geeteetravels

Our ride to Rotorua was a longish one at 80 kms with some climbing and a bush bike path, to stay off the highway as much as possible. We started with a beautiful and quick 16 km down the beach road out of Mt. Maunganui to Papamoa which was flat and quiet. At the end of that we joined onto a separate bike path along the highway to Paengaroa followed by a small alternate road where we only encountered a few other vehicles. Despite a few hard climbs it was a beautiful ride through here. Eventually the road ended and we entered a reserve area with a bike trail. It wasn’t exactly ideal for our bike as it was narrow, gravel and jungley but we got through it anyway without walking. Eventually we did have to get on the highway for the last 20 kms and mostly the shoulders were decent and traffic was not too bad. We were expecting to get rained on but it turned out just fine weather wise. We had been warned that the sulphur smell in Rotorua was overpowering but fortunately we were a little way from the most active geothermal sites so not too bothered by it. We stayed in an older motel along a long road with many similar motels.

Just an aside here, something we’ve noticed in New Zealand is that pedestrians aren’t given priority over cars. On this long four lane road that we were staying on in Rotorua, about 2 kms or so, there are no crosswalks, you must jay walk. When you get to a crossing you do not have any priority, you go when it’s clear, and you must look in all directions including the cars turning from both directions. There are crossings that are just “pseudo cross walks” that say Pedestrians Give Way. In the very commercial areas of the cities there are crosswalks at the major intersections but only there. I think it’s much worse even than southern Europe, the drivers rarely stop for you even if you are already in the crossing. You have to stay alert, no looking at your phone or a map.

Rotorua is a big tourist destination due to the geothermal attractions as well as the Maori cultural sites. During our stay it wasn’t overly busy though, no trouble getting accommodations or seeing the sites. On our first day we visited Whakarewarewa village, just a short walk from our lodgings. This is an actual Maori village with people residing there still and it is on top of a very active geothermal site. We attended a cultural performance and had a tour of the village, learning about life on a constantly changing and dynamic earth where sometimes vents blow through homes but also how they use the heat and energy to cook and clean themselves. It was a fascinating and steamy environment to walk around. The water is very hot, often at a boiling temperature, so you don’t go swimming here. Where they bathe is cooler, only 45-50 degrees C, still pretty hot.

The following day we went into the centre of Rotorua by the lake, which is actually a caldera with an island in the middle. There are many active geothermal sites around the shore of the lake and close to where people are living. There’s another Maori village there as well, Ohinemutu, although not set up for tourists like Whakarewarewa. We walked along the shore of the lake through more geothermal sites where the sulphur smell is quite strong, although you get used to it. There are clear alkaline and murky acidic pools as well as boiling mud pools. There was one park with small pools where you could safely wade or soak your feet although it was quite warm, definitely warmer than our hot tub at home.

On our final day in Rotorua we took a city bus out to the Agrodome. This is a tourist farm, also an actual working farm, that George visited many years ago on one of his other trips to New Zealand. We saw a farm show that displayed and explained to us the various kinds of sheep, sheep shearing, about the different wool and grades, sheep herding with dogs, cow milking, and a trip around the farm via tractor to see all the animals such as deer, alpaca, cattle and more sheep. It was quite entertaining and Tara had a go at milking a cow.

The weather in Rotorua was quite nice, just one evening with some fierce thunder showers and a big rainfall however the forecast is quite wet looking, fingers crossed for our ride out tomorrow.

Tags: bikepacking, NZcycling, tandemcycling

Getting to Mount Maunganui took us two days rather than one so that we didn’t have to ride on the highway the whole distance. Instead of 65 kms on the state highway it was 97 kms on small roads and pathways over two days. We still had to be on the highway for about 32 kms of that but it was a much more enjoyable ride. This particular highway into Tauranga is a very busy one and despite having some shoulder (about 1 meter) it is still unnerving.

We left Waihi Beach and did a scenic route to Katikati, riding out to Bowentown on the tip of the peninsula before making our way around and onto the highway. Once in Katikati we rode around a bird sanctuary and past many kiwifruit orchards. This area grows a lot of kiwifruit which is shipped all over the world. Katikati is also known for its public murals.

