We stayed a couple days in Richmond, sharing another dinner and conversation with Chris’ old friends from Slovakia, and just getting some more rest after the ordeal of Maungatapu. There was a nice pool at the motel, and Chris got a few strokes in and also did the shopping while I basically lazed away the entire day.
The following day we planned a relatively short and uncomplicated day, along a bike path that goes basically the entire route from Richmond to Tapawera, along something called the Great Taste Trail.
It’s lined with fruit orchards, vineyards and, most amazingly, giant hop fields with their tall trellises. A few kilometers out of Richmond, we passed an orchard and wondered if Peter and Zuzana were picking there as we passed. It was about the right distance.
The route was pleasant and the weather fine, with some light breezes and sunshine. It was actually a bit hot during the day at 30C (90F). We felt the temperature as we climbed towards a tunnel on an exposed gravel road, and then got a blast of cold air as we entered the darkness of tunnel. Spooners Tunnel is 1375 meters long (.8 mile), the longest disused tunnel in NZ. It has a hump near the far exit, meaning that you cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel until almost to the end, which is a long way. The road surface is super good and dry, but we certainly needed our headlights to get through it. It’s pitch black within meters for entering the tunnel.
Exiting the tunnel, it was a mostly downhill swoop along the trail, passing again miles of hops fields. Tapawera campground was disheveled, but as more cycle tourists arrived the energy improved and we all went to the local bar/restaurant and had some fine beer made with the local hops.
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