Day 2 - Monday 28th February
Omaio to Lake Tarawera Outlet - 163km
- Omaio to Ohiwa (72km Road Bike)
- Ohiwa to Port Ohope (8km Kayak)
- Port Ohope to Ohope Beach (9km Road Bike)
- Ohope Beach to Whakatane (5km Run)
- Whakatane to Kawarau (36km Road Bike)
- Kawarau to Tarawera Falls car park (27 by car dammit)
- Tarawera Falls car park to Tarawera Outlet Camp (5km Run)
We woke to the sound of logging trucks grinding their way up a long, steep hill. It was a sign of things to come - both the trucks and the hills! It was only 6.40am and we had to give way to two cars and a logging truck (rush hour in Omaio) before rolling out on to the highway west. We were headed for an appointment with a big breakfast in Opotiki. It was a pretty nice ride and apart from the pigs running loose on the road side, the logging trucks (did I mention the logging trucks?) and the road works it was pretty uneventful and straightforward. Our legs were a little bit jaded after yesterday but all things considered we were feeling ok.
We arrived at the café in Opotiki at 9am for a great breakfast and managed to get phone reception and a few texts away before heading off on the bikes again to Ohiwa. The transition from bike to kayak was pretty slick and we were soon paddling out the low tide channel towards Port Ohope. Once in the main channel we made good progress through the calm water to the wharf where our support crews were again already waiting.
Another quick transition had us back on the bikes pedalling to the north end of Ohope Beach where we ditched the bikes, strapped on the runners and jogged up the beach to the Hopi Point Walkway which leads around the headland to Whakatane. From one of the lookout points it was amazing to look back east and see East Cape slipping under the horizon. We paused for a minute to reflect on the fact that only a day and a half ago we had started way around there. Reid joined us for the run and did a great job, he entertained us with a perfectly executed commando roll along the track after tripping on a tree root.
A picnic lunch was waiting for us at Whakatane’s big rock after we descended the steps from the walkway but we couldn’t stay too long before we were back on the road bikes headed for Kawerau. The traffic picked up from here, especially the trucks, and there was lots of that wonderful kiwi inch diameter new chip seal to vibrate the eyes out their sockets, sandpaper the butt and knock our average speed. Nice!
We arrived in Kawarau just after the support crews and went to the Information Centre to get a permit to drive through the forest - to our chagrin we discovered we wouldn’t be able to mountain bike the 2nd to last leg up to Tarawera Falls car park and after failing to find a suitable plan B we conceded defeat and went by car - dammit. We still did the magnificent run from the falls to the Tarawera Outlet Camp so all wasn’t lost.
When we arrived at the camp Adam and Reid were already bombing off the bridge into the crystal clear, warm lake outlet stream so we jumped in after them and it felt fantastic to finally get a fresh water ‘bath’ and feel really clean. I feel terrible saying that knowing many people in Christchurch haven’t had a shower for a week…
The weather forecast for tomorrow looks good so we should be fine for a dawn kayak across the lake to the Tarawera Café.
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