Day 16: Lake Ohaopu to Waikato River Trail
March 13th 2014
Distance cycled: 70 km
Total distance to date: 888 km
This morning, after breakfast with Eamonn, I packed up and bid farewell to him and the Swiss girls, all of whom had decided to stay another night at this peaceful lakeside spot. I was ready to go and be on my own again. This trip is not only teaching me to enjoy solitude - it's making me crave it!
My first coffee break was at a honey factory/cafe in Waiotapu. The cafe had bees in a glass-encased honeycomb box that could exit to the outside world through a tube. I sat and drank my coffee and tried to ignore the bees as I planned out my route for the day.
I basically had to finish Te Ara Ahi, but turn off Te Kopia Road early so I could do a 30km connector route to take me to the Waikato River Trail. This would be the bulk of my day since the route contains several kilometers of gravel road, which I do not like riding on because it slows me down big time. If it's not compacted very well, there's the risk of slipping and falling, too.
The guidebook authors wrote the connector route in the opposite way as I was planning on doing it, and it was quite complicated, so I had to write out my own instructions as I sat at the cafe.
Back on the road, I rode another 6km before I came to the Waikite thermal baths.
Of course I went and spent a few hours there bathing in the natural pools. How could I not? I found it pleasant, aside from the nagging fact that if I had just made it here the night before, I could have paid to camp and gotten pool access and if would have only been a few bucks more than the entry fee I paid just to soak for a few hours. And the staff weren't the nicest. But the pools were good and there was hardly anyone there, so it was all right.
The rest of Te Kopia Road ran along the Paeroa Thermal Bluffs.
Then my detour came for the connector route. I finally figured out what those filing cabinet things are. They're for bees!
Today was a bee-themed day.
The gravel roads on the connecter route were really killer. But I saw some good sheep, who looked surprised to see me.
These ones were out of their pen and took off running when I came down the road.
They eventually ducked into the hole from whence they had come, after about 100m of panicked scrambling. I was quite amused but ready to be on a sealed road again. But then I came around the corner to this view:
It was pretty spectacular. And it was all mine. This part of the trip is pretty remote!
I crossed a dam and took a snack break on the other side. There was a big clearing near the lake which looked perfect for camping. Pity, then, that it was off limits for that purpose.
After just a few more kilometers, a few of which were unfortunately on SH1, I got to the trailhead. Then I promptly went the wrong way for 500m and had to double back again to the sign.
The trail has these occasional squeeze barriers that my bike doesn't fit through.
I have to tip the bike up to get it through without having to unload it. Then on the other side, I have to stop the tipping before the weight of the panniers tips the bike completely backwards. But at least I don't have to unload it!
The Waikato River Trail is lovely but not exactly meant for loaded bikes. I thought I could make it to Whakamaru before nightfall or at least the 10km to Dunham Reserve where there is an official campground. Nope. About 2km in, I got a flat. A very violent one at that. The air couldn't escape from the tire fast enough. I really need to get a thicker tire for the rear wheel since it's carrying all my gear. Or at least swap the front and back tires to even out the tread wear a little.
I repaired the flat and set out again on my way. By this time, the sun was sitting low in the sky. I wouldn't be able to ride for much longer. I saw another person on the trail who said the campground was only 6km away. He was on a horse and had 4 dogs with him. He was the only other person I saw on the trail.
There were many spots in the woods where I could have camped, but I wasn't happy with any of them. Finally I came to a clearing with a little bench and decided I would make this place my home for the night.
Not a bad view!
posted by Kyla @ 16:53
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