Category: Cycling

We were last here 5 years ago, though memories play tricks – the mudpools we saw then are about 18km away. Rest day I remind myself, rest day. Luckily there’s a lot to do from the doorstep.

There’s a wee public park with thermal pools bubbling away merrily. A reminder not to go in as it’s 100C, acidic or alkaline, H2S – why do people go to Spa’s I wonder? New Zealand gets about 17% of its electricity from geothermal activity, mainly along a line in the direction we’re cycling tomorrow to Taupo. A workman tells me they now have to reinject the water they’ve used – so even more sustainable.

That it’s an unstable area is brought home by the scaffolding over the heritage listed museum, built in 1908 as baths. Damaged in a 2016 earthquake and found not to be up to standard. It’s taken til this year to overcome the engineering design hurdles (aka finding money?) and will complete in 2027.

The landscape around Lake Rotorua is also frothy – though things are growing and birds active. Must have strong constiutions.

Rotorua itself is a tourist town, well built on a grid pattern and easy to get around. Lots of physical activity or remedial things. Curious about a no gangs here sign on a medical centre I went in and asked…..it means gangs in the sense we know it, and they were insignia to show who’s who. These have been banned in an effort to control them = the guy says they also don’t tend to bother any non-gang person. I left feeling relieved and hoping my German cap wasn’t the same as any local insignia.

All in all a good rest day. And learning Scotland tanked Australia at rugby was the icing……

One of the riders mentioned the birds here are a lot “quieter” than Australia. Tuneful too. We’re seeing a few but they ever stop still to take photos. So little colourful jobs they will remain for now.

New Zealand is home to about 25% of the world’s bird species.  It is also known as the world’s seabird capital, with over one-third of the world’s seabird species breeding in New Zealand or its surrounding waters.

There was also a conversation about NZ appearing “richer” than Australia. The facts are diffenent: Australia 1/3 higher income person. NZ is judged, wth health and social services, to have a better quality of life. Both are doing OK on average though like us there are great disparities.

Whilst I’m waffling, Amazon has a low presence here: they service demand via Australia.

To today, we skirted the outskirts of Tauranga near the start. It’s NZ’s 5th largest city pop 150000. Huge on world scale! A cycle path took us around the Bay and over/under the railway – and then the seeming forest of leylandii started – a local explained to me they are for sheltering the avocado and kiwi-fruit production,

Over 400 hectares of avocado trees planted, 85% in the Bay of Plenty where we are – and 2% of global production – stone me! The Chinese Gooseberry (it was changed to Kiwifruit in 1959) has 14500 hectares of production – 80% in the Bay of Plenty. Explains the scale of the well manicured wind- breaks.

The gravel section was fun – revealing some old fashioned pastures. This reappeared in a complete change of lanscape as we move inland – almost like the Yorkshire Wolds. Even the wild roadside flowers – clover, foxgloves, daisy and dandelion(like). The smell of honeysuckle is all around – sweeter than Australia’s road kill aroma.

The last section into Rotorua was hard shoulder or path alongside the noisy highway. Entering proper tourist area – to be explored on tomorrow’s rest day….

A day of ups n downs: step out of room, cycle 2km then go vertical for the next three. From sea to 370m. Good views afforded from the top: height and distance gives a perspective to the small space the town lies in. Lovely day in good weather – windswept too!

Tairua is now a holiday (fishing, swimming, etc) and, I suspect, second home destination. A very shallow bay separates it: the name is Maori for two tides. Maybe Frankie Goes to Hollywood was inspired here.

In between it’s farm land and the occasional small [tourist] town. I do like the way there is a board telling folks when it is “service” day – when bins will be collected. There’s also more hills – who would have thought that in this volcanic area (granite from the peninsular built Wellington). Tsunami signs have replaced Australia’s fire warnings.

Activity goes on – we skirted Hot Water Beach. The idea is at low tide you dig a hold in the sand and sit in it. Hot water sandy bidet sounds like.

Tomorrow it’s southwards again. Lot’s of suntan lotion needed….

A lovely start to cycling in New Zealand. A fine twisty coastal road as we head to Coromandel, with two toasty hills to get the legs warmed up.

Coromandel – named after HMS Coromandel who pulled in here in 1820. In turn HMS Coromandel, built in Calcutta, is named after a place in India. International influences and interferences are nothing new: New Zealand should know from its first Polynesian Maori 14C settlers onto an uninhabited land. They learned to farm and use the kauri wood – which turns out to be good for ships masts. Nelson’s HMS Victory for example.

We took bike road to Thames (to avoid Auckland bustle we’re told) and started from there, heading north. Immediate differences to what we last saw in mainland Australia is it’s lush green here. (and the coffee is better – just in case any Aussie friends are reading!) The cars seem smaller on average. Most creeks still sport their Maori names.

Today’s wind blew in a good storm, as in torrential, which I watched from holding down the lunchspot awning. Colder too – care is needed as the hole in the ozone layer is more pronounced here to UV is high all the time.

And then to arrive into this little ex gold-mine town which now lives off fishing and tourism. Quite well according to the number of cafes and crafty shops.

Tomorrow up over to the east coast then head south.