Mokau to New Plymouth
Thursday March 8, 2018, 60 miles (96 km) - Total so far: 4,142 miles
(6,665 km)
This was always going to be a long day on SH3, including riding up Mount Messenger.
The first half was fine. The road undulated, but was very scenic indeed. We've developed a new technique for truck avoidance, which is basically to stop and make room, unless there's a good shoulder (which is hardly ever!). We were slightly underwhelmed by Mount Messenger in terms of difficulty - I guess it all depends on your reference point! A lovely climb with great views, and some random chickens clucking around at the top. So that was all good. I was flagging a bit as we approached Urenui, so we stopped at the welcoming Corner Cafe for good coffee and delicious fritata. 30km to go.
We rode on a few ks, having noticed that the sidewind we'd feared from the forecast was increasing. We had a couple of interesting moments of being pushed sideways, but nothing too bad.....until we came to the 'caution - wind gusts' sign. Oh my! We soldiered on for a little while including SPRINTING over a shoulder-less bridge before any trucks could plough past/through us. But it was just too strong. The traffic didn't give us any extra room, or slow down even a tiny bit - it's like the don't even see us. It was also getting increasingly busy - actually very scary. We had to start walking along the highway, pushing our bikes. Better than being blown into a fast moving truck! And still no-one made a single concession for us (let alone ask if we were ok
- imagine that!).
Fortunately, we were soon able to get onto some minor roads and wiggle an extra 10K to get to New Plymouth in safety. Trying to ride into the headwind was quite comical, and the tailwind was incredible! I was freewheeling at well over 25 km/h. By this point, we were also being treated to fabulous views of Mt Taranaki, which saw fit to emerge from the clouds and keep our spirits high. That, and being alive!
Wonderful to finally arrive to a friendly welcome at Sunflower Lodge - a lovely hostel that is both YHA and BBH. Great facilities, and they have camping spots for $20 each. We have a day to recover tomorrow, before heading off tramping for the weekend.
