Dargaville - Ahipara - 180kms

Before pushing off from Dargaville the kids enjoyed a bit of retail therapy, which had us leaving later in the day - not ideal in the heat that we were experiencing. The kids were so keen, but we warned them, that the later we leave the hotter it'll be. It had been a while since we'd had the opportunity to explore a town, so the kids walked the op shops and spent time in The Warehouse. Thank goodness there is only so much you can carry on a bike. Kids were happy with a couple of matchbox cars, perfect size for their front bags.

The temperature really took the top shelf that day with the road almost melting from the heat. We've really noticed how exhausted the kids were, the riding hadn't been that enjoyable since leaving Leigh and it had been tough, there were certainly plenty of hills in Northland! Our route has been mostly road and majority of them being main roads which is tough on the concentration!

We ticked off the kilometres fairly quickly though so was rewarding. The kids really struggled with the intensity of the sun from above and it sure made for some hard long days.

During these long hot days, we were carrying a good 30 litres, the weight of the water in the trailers were hard as it added another 10-15kgs on each of us but was definitely needed.

We had been aiming for the Department of Conservation campsite at Trousan park, however right at the bottom of an unforgiving looking hill was the more expensive Kauri Coast Top Ten. The kids arrived first and had decided there was no way they were climbing up another hill, so they splayed themselves out on the grass before the entrance of the Top Ten demanding we stay put. We had really wanted to stay at Trousan Park which was a popular Department of Conservation Campsite because of the Kiwi. But this time we needed to listen to the kids! Plus, the thought of climbing up the next hill with grumpy tired kids was not very inviting!

Besides we'd all seen kiwi before!

The camp was luxurious but pricey, but it was full of kids! We always foundd the Top Ten Holiday Parks quite a bit more expensive but they definitely do have great facilities and are perfect for families.

The kids sure enjoyed running around the park and made some new friends, they hadn't had much interaction with other kids for a long time so was much needed.

Another hot day on the radar, so we pushed off early and aimed for the shade of the Waipoua forest. We were excited about the day ahead and exploring the road that winds its way through the giants of the forest.

Our water dried up pretty quickly through the back roads to State Highway 12. The hills and heat were tough, with the temperature climbing up to the mid 30's, combined with black tar and it felt more like 40+ degrees! But we were definitely rewarded with our best ever downhill and uphill all in one day.

We enjoyed the 6km downhill right into the heart of Waipoua forest with Giant Kauri trees towering above us. The size of these trees is a sight that you really appreciate as you roll past on your bike. To top the best downhill off was the Waipoua River waiting to cool us off at the bottom. A pristine river surrounded by kauri trees - we urged the kids to cool off even though the river felt as cold as ice. Jazz was first in, enjoying being cool again. The boys soon followed in their undies, and it then was a hard motivation push to get them out and start yet another hill climb.

Refreshed and cooled down we tackled the hill back out of the valley. The gradual gradient of this hill was a delight, it really was a truly magnificent ride through the Waipoua Forest among the giant Kauri's, so magnificent that we hardly noticed we were climbing a 400m hill. We all slowly climbed our way up admiring the giants of the forest, some right on the edge of the road. Adrian and I agreed that even though we'd both driven this section - biking it, was absolutely incredible. There is something about being among the world's mightiest trees that gives you a real buzz.

After realising that there were no camp sites till we were well and truly out of the forest we decided to stop in at Ngahere where the second biggest Kauri tree stands. A sight we had wanted to see and possibly with toilets there, we could camp in the carpark!?

The car park was locked, not so good if you had a car but bikes could easily go around it. We had freedom camped for a fair bit of our trip and always been responsible campers so decided it was okay to camp since it was now close to 5pm and biking another 20kms was not feasible. We later found out that all carparks are locked at night as they are trying to slow the spread of the Kauri Dieback which is having a devastating effect on the forest giants.

By having certain open and closing times they can monitor how many people are entering the tracks and they have ambassadors there to educate people. One of the main concerns is people crossing barriers and standing on the roots which can spread the disease. It has had a devastating effect on the Kauri's and many tracks were closed because of the disease.

We enjoyed a nice walk through the forest to observe Ngahere, which is the largest Kauri tree with a girth of over 20m in circumference completely surrounded by Kauri trees. Being in a different type of forest with trees this size was an experience, and we were blown away by the magnificent Kauri Trees.

Up early the next morning after a comfortable night in the carpark, we rolled 1km down the road to Tane Mahuta - the tallest Kauri Tree in the world! The gates were still locked so we enjoyed our breakfast and managed to fit in some schoolwork, much to the kids disappointment!

The roads were quiet, it really felt that we were on a closed road. At 9am the Waipoua Forest ambassadors turned up, they were intrigued with what we were up to and kindly let us in so we could make the most of enjoying this tall giant all to ourselves. We enjoyed a full 30 minutes of Tane Mahuta to ourselves enjoying the serenity and quietness and just taking in the grandness of this area. It blew our mind that this tree is estimated at around 2,500 years old! We reminded the kids that they had seen it before but just a little too young to remember it. Just as we left to come out after deciding we better get back on the bikes, a bus off load of 40 people followed by a dozen cars arrived. We were relieved that we really had had perfect timing. These sorts of attractions are not so enjoyable when you have a hundred plus people around. Our time with Tane Mahuta was special as it was just our family, we felt quite chuffed with ourselves!

