To get to the other side of Northland (north on the North Island) we followed the Twin Coast Cycle Trail that goes from the east coast almost to the west coast, 87kms long. This starts in Opua, about 10 kms from Paihia. We had to ride on the narrow, twisty and hilly highway to get to the start but the traffic was light thankfully. After only a few kms on the trail you have to take a historic railway with an open rail car to carry all the bikes as there’s no trail. When we arrived at the so called train station it was a bit underwhelming to say the least and I was starting to think of a plan B. We were the only people/cyclists in this remote place and all that was there was a porta potty, a log to sit on, a very basic platform and of course some rail tracks. George had booked this train awhile back and had a confirmation so I had to have faith. It did arrive and right on time. It was actually a fun and quirky 4.2 km slow ride by a lake and through a forest to the next station. We got off and rode to Kawakawa where we saw the ‘famous in New Zealand’ Hundertwasser public toilets and then on to Kaikohe along the cycle trail. This trail is much less developed than the others we have followed, often just a narrow gravel walking track beside the road, so we often just rode on the road anyway which was very quiet. While on the trail every so often we would meet a gate ostensibly to guard against other vehicles using the trail. Unfortunately they were not designed for cyclists with panniers (or tandems) and in some cases we had to down luggage to get through, a royal PITA. Oh, and there were 26 of these on the route… There were, however, some very beautiful sections through forested areas and suspension bridges over streams and valleys. We slept in a basic hotel in Kaikohe but it was clean and met our needs. Kaikohe isn’t a big place and a poorer area so not many eating establishments. We had to make do with take out from a local Thai food restaurant.
For the second part of the ride across to the west coast we opted not to take the remainder of the cycle trail as it was all gravel which is slower and would end up being considerably longer with 2 ferries rides to boot. We instead rode on the highway all the way to Opononi and the road was quite quiet. There were some significant hills to get over and there were no services anywhere between start and destination, but we managed. The area we were riding appeared to be predominantly Maori lands with little development. When we arrived in Opononi we came around a corner and were greeted quite suddenly with an amazing view of a giant sand dune just across the Hokianga harbour, quite stunning. We picked up a few groceries in the store here, as it’s the only store, and rode the last 3.5 kms to Omapere where we were staying. A few hours later our friends from Calgary, Jim and Susan, arrived via rental car for a 2 night stay with us here.
The next day we visited the Waipoua Forest, by car, and were able to see 2 very old, large and famous Kauri trees: Tane Mahuta (Lord of the Forest) about 2500yrs old and Te Matua Ngahere (Father of the Forest), a bit older. We entered the forest through special foot cleaning gates and walked on boardwalks most of the way. This is due to an issue with mould/fungus spores causing kauri dieback that can kill the trees within months. Kauris can live 6000-10,000 years and grow very slowly. The 2 large trees were amazing to see, so big, and we had a lovely forest walk as well. After this we drove back towards Omapere and out to the point where the Tasman Sea meets Hokianga Harbour. We were able to follow a hiking trail that gave us amazing views of the harbour, the coastline, the wild waves and the forest. That evening we had a lovely dinner together at the only restaurant in town, a nice hotel restaurant overlooking the water.
The following day we drove to another nearby town that was having a “Wild West” celebration and a car show. We were expecting something western, like a rodeo, maybe cowboys even, however it was neither. It was mostly about the old cars which were interesting but not spectacular. There were a few horses there but I believe they just called it that because we’re on the west coast. We also did a bush walk to a beautiful waterfall and saw many large ferns and were serenaded by very loud cicadas. After this Jim and Susan headed on their way back to Auckland to meet their cruise ship that will take them all the way back to North America. We had a great couple of days with them. We had to relocate for one night to the nearby Opononi Hotel where we were able to soak up some sun and go for a refreshing swim.
geeteetravels 
The forest sounds and looks very cool!
I would have been skeptical too of whether there was really a train coming! Good thing it showed up, these experiences are the great part about travelling!
Yes, as George always says, part of the adventure. But sometimes it’s more adventure than I want.