Matamata to Papakura

Leaving Matamata, and ‘The Shire of Middle Earth’ behind, we rode the Haurauki Rail Trail north. Another of NZ’s Great Rides, passing through Te Aroha, then overnighting in Paeroa and onto Kaiau, to camp one final time, before riding over to Clevedon and into Papakura, where we planned to catch a train to travel into the outskirts of Auckland city.

Heading out of Matamata via a lesser highway on a sunny morning provided enjoyable riding on quiet roads, with the miles passing easily and giving great views of the range of hills, which run like a spine along this east part of North Island all the way up to the Coromandel peninsula.

Up and down through green landscapes, the road ran alongside the Waihou River, which had burst its banks by the look of the lakes of water lying in the waterlogged fields. We grabbed a glimpse of the famous Wairere Falls (highest in North Island) high up in the foliage covered hills, where its water tumbled out of the green canopy as if being poured from a giant invisible jug.

Joining the Hauraki trail as it met the road, we cycled alongside the highway on a gravel track into Te Aroha, a small town with lots of character. Nestling below the Kamai range and Mt. Te Aroha, over 900m high, the rural town grew to provide services for the surrounding farms and later became a spa town with baths and hotels to accommodate the increase in tourists using the new train line to visit the town for leisure and health. We stopped in the Victorian park, in which a former bathhouse sits. Wheeling our bikes up to the small cafe on the hill, we rested for a while before rejoining the rail trail at the old Te Aroha station, passing a giant penny farthing sculpture. Riding along the line of the old track was really enjoyable as it diverted away from the highway to pass through farmland, over creeks and alongside streams and wetland areas. The surrounding fields were heavily flooded from recent heavy rain and we arrived at a point where the trail was impassable and had to backtrack to join the road to get past the flooded section.

Every now and again we passed small ‘stations’ in the middle of nowhere. Stops on the old line that ran from Matamata to Thames, each with its own information sign telling of its place in the history of the line.

We reached Paeroa late afternoon and passed alongside the river and through town to the RV Park just outside. The RV park catered for long term residents with semi permanent motor home campers and caravans. We were checked in by the lovely resident caretaker who showed us a patch of grass where we could pitch our tent. The park had a shower and toilets and we were allowed to use the outdoor ‘kitchen’ - a bench, sink and gas hob. It was going to be a chilly night so we set about setting up our tent

Another tent was set up already and as we unpacked, our neighbour and fellow camper came over and introduced herself. She was camping here because she was doing a training walk (the full length of the Hauraki Rail Trail and a number of side trips, around 200-250Km) as part of a longer challenge of walking around New Zealand and the Te Araroa Trail (a walk the full length of Aotearoa). A very humble and nonchalant person, Damiana Day, turned out to be a very inspiring and we ended up chatting for over an hour.

Damiana told us about herself, her life and her challenges. Once confined to a wheelchair, she taught herself to walk again, and last year she set out on a goal to complete the Te Araroa trail, not just once but twice, down the length of the islands and back again via a different route! Her love of tramping came from going on walks with her mum she explained and she has cycled (over 100,000Km) and walked in many areas of the country and this was evident by her knowledge of its walks, geography and topography. She humbled us by telling us that she completed the Timber Trail on her folding bike, towing a trailer, which carried her folded up wheelchair! Incredible.

She spoke candidly about her autism, dyspraxia, dyslexia, cerebral palsy and her neurological condition that causes temporary paralysis, resulting in the failure of her legs ‘to work’. She has spent much of the last 20 years on the road, and recounted with modesty, good humour and without regret, tales of injury and accidents, of help by strangers and evacuation by helicopter (more than once). She is raising money for charity and aims to spread awareness of living with disabilities, the challenges and perceptions of how people with disabilities are treated, and to show what is possible, when often being told the opposite. From learning to walk again, bouncing back from injury, being in a car accident, being beaten up or taking on challenges, her positivity, determination and resilience made an impression on us both! She has several links on social media, if you want to know more and where she is on her travels.

