kids had an ice-cream from across the road.

The gradients eased after that and we reached Kawakawa Bay in great time and it was beautiful. We had hot chips there on the beach, knowing that there was the big hill to come. And it was a big hill – and there was another one after the Orere Point turn-off which we didn’t expect – but we arrived at the Tapapakanga Regional Park and biked up a gravel road a while and up again before reaching the Seaview Campground.

Loved it there. It was basic but beautiful and we had a very lovely evening there. Lovely 5 minute walk to a lookout and chatted to some people as well.

Wednesday 28^th December

Tapapakanga Regional Park – Thames. 60kms.

Got away and made good progress to Kaiau – the first part was stunning and just gorgeous with pohutukawas all along the coast and gorgeous peaceful holiday homes along the water. Arrived in Kaiau ready for a break as the wind had come up and went to the Pink Shop which turned out to have awesome coffee, bacon and egg rolls, and toasted sandwiches. Met another cyclist there and had a great relaxed chat and really enjoyed the stop.

Continued onto Miranda in quite windy, testing conditions and were glad to stop at a school oncewe got onto the main road to Thames. Stopped there quite a while in the heat of the day.

Onward to Thames and arrived a bit hot and bothered after quite heavy traffic and then got groceries and headed the extra 3kms out to the holiday park. Nice to get there but there was some confusion over the sites and we moved three times. Another lovely evening there. Had a swim in the pool which was refreshing but cold and then cooked burgers and ate outside. Very pleasant and a lovely time.

Thursday 29^th December

Thames – Waihi 65kms

Started in great style at the Thames Café where we had coffee and muffins and then joined the Rail Trail at Kopu. Lots of gravel and farmland and some interesting cattle-stops – and very windy – but we really enjoyed it. Overcast day and made about 40kms before Paeroa. Had a lovely rest there in a café and then re-joined the trail after some photos by the big L and P bottle. Overcast and quite cold and windy day but lovely to turn into the Gorge and have the wind behind us. Really amazing in the gorge with the tunnels and bridges and the river itself. At Waikino we crossed the bridge and went over to the pub where we had beer and chips and pool. Great end to a great day. Carried on a few steep but small undulations into Waihi and found the campground around 6pm. Great.

Lucy and I got groceries and we ate pasta outside which was nice. Lovely to be given corn fritters by a guy we’d met in Rawene. Just love that sort of generosity.

Friday 30^th December

Waihi – Mount Maunganui  66kms

Got up to a beautiful day and quite motivated and excited to get away and to get to Mount Maunganui and see Sue and John. We headed off at 8.30am and went to look at the mine and visited the Ti-Tree café before leaving town at 9.30am. Made super-quick progress to Katikati – couldn’t believe it – so had a good rest there amongst the murals and sculptures. Lovely.

 It became hot and the hills and traffic steepened between Katikati and Tauranga and we found it hard to find  peaceful stop for lunch so just pulled in at a clearing at Te Puna and sat and had lunch. There was the holiday traffic, compounded by the Friday working traffic and John’s chain broke at one point as well so we pulled into a gas station to fix it in the shade.

 The trip through Tauranga was busy and we had to negotiate the cycleways through to the Mount but we arrived in good time around 4.30pm and rang Sue from outside the apartment after we had ridden through town and round both sides of the bay looking for our bearings.

It was great to be with Sue and John here at the apartment and their hospitality was exceptional with lovely food and wine and a relaxing deck and a pool downstairs. We had a drink and then a shower and a swim and dinner and drinks later. It was gorgeous. Slept blissfully in comfort – so pleased to get here and to finish the first stage of the journey conclusively.

Today Saturday 31^st December.  Mount Maunganui. Zero kms

Lovely breakfast, lovely walk around the Mount and through town, lovely coffee and rest back here. Tom and Vicky and the four girls arrived later and it was great to see them too so we went to the beach and swam and the boys and Isla and Lucy played cricket. Really lovely. Back to the spa pool and then up for drinks and dinner. Lots of fun with the girls and the food and wine and hospitality were just fabulous. It was so nice to get here and be here and be so well looked after.

Tom and Vicki and the girls went home and we packed a bit and chatted and relaxed some more. Will be hard to leave tomorrow but excited to get on the next stage.

Sunday 1^st January 2017.