We left Katikati in the morning and rode about 20 kms on the highway before we could get onto some quiet roads and pathways which took us by Omokoroa and Te Puna, through some nice reserves, parks, past beaches and scenic bays. This part was lovely. Getting through Tauranga was relatively easy as the city has quite good bike lanes. There was one tricky bit getting over the bridge to Mount Maunganui; we somehow had to get across a very busy intersection with cars going in many more directions than seemed possible and which lacked crosswalks and bike lanes. We eventually had to just hoof it across when the coast was clear. Unfortunately during this ride George made hard contact with a bee that got into one of the vents of his helmet and caused considerable damage. Tara removed the bee, which was plastered to his forehead, and all the other bee bits she could find but he ended up with a very swollen forehead and eyes which gradually resolved over the following 4-5 days with regular antihistamine, ibuprofen and a cooling gel eye mask. The captain does take the brunt of the bugs on a tandem.

We spent 3 days in Mt. Maunganui, staying in a private suite in a lovely home close to the beach and not too far from the lively commercial area. The weather was quite good and we had a very relaxing stay. We did several beach walks on the amazingly long and wide beach here (about 20 kms long!) and enjoyed watching the waves and the surfers. We did go in for a little dip but found the water quite chilly and the waves intimidating. On the other side of the peninsula is a quieter and smaller beach called Pilot Bay that is calmer and we hoped to be able to do some paddle boarding but unfortunately it was a bit too breezy.

At the base of this peninsula is the famous landmark Mt. Maunganui and it is indeed a magnificent view. Normally you are able to walk around the perimeter and hike up the mountain but the entire area is currently closed off due to the recent rain storm which caused several large landslides on the mountain, one of which occurred into a campsite at the base and killed 6 people.

The first day we were here was Feb 6, Waitangi Day, a national holiday in New Zealand, commemorating the signing of the agreement between the Maori people and the British government under Queen Victoria. It involved use and sale of the land as well as governing and was clearly a good deal for the British, not so good for the Maori. We attended a Waitangi Day festival which was really more like a heritage day festival but interesting nonetheless. We also went on a harbour cruise around the bay and the mountain. While here we met up with friends of a friend for dinner. They were lovely folks, local for some time, and well travelled themselves. We picked up many tips on our route and places we were going. (Thanks Heather and Dennis!)

Tags: bikepacking, NZcycling, tandemcycling

The Hauraki Rail Trail is one of the 23 Great Rides of New Zealand, designated, marked, and supported tracks for cyclists. Most are gravel, some are old railway lines converted to trails like the one we went on going south from Thames. We started out south but then added a bit going west and back on a part that we originally (so long ago) had planned to ride here from Auckland. Along the shoreline there are many birds, almost none of which we have at home so we have turned into birdwatchers. I am using an app called Merlin to help identify and keep track of them. The track going south was gravel but not difficult for our 38mm tires (43 would be better), although the Captain needs to maintain focus lest we slide into the ditch. The trail is well maintained and includes informational shelters and toilets along the way.

This is an intensive dairy country populated by Holstein-Friesian and Jersey cows, the latter of which make really good ice cream :-). You see them and smell them everywhere along this route, and there was also a notable Cheese Barn/cafe along the way which also had a few alpacas and rabbits for good measure.

We did a one night stop in Paeroa staying at a modern motel close to all needed amenities such as coffee and groceries. Paeroa is famous, “world famous in New Zealand”, for being the birthplace of a soft drink called Lemon and Paeroa, which mixed lemon flavouring with the natural spring water of the area, although it tastes a lot like Sprite. They have memorialized the drink by having a giant L&P bottle available for tourists like us to take a photo of.

Going east the next day on the way to Waihi beach, we began on an offshoot of the Hauraki trail which cuts through the Karangahake gorge and goes under a hill through a 1.1.km tunnel, saving us a climb. However, due to the recent weather event part of the trail was damaged so we only got as far as the start of the tunnel. We had found this out beforehand though so we had (re)planned to switch to the highway at that point. Also the rain had returned so overall it was a wet, but still warm, day. Again, riding on the highway is not ideal here but, also again, the drivers were well behaved.

So we have finally arrived on the east coast. We would have been here for awhile now except for the big rains that continue to have an impact on our trip. We were going to do a hike here along the coast but the trail was closed due to storm damage. We are staying in another holiday park cabin in Waihi Beach. The weather has been warm but still a bit drippy at times with sunny breaks. There is an amazing long and wide beach here that we didn’t reach the other end of after an hour of walking. The waves are a bit too wild for swimming in so we just walked and watched the surfers.

Tags: bikepacking, NZcycling, tandemcycling