Launching the blog!

Just setting up my blog site in preparation for the Tour Aotearoa, which I start on March 8th

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Day 10: Tuesday - Owhango to Whakahoro

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Strava Stats : I had a 1/2 day off with Chris and Kris in Horopito, and checked my stoat traps in the bush (2 rats caught!). The weather was a bit grim, so I wasn't looking forward to cycling. A moist south east gale was blowing, and had blown a branch from a neighbour's Eucalyptus tree through our roof overnight.   In the afternoon Chris took me back to Owhango - as we entered the rain shadow of Ruapehu the weather fined up, and I had a lovely sunny (if windy) mostly downhill cycle 40km to the Blue Duck cafe at Whakahoro. I stayed in the DOC bunkroom next door, but enjoyed a beautiful meal at the cafe (along with fellow cyclists Matt, Chris, Tim and Jason) of wild (locally shot) goat curry.  Sadly, a large school group arrived at the DOC campground, so I didn't have a altogether peaceful night.
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Day 8: Sunday - Mangakino - Piropiro campsite (Timber Trail)

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Strava Stats : 87km, 6h 37 mins riding, altitude gain well over 1000m (Strava wasn't working properly today) Matt told me we'd climbed the equivalent of over a Mt Everest altogether. A foggy morning from a steamy lake resulted in a damp tent, but it soon cleared as I continued the Waikato river trail. After a few Ks, the trail followed roads to a really horrible little swing bridge too narrow for mountain bike handlebars - which took a sweaty 10 minutes to traverse 20m. From there, the trail was old logging roads in the Pureora forest, which still has some amazing big trees along with regenerating areas. It was a big climb to the Centre of the North Island marker, where I caught up with Millie again, then a sweeping downhill to the start of the Timber Trail, where we both caught up with Matt. The timber trail is a wonderful route - largely singletrack through virgin and  regenerating forest. A steep climb up to 971m (the highest point of our cycle in the North Island...
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Day 7 Saturday - Matamata - Mangakino

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Strava Stats : 96.46km, 1452m altitude gain, 6h cycling, average 16km/h From Matamata, back roads took me to the Waikato river trail, and pleasant cycling to Arapuni, and the Rhubarb cafe for lunch. Tom was there, and Millie and Mike arrived as I left. There was a closed section of the trail, so riders had to divert around on country roads - probably a bit easier!! I rejoined the trail 19km before Mangakino, and had a tough single-track ride that went up and down, and up again etc etc.... Hard at the end of the day! Free camping by the lakeside for the night - and a delicious swim in the surprisingly warm water was great after a long warm day! Alan arrived later, and a couple of other TA cyclists. In town, I bumped into Millie, Mike , Matt and Tom, and had an underwhelming (but cheap) meal at the chip shop.
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