After a cold icy covering in the night, the morning started cold. Packing up the tent and wiping off the thawing wet ice, made fingers cold and tempers short.

Placating ourselves with a visit to a cafe for breakfast before another 40 odd mile day meant we only remained grumpy for the short ride into town and sanctuary of The Refinery Cafe. A warm haven of tranquility, pastries and hot coffee, we sat and warmed up.
Another town on the old rail line. Paeroa has its share of old buildings and several antique/vintage/bric-a-brac shops with lots of old items for sale, making for interesting window browsing. The shops were choc full of shelves with all sorts of memorabilia, household items and nic nacs from the past.

Following the rail trail out of town using the cycle, we crossed the Waihou River via the new Kopu Bridge. Riding the stoney track following the cycle trail around the coast and the prevailing wind in our faces meant our progress slowed. Recreational cyclists passed us on their chunky tyres mountain bikes, (mostly electric) and they seemed to float over the loose stones.

Turning north again we took the highway for 10 miles to save some distance and time, rather than stick to the coastal track and longer loop. Turning off at Waitakaruru, we stopped to make a sandwich in the afternoon sun. The final section of the day, along a quiet road and then track by the side of the mangroves and wetlands was lovely. As the sun started to set the trail passed through several wildlife refuges. The birdlife, including herons, kingfishers, waders and ducks busied themselves before roosting. The empty beaches and views over the Firth of Thames to the Coromandel peninsula took on a painterly feel with mauve and lilac palette. Arriving in Kaiaua as darkness fell, we looked for somewhere to camp. Low on options and with darkness upon us, we chose to stay away from the large areas mostly occupied by RV’s on the exposed sea front and opted to tuck our tent under a tree by the public toilets next to a play park. After pitching the tent we sat out on a picnic table under a clear sky and made our dinner. It was the first time we have not been cold after dark and able to sit out and eat our meal while listening to the sound of the waves and the karaoke drifting over from the local pub (it was a Saturday night).
Up early with lovely sunrise and after quickly packing up the dry tent on the beautiful morning, we called at the Pink Shop Cafe for a breakfast roll before setting off. Only then noticing the ‘No Camping’ sign on the way (we arrived in the dark and practice leave no trace so you’d never know we’d been there). On the road by 8:30 and knowing we had hills to come later it didn’t dampen our mood as the sun shone and setting out early meant the traffic was very sporadic and allowed us to take in the views and enjoy the peace. We climbed up and over hills with views of the forested hills of the Hunua Range and through Tapapakanga Regional Park. Descending back down to sea level, providing views out to sea and islands, we stopped at Kawakawa Bay for a sandwich. With the day trippers and weekender traffic picking up (Auckland is not that far away) we didn’t linger. Back in the road with frequent cars, cars with trailers, classic cars, sports cars and motorbikes, the quiet Sunday was now turning into a busy one, on this beautiful sunny, warm winters day. Stopping in Clevedon, we browsed the local market in the community hall and bought some veggies for our evening meal. A quick coffee stop too! The road had been up and down but finally flattened out as we reached Papakura, at the southern end of the urban sprawl of Auckland. Arriving late afternoon, we navigated our way to the motel for the night. We bumped into a lovely elderly lady in her 70’s, riding her bike back from the shops and stopped to chat. A bike tourer herself, she had been around the UK and Europe by bike with her sister. As she remembered, her face lit up at recalling her travels. We talked for a half an hour about travel by bike, how’s her sister broke a leg whilst cycling in the UK doing the Lands End to John O’Groats and they ended up having to stay for several months, curtailing their trip (they continued and still travel together to this day - their next stop, hiking in Vietnam). Such a warm, enthusiastic and positive person, she was a treat and the exchange put us in a great mood.

We checked into the motel and promptly turned our room and porch into a large airing rack, hanging up our clothes and tent to air in the evening sun. Tomorrow we will be catching the train into Auckland, a destination that seemed far away a couple of months ago. We aim to catch up with Amanda’s former work colleague - our friend Kiri and also drop our bikes into the shop for a service. Auckland marks the end of our cycling time in Aotearoa.Leggi altro