Day 19- Wakefield to Rotoroa
We had another early start this morning being awake at 5.30 am with an aim of having breakfast and being on our way by 7.00am.
We had a big day ahead with 98 km of riding and a total of about 1000 metres of climbing.
The early part of the ride was a continuation of the Taste Trail which was good riding on a great surface and on an old railway line. Although we were climbing for most of this part of the ride it was gentle gradients. This combined with better fitness as a result of the accumulation of riding really made the ride for most of the day quite enjoyable.
An interesting part of the ride today was navigating Spooners Tunnel which is 1.35km tunnel. We all walked the tunnel as it was pitch black inside.
The railway was started in the 1880’s and completed in the 1930’ s and was part of a planned broader railway network in the South Island. Unfortunately it was never fully developed as it became uneconomical as road transport became the norm.
All this makes for great riding on the rail trail!
After navigating Spooners Tunnel our next stop was Tapawera for morning coffee. We had travelled about 35 kms at this stage and a coffee and muffin was certainly appreciated! The coffee was purchased from a coffee van parked on the side of the road and muffins and sandwiches from the cafe…. We had been warned not to buy coffee from the sandwich shop!
After this break it was on to it next stop for lunch at Kawatiri at the 80 km mark.Most of this ride was on a quiet road with about 50% surfaced and 50% on gravel.
During this part of our ride Steve and I passed the 1000 km mark on this ride…. Worth celebrating!
Just before lunch we were back on the state highway which was quite busy and you guessed it….. we had a head wind!
Lunch was great timing and the sandwiches were delicious together with a slice of “lollie slice”. Sounds awful but it was just the ticket for me for the 20 km push to our final destination at Rotoroa.
I really enjoyed the last 20 kms of riding where we had a slight tailwind which climbing at a steady 3-4% for most of the way. We arrived at our destination at about 3.15 pm which is great riding doing 98 kms and climbing nearly 1050 metres.
Accomodation tonight is is a house which is the height of luxury compared to a lot of the earlier accommodations we have had on this trip.Chris is to be congratulated on his choice here!
The weather today was ideal for riding with a cool start of 6 degrees rising to about 22 degrees during the day. Apart from a 10 km piece on the main highway the wind was not an issue.
The photos today are:
Today’s route
2 photos of Spooners Tunnel showing the information board and the tunnel entrance
A view of the valley we travelled through on the Taste Trail. Lots of hops grown here!
A lovely church alongside the road
Lunch at Kawatiri
The last rail bridge built on the old railway line..
Our luxurious home for the night Rotora
