Day 1Fri. 26 Feb. 2010
Dist: 98.5 km.
Av. Spd: 17.9km/hr.
NRG: 1336 Cal.
Ride Time: 5 hrs 28 min
Shari, the boys and I left Awanui for the Cape at 9am. The road is sealed all the way now apart from about 2km of roadworks just before Te Paki so it’s an easy drive. The Cape has undergone a major redevelopment recently with new amenities, a stylish entrance and very good interpretation.
We met Tim and Sharon in the car park, loaded our bikes up and pushed them down to the lighthouse for the mandatory photo shoot. After contemplating the challenge briefly we pushed back to the car park, made final adjustments then started rolling south. It felt fantastic to be finally taking that first step towards the ultimate destination.
Just 18km down the undulating road at the Te Paki turnoff we met up with Shari and the boys again before heading west to the beach. After a brief food stop and a play in the sand dunes we ventured down Te Paki stream into a howling head wind and eventually on to 90 Mile Beach. Reid rode his bike for part of this section but the sand was pretty soft, the wind pretty strong and his legs are pretty short. Te Paki stream is a beautiful drive/walk/run/ride.
The wind on 90 Mile Beach was exactly as forecast - 20 knots, in your face -so putting pride aside, we decided to be resourceful and set up a wind block with the Bighorn. It worked a treat and we were able to roll along at a steady 20 to 25 ks without too much effort tucked in about half a metre behind the bumper. Shari did exceptionally well to persevere with two kids driving at that sped for 5 hours. The boys were fascinated when we came across a sea lion basking on the beach but that was probably the only feature in km after km of sand, surf and wind.
Things were going so well we decided to make a break for Waipapakauri so it ended up being a much bigger day than expected at 98km! The legs felt OK and we ate and drank well and took plenty of breaks so while glad to find the Top 10 campground at the end we were in good spirits.
Great day though.
Hey Mark - it was a real privilege to be with you at the start of your amazing adventure. Cape Reinga was a truly spiritual jumping off point and the begining of a wonderful day.....
ReplyDeleteMy friend the rest of the day just got better - well you did anyway. The Te Paki stream down to 90 Mile beach was like a step back in time but the beach was something else!!
20 knot head winds - Mark you were a machine and Shari, Adam and Reid I couldn't have done it without you - THANKS!
You're welcome, it was all good. Big raps to Shari and her amazing patience and perseverance coping with us 4 boys and all our wants!
ReplyDeleteIt was a long, tough day but one we'll remember as a bit of a classic.