It was a short, scenic ride today, about 16kms from Te Kaha to the Maraehako camping ground – our new happy place! We had the usual irresistible stops for photos, and a stop at one random roadside corner when the phone picked up reception for the first time in a few days.
Put simply this place is idyllic. We feel like we are in a Kathmandu camping advert! This could be our top camping spot of all time and is going to take some beating. We are metres from the beach with Olive pitched under a pohutukawa tree, three other campers are in the paddock, we have hot showers, and a camp shop to buy ice creams! We’re all set for a day or two. The cost is NZ$30 per night.
We have fresh fish to cook for tonight’s dinner thanks to a kind fisherman sharing his catch, followed by toasted marshmallows. Life doesn’t get much better than this.
We all have our ups and downs in life, and this year has certainly been testament to that for us, but if ever there was a metaphor that suits today then this is it.
The 55km ride today, hugging the coastline from the little hamlet of Opape to the not much bigger village of Te Kaha, was a rollercoaster of hills. From a steep, slow 210 metre winding climb up Maraenui Hill, to rolling down to a perfect lunch and swim stop by the sea at Omaio.
Looking back at the coastal road we rodeSwim stop at Omaio
All the while the vantage points from our bikes were unbeatable – uninterrupted panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean, and beautiful blooming pohutukawa trees lining the beaches and roadside.
The difference to life is that today the “ups” were the hard parts, while the “downs” were the fun bits. Both were rewarding in their own way, and the sense of accomplishment we feel when we can look back and see where we’ve come from is really satisfying. Looking forward to the next stage of the road is both daunting and exciting in equal measures, and is what makes us feel alive, although our bodies may not agree!
Surprisingly it is not our backsides that are suffering on the saddle, as we thought they would, but rather our hands, arms and shoulders that are taking the strain. Regular stops to straighten up help ease the discomfort, and a glass of wine or a cold beer at the end of the day soothes the aches and pains away!
Another well equipped campsite to ourselves for a couple of nights – Te Kaha campsite NZ$28 per night.
A really solid day of riding today clocking up another 55kms. The majority was on State Highway 35 which as we travel further out east the traffic is certainly thinning out. We have been warned by friends, and strangers alike, to be aware of the logging trucks on this road. There are many, but at the moment we seem to be travelling against the fully loaded trucks that are en route from Hicks Bay to Tauranga. It is the empty ones who are passing us on their return trip.
Traffic on State Highway 35 New Zealand
Coincidentally we met a logging truck driver on the Hauraki Rail Trail the other day while he was on a works Christmas Day out, and already we’ve met him twice on the road, waving and blowing his air horn at us!
Motu Dunes Trail
The last 10-12kms of today’s ride was out of Opotiki on the Motu Dunes Trail. Opotiki is the last biggish town we’ll see for a while so we stocked up on supplies. We had one of the best lunches of the trip so far at the Two Fish café, and we did some forward trip planning at the iSite office. We caught up with some of our Shola B&B business using the local library’s internet.
What a fantastic ride on trails and boardwalks through the sand dunes along the coast, but with a major design fault! Our touring bikes with their panniers would not fit through the access gateways. The gateways are designed to stop motorbikes and vehicles from accessing the trails, but boy did it make it hard work for us. We had to stop about a dozen times and lift the bikes over the gateways. We did get help on one occasion by two strapping Maori men who made it look easy!
First gate that we couldn’t fit through!The dunes trailHandlebars don’t fit through!Local to the rescue!Helping hands to lift the bikes over the gatewaysKiwi helpers!
By the time we rode into the little traditional Kiwi motor camp at Opape (NZ$20) we were cream crackered. The cold beers we’d carried from Opitiki were well shaken up, but all was not lost as once we had Olive pitched only metres from the sea, the campsite owner pulled up on his quad with a couple of ice cold ones for us. Time to relax, do a little drone practice on the deserted beach, and just enough phone signal to be able to ring Dad on his 94th birthday before crashing out under another starry night sky.
At only 23kms, today’s ride is our shortest to date. All thanks to Dawn for loading us in the car and dropping us north of Whakatane so that we could avoid the busy State Highway route around Tauranga.
Only one hefty hill to get out of Whakatane then dropping down into beautiful Ohope where we pitched up at the Top 10 campsite for the night (NZ$42). Our bbq dinner was thanks to Dawn & Adrian as we cooked up delicious beef sausages from their very own hand reared cattle. Dinner was only topped by a romantic walk on the 11kms of beach and watching the massive super moon rise.
For those of you who know us well you may have heard us recount the story “What’s in the bag?” from our campervan road trip in Western Australia. (If you haven’t heard it, ask us to tell you the next time you see us, it’s a classic.) This is a different story and we’re happy to declare what’s in our bags on this, our first ever cycling tour.
Touring bikes fully loaded
Self-sufficient
The luxury of staying with friends who spoiled us with food and drink for our first few nights on the road is over now. We are heading to the East Coast where in many of the remote settlements, supplies and services are limited meaning we have to be fully self sufficient. Therein lies the problem with bicycle touring in a hot climate – we have no way to keep things cool. I’m already afraid that our luxury item of collapsible wine glasses may not get used!
