Day 15 of TA - So naive…
Friday 17th October
Distance: 93 km
Elevation gain: 1419 metres
From the town of Taumarunui to the Whakahoro campsite
About 5:30hrs riding time, and 6:30hrs elapsed from 10am to 4:30pm
Friday was moving day, time to get out of the Lodge and say goodbyes to the Timber Trail. I managed to put my bike and gear into Orla's big car and we left about 7am. Luckily the roads were still open. There was talk that an engineer was needed to assess the repair work before we could drive out. However, we couldn't wait…
By 8am I was in Taumarunui and Orla was on her way home to her family. I originally planned to have a rest day to decompress in Taumarunui after the drama at the Lodge, but it was early and there was a lovely clear blue sky. I decided to skip the rest day and ride to my next planned stop at the Whakahoro campsite. There was shopping for supplies (chocolate) and booking the campsite. Also a change of clothes in the main street in town, into my riding gear.
I finally got going at 10am which was later than I'd really like but it was a 67km day and it still seemed achievable. So naive…
I should stop riding past "Road Closed" signs. But in my defence it's hard to know if the "Road Closed" sign is for the recent rain / flooding or something else. In this case it was something else. I had cycled 18km out of town and up a rather steep mountain to be stopped just 8km short of my lunch stop at Owhango. There was a lot of yelling, some curse words and then a U-turn back down the mountain.
I luckily met a farmer who gave me some local knowledge on a shortcut to Owhango, without having to retrace all my steps Taumarunui. I followed his advice and reached Owhango at 2pm, just as the cafe was shutting. I was able to grab something to refuel and then got going again. But my 67km day was now a 90km day with a lot of wasted climbing earlier in the day.
I finally made it to the Whakahoro campsite and was exhausted. I was fortunate there is a cabin in the campground with a spare bed with my name on it - so at least I didn't need to put up my tent. I'm sharing it with two DOC staff - Sue and Tom.
Today's theme song is by Amy Shark - I Said Hi
I feel like a tired boxer, one hand on my cheekbone, one hand on the rope.
Not from singing like Amy Shark, but my legs and body are exhausted from cycling today. Today was about my limit - time, distance and elevation really pushed me today.
Distance: 93 km
Elevation gain: 1419 metres
From the town of Taumarunui to the Whakahoro campsite
About 5:30hrs riding time, and 6:30hrs elapsed from 10am to 4:30pm
Friday was moving day, time to get out of the Lodge and say goodbyes to the Timber Trail. I managed to put my bike and gear into Orla's big car and we left about 7am. Luckily the roads were still open. There was talk that an engineer was needed to assess the repair work before we could drive out. However, we couldn't wait…
By 8am I was in Taumarunui and Orla was on her way home to her family. I originally planned to have a rest day to decompress in Taumarunui after the drama at the Lodge, but it was early and there was a lovely clear blue sky. I decided to skip the rest day and ride to my next planned stop at the Whakahoro campsite. There was shopping for supplies (chocolate) and booking the campsite. Also a change of clothes in the main street in town, into my riding gear.
I finally got going at 10am which was later than I'd really like but it was a 67km day and it still seemed achievable. So naive…
I should stop riding past "Road Closed" signs. But in my defence it's hard to know if the "Road Closed" sign is for the recent rain / flooding or something else. In this case it was something else. I had cycled 18km out of town and up a rather steep mountain to be stopped just 8km short of my lunch stop at Owhango. There was a lot of yelling, some curse words and then a U-turn back down the mountain.
I luckily met a farmer who gave me some local knowledge on a shortcut to Owhango, without having to retrace all my steps Taumarunui. I followed his advice and reached Owhango at 2pm, just as the cafe was shutting. I was able to grab something to refuel and then got going again. But my 67km day was now a 90km day with a lot of wasted climbing earlier in the day.
I finally made it to the Whakahoro campsite and was exhausted. I was fortunate there is a cabin in the campground with a spare bed with my name on it - so at least I didn't need to put up my tent. I'm sharing it with two DOC staff - Sue and Tom.
Today's theme song is by Amy Shark - I Said Hi
I feel like a tired boxer, one hand on my cheekbone, one hand on the rope.
Not from singing like Amy Shark, but my legs and body are exhausted from cycling today. Today was about my limit - time, distance and elevation really pushed me today.
The washout that wasted so much of my time today - and about 26km plus a lot of elevation gain. I did think about trying to climb the bank on the right to go around but the first plant I grabbed was a black berry bush full of thorns. The way was definitely shut.
The fence on the left is still in place - just floating in mid-air.
Riding the Oio Road down to Whakahoro - there are some impressive cliffs.
The DOC hut at Whakahoro campsite. I was very impressed. Lights, power, heating. Couldn't ask for a better spot.
Well,that was a day to remember. No wonder you are exhausted but at least you have made it easier for those still to do that section. It looks like it will be some time before that section is reopened to traffic,ditto the tunnel slip. Get a good rest and hope the weather improves as you head south.
ReplyDeleteIs it just me or is NZ just falling to pieces around you? 🤷🏻♂️W
ReplyDeleteReminds you of footrot flats those fences
ReplyDelete