Our month stay in Upper Hutt was well-planned: we were due for a bit of stability. A place to actually put our toothbrush, a fridge, a bed, a dog and some soon-to-be familiar faces. This could have been anywhere but we found a nice little spot in the country and enjoyed it thoroughly. Thanks to Matt, Charlotte and Shenée for some great memories! But eventually that little travel bug starts biting and that itch just needs to be scratched. It was time to pack up the ponies and explore further north.
Don't underestimate the vastness and diversity of New Zealand. There is so much to see and do, we are already thinking three months will not be enough. In keeping with the plan to split our time evenly between the north and south islands we decided to get up to Lake Taupo by bus, tour the area and ride our way back to the ferry from Wellington to Picton for the beginning of March. As expected, we caught a bit of grief from the bus driver who had to load the bikes onto the bus: "You're supposed to be riding these things". 'We've been riding these things for over 7000 kms (inside voice)' smile, nod, carry on.
Along the way we couldn't take our eyes away from the passing scenery. For hours we both gazed out the windows. Take a look at some of the photos and imagine being surrounded by them all day long. It's really that amazing. OK, the fact that the entire country is having its best summer in many decades improves our perspective, but still, we're elated to be cyclotouring here.
Let me take you on a trip for a day, for us a near perfect day, one of the most inspiring days of the entire trip, our first full day in Taupo.
It starts the previous afternoon with our choice of campsite at Reid's Farm, barely outside of town. Set back and away from the congregation of campervans and backpacker tents spread along the riverfront and at a bit of elevation (75-ish feet) with a spectacular view of the river through an opening in the dense growth of ferns and blackberry bushes that otherwise secluded us. So far so good. Oh yeah, it was free, even better!
We woke to the sound of the river rushing by below and the morning sun beaming into the tent (which could be somewhat annoying - picture a big floodlight blasting down on you as you sleep - but not today). I was up first and brewing up the obligatory pot of coffee. The morning birdsong came from every direction. The Tui has a particularly sweet and melodic call that is noticeably lower in pitch than most others, like a wood windchime . After breakfast we saddled up and headed out to Huka Falls just a couple of kms down the road. We heard them before we saw them but the actual scene was breathtaking: an immense amount of perfect-blue water funnelled into a natural corridor, crashing white against the rock all the way down, finally spilling out into a massive cauldron of eddies and undertows before continuing on at more leisurely pace.
A sign in the parking lot pointed to The Craters of the Moon, a definite 'do-not-miss' place according to several people we talked to, so off we went. The trail swept and climbed through the forest bringing us to a geothermal area of great significance to the Maori. Huge craters and channels have been formed in the earth's crust due to the geothermal activity just below the surface. Steam pushes up through weak points in the earth hissing like a kettle. Pockets of gurgling mud occur where the surrounding ground is dissolved by the steam. The vegetation is unique to the area having adapted to the conditions. We wandered through what might otherwise be taken as wasteland but what was in fact a surreal experience. The steam, carrying a scent of wet wood and minerals (scents of middle earth?), wafts through the air occasionally blanketing you with comforting warmth. Important to note is the absence of busloads of tourists. There were maybe a dozen of us scattered over the entire area, so the experience was very personal and authentic.
After a coffee and snack at a nearby coffee shop we headed back towards the falls to explore the other side of the river. The trail we took was a 16.5 km loop. The turn-around point was a dam approximately 7 km away. The single-track was a lot of fun but we found ourselves stopping regularly to take in yet more fantastic views. The dam, not very high on our list of things to see and do, proved highly entertaining as it maintains a regular daily schedule for release and we were just in time for the next show. As the warning siren sounded the gates slowly opened and the downstream trickle turned into a massive torrent of the aforementioned blue/white water flowing generously for fifteen minutes - per schedule! The torrent gradually returned to trickle and we moved on.
So after a full day of trail riding and exploring it was high time for a dip in the geo-thermal lake. Finishing the riverside loop we found ourselves once again back at Huka Falls - which by the way never gets old - and taking yet another length of single-track trail, this time towards the Thermal Spa Park in Taupo. A small geothermally heated river flows into a cool lake providing a complete range of temperatures for your personal bathing pleasure. The experience was just too good to be true. And once again, there were maybe twenty people there.
We soaked for a good hour trying out various spots - hotter here, colder there - and finally had to leave, our departure necessitated by hunger. This was one of those days that called for a celebratory feast, something more than my usual one-pot-wonder meal at the campsite. No sir, tonight we eat - Indian (our new-found favorite), lakefront restaurant, table for two please, bottle of merlot etc... Our weary legs rolled our full bellies back to the campsite, we crawled into our portable hotel suite and fell sound asleep to the familiar sound of the river.
And that just was one day! The next day we rode to Rotorua, another incredible ride, big, blue sky, all sun, no clouds, gentle winds, unparalleled scenery. At one point we coasted steadily downhill (with a slight tailwind) for what seemed like forever - probably only 3 km, but every centimetre was bliss. Along the way we stopped at another natural thermal pool for a leisurely soak in the woods, as you do. The ride was probably a little longer than we had initially planned, ending up at over 100 kms but what's another few kms when you're in heaven?
We rolled into Rotorua late in the afternoon, grabbed an overly priced bite to eat at a local restaurant and headed for Cozy Cottages, our campsite for the night. Our gear for sleeping is really good. We didn't skimp on comfort here. We even have air pillows, but our night at Cozy Corners was unlike any other. The ground here is geothermally active. The heat warmed our sleeping bags right through the air mattresses like an electric blanket. I smiled as I slept.
This part of New Zealand has a reputation for some top notch mountain bike riding. The Whakarewarewa Forest just south of the city is one of the best mountain bike parks in the country. With a chance to test-ride a couple of doollies (full suspension bikes) we parked the ponies and headed out to Planet Bike to get set up for an afternoon of ripping it up. The bikes were superb, the trails in great shape and the weather once again perfect. We were hitting some serious berms and flying through some of the sweetest single track either of us has ridden. All the while surrounded by gorgeous scenery (if we slowed down enough to glance around). Of course all good things must come to an end but I didn't expect my end to come so abruptly! After a couple of exhilarating hours amongst the Redwoods I failed to properly negotiate some roots that belonged to a very rigid tree and ended up on my arse with a broken arm! Lenore, of Planet Bike was so helpful and kind, driving us to the urgent care clinic and shuttling our bikes back to the campsite. Needless to say, we will be off the bikes for a while. Luckily there is plenty to see and do here so the adventure will continue, albeit at a slower pace for the next few weeks.
There are some places in the world that can take you to a completely new level of awe, they bring excitement, wonder, and perhaps some education, but always, they leave you wanting more. We are finding this to be true of New Zealand. Everywhere we go, everything we see, everyone we meet, it's all very inspiring.
Everyone says the south island is so much better than the north! We shall soon see...