We stopped in Taumarunui for a couple days, getting some needed rest after 4 days of pretty hard riding. We stayed long enough to occasionally pronounce the name of the town correctly but also made some people smile at how much we could stumble just describing where we had been and were planning to go. The Māori places names are hard for us!
From Taumarunui, we’ve organized a shuttle to take us to Raetihi, about 50 miles south, to circumvent the mud, closed tracks and swollen Whanganui river. From there, we rode down to Pipiriki and took the Whanganui river road, which was build in 1935 and was called “the Rhine of New Zealand” due to the tourist appeal of the area.
The Whanganui river is 5 meters (16 feet) above normal level after the rains, and the jet boats that we needed to ferry us from one point to another are not running right now.
The other option was to ride Highway 4 to go around the closures, but it’s described as narrow, winding and with no shoulder. There are other options.
A shuttle is a good idea! We know that others have just bucked up and ridden Highway 4, but we are here to enjoy ourselves and live to the next day, so we want to stack the deck in our favor! So, we arranged a shuttle to Raetihi and it all went according to plan.
The day dawns sunny and the shuttle packed us in, dispensed history lessons and geography information along the way and then disgorged us in front of a nice cafe in Raetihi (pronounced Rye-Tee-Hee). We chat with some other riders who are on the same trajectory as us, and then get going to enjoy the ride. The road is intermittently partly blocked by fallen trees, mudslides, rock falls and combinations of all three. The ride to the river is mostly downhill, but it’s still got its uphills.
Between Pipiriki and Matahiwi, we visited a couple places of interest….one is the Convent of Jerusalem and the other an old water mill from the early 1800’s. The convent was started by a woman in the mid 1800’s and the church and convent still stand.
We stopped in Matahiwi, at a quaint establishment of cafe and cabins run by a charming woman. What a cool place! A couple guys also riding the TA were staying there, Royce and Todd, and we enjoyed hearing their stories. We hope to see them again along the way.
From Matahiwi, it’s a short ride to Whanganui, with only a few hills and only one notable one. We met with a bike touring company at the top of the climb, with about a dozen riders all with e-bikes!
Getting into Whanganui, we pitched our tent, washed some clothes and then got into the attached restaurant, which was fully booked and pretty fancy but let us in anyway, thanks to the camp host. Dinner was amazing.
It’s raining right now, and so time for bed. We hope for a clear day tomorrow.
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