We finish the Waikato River Trails

At the start...

some boardwalks were too narrow for me to ride!

Some tracks were too but I seem to be coping here!

Some bends were so tight you had to get off

Hot pools

Relaxing end to day

Todays ride was quite hard because the track was a mountain bike one - narrow, stony, tree-rooty with lots of up and downs.  We finally finished and got ourselves to Taupo where we tried out the Wairaki Hot Pools.  Very nice.

Malcolm's ride

At the start of the ride

views..

more views

bridge

Our camp spot at Mangakino

I dropped Malcolm south of Arapuni and he rode the trail back to Mangakino.  He found it quite hard, a mountain bike trail with lots of ups and downs.  I sat in the shade under the tree beside the bus and read. It was another really hot 29-30 degree day.

waikato River Trail Day 1

From Arapuni Dam the trail is exciting - it goes beside steep drop offs into a gorge, past this suspension bridge then more steep bits

...then it goes along some flat bits by the river...

...then a boardwalk, then more flat bits

..finally back close to the road to Pokaiwhenua bridge.  This mountain is where we went in the afternoon

...it is a bird sanctuary where we met about 15 kaka - this one has a caffeine habit obviously...

....it brought it's friend for more

big trees

rum and coke

The captions pretty much tell the day's story.  Very hot this morning - we needed to cool down and drink lots after the ride.  Afternoon at the bird mountain was cooler - it was very jungly in there, lots of shade.  We are now at Mangakino, camped on little island (with causeway) in Lake Maraetai.

Hobbiton

One of many Hobbit houses at Hobbiton...

Bag End

more Bag End

Malcolm snuck in here when no-one was watching

another cute Hobbit hole

Malcolm drives a barrel of ale to the pub

bridge to the Green Dragon Inn

The mill

drinking cider in the Green Dragon

outside the Green Dragon

Hobbit holes by the lake

Maybe I'll have this one?

...or this one?

Too small?

Inside the Green Dragon

The mill

 

This one is just right - we'll take it!

Today we went to Hobbiton. Being a big Hobbit/LOTR I have always wanted to go there and was really excited. It was great. The tour is 2 hours, you go in guided groups and end up in the Green Dragon Inn where we got free drinks, beer, cider or ginger beer. There are lots of Hobbit holes, all different. The gardens around them are amazing - they employ 2 full time gardeners!

 

On the road again

Lake Karapiro

Lake Karapiro

We are on the road again :-)  We left Whangarei and drove south through congested Auckland to this freedom camping spot at Horahora Reserve on Lake Karapino.  There are a few other campervans and busses here but we didn't know about the place until we checked it out.  It was another hot day - 29-30 degrees - so it was nice to be beside cooling water, even though we were just looking at it.

An unusual interuption

Damage to the side of our rental

We had a little hiatus in our travels - we were in Napier when we got a phone call from the tenant of our rental in Steere Place. A woman 'off her medication' had driven her car into a power pole, smashed down a school fence and driven around the field then down the cul-de-sac and into the gates of our rental. She then reversed back into the car of a person following her who was trying to stop her. Then she went forward flat stick into the side of the house. The room has been knocked sideways and the concrete foundations smashed. Inside furniture was knocked down narrowly missing the small child. Sam, our tenant, jumped out the window and smashed the car window to turn off the car ignition as the driver had locked the car doors and taken off her clothes (robe)and was now naked. You couldn't make this up!! She had to be sedated before she could be taken out of the car where it was found she had a toothbrush up her bum. We couldn't believe it - the house is quite a way back from the road - the driver tried really hard!! Anyway - we had to drive up to Whangarei to sort out the insurance etc and have been able to catch up with a few people. We plan to head south again tomorrow and resume our travels

Tutira

Camping spot - $5 per night

...beside 2 pretty lakes

spent the afternoon under the awning, reading etc

View of both lakes from a track we walked around

We discovered this place at Tutira.  You can camp in the park and there are walks.  There is a 4.5hr one we were going to do today but it was cloudy so, because there are great views, we didn't.  There are also several walks in the area inland and also a couple on the coast nearby.  Rain is forecast for tomorrow so we have headed into Napier and will do shopping and errands before returning to Tutira.  The strange thing that happened here is that mason bees flew into the bus and started to construct their nests in our curtains!! 

Wairoa

Big driftwood on Wairoa beach

Wairoa

cycle trail goes from bridge in town along grassy park-like area then up hill to here

This one is for Janet and Michael - missionary pots must be Parr humour

We are parked up in the trees on opposite bank

Another scorching day.  We both felt tired after all our walking yesterday (we were dehydrated as it was so hot and we didn't drink that much till we got back and realised how thirsty we were).  So didn't do much except relax.  Did a little cycle ride in the afternoon.  The track goes from the lighthouse at the bridge in Wairoa for 5ks to a hill overlooking the beach.  Then it's a road.