While organising ourselves again we met up with a couple who were heading south on the bikes from Cape Reinga - they were estimating finishing in Bluff in less than a months' time. It is always a special treat to time it right and chat with fellow bikers, we often chat for 20-30minutes but agree that we could keep chatting for hours but as daylight is precious, we have to say our goodbyes and good luck. We often swap cards and email addresses to we can keep tracking each other's progress.

A short climb out of the valley saw us 400m above sea level, and the Hokianga was almost in sight.

The kids shot off on the 6km downhill reaching speeds of up to 60km an hour. It is easy to reach these speeds on a sealed road and a good gradient but can be scary to watch from a parent's point of view.! After almost 7 months on the bikes, we have faith in the kids that they can control their speed and know when they need to button off. Charlie is our 'no fear' child that possibly doesn't realise the consequences at 7 years old, so we definitely worry about him! Mahe had a broken leg at 6 years old from a kayaking incident, so he has pulled back a bit and Jazz luckily is gutsy but not silly and likes to be in control!

We reach Waimamaku Four Square which was a welcome rest and ice cream stop in the December heat. Pies always go down a treat no matter the heat, it was 28 degrees, but we sat in the shade and enjoyed some good fatty foods. Kids sure got treated at every Four Square or dairy on this adventure, which on average would have been once every week, we have warned them not to get used to it, fatty junk foods are not really our way of living, but the fats sure helped add to the calories we were burning.

We headed off again with full tummies to the Hokianga. We knew grandparents Granddad John and Gran would catch us up somewhere on the road so every car that passed us we hoped it was them. Halfway up a decent hill we heard the tooting and yahooing, we all knew then that it had to be Grandad. We hadn't seen them since October, so it was great excitement seeing them both. We had had a tough few weeks with some big hills so the joy of seeing family was a real boost. Not to mention Gran's famous lolly cake coming out at the top of the hill, along with L&P and salty chips, we were in heaven!

The Hokianga is a hidden secret of the North, the view of the giant sand dunes and the harbour was breath taking. For us a lot of the North Island had been road travel so not as enjoyable as our off-trail adventures in the South Island but add the Coromandel and the Far North and the North Island is becoming hard to beat.

With the tides being tight for when we needed to bike along 90 Mile Beach, our time in the Hokianga was short, we needed to be biking along 90 Mile Beach as close to the 27th of December as we could. So, it was just to be 2 nights enjoying Rawene before we had to head off again for Ahipara.

We rode down the hill from the viewpoint into Omapere then onto Opononi. The stunning beaches along the Hokianga Harbour gave us a good reason to stop and enjoy Opononi. Famous of course for Opo the dolphin. We enjoyed yet another ice cream from the local Four Square which re fuelled us for the next 20 kilometres along to Rawene. A lot of the accommodation places had closed down due to Covid, so we were forced to carry on to Rawene which is a quaint wee village on the harbour.

Although the last 20km to Rawene was a test of endurance for the kids. It was getting late in the day, after we had taken a while to make the decision to carry on after no luck with accommodation. The kids had had some fairly big days with not much sleep. Just when we thought we’d arrived in Rawene a series of sharp hills really pushed the kids to almost breaking point. Although the help of Gran and Grandad coming back down the hills to give us the much-needed encouragement was pretty awesome and gave the kids an extra boost. The welcome site of a pool and quiet campsite was a saviour, we just never expected the campsite to be right on top of yet another hill!

We enjoyed a off day at Rawene to catch up with Gran and Grandad and Uncle Mark. The last time we'd been up this far to visit Uncle Mark was when Charlie was just two months old, Mahe two years old and Jazz was four! So you can imagine the look on Mark's face when he saw the kids and was blown away that they had biked almost the length of New Zealand just 7 years later!

The day was spent relaxing, and yet again organising ourselves with food for the next day to Ahipara. The kids enjoyed explaining to Uncle Mark about their bikes and how they carry all their gear, Mark was very intrigued.

We had wanted to enjoy Christmas with Mark but the need to push on to get to 90 Mile was high to beat the tides, if we didn't get the tides right, we'd have to wait till mid Jan for the next midday low tides.

So, we opted for an early Christmas dinner with Mark at the Opononi Hotel. Before dinner the kids enjoyed a fish off the iconic Hokianga Wharf, or at least fed the fish with their bait.

Absolutely stunning views looking across to the sand dunes and a real treat to have some real food at a lovely restaurant. Although it had seemed our stomach's had shrunk!

