We departed in depressing drizzle this morning but the road was dead flat. When we got to Paeroa the drizzle turned into heavy rain and it did not look too good. Passed Paeroa we got off the highway and took another small backroad and it stopped raining. A long, straight and dead flat road with some dramatic scenery as the clouds concealed the peaks of the Kaimai Range. It was a very impressive sight; whilst we were cycling through a very wide valley, the Kaimai Mountains seemed to rise out of nowhere. We got to Te Aroha, a cute little town with hot springs and an interesting history. A few very beautiful buildings in old colonial style but we had to make our way to the motorcamp before the rains returned. We did our shopping, and when we arrived at the campsite we decided to take a cabin rather than pitch the tent. Late afternoon we took a hot bath in one of the hot springs on site, with the mountains in the back, a sensational feeling after 7 days of non-stop cycling. An outdoor bath at 40 degrees looking out over the Kaimai Range. A belgian beer would have sent me straight to heaven. Tomorrow we are taking the day off.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
Hey! Congratulations on what you are doing. I am a Green Party Member of the NZ Parliament and the Green Party's cycling and conservastion spokesperson. I'm also a keen and experienced cycle tourist, so any time you need route suggestions etc, or if you want somewhere to stay when you hit the West Coast of the South Island, just let me know kevin.hague@parliament.govt.nz
ReplyDelete