Touring New Zealand

This is hilly country but the coastal scenery makes the grind worthwhile. To make a complete loop there's a 12 km track from Fletcher Bay in the north to Stony Bay on the northeast coast. This is steep going and it was muddy, so I pushed the bike most of the way. Another challenge of Coromandel is that there are no food shops north of Colville on either the west or east coasts. There are a few accommodations.

In the middle of Urewera National Park, located in the east-central North Island, lie Lake Waikaremoana and its higher but smaller sibling Lake Waikareiti. I spent five days there, first a three-day tramp around the larger lake, then an overnight tramp to the head of Waikareiti.

The Waikaremoana hike is one of New Zealand's "Great Walk" treks. It is moderate to hard in difficulty, especially the 600-m (2000-ft) climb up the Panekiri Bluffs on the first day. The weather is very changeable, partly because the lake is 600 m above sea level. Water taxis, based near the Waikaremoana store and campground, will take you to many landings on the lake and pick you up at prearranged times.

Lake Waikareti is a gem; it takes an hour to reach by an easy track from Aniwaniwa visitor center, then the hut at the far end of Waikareiti is a three-hour tramp around the lake.

The central North Island is a volcanic plateau with three major peaks, Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe, and Tongariro. The Northern Circuit is a three- or four-day tramp encompassing Mount Ngauruhoe that begins at Whakapapa village on the slopes of Mount Ruapehu in Tongariro National Park.

This tramp is a New Zealand "Great Walk" trek that is moderate to hard in difficulty, especially in bad weather, such as snow or wind. The general elevation is about 1000 m (3000 ft), with the saddle between Ngauruhoe and Tongariro being at about 1900 m (6000 ft). Most of the track is above the bush line and much of it is over lava fields. The area is volcanically active; sulphurous fumes are quite common around the vents and crater lakes.

On the first day I tramped in the rain from Whakapapa through the low saddle between Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe to the Waihohonu hut. The next sunny but windy day I completed the circuit: through Oturere, over the high volcanic saddle between Ngauruhoe and Tongariro, down the lava flow into the Whakapapa valley, then back to Whakapapa village. It was a fantastic but strenuous adventure.

I biked a loop from Waiheke Island (on the map it's under Auckland) to Kawhia harbor on the west coast, going on the back roads by way of Manukau, Pukekohe, Waingaro thermal pools, and Raglan. I returned from Kawhia
(Te Rauamoa) through Pirongia, Hamilton, Morrinsville, Miranda baths, and Kawakawa Bay.

This six-day trip was quite strenuous, especially on the gravel roads between Waingaroa and Raglan and between Raglan and Kawhia. The rural countryside, most of it with coastal views, is very scenic. I camped near Naike (at an unscheduled location called Rest Area), at Raglan, Kawhia, Hamilton, and Miranda.

In late February, I went with Michi and Miwa Ishida from Tokyo, Japan, on a tour of Waiheke Island and the
thermal regions of the North Island.

We began with two days on Waiheke Island, followed by three days visiting Rotorua, Taupo, Tongariro National Park, Waitomo glow-worm caves, and Otorohanga kiwi house.

The accompanying pictures show some of the places we visited. (For the caption put the cursor over the picture.) Miwa is ready for the Waiheke Island ferry Thompson and Michi at the east end of Waiheke Rocks at Stoney Batter, Waiheke Island Miwa is ready for the Mainland trip Michi and Thompson picnic on the Seabird Coast Miwa and Michi at Lady Knox geyser Miwa at the Lake Taupo overlook Michi with Ngauruhoe volcano in the distance Here's your best chance to see kiwi birds

East Cape Cycle Tour, June 2003

In early June I made a bicycle tour of Eastland, from Opotiki, along the Bay of Plenty, around East Cape (as near as the road goes), south to Gisborne, then north through the hills and the Waioeka Gorge back to Opotiki.

I left my van at Opotiki then biked on successive days to Whanarua Bay, Te Araroa, Tokomaru Bay, Gisborne, Matawai, and Opotiki. The distance around the bays, over the headlands, and into the wind is 480 km (300 mile).

