Moawhango to Taumaraunui - 232 kms - 7 days

It was hard leaving Gran and Grandad's after all the home comforts but it was time to get back on the bikes again and head north.

We departed from the farm and headed back up from where we had just biked a few days earlier in the dark, a completely different scene this time around. It was pretty neat biking alongside the home farm back up to the junction, kids enjoyed a quick play in Stef's old bus shelter on Pungatawa Road then we were back on the back roads. For this route we needed to head along State Highway One for 2 kilometres, this was frightening but needed to be done to get us towards Mataroa. The Mataroa Hill was conquered slowly with the kids helping each other with getting to the top, this then bought us out on top of the Rangitikei hills by Ruanui Station. it was all worth it as the scenery was outstanding, those rolling green farm hills of the Rangitikei are something else. Grandad John had organised with Ruanui station for us to stay in the shearer's quarters. We enjoyed a night with the managers of Ruanui Station, Jeremy and Jo. The kids enjoyed playing spot light with other kids and all had a wee nibble on the lambs tails that were sizzling away on the fire from the days docking (tailing for the South Islanders). Not sure they'll eat them again!

We set off from Ruanui the next morning enjoying a 6km downhill to the Turakina Valley Road , we weaved our way in and out of this valley which was tough going. Grandad John had joined us once again so we enjoyed chatting to more farmers along the way. We certainly got lucky chatting to one farmer Craig, as he offers us his small hut on a hill, which turns out to be a mansion in our standards as we compare it to our tents!

We accepted this very kind offer and enjoyed a bit of luxury on a hill overlooking Ruapehu and the surrounding Central Plateau. A truly magic spot with wild deer walking past at night, a fire bath on the deck and simply stunning views of an active volcano while taking the opportunity to teach the kids all about our volcanoes in New Zealand. It was hard to leave the place the following day, but the 300m descend back down into the valley with magic views was a good enticement.

We rolled through the quiet back roads with the noise growing louder from the main Waiouru – Ohakune Road. Thankfully Grandad John was with us and drove behind with hazard lights on in the tight spots.

We enjoyed a lunch and learned about the Waitangi disaster. Good piece of history for the kids to soak up, but sobering at the same time.

In Ohakune we were shocked that a campsite was $112 for a tent site so we found a verander near the rugby club rooms to provide shelter for the stormy night. It was a definitely a sleepless night as we moved our gear around to keep it dry. Maybe we should have paid the $$ after all!?

We enjoyed an extra couple of down days in Ohakune after moving to a backpackers, Jazz picked up a stomach bug so a good rest was needed.

Our next section was to take us from Ohakune right through to Tauramunui – almost 200kms through trails, back roads and rough single track. From Ohakune we took the Old Coach Road Cycle Trail – great bit of history in here with this part of the trail being once part of the main route from Auckland to Wellington in the late 1800’s. A good chunk of the trail is cobbled stone which protected the horses hooves back in the day to save them being knee deep in mud, this certainly made the riding tricky and pretty rough going when towing a buggy, Stef lost half of the washing powder that bounced out along the way! Beautiful trail though with impressive viaducts spanning across the gorges. The trail brought us out to Horopito – the site of the famous ‘Smash Palace’, the largest car yard of it's kind in Australasia, it's an impressive site. The original movie 'Goodbye Pork Pie' was also filmed here.

After stopping briefly for an afternoon snack we decided we could still manage the 30kms to the Ruatiti Domain, after telling the kids is was going to be mostly down hill with a tail wind they were all for it. We left soon after 3pm straight into the gravel road into a head wind. The navigator received a hard time for the next 4 kms until we turned the corner, finally the wind behind and the hills below. We averaged 15kms p/h with limited stops – kids were flying, arriving at Ruatiti Domain in under 3 hours including our rest stops.

The Ruatiti Domain – a wee haven beside the Manganui-o-Te-Ao River. Where Grandad John, Nan and Grandad Stan camped with us. We enjoyed a good meal, a swim in the river while Mahe tried his luck trying to catch another trout. Along with Jazz’s 12th Birthday, we had a leisurely morning with pancakes, while Jazz unwrapped presents.

The easy day up the Ruatiti Valley was scenic. Wild goats, native bush interlaced with farm land.

Then a night camping in the Mangapurua carpark.

Thanks to Nan and Stan's campervan we stripped the bike gear back to the essentials and enjoyed a mountain bike trip through to the Mangapurua Trig before cycling down the Kaiwhakauka valley into Whakahoro.

The day was mixed with rain and wind, and lots of single-track mud. The kids enjoyed the adventurous style of biking. Plenty of obstacles to keep the riding challenging. We were meet 5km from the end by Grandad Stan who had driven our gear around. Rolling into Whakahoro we were surprised to see the old school house and campsite empty.

The next day we decided to spend a pit day enjoying the Whakahoro area and Blue Duck Station. A few of us ventured up the Kaiwhakauka valley to look at the old relics from the farming days. The kids enjoyed a day off the bike to run round the campsite. they built grass houses out of the clippings and Mahe spent more time fishing.....but still no luck.

Thanks to Dan Steele of Blue Duck Station we jet boated up the Whanganui river to Ta Wata Road with bikes to enjoy a more scenic and shorter ride to Taumaraunui. The day started out nice till just after lunch the down pour started. Drenching us in seconds and creating mini streams flowing down the road. Lucky it was short lived and we rolled into Taumaraunui with a clearing sky. This is where we said goodbye to John, Nan and Stan and loaded our gear back onto our bikes. As another lockdown was looming the grandparents were keen to get home. We pondered the fact that it could have been our last day biking in the North Island.

A good friend Kara previously from Te Anau accommodated us for a few nights while we caught up on some rest, school work and planning for the next section. The spa on the back deck was bliss and the tour on the Forgotten World Adventures Rail Carts was a real highlight.

The boundary to the Waikato was extended so this meant the northern end of the Timber Trail would be closed due to Covid alert level 3.

Plan B was to ditch bikes for 7 days and go and paddle the Whanganui River, however torrential rain flooded the river and left us in limbo. Decisions had to be made.....wait for 4 days for the river to drop or head north to bike the Timber Trail while we can.....

We made the decision to head north and return another time to paddle the Whanganui River.