Posts tagged NZ Cycle Trails
Motu Cycle Trails
Dunes Trail: 8th August
We began the Dunes Ride mid-afternoon as the weather all day was grey and miserable, so it was hard getting motivated to begin. Once we got energised and kitted up to ride, it was easy as we were camped right near the 3km marker.
The Dunes Trail is a delight, never far from the energizing presence of the sea, gently undulating up and down with the dunes. It has a great surface and is well engineered for riding at a reasonable speed, except that there are squeezes where the Trail crosses roads, to keep motorbikes off the Trail. With the recent wild and windy weather, the sea’s roaring was a constant reminder as the markers rolled by.
The Dunes Trail encountered some construction challenges as it went a culturally important site, has shifting dunes and water courses and was prone to storm damage. A partnership between the Department of Conservation, Optotiki and Gisborne Councils and Te Whakatohea Maori Trust Board working together, with Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment as the funding partner was needed to solve these challenges.
The sandy section in the middle was even more challenging as it traversed sensitive and sacred areas so that Kaumatua (trival elders) were involved to ensure that these were managed appropriately. The sense of the cultural significance of the area we were riding through was strong. The po on the right represents Ngatorohaka who was a chief who lived in a pa above the nearby bluff. There is another po named Tamaariki which is named after the taniwha in the Tirohanga Stream. Tamaariki had been a Maori chief before he “turned” into a taniwha.
The physical challenges of the shifting dunes and water courses also provided challenges. A “floating” boardwalk was designed to sit on top of and move with the sand. Working with nature meant trail designers had to modify their designs along the way. And this section of the Trail needs constant monitoring and maintenance. As we rode by, the sea which was running high was very close to the Trail.
We rode right to the end of the Trail, exploring possible options for where to park Bella the next day while we rode the Motu Road Trail. The return journey was complicated by riding directly towards the setting sun, which made it hard to see which way the Trail turned sometimes. We rode straight on past Bella to the beginning of the Trail which starts with an impressive suspension bridge.
The Pakowhai ki Otutaopuku Bridge, opened in March 2012, connects cyclists and walkers to the Motu Trails and the Pacific Ocean across the Otara River. Maori settled in this area in the 1400s when the Pakihikura canoe landed here; it was named O-Potiki-Mai-Tawhaiti (Of the Children from Afar), now shortened to Opotiki in the 1800s.
We had a little grocery shopping to undertake in Opotiki and took the opportunity to admire the graceful buildings in town. Then we rocketed back to Bella through the gloaming for another cosy night listening to the roar of the sea.
The Motu Road Trail: 9th August
Gwen from the Motu Trails company was there in good time for our 9.00 am pick up at the Freedom Camping site and we were off on the 1 hour drive to Matawai and further on to the Motu Falls where we had requested a drop off. The Falls proved to be right by the road, with a swing bridge for easy viewing. They were spectacular after the recent heavy rain, thundering over the drop and foaming.
Our route lay back along the road to the tiny village of Motu, which featured a school and a café which was closed. There were some interesting interpretation boards telling of the history of Motu and the opening up of the road through from Opotiki to Gisborne. The farmland around us was very attractive as we began our ascent of the first hill.
The Taumarakaretu Hill provided an invigorating start to the day with good solid climb up a gravel road, with a very variable surface. Ross was well ahead, powered by his e-bike, but I was able to ride the whole way at a speed of about 7-8 km, no matter how rough the surface was. We had to concentrate hard on the riding as the surface was often soft and soggy because of the recent rain. Or large pieces of stone which made our bikes slide in an unexpected fashion. Not to mention a ford, which was quite deep after the rain. Ross managed to ride right through it, but I stalled in the deep bit and got wet feet!
Although we were on a public road, it felt very isolated. At Motu we saw some kids on bicycles, and two farmers on quad bikes. Through the rest of the day we encountered a digger driver and two truck drivers working on an exceptionally bad patch of the road and a local who was startled to see us.
The bush around us was spectacular,
with some tall trees amidst the verdant growth.
The scenery before us was a spread of steep hills all around us, with no
visible signs of human intervention, apart from the road we were cycling on. There were
several climbs and then a long downhill which offered this wonderful vista of
the valley below, with the river snaking along it.
After the long downhill,
there was an on-road section through more farmland. The final piece of the ride back to Bella was
a reprisal of the previous day, riding along the Dunes Trail as the sun set. A satisfying conclusion to a long day’s
riding in beautiful remote forest.
Riding the Hauraki Rail Trail
The Hauraki Rail Trail is described as the easiest of the 22 NZ Cycle Trails, because it is mainly across the flat as a pancake Hauraki Plains, and the trails are wide off-road, mostly gravel surfaced with excellent signage. The only complication comes from the occasional haphazard measurement of distances.