Panniers
We are carrying two rear and two front panniers each plus a handlebar bag each. Dave is carrying an additional dry bag for the camping gear. Our panniers are certainly not packed to a maximum, and no doubt with experience we could pack much lighter, but for novice cycle tourists our load is heavy enough. Dave is carrying about 20kg, and I probably have around 15kg. Added to that the 10-12kg bike weight, and it is a hefty enough load to haul around in the heat of summer, which incidentally has been a scorcher so far.
Between us we’re carrying what we believe are all the essentials. Dave is carrying the tent, camping mats & chairs plus the kitchen equipment (camping stove, gas, pots/pans, plates, cups, cutlery), and I’ve got the tool bag, gadget bag, first aid kit, and electronics (iPad, bluetooth speaker, Kindle, solar panel, chargers, etc) plus the drone!
Plus we each carry the following:
A sleeping bag
A small pillow (courtesy of Qatar Airways, not that they realise it)
A towel & a sarong
Swimsuit
Flip flops
Spare pair of walking shoes (we cycle in clip-in bike shoes)
Toiletries (of which I am guilty of having too many)
A spare set of cycling clothes for cold weather (fingers crossed these will stay in the bag)
A set of clothes for the evening (layers for warm & cold)
Reading glasses
Sunglasses
Baseball cap and beanie hat (helmets which we wear when riding)
Head torch
Bike lock
Wallet
Phone
On top of this we have 2 water bottles each, plus whatever fresh food we can pick up (e.g. fruit, avocados, tomato, bread, bacon, eggs), and our dried/emergency food supplies (e.g. tuna, noodles, rice, packet soup, muesli, tinned fruit, tortillas, crackers, nuts, CHOCOLATE).
Let’s face it we are probably the last two people on earth likely to die of hunger!
As if it wasn’t enough that Ian & Natalie’s place near Hikutaia was perched high up on a hill overlooking a lush, green valley, our next hosts Dawn & Adrian’s historic home, just north of Katikati, is positioned higher still to take advantage of magical panoramic views across the land and sea. The good news here is that we didn’t have to cycle up their hill – more on that later.
Hauraki Rail Trail
Leaving Ian & Natalie’s after a full fry we were ready for anything, and the 60km ride ahead was an absolute pleasure. We rejoined the Hauraki Rail Trail riding through fertile plains, passing through Paeroa, the hometown of the famous Kiwi soft drink L&P. After this point we actually started meeting some, not many, other cyclists – mostly weekend warriors and day trippers, nobody as serious as us!
On we went through the Karangahake Gorge stopping at Waikino Railway Station for lunch. The entire trail as far as Waihi was absolutely stunning with fresh, rural, and river views around every twist and turn.
Views on the Hauraki Rail TrailStocking up on snacks at a typical Kiwi dairy
State Highway 2
It seemed a shame to have to join back on to the State Highway 2, but needs must. For the most part there is a hard shoulder to tuck in on, although with a headwind and the backdraft from the bigger trucks and towing vehicles, it was a case of holding on tight at times.
Hitting speeds of up to 50kms per hour may not seem like much, but on a loaded bike on a windy day with weekend traffic, it feels pretty fast on the downhills to keep under control. My optimistic theory of riding north to south which surely meant going downhill has already gone to pot. That and the dream of a tailwind the whole way! The uphills and headwinds are out to get us.
It was on one of the fast downhills that we were passed by a vehicle who tooted, not uncommon thus far, as everyone toots and waves. The car subsequently pulled in ahead of us. This could mean only one thing – it was someone who knew us! And yes it was Dawn whose home we were heading towards. We still had 7kms of uphill to go to get to her farm. It seemed the opportunistic thing to do was to unload the panniers right there and then into the back of her car. Instantly we felt so light and wobbly!
Dawn stopping for us on State Highway 2
Farming life
More good news and another welcome sight was Dawn again! This time on her farming quad bike and trailer, at the bottom of the steep gravel road leading up to her house. We didn’t need to be asked twice if we wanted a ride! We loaded up and along with Jess the dog dropped the bikes at the house before jumping on the quad again to head back down for a cooling dip in one of the farm’s own waterholes.
This is a magical place where Dawn & Adrian have chosen to painstakingly relocate and restore their historic home. It is a labour of love and a work in progress and we really hope to return someday to see it in all its restored glory.
Staying with Dawn & Adrian for two nights meant we had a full day of rest, it was a Sunday after all, just chilling out, doing laundry, and a bit of forward planning with their expert local knowledge.
Since we’re not purist cycling tourists we have no qualms about accepting Dawn’s kind offer to drive us through the next stretch of State Highway 2 sometimes known as “Suicide Highway” so we can avoid the heavy traffic around Tauranga.
Tomorrow will be a short cycling day from Matata via Whakatane to Ohope.
Hi, we're Sharon & Dave an active and adventurous Irish & English couple who've been travelling together for more than 20 years. These posts are our travel stories and personal journeys. Follow our adventures to see where we've been and where we're going next!
Pin It on Pinterest
Loading Comments...
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkPrivacy Policy
