Another Short Bikepacking Trip

I'm aiming to do a series of short bikepacking trips to get my body used to the hard work in preparation for tackling the Tour Aotearoa in February 2016.  This is my third overnight trip, a short one this time because I couldn't leave until Ruth finished work at 3 on Friday afternoon, and I had to be back no later than 10 on Saturday morning.

I've been studying the maps, looking for possible routes to take that lead out from Rotorua without taking the major highways.  One interesting route starts with Maniatutu Road, which goes off from State Highway 33 just past Okere falls.  This heads east, and gives at least two options for branching off towards the coast, and if you continue heading east it eventually hits the main highway just a few km short of Te Teko.  On paper, it looked like a great "Eastern Escape Corridor" I could use for longer bikepacking trips, and I was keen to check it out.

Because of my limited time, I had to keep the route short, so I decided to use the Western Okataina Walkway as a way of quickly heading out to Lake Rotoiti and then following the highway towards Lake Rotoma, before looping north to hit my "escape corridor" and following it back towards Okere Falls:

The weather forecast had predicted rain, but it turned out to be another hot dry day, with the temperature around 30 degrees (86 degrees fahrenheit) as I left.  To avoid the busy roads, I headed out through Whakarewarewa Forest, choosing a couple of singletracks and some firebreak roads to get me out to Lake Okareka as directly as possible:

At Lake Okareka, I popped in briefly to the Steep Street reserve to say "hi" to the family, who were swimming and relaxing by the lake, before looping around Millar Road to the start of the Western Okataina Walkway:

The Walkway is an amazing track to ride — I figure I've probably got the heaviest bike ever taken on that track.  It's a grade 4 MTB track, with tons of climbing and some quite techical parts.  Pete and Gay (two of the folks I rode with on the Tour Divide) would have hated it, and there were several points where I had to push the bike because the track was so steep and rutted.  It was hard work, but great fun:

About 3/4 of the way along the track is a turnoff you can take to the Whakapoungakau Trig.  I've only been on the Walkway twice before, and didn't have a chance to do the Trig detour, so I figured I might as well do it this time — it's only 1.2 km off the main trail:

The view from the top was well worth the extra work:

Mokoia Island and Lake Rotorua

Looking north towards Lake Rotoiti (left) and Lake Rotoehu (right)

As I headed back down from the trig, I found my way blocked by this wee fellow:

It's the first time ever a wallaby has stood still long enough for me to get a picture.

Once back on the main track, it was a fast descent (and a couple of careful walks down some steep rutted sections) to the end of the trail:

A bike's-eye view of the descent.

You can't quite see the steep rut I'd just climbed down in this photo.

I was glad I took the detour up to the trig, but by now it was 7:30 PM and I still had a long way to go to my planned campsite. I followed State Highway 30 for about 12 kilometres, before turning into Manawahe Road and starting to head North.  I paused briefly at the far side of Lake Rotoehu.  It looked beautiful, and I was tempted to stop and camp on the lakeside until I saw a "No Overnight Camping" sign.

The last 5 km of the day, along Manawahe Road and then Pongokawa Valley Road, was very steep, and my legs were starting to feel the 6 litres of water and 1.5 kg of food I was carrying on my bike.  I finally reached the end of the tar seal, and five minutes later found Hamilton Road, which is where I'd decided to stop for the night.  There was a convenient skid site not far down the road, where I soon found a place to camp.

As soon as I'd stopped, I discovered that I'd forgotten to press the "track" button on the Spot Tracker, so it hadn't done anything all day.  Slightly embarrassed, I sent Ruth a text telling her I was all right.

As I set up my tent and cooked dinner, I found this lying on the ground nearby:

This made me laugh.  I'd forgotten to pack a spoon on my last trip, and had a carve one out of a piece of wood.  This time, I'd made sure to pack a spoon, but maybe the gods were looking out for me, too.

Dinner was nothing inspiring: just instant noodles, parmesan cheese and a tinned meat dish, followed by an apple for dessert.  I'd ridden 57 km in 5 and a quarter hours — not fast, but then that included about 1,200 metres (4,000 feet) of climbing and the rough terrain of the Western Okataina Walkway on a fully-loaded offroad touring bike.  Because I'd been riding for so long, I ate in the twilight and had to wash my dishes mostly by feel (yes, I do have a torch, but I wanted to save the batteries).  I was soon chased into my tent by the mosquitoes, and slept fitfully as my tired legs and back kept waking me up.

I was up before dawn, planning to be on the road early so I could make it back home before 10.  After a breakfast of instant porridge I was on my way just after 6 AM.

My "Eastern Escape Corridor" was everything I'd hoped it would be.  The road is unsealed for about half of the 23 kilometre length that I covered.  There are some decent-sized hills on it, but it feels wonderfully remote.  In the first hour and a half of riding, I only saw three cars — it seems that nobody but the locals, and maybe some forestry workers, use this road.

Sorry about the weird smoke ring in the middle of this photo — I discovered afterwards that my GoPro camera had condensation on the lens, and all the photos it took that day are like this.  I need to remember to wipe it down in the morning before I start riding.

At one point I stopped to admire the view.  The geese flying back and forth made it perfect:

There are three major intersections along this road: the intersection with Rotoehu Road, the intersection with Maniatutu Road (both of which head off north towards the coast), and the intersection with Lichenstein Road (which is a dead end).  At the Maniatutu Road intersection I found some more wildlife — this time it was a jack rabbit, sunning itself on the road:

I finally reached the intersection with State Highway 33, and followed it into Okere Falls and then on back to Rotorua.  There was a lot more traffic once I reached the main road — in fact, I heard the trucks on that road well before I saw it — but it wasn't too bad to ride along at that time of morning:

After riding for about 2 and a half hours, I was getting seriously hungry again, so I stopped for some sustenance at the dairy just past the Rotorua airport:

At the Sala Street lights, I was finally able to get off the main road and enjoy the cycle path that runs alongside the Puarenga Stream:

We so lucky to have these cycle paths in our city.  From there, it was a short ride along the suburban roads back home.  I got back by 9:30, a perfect time for Ruth to head off to her quilting symposium in Palmerston North.

I was very pleased with this trip.  I'd covered a total of 106 km and climbed over 1,700 metres (that's 80 miles and five and a half thousand feet of climbing to my US friends) in seven and three quarter hours of cycling.  I'd discovered a new route out of the city, with several options for forming longer loops.  In hindsight, the Western Okataina Walkway was a tough option for heading out to Lake Rotoiti — it's an exhausting ride on a fully-laden bike, and while it does avoid the traffic, it would be a lot quicker and less effort just to ride out along the highway (though nowhere near as much fun).  But then these trips are all about figuring out what works and what doesn't, as well as getting fitter with each ride.  I can't wait for the next one...hopefully I won't be so pressed for time so I can explore a longer loop.