The Trail has a hub and spoke arrangement with Paeroa at the hub, so there are many ways to cycle the Trail, with and without the assistance of shuttle services to start your day or return you to a vehicle. We camped at Paeroa, a very campervan friendly town, which is the home-town for the world famous in NZ drink, L&P. Two days we rode there and back, on the third longer day, we booked a shuttle to start our day and rode back to Bella.
Day 1: Paeroa to Te Aroha and back again, 3 August 2018
On the first day, misty weather made for a slow start. It was mid-afternoon by the time we were in the saddle so we chose the shortest leg to begin with and set off fast across farmland to the delightful Te Aroha. The domain has a number of charming original Edwardian and Victorian spa buildings, the most original buildings of any spa town in NZ. However, worried by the fading light, rather than lingering to explore the spa buildings, we rode back even faster than we came, across the flat farmland. Our ride was enlivened by the occasional bridge or cattle stop, and delayed only by the beauty of the sunset enhanced by the silhouettes of wintry trees..
Day 2: Miranda Shorebird Centre to Paeroa: 4 August 2018
Day 2 got off to an early start with a shuttle transfer, to Miranda on the Firth of Thames where there is a wonderful Shorebird Centre. The drive north began in mist which gave a wonderful eerie atmosphere to the still water at Miranda where the shorebirds congregate.
2700 wrybills live there, 65% of the world’s total population of wrybills. They were a delight to watch, as they feed relentlessly, darting their wry bills into the estuary first to the left, then to the right, hopping about energetically. The stilts and godwits seem positively dignified in contrast to the wrybills, feeding at a much more sedate pace.
By the time we tore ourselves away from watching birds, and the wonderful book shop in the Bird Centre, it was nearly mid-day. The ride across the bottom of the Firth of Thames was rather mundane. Though the first few kilometres provided some excitement from navigating soggy patches caused by the big storm of 5 Jan 2018 (which had caused us csuch difficulty on our summer Coromandel cycling trip). There was a great deal of nothing much to see, although we knew the sea was only a few hundred metres away, it was mostly out of sight.
As there seemed unlikely to be anything of great interest materializing, we ate lunch by the side of the road, with nothing much in sight and pressed onto Bugger Café, Pipiroa which had been recommended by our shuttle driver. There were many photographs of bugger moments to entertain and the food and coffee were splendid.
The scenery improved after this, as we rode alongside the Piako River, framed by the hills of the Coromandel.
At Kopu, where we were thankful to be finally past the half way point, there is an interesting historic bridge with a section which opens to allow ships through, the last remaining in NZ.
When Captain James Cook arrived in 1779 he sailed right through to Paeroa, which you can’t do any longer as the river is silted since the forest has been cleared and turned into farmland. At Kopu the track turned inland and heading back south down the Hauraki Plains for another 27 km to Paeroa. This was similar terrain to the day before – farmland, herds of cows in churned up fields, bridges and cattle stops.
Day 3: Waihi to Paeroa and back again:6 August 2018
After an intervening rainy day where we explored Waihi and shifted Bella (our campervan) to Waihi Beach, the day dawned crisp, clear and sunny after the previous day’s consistent rain. Our plan was to drive to Waihi and ride to Paeroa and back again. On the recommendation of a friend we had hoped to catch the historic train one way from Waikino to Waihi, but alas the train was off for a fortnight, so riding all the way was our only option.
We had high expectations of this section of the Trail as a number of people had told us that the ride through the Karangahake Gorge was the absolute highlight of the Hauraki Rail Trail. Our expectations were met, and then some. Every aspect of the Trail was an improvement on previous days: the scenery was a dramatic improvement enlivened by being beside the river for most of the day; there were interesting interpretation boards informing us about the industrial history of the areas we were riding through; the trail was a better surface for riding on; the route was much more interesting riding as the terrain offered much more variety.
The first part of the day’s ride, which we began at Waihi Railway Station, was beside a reasonably placid river, with some interesting swoops up and down and tranquil sections beside the fast running river, fringed with wintry trees. I do love the shape of trees without any leaves, as we only see them in winter. So architectural in their shapes.
We zoomed along, enjoying the more interesting scenery that riding beside the river offered compared to the farmland we had spent the previous couple of days amongst.
The section from Waihi to Waikino was not following the railway line, which still exists as a functioning railway. There were segments of it that we would have sworn were former cuttings from a former railway line, lined with ferns and dripping gently.
At Waikino we headed across the bridge and under that highway to check out the Railway Station Cafe, which had a great reputation. We judged it well deserved – the café is atmospheric with the main room in the former stationmaster’s office, adorned with historic photos of Waikino in it’s industrial heyday and railway memorabilia and cheered by a bright fire. The food and coffee were excellent as well.
