More off-road than we expected
Date: 16 Dec 2023
There is a water taxi service across the Whangarei heads run by Blair Jones (+64 211147466 – call a day or two in advance) which runs from the end of the Te Araroa trail at Riotahi bay. 8 a.m. he said, I said, “how about 10?”, he said,” see you at 8″ and for $30 each for a 10 minute ride we didn’t have to go through Whangarei (my speech-to-text wrote that as Wrong Way) and loads of state Highway 1. Well worth it and a great service.
A very quiet ride along Ruakaka, surely the longest straight town in New Zealand and a catch up with Sue Jolly, then a very short burst of state Highway 1, around a rural route to the side road to Waipu with great cafes, and then there is a proper cycling/walking track or a footpath all the way to Lang’s beach. There’s a short hop over the hill to Mangawhai, no longer promoting itself on the billboards as magical, thank the good taste police for that, but it is turning into a well-off new big town. The charm has faded, blocked out by big new subdivisions and a mega shopping area with Bunnings and supermarkets and the like.
Supplies: Mangawhai has a big New World in the new town centre.
Accommodation: Modern Mangawhai(AirBnB) – Lynn
These videos are best viewed on a computer screen. Turning your phone sideways helps.
Max elevation: 111 m
Min elevation: 1 m
Total climbing: 660 m
Total descent: -681 m
Total time: 09:46:20
Battery: 64% : 400Wh