Mount Maunganui – Rotorua 74kms

It was hard to leave Sue and John and the lovely apartment behind after a gourmet breakfast of granola, pancakes, avocados and blueberries. We departed around 9.30am and the trip into Tauranga was straightforward and pleasantly quiet due to it being New Year’s Day. Went right into town and the Visitor Centre was open so we found out that we could go all the way out of town on Cameron Rd to Pyes Pa which was great.

The ride to the end of the road went well and we made quick progress before rounding the corner to a much steeper gradient and progress slowed considerably. Pretty worn out by the gradient by the  time we got to Pyes Pa School so we stopped and had lunch there.

Carried on climbing steadily and some stiff gradients and tough climbs around the turnoff to the TECT atv park and then finally in down the massively impressive gorge and climbing out of it again. Had to stop going down as our brakes got too hot and then it was a big grunt back up – but truly spectacular and amazing. Met a Japanese cyclist there and we gave him some food and recovered.

Carried on to Rotorua in rain which started at the end of the gorge and eased again when we reached the lake – for which we were very thankful. Pleasant ride into Rotorua despite being a bit wet. 

Watched the zorbing and then headed straight into town for something to eat. We went straight to the Fat Dog where we had had amazing burgers the last time and it didn’t disappoint. Lovely to get there and relax.

Got groceries after and headed out to Rotorua Thermal Holiday Park which was manic and the showers were luke-warm and the fridge was tiny. Had some difficulty finding a flat place to camp but found a spot. Also couldn’t find the hot pools and in the morning the kitchen was locked when we wanted to have breakfast.  Just too many people in too busy a place.

Collapsed into the tent after a big day of climbing.

Monday 2^nd January

Rotorua – Pureora Campsite 93kms

We were up and away by 8.30am and made good progress to Atiamuri, having climbed and undulated for 40kms by the time we stopped for a proper stop at the Atiamuri Tearooms. Overcast and threatening rain a bit but it held off until we were nearly there. Café was a bit crowded but we had the best toasted sandwiches there. Fabulous and a cup of tea as well. Just a great stop. Very enjoyable.

Carried on to Whakamaru  - some hills but also very beautiful alongside the Waikato River – part of the Waikato River Trails but a bit rough for us so stayed on the road alongside. Fine again at Whakamaru and we walked across the dam, then had a bit of late lunch and then a coffee inside and a rest.

Got ready for the 28kms of hills. Rose up by Mangakino and then made good progress through the undulations for a good 15kms before the real grind started up through the forest – and a grind it was with some gorgeous forest but some exceptionally steep bits.

Big effort by everyone and came out on a plateau of rolling hills on the top and then arrived at the turnoff to the campsite about 8pm. Cleared to a gorgeous evening and we cooked spaghetti bolognaise quickly as we were worried the gas was a bit low for two nights. Shared the picnic table with a couple and their granddaughter who shared toasted marshmallows with the kids which was fun. Bed as some rain started to fall unexpectedly  and a bug was down my top which caused hilarity and then a mossie  eluded my chase but all got to sleep eventually.

 Tuesday 3^rd January

Pureora Campsite – Benneydale 22kms

Well! Raining on and off when we woke up and then raining a bit more. Tried to have breakfast in a break and then tried to pack up in between breaks but it ended up wet and we ended up wet and it was a bit dire for a while. Lucy and Hugh sheltered under the registration booth with a Te Araroa walker who was also drenched.

We got packed up and rode miserably to the Timber Trail. Started in and it was nice to get into the trees –only it was so wet that the track turned to mush even before we got to the 1km mark. Had to stop in mud several times so it was clear it wasn’t going to be better higher up.

So we turned back. Pouring as we got to the closed visitor centre and we met two Te Araroa walkers there – equally despondent – and made the decision to push on quickly to Benneydale, where we hoped a café would be open. The 22kms passed reasonably fast, though uphill in parts and through some gorgeous forest. Very glad to get here.

Had a toasted sandwich and coffee at the café and inquired about accommodation – which wasn’t cheap. Persevered though as it just seemed sensible to stay when we were so drenched.

Very unusual where we are but hot showers and two rooms. Lucy and Hugh are very happy and grateful. Stay here tonight and then on to Taumarunui as planned tomorrow. Glad to be safe and dry. We will return one day for the Timber Trail.