Frank and Joannas little slice of heaven
Inferno Crater at Waimangu We left Rotorua by way of the Te Ara Ahi, a 66k bike route that takes riders past four different geothermal fields. We had a bit of trouble finding the start of the trail, and once we found it we only went a little way before we came upon a trail closed sign. We weren't sure what else to do, but we weren't too keen on riding on the highway again so we just ignored it and made the best out of the section that was under construction. It was a lot of soft dirt, narrow paths with steep drops and exposed roots that might have been fun on a mountain bike but was quite a challenge on our junk bikes loaded down with stuff. Luckily it didn't last too long and the trail was pretty straight forward after that. We paralleled the main road for a while before turning down a side road and then onto a gravel path through rolling farmland.
Champagne Pool at Wai-O-Tapu We had plans to go about halfway to Reporoa, our next destination, and visit Waimangu Volcanic Valley before camping for the night at Lake Okaro. Because of our earlier delays on the trail we didn't arrive at Waimangu until around 3, but we managed to see quite a bit of the trail before they closed at 5 and then they signed our tickets so we could come back the next morning and finish the walk. Its the worlds youngest geothermal system, and everything we saw was brand-new after a massive eruption in the late 1800s destroyed the entire area. Apparently before the eruption it was home to the worlds largest geyser, and was a big tourist attraction even back then. There were a lot of really cool thermal pools, hot lakes (up to 200 degrees!) and steam vents shooting out the side of the mountain.
Orakei Korako The next day on the way to Reporoa we had the first flat tire of our trip when my back tube got a puncture. We were able to re-inflate the tire most of the way before our pump broke so we decided to try and make it as far as we could, and with another top off at a gas station I was able to ride about 15k before I lost too much air. We were planning on doing a farm stay with Frank and Joanna, whom we contacted through a farmhelpers program, so Steve rode on to their place while I walked my bike along the road. About an hour later and just a few more kilometers down the road Frank pulled up in his truck to give me a ride, and we made it home just in time for dinner.
Huka Falls Frank and Joanna have about 20 acres of rolling hills with gardens, fruit trees, goat, chickens, donkeys and ducks, and they live in an adorable little straw bale house that they built themselves. We planned to stay with them over the holidays to avoid crowded campsites and heavy road traffic, and they gave us room and board (and so much more!) in exchange for around 4 hours of work a day. We were spoiled with a real bed and Joannas excellent cooking, and we had a lot of fun trimming hedges, picking cherries and working in the gardens. They also took us with them on trips into Taupo and showed us all of the great things to do in the area.
Aratiatia Rapids We visited Wai-O-Tapu and Orakei Korako, two of the geothermal parks nearby, and got to see all kinds of unique craters, colorful lakes, steaming rivers and crazy mineral deposits. We also got to visit Huka Falls, a waterfall so powerful it can fill an Olympic size swimming pool in 4 seconds, first from the walkway above and later from the deck of a boat that cruised up the Wairakei River. One day Frank and Joanna dropped us off and we hiked the 10k pathway from the Aratitatia rapids, where scenes from the Hobbit were filmed, all the way to Taupo along the riverside on a beautifully sunny day. We also had an adventure rescuing three baby mice whose nest we accidentally destroyed as we were weeding in the garden. When we found them they didn't even have their eyes open yet, so we fed them with milk and q-tips for a few days before they opened their eyes and were ready for solid food. We've had them with us since then, although they're getting pretty active so they'll probably be ready to go out on their own soon.
We stayed in Reporoa for almost two full weeks, and didn't get on our bikes once the entire time. Needless to say when it was time to pack up our things and ride to Taupo we were a bit nervous about our fitness. Fortunately it was a relatively easy 62k and we made it into town in the early afternoon without any trouble.
To see more pictures from our time in Reporoa, check out the Photos post.
To see more pictures from our time in Reporoa, check out the Photos post.
Wai-O-Tapu
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