Taranaki

After spending the weekend (Nov 23/24) with friends watching/cheering them on for their bike race in Taupo we headed out to the west coast to check out the Taranaki area. We spent almost weeks in the area checking out some different spots along the west coast. Taranaki also has a pretty incredible volcano (Mt. Taranaki) which we were hoping to explore.
First stop was New Plymouth. We hung out for a few days with a plan to do some surfing and exploring the city. Did a bit of freedom camping on the waterfront which was basically a parking lot but perfect access to the beach. Keegan got out for a day of surfing while we were here. I relaxed on the beach instead. I'm still feeling a bit nervous about surfing so looking for an opportunity to take a lesson. New Plymouth was cool and we probably didnt give it enough time to see everything that is there but over the few days we biked at there mtb park, bikes along their coastal trails and checked out the outdoor velodrome (we were just on our mountain bikes and it was crazy windy out but still fun!), had a picnic dinner at Pukekura Park and explored the streets a bit (mostly on a search for yummy ice cream)
After a few days here we headed down to Oakura where we rented a guestsuite for a couple nights and got in another couple days of surfing. Day 1 didnt go great for me and after being run over by an intense surfer bro, Keegan and I decided on a private lesson the next day together. This was great and I finally enjoyed myself again in the water. Sticking to the baby waves for now but definitely feel more excited to keep at it.
We continued down the coast to a small town called Hawera. Mostly a great place for some RnR. Cheap and quiet campground and a good spot to relax for the both of us. The weather hasn't been the greatest with alot more rainy days which is making it tough to plan a hike up mt Taranaki. So we surfed again. Keegan did 2 days and I got out for 1. We found a nice surf beach in Ohura. The waves started to get huge with a swell coming in - like 10 to 16ft! But luckily the weather improved and we got a great day out hiking the fanthom's peak track. This is the peak that is right next to the top of mt Taranaki. Great hike, weather turned on us once we got past the treeline and was actually a super steep up but we made it!
We decided to leave the area and head to Whanganui city where we met some travelers who were also biking around just like us. We were looking for a longer distance bike trail to do prior to our upcoming canoe trip. They had recommended the Timber trail so we decided to check it out! Czytaj więcej