Next stop was the Owharoa Falls which we had visited the previous day when they were running furious, brown and angry looking. Now that the rain had stopped, the Falls still had plenty of energy, spraying positive ions around, tumbling energetically towards the river below.
The section between Owharoa Falls and the Karangahake Tunnel was a delight. Ross particularly enjoyed the track surface, which supported a good fast riding pace, while I enjoyed the forest most of all.
We stopped awhile at the Karangahake Tunnel to read the information boards about the engineering feat of building the 1086m tunnelcutting which was started in 1900 and finished in November 1905. It was built to help transport mining material and gold in and out of Waihi quickly instead of the old pack horses. The tunnel is so straight, that it’s no challenge to see the light at the end of the tunnel and torches are not necessary for the downhill ride which requires no effort beyond steering your bike.
The two elegant steel bridges on ether end of the tunnel were built and transported from Christchurch.
From Karangahake it’s a straightforward run through to Paeroa, passing right by the house of the friendly bike mechanic who advertises his services as 24/7 and was happy to fix Ross’ broken spoke on a Sunday morning. We ate our lunch in Paeroa, sitting beside the giant L&P bottle, entertained by the visiting groups who came for the classic “I’m in Paeroa” photograph.
On our way back we stopped at the wonderfully quirky Talisman Café which served delicious food and had the best garden with Asian influences in the plantings and in the carvings. A spot of tranquillity that matched the beautiful natural surroundings rather than the turbulent industrial history of the area.
For variety, we chose the route beside the Ohinemuri River, through the Karangahake Gorge.
The path is narrow, and in many places, we needed to walk our bikes. Absolutely worth it – the Gorge is dramatic, especially with the river running fast and high.
The area is full of interesting remains of the industrial past when the gold from Waihi was processed in this area. Victoria Battery is an atmospheric place, with ghosts of its important industrial past when it was considered the largest and most advanced facility to crush quartz in New Zealand.
These huge tanks contained cyanide which was used in the processing and may be the reason for these modern day signs.
It was most active during the Great Depression when men (and they were all men) were grateful for any work, no matter how hard or dangerous it was. The working conditions looked atrocious, although the company made good returns for its owners.
The rest of the ride was an uneventful retracing of the route we had followed in the morning, back to Bella at Waihi Station. A great day’s ride to finish up the Hauraki Rail Trail.
Goodbye 2017
2017 was a year of re-establishing a NZ based life, of consolidation rather than exploration. Our 2016/17 summer of the outdoors reconnected us with the power of love and the beauty of our homeland. We settled in Auckland, drawn there by work, to a life full of opportunities for exploration of new landscapes and different geology.
Our priorities remain the same: family, health, worthwhile work and travel. Since we defined those priorities more clearly for ourselves back in 2011, we have got better at matching our practice with our intention.
Our choice to return to a NZ base was confirmed by the great pleasure we have had from time spent with family and friends. It is so much easier to see them from an Auckland base, and to be more easily in touch by skype or phone when we are in the same time zone. Moira was able to catch up with her UK, Swiss and Californian relatives in brief visits this year. We were delighted to spend longer with Rebecca who joined us for our cycle touring expedition in the Alsace/Lorraine region of France.
Healthwise, we continued our active lifestyle with lots of walking and cycling in Auckland and further afield. Mt Eden became “our mountain” through our evening peregrinations around or over it’s volcanic cone from our little apartment on its flank. Auckland has excellent cycle paths which we have enjoyed exploring, although it can be challenging getting to them as Auckland drivers are notoriously impatient. After our years of living overseas, Ross took advantage of NZ’s health system to have a hernia dealt to.
Moira undertook one parliamentary consulting role in the Parliament of Moldova, her first in Europe and an eye-opening experience to work in a former Soviet country. Her main work this year has been as Library Director at Unitec, the largest of NZ’s polytechnics. The student demographic is very different from a university, with almost half the students speaking English as their second language, while a third of the students are first in family to study at a tertiary institution. Education has the potential to make a real difference to their lives, enabling them to find more satisfying work or to advance in their chosen careers.
Although 2017 was a year with less travel than previous years, we holidayed in the UK, France and Switzerland in July/August when we went to Europe to see family and attend Ollie and Fern’s wedding in lovely Cornwall. It was such a pleasure to meet up with parliamentary friends, last seen in Myanmar. We really enjoy exploring Auckland’s 50 volcanoes and multitude of islands. Nothing we like better than to take our bikes on a ferry to explore somewhere new.
Goodbye 2017, we liked you!