Day 16 National Park to Raetihi

I just found the images in my blog do not always render properly on a phone, at least not on our phones. It works as intended on my laptop. Where I have put images side by side, on the phone I see just the first, then a gap before the story resumes. To see the missing images, touch the image you see then scroll right.

We have only 40 kilometers to ride today so we had a sleep in - actually I had a sleep in, while Sau Keng got an hour's work done. We are on the road now at 8:50. It's a grey day, but no wind. No wind is really nice for riding, perhaps I should get myself up earlier.

Google shows a back road to Erua, we like back roads as they keep us away from traffic, and because of this we can relax and enjoy the surroundings. This route takes us behind the railway station to a closed gate with a sign 'No vehicle exit'

There is a cycle track entrance next to the gate with a 'Mountains to the sea' sign - we are not following that route. Sau Keng asks if I can guarantee the route exits as Google shows (a couple of days ago Google maps showed us a route that turned out to be private farm tracks) I can't guarantee the route, so we go back to SH4 - which is blessedly quiet this morning. Riding is easy or very easy, we cruise at 20 to 25km/h, Sau Keng's top speed.

Mt Hauhungatahi. Small beside Ruapehu, not small when we are beside it

We are at Makatote Viaduct where the railway crosses the deep gorge on a spectacular bridge. The road uses a far less impressive bridge - far down in the gorge. Riding back up - is easy :-) I'm fresh and stopping half way for photos helps.

A few kilometers past the viaduct riding has become ridiculously easy. With a tail wind and the road slightly downhill, I'm just sitting here gliding, several times for more than a kilometer without pedaling. It's getting cold - I'm dressed for working.

The kilometers pass quickly and we are at Raetihi at 11:30, this has to be our fastest riding and shortest leg so far. Raetihi has a wide main road, some very nice old buildings, and many closed shops. Not what it used to be for sure.

We have lunch in the Coach cafe, crowded with cyclists, this lot a group that has come from Ohakune on road bikes. We chat with a young French girl doing a year long working OE here - she says she is having a good time here.

Ride to our Ranfurly Cottage where we will stay, hosts Alison and Ron. We are early but Alison says our room is ready so it's okay. It's extremely nice here, we will be staying a couple of days as rain is coming.

This will be very comfortable for relaxing and for working. Ron is going out to fetch firewood so I tag along and help. We fetch two loads and I earn myself a couple of beers.

We ride into town for dinner at the cossie club. Just a couple of minutes ride, small towns are very convenient. Dinner is not fancy but tasty and satisfying.

One of the local attractions is the old Ratana church, only 800 m away, so we ride out to look. There are quite a few people here, a young man comes to greet us and tells us there is a Tangi (funeral) in process but we are welcome to look. We cannot enter the building as it is condemned.

Back home talking to Ron & Alison, they know the man the tangi is for, a nice guy in his 50's who died of cancer. Ron also inspected the church some time ago with a view to renovating it, he says there is too much rot in too many places to make it practical. "Build a new one".

Statistics

Distance: 39.3 km

Climbed: 193 m

Time: 2:24