Day 5 - Matamata to Putaruru

Being a shorter day of riding we were awake a little earlier later than yesterday at about 7.00 am. After packing up and breakfasting at a local cafe , we were on the road by about 8.00 am.

The weather today started with a cloudy sky and temperatures on the high teens. As the day progressed the clouds were burnt off by the sun and it heated up to around 28 degrees. This wind also increased as the day unfolded. Initially we had a headwind for the ride on the main road… state highway 1. There was plus traffic on the road with many B-Double trucks. The wind and traffic meant for slow traveling.

Shortly after leaving Matamata we stopped to visit a friend of Chris’s on his farm. The husband and wife are keen bike riders and enjoy long rides and even competitive riding. It was great to meet Robyn and enjoy the chat and have some juice.

After negotiating the roads we were on to the Waikato River trail which runs beside the Waikato River. The trail was good but provided some challenging terrain for me. We ended the trail ride at Arapuni where we had lunch at the Rhubarb Cafe. This cafe seems to be a hub for cyclists travelling through the area.

After lunch it was off for the short ride to Putaruru with a tail wind ….. finally we had a tail wind the first time on the trip so far!

We made great time and reached our destination at about 2.00 pm!

This early arrival gives us time to do washing and rest.

The total distance of the ride was 52 kms … for some reason my Garmin only recorded 45kms… so much for technology!

Today was interesting for me to get some more experience on trails which were a bit more challenging… the great news being there were no falls!

Today’s pictures are of:

The ride route excluding 7 kms due to stuff ups on the Garmin

The Hobbit House in middle earth at Matamata. The Hobbit movie was filmed around here.

The bike statue outside Chris’s friends place at entrance to the farm. Very impressive farm!

A view of the Waikato River along the trail..lovely area.