We were blessed: blustery tail winds, quiet roads, and spectacular landscapes

“Sari, we need a pick me up, let’s stop here for a cider.”  We had left our DOC camping site (Kuripapango in Kaweka Ranges) at 7.30 am that morning and it was now late afternoon and we were feeling jaded!!  I had imagined in my mind that once we got close to Napier (a major intersection, with many houses) there would be a dairy, with Tip Top ice-cream in a cone.  I could imagine how it was going to taste, just what I was craving.  But oh no, no such luck, I felt mentally deflated, and oh the disappointment!!

Unbeknown to us, reprieve was not far along the busy road (our first since Ohakune).  There was a large sign displaying freshly made CIDER – Zeffer Cider Co.   There was no way we were riding past that, even though we weren’t dressed for such a place!  The cider was so delicious, can’t remember the name of it as it was consumed in record speed!!  What better way to help lift your mind and body than having a cool, freshly brewed cider.  If you ever go to Napier, check this place out, plenty of room for kids to kick a ball while adults sample the wide range of ciders, but no food.

We have been blessed so far with the wind; mostly blustery tail winds, making our ride so much more enjoyable.  We have experienced riding on magical quiet roads, sealed and unsealed, within magnificent countryside.  On Sunday afternoon as we rode from Ohakune to Taihape via back roads we passed many sheep stations who were getting their large flocks of sheep into their wool-sheds ready for shearing in the coming days.  The hill country was quite dramatic, the roads narrow, bordered by either a steep bank up to our right or steep drop-offs to our left and vice versa and lined with 8 wire fencing.  The blustery westerly winds continued with buffer us and we were having difficulty finding a suitable camping site, so ended up asking a farmer if we could camp on his farm.  He and his wife were very hospitable and even asked us for breakfast, which we politely refused.

The people we have meet

On our third day, Tuesday we meet a variety of diverse people, which made our journey so interesting and entertaining.  Most of them all asked the same question “do you mind us asking, how old are you two?” Once they heard our ages, they seemed to think “if those two can do it, surely I can?”

Jack:  When I meet Sari at the Ohakune Railway station another tall male (late 40’s) was also getting his bike off the train and loading bags and panniers on to it.  We had a little chat with him asking him what his plans were etc etc.  He had similar plans to us as far as Napier, then he was travelling back to Wellington via the Wairarapa.  We were to meet Jack many times at different locations during our journey across the Kaweka Ranges, finally sharing an evening meal together in Kuripapango campsite.  He was doing the trip to loose weight – he was vegan but enjoyed beer and wine daily!!  What was fascinating was that people we meet along our route kept us informed as to where and what Jack was up too and vice versa.

The road edge mower and his support driver:  We meet these two gentlemen (on day two) out the back on a very quiet gravel road (Matawhero Road), when the windy was howling all around us.  They immediately informed us we had come the wrong way!  After we reassured them we knew exactly where we were, they chatted on about the countryside, what to expect up ahead, always mentioning the ‘steep climbs” and recommended a camp site.  On day three, as we were grunting our way up this steep gravel road there they were ready for another chat.  One of them informed us “I saw Jack about 30 minutes ago, heading towards Gentle Annie.”  And he went on to say “‘you two have inspired me to get my mountain bike out of the garage and get riding”.  We found these interactions a great distraction and always learnt something valuable.

Farm Manager of Otupae Station – Garry Mead:  He was one of those interesting talkative people you meet and want to get to know more.  He’s been managing Otupae Station for 27 years and ‘this summer is the most windy I’ve ever experienced’ he said.  The station is 8,632 hectares, farms 30,000 ewes and 2,500 breeding cows.  We meet and chatted with Garry twice that morning within a couple of hours and he’d hoped to meet us somewhere on the road to Gentle Annie in the afternoon after he’d returned from Napier.  He said “by then I’ll have a lot more questions to ask you two”.  Unfortunately we’d reached our destination before Garry’s return.  He was impressed with what we were doing and initially thought we were riding electric bikes!!  He did say “you two have inspired me to get a bike with panniers and go off and have an adventure”.

Southern Tours NZ group:   We had just come off the Matawhero Road and onto the Taihape – Napier Road.  The sealed road was so smooth, more noticeable after the gravel roads we had been riding, so with a tail wind it was a cyclist’s dream!  We hardly had to peddle as we flew along the road towards Gentle Annie when we saw a mini van with bike trailer parked on the edge of the road, with a lunch table all set up and about a dozen lycra clad cyclists with tandem bikes milling around.  Bas (tour guide) frantically waved us down and asked us to come and have something to eat and drink.  What a spread: fruit, soft drinks, chocolates, sandwiches etc etc, Sari and I had only just eaten so couldn’t really take advantage of all the delicious food.  They were an interesting group, all Americans over here touring around NZ riding selected roads on tandem bikes with their spouses/partners.  They were heading up to the Bay of Islands after riding to Taihape.  The couple we spoke to most said this is their third trip to NZ doing this sort of riding.  Bas was Dutch and such a hospitable fellow, he loved to joke and have us on.  He also informed us of what Jack was up to and Jack had told him we would be coming along shortly.

Acacia:   This delightful young woman, with a big smile, open friendly face, strongly built and very tanned we meet at Kuripapango camp site same day as everyone above.  She and her then boyfriend had cycled 8,000 miles from London to China, so had many interesting tales to tell us.  She is back in NZ visiting family and he currently works in Brussels.

The Gentle Annie hill (part of Kaweka Ranges)

It was everything everyone had told us, in one word “STEEP”.  There were a number of prior climbs and descents before the actual Gentle Annie hill that were energy draining.  We made it to the top, even though we had to walk it!  There was a sign warning trucks to ‘change down to 1st gear‘ to navigate the hairpin turns.  The descent was steep and slow for me, steep and fast for Sari!!

Kuripapango DOC campsite

This was our destination for the night after climbing Gentle Annie.  This camp is located on banks of the Ngaruroro River, which has crystal clear water, and very safe for swimming.  It’s a great camp site for families with lots of site options.

Blowhard Bush Reserve

On our way to Napier we stopped off and visited the Blowhard Bush Reserve.  This reserve contains many caves, fascinating rock formations and deep water-cut passages.  The forest still contains some trees thought to be 7-800 years old.  This was one of my “stop off and enjoy the journey” moments, so pleased we did it.  There are a variety of walks you can take and enjoy the surrounds.

Thursday, 9 January

Today and tomorrow are our rest days.  So far we’ve enjoyed a sleep-in, coffee near Marine Parade, eating plenty of nourishing snacks and enjoying an evening meal of real food rather than dehydrated meals.  We are pampering ourselves, as on Saturday we head up towards Lake Waikaremoana. Can’t wait to visit that area, and then ride through to Murupara, on the Waikaremoana Road.

Not sure we’ll make it to Waipatiki Beach as the main road there has been closed due to bush fires.

I won’t be posting again until we reach Murupara or Rotorua which will be several days away.

Oh by the way, we have covered 234 kms over 3 1/2 days, not a big mileage but we are feeling pretty pleased with ourselves.

Thank you for all your responses to my last blog – I’m humbled. Goldcardgal 🙂