I arrived Taumarunui at 6 o'clock today after starting at 7.45am this morning at Piropiro which is halfway along the Timber Trail.
Today's ride was beautiful. The best part so far because I didn't have to get off the bike at all to walk. We climbed 400m, a lovely gentle rise through the forest.
We went along the Ongarue Spiral. The sign going into the tunnel said, 'Beware dark tunnel ahead, consider dismounting' so I walked to the entrance ruminating on the use of the tautology, 'dark tunnel'. Aren't all tunnels dark? (I am a retired English teacher). But when entering the tunnel I realised the sign was completely wrong. It should have said, 'very, very dark tunnel'. It was as black as the inside of a cows stomach. I fumbled for my rear tail light for some illumination and turned it on. It didn't make the slightest bit of difference. Note to self: remove sunglasses before entering tunnels! I staggered forward 5m and could see the exit which was only about 30m away.
It astounds me that some of these riders think nothing of riding on highways wearing little helmets with milk tankers riding past, nearly getting sucked in by the down draughts of articulated trucks, throwing themselves down mountains and riding bikes all night to make date deadlines but they are afraid of highly engineered swing bridges.
I smashed out the last 24 km on a half gravel/half sealed road to arrive in Taumaranui at 6. The first signs of city life was a massive, brightly lit McDonalds at the roundabout. I got in there and wolfed down a meal and waited for my mobile to charge because it was flat.
Once my phone was charged I ask Sam where I was staying. I asked the person at the counter at McDonalds where River Road Motel was and they had no idea. A person behind me heard me and pointed. The motel was out the window, just across the road!
I'm back at McDonalds having another meal dictating my post to my daughter as all I've had to eat today is a bread roll, muesli with water and two rum balls.
My bike handles like an oil tanker so I'm going to bike to Jerusalem and stay at the convent rather than go along the river tomorrow.
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