DAY
6 – SH1/SH29 junction to Pureora – 135KMS /
11.5 total hours with 8 hours riding time / 16.9k average
After
a wonderful rest day at Bevan's I stopped being a ghost on the map and switched
my tracker back on and proceeded through the Waikato river trail. A bacon and
eggs second breakfast got me all the way to Mangikino and I passed most of the
15 TA riders who had left the Rhubarb cafe 5 minutes before I arrived.
Because
I knew the river trail well I was realistic about how hard it would be. It took
me the estimated 5 hours to do it and I really enjoyed the trail and the
technical bits as a result. Other riders would and were severely tested and
caught out by it for the lack of knowledge. The day was again another hot and
humid stinker.
The
only minor issues today were losing a bottle down a bank and crashing into a
closed gate. I learned later that other people had also not seen the silver gate on the white gravel road either.
There
was nowhere to buy food for the next 170k that I knew of so I stocked up well
at the Mangikino 4 square.
After
an extended break I rode with other TA riders to the centre of the North
island. We were definitely in remote country now. Overgrown tracks and lots of
ferns and even kaka were calling and swooping around. It was awesome for its
remoteness and beauty. Today featured a heck of a lot of climbing and a
considerable amount of riding was off road. The pace was slow as a result with
my average speed being much lower than the other days.
After
visiting the centre of the North island I pushed onto my dodgy accommodation
and found it to be pretty good actually despite having to figure out from the locals where exactly the key might have been. Hot showers and a comfy bed are always
welcome after a big day in the saddle. I shared the cabin with Bryan Prestidge who rocked up without a booking not realising you needed
prior arrangement. It does pay to be organised!!!
Today I did feel pretty tired and slept really soundly after getting a reasonably early night.
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