The pictures show sights along the way. (For the caption put the cursor over the picture.) Long-time reader at Katikati (en route to Opotiki) Motu River, Bay of Plenty Islet near Te Kaha Cape Runaway on the skyline Were you wondering whom to call? Getting closer to Opotiki Backpacker suite at Matawai Hotel It's all downhill to Opotiki from here

Hunua-Miranda Cycling, 2003, 2004, 2005

In early August 2003 I made a two-day bicycle tour around the Hunua Ranges southeast of Auckland city. I started on the mainland at the Halfmoon Bay (Pakuranga) car ferry terminal from Waiheke Island, then I biked to Ardmore and Clevedon on fairly flat roads -- a bit further than the direct route through Whitford but a lot less hilly.

From Clevedon I went on the western side of the Hunuas to Hunua settlement, through Paparimu then out to the main road from Pokeno to Thames at Mangatawhiri. After a short stint on this busy road, I went on the country road to Miranda on the coast of the Firth of Thames. That's where the delightful Miranda Holiday Park is located, complete with hot pools. Hunua hills from Clevedon That's a lotta bull! Which way to go? Mangatawhiri countryside A home for the night Kawakawa Bay The road to Clevedon Back to Waiheke Island on the Subritzky ferry

After a chilly overnight camp, I headed north along the west side of the firth and now east of the ranges. After a few hills to climb, I returned to Clevedon then back to the car ferry and Waiheke Island. Well, there's always that last hill to reach the heights above Palm Beach and the comforts of a warm bed.

The pictures show sights along the way. (For captions put the cursor over the picture.)

In late January 2004 I cycled to Miranda again, but this time in the reverse direction because I had a northerly wind that blew me down the Seabird Coast to Miranda. I returned through the Hunua Ranges to Clevedon. On this trip I avoided the hills between the ferry terminal at Halfmoon Bay and Clevedon by biking west to the Great South Road, going south on it for a few kilometres, then heading east on Alfriston Road and other local roads to Clevedon; a little out of the way but a lot less to pay.

In June 2004 I went by train to Papakura then biked to Clevedon, Hunua, and over to Kaiaua via the Mangatahi-Kaiaua road, thence down to the Miranda Shorebird Centre where I stayed the night before biking up the coast to Clevedon and back to the train at Papakura. In August I used the Pine Harbour ferry to travel from downtown Auckland to Pine Harbour near Beachlands, then biked around the coast to Clevedon and down the Seabird Coast, staying at Bayview Hotel in Kaiaua. On Saturday I biked back through the Hunua Ranges to Pine Harbour, followed by a direct ferry ride to Matiatia on Waiheke. In January 2005 I made a two-day swing around, this time using Pine Harbour ferry and the train.

In January 2005 I biked a loop from Waiheke Island (see the map) across the Hauraki Plains and the hills of the southern Waikato region then by back roads to Papakura, Auckland, and Waiheke. The blue line shows my clockwise route and the yellow dots indicate where I overnighted.

I used the Pine Harbour ferry to go from Matiatia on Waiheke to Pine Harbour near Beachlands on the mainland. Then I rode around the coast to Clevedon, Kawakawa Bay, and down to Miranda Shoreboard Centre for the first night. From there on the second day I zig-zagged across the Hauraki Plains through Ngatea and Waihou to Okauia Springs north-east of Matamata, where I stayed at Opal Hot Springs and Holiday Park. The third day began with a tour down the main roads to Putararu then by many local roads across the rolling hills and valleys of the southern Waikato region to Otorohanga, where I stayed at Oto-Kiwi Backpackers near the Kiwi House. On the fourth day I pedalled northward through Ngaruawahia and the road west of the Waikato River to Pukekawa where I stayed at Shikena Backpackers and farmstay. Next morning it was an easy ride down the hill to Tuakau and over to Papakura where I caught the train to central Auckland, concluding with a ferry ride back to Waiheke Island. Overall, an enjoyable 450-km (270-mile) roundabout.

In February 2007 I biked a loop from Pukekohe (reached by train from Auckland CBD) through the Waikato region and the King Country (south of Te Awamutu), up to the Hauraki Plains, then around the coast and over to Papakura to catch the train to Auckland. The orange line shows my clockwise route and the blue dots indicate where I overnighted. In spite of the heat, it was an enjoyable 500-km (300-mile) five-day roundabout.

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