This was to be our biggest day, 68kms from Rawene to Ahipara, it was exciting aiming for Ahipara as this was the starting point for our last push to the Cape along the iconic 90 Mile Beach. The kids were mentally prepared and amped. To save a 100km ride around the Hokianga Harbour we opted for the quaint ferry crossing across to Kohukohu. It was a short 10minute ride costing us $4 in total. The ferry goes back and forwards all day, so we jumped on the early one at 8am to get some kilometres under our belt before the heat really kicked in. December in the Far North is stunning but so hot, coming from Southland we weren't used to these hot temperatures. The ferry ride was very enjoyable but too short, we would have been quite happy to stay on for longer! Once the ferry touched down, we contemplated two routes we could take. One a little bit shorter and some gravel but quiet roads or sealed road the whole way on a busier road and another five kilometres extra. The kids wanted sealed, they had done their fair bit of gravel and rough roads throughout the journey, so they were off. A slight tail wind, they were averaging 20kms/hr. Adrian and I mentioned to each other after riding for an hour that lets hope they don't burn out. They were flying and loving it. Possibly the thought of being at 90 Mile Beach gave them an extra boost!

By lunch time the fast pace was starting to zap their energy along with the hot sun beating down. Electrolytes were brought out just to keep them well hydrated in the heat.

Reaching Broadwood, the kids spotted the bright yellow Broadwood Dairy, so it was a good chance to have a breather while we enjoyed an ice cream. It seemed the further north we got, places had run out of pies, or we'd manage to get 3 between us. We enjoyed chatting to two locals who entertained us with the goings-on of the area. We found the hospitality of Northland unique and very accommodating. The locals were very supportive and were always stopping by on the road to make sure we were ok.

The ice creams certainly gave us a boost but lasted for 20 minutes before Charlie hit the wall. He was utterly exhausted; he'd started off well, but the heat and the tough hills eventually wore him down. The riding was enjoyable along the Twin Coast Discovery Highway, but Hokianga is full of decent hills, on par with the Rangitikei in the central North Island. It took us a while to find a shaded spot for lunch, it wasn't ideal as it was very close to the road, but Charlie needed to stop and refuel plus everyone needed a break from the heat. It was close to 30 degrees and when riding on tarmac it actually felt more like 40!

It took a special sandwich filled with salted chips and lollies to revive Charlie. We had to remind ourselves that he is only 7 and on one tough journey that most 7-year-old kids couldn't even fathom.

Luckily Gran and Granddad John had spotted us in the trees and couldn't believe how far we'd come. We needed them to give Charlie a boost and was always good to have them spend time with us over our breaks. The lolly cake came out and finally we had laughter and energy back from Charlie. With drink bottles filled with electrolytes we were ready to hit the road again for our last 35kms to Ahipara.

The Km’s slowly ticked by, the Hokianga hills were now short but steep, but add in the heat and it was tough work. The kids enjoyed a play at Herekino School, always a bit of bonus being in the school holidays, kids had a great time exploring a new school and its playground. While we rummaged up some good energy food and topped up drink bottles once again, also while making the most of the shaded entrance way, the heat was utterly exhausting. Soon after we caught up with Grandad John, who was whizzing up and down the hills on his e bike while giving us moral support.

The kids really had to dig deep for progress to the last hill towards Ahipara. The last climb was relentless, the heat, the gradient and that we had just done 56kms on a sealed tar road which the heat was bouncing off was tough. The saving grace was that we were getting very close to 90 Mile Beach!

The determination to finish the trip with a "no tow North Island" kicked in. We chipped away and the hill eventually lay down to reveal a nice extended hill into the valley finishing before the flats beside Ahipara.

We opened it up, fingers were off the breaks, and speed wobbles tickling at the side as we made quick kms on the steep descent. The breeze was refreshing and enough to re-charge us for the last 3km. At the road junction the road was busy, we were back on the Twin Coast Discovery Highway.

Mahe was exhausted, he'd hit the wall after 63kms in the intense heat. Grandad John offered to go ahead and collect the car; we dismissed the idea as we had just 3kms to go. We knew Mahe was capable of getting there, he just needed a good sugar boost and lots of encouragement. Tomorrow was going to be Christmas Day so a great rest day plus we didn't want to have to come back out so he could complete the 3kms. He was not a happy chappy and was certainly struggling but we rode alongside him moving at 8km/hr.

Cars were crammed full of surf boards, tents, beach toys, and even Utes with outside seating. The Northlanders were in a great mood and the driving certainly showed. This made for an easy stretch of busy road into the Ahipara campground. The place was alive with families enjoying Christmas Eve. Mahe managed to get his second wind and was soon buzzing round the campsite meeting new friends.

We pitched the tents and blobbed out with some good food. The kids had regained their energy and were out playing flash light right into the night.

We had finally arrived at 90 Mile Beach, which was our home stretch to Cape Reinga, we were all excited about biking along the beach but also very apprehensive about finishing this adventure. We really didn't want it to end.

The Christmas period was a great few days just relaxing and exploring Ahipara, surfing, swimming and running along the dunes and just being at the beach was a welcome rest from the saddles. We caught up with another family who were starting out on their Te Araroa journey with their 3 children. We had spoken to a fair amount of folks doing adventures along the way, but this was the first family we had bumped into on a big adventure not to dissimilar to ours. We had plenty in common and enjoyed chatting. Definitely a family we were going to keep in contact with.