To Pipiriki ~ Dec 2-9, # 10
We stuck to Hwy 4 (top of the map) to Raetihi over to Pipiriki and then picked up the last part of the Mountains to Sea route to Whanganui.
Taumarunui
Still on a high from the Timber Trail, we spent the next couple days in Taumarunui to resupply, but mostly to make up our minds whether or not to continue loosely following the Te Araora route to the next Great Ride, “Mountains to Sea”. Backpackers were a buzz at the campground coordinating their food drops and canoe/kayak trips down the Whanganui River to Pipiriki to connect to the next section of trail. It was only week 6 and we were already longing for our pack rafts. But even more so, we realized based on the seasons, it would make more sense to explore the North Island on our return trip to Auckland, just as fall transitions to a milder winter in the North. So instead, we committed to put “the blinders on” the best we could and fast-track our way to the South Island arriving just at the start of summer.
All along the Te Araora, whether hiking or biking, some trail connections are only possible via roadways, especially on the North Island. Such was the case leaving Taumarunui, and for us it would continue for the next 67mi/107km on highway 4 to Pipiriki, bypassing the off road sections, including the “Bridge to Nowhere” and the 32km river transfer. Our first day was 40km/25mi to a town, named, National Park, the highest urban township in New Zealand, at 825m/2,706ft, located in Tongariro National Park, a World Heritage area, and for us our first volcanic mountain range in New Zealand. Most of the way it was a reasonable grade, crossing endless farmland and the 39th Parallel in Owhango. And then with only 5km left of our ride, our jaws dropped as we spotted the monstrous climb ahead, steeper than any section of road we had ridden on a highway. Im not sure if it was a product of Kiwi humor, as we reached the bottom of the “monster” hill, a T-Rex was there waiting for us.
National Park
In that short distance, we heaved ourselves up and out of the expanse of low land farms into another world, a volcanic alpine landscape. Our reward at the top - views of snow-capped mountains, Mt. Tongariro, Mt. Ngauruhoe (Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy), and Mount Ruapehu stretched out before us. Just feeling the crisp alpine air was enough to get my heart racing, wishing it was ski season, simultaneously hoping maybe we could figure out how to do a day hike (so much for blinders). A highlight on the Te Araora is the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. If not for the heavy clouds and rain that moved in over night, we would of probably succumbed to the temptation, but after a day spent waiting out the weather, we reluctantly decided to continue on down the highway to Raetihi, to explore a dinosaur museum. After ascending over 747m/2,450ft, our next 40km was a just reward, descending from 825m/2,706ft to 167m/550ft in elevation!
Mt. Tongariro, Mt. Ngauruhoe, Mt. Ruapehu with snow (far left to right)
Raetihi
After visiting so many small towns across Tasmania, Victoria and now the North Island the scene has become familiar - a “post-2020” main street where half the store-fronts are vacant, and of those still in business, several usually have “For Sale” signs in the window. It was curious why a small town like Raetihi was home to a Dinosaur museum, so much so that I had to ask the owners about the history of the place and how long they had been here. Interestingly, they had decided to move from the city to a small town, where they could buy a building large enough to house their ever-growing collection of dinosaur displays, movie memorabilia and fossils in what is now The Dinosaur House.
It was an impressive collection and even included a history of famous paleontologists from around the world. In the early days, most were highly competitive in ways that were more often about fame than advancing science, which is why learning about “the Dinosaur Lady”, Joan Wiffen, a self-taught paleontologist from the North Island was a refreshing highlight. After retiring in the early 1970s from being a housewife, she became the first to discover a dinosaur bone in Hawkes Bay (only 204km/127mi to the East) in 1975 at the age of 53 and by 1982 had conclusively proved that dinosaurs once lived in New Zealand.
Pipiriki
It had only been a week since riding the Timber Trail but we were eager to return to the bush and ride along the Whanganui River from Pipiriki to the coast. On our last climb out of the valley leaving Raetihi, we caught our final glimpse of the volcanic range before turning the corner to descend through the dense bush we now craved to the river’s edge.
Our last view of Mt. Ruapehu
We were the first to arrive at the Pipiriki campground but by late afternoon, a ring of tents with a mix of bike-packers and backpackers lined the field. After waiting out another bout of rain together, we looked forward to meeting up again with our new bike-packing friends down the trail, two from Canada, one from Switzerland and another from the UK.
Whanganui River