Waiouru Desert Road/Turangi (22.41 miles/36.07 kms)

Woke to a crisp morning but not to bad at only 42 degrees, as it was colder last night when I went to sleep. The sky was clear and not a cloud in the sky and the mountain tops looked beautiful with the sprinkling of snow. It had been a nice spot because I could here the soothing sound of the stream.

I started out about 8:30, with the usual extra time to pack up the wet tent. There was little to no traffic and I expected that on a Sunday morning, but figured it would be the usual busy going home traffic that I’ve seen that’s typical between 9:00 and 4:00 every Sunday.

The elevation chart shows a steady downhill, but it was a roller coaster most of the day until the last ten miles or so. Those roller coaster hills are not something you’d probably notice in a car, or maybe even on a bike, but pulling the Wheelie I really noticed them. They would roll and get consecutively smaller, but for each downhill there would still be a smaller uphill. I watched a couple of bicyclist pass by and they had enough momentum that they easily coasted down a series of those hills without much effort. That’s when I envied a bike.

The biggest challenges of the day where at, what I think are called the Three Sisters, which are the rivers and deep gorges that crosses the road. At these points the road drops very steeply down to the gorge, and then goes back steeply uphill. The worse part of these areas are the very sharp hairpin curves, which in many places had no shoulder. I moved over to the other side several times, but it was pretty scary because I couldn’t see around those sharp hairpin curves. Some of them were posted at 25 kph (15 mph)and 35 kph (22 mph), which gives you an indication of how sharp they are. Traffic by that time was very busy, and I have not felt this unnerved by the road and traffic since the road into Picton, on the South Island. It still surprises me that this is one of the major highways. I decided that if I encounter another section of road like this, I will stop and get a ride.

Once past these areas, and about twelve miles from Turangi, the highway opens to a nice wide and straight downhill roadway. It did even seem like the same road.

It was about 1:30 and I felt spent after that bad section of road, and the traffic had gotten busier, and I decided to stop and find a camp spot. However, the next five to six miles was mostly planted in young reforested trees on both sides of the road. Other areas were fenced. I did find a few dirt roads that went into the reforested area, but I could not find a level or clear spot as it looked like all the debris from the original cuttings were left on the ground. I continued looking for several miles, and by then I was about six miles from Turangi and decided just to go all the way there even though I was tired.

The rest of the way to Turangi wasn’t too bad because it was mostly level, with a few small hills. I didn’t get into Turangi until after 5:30 and it was already starting to get dark. When I first started my trek in Invercargill it didn’t get dark until almost 9:30, which usually gave me more time on a late day.

I did not have a place to stay and I had called two motor camps but only got an answering machine, and I didn’t want to chance walking there and finding it full. When I first got into town I saw the Parkland Motor Lodge, which is also across from the big New World Market, and decided I was too tired to go anywhere else.

It had been a long and challenging day and it felt great to find a place and stop. I couldn’t wait to take a shower and washed all my layers of sweaty clothes from yesterday and today. I also had time to walk across the street and buy supplies for the next few days, and also got dinner.

Tomorrow? It’s late and I finally got to relax, but I haven’t looked or decided anything about tomorrow. I will get a good night’s sleep and decide in the morning.

Best wishes to you all,

Ted

Please excuse the typos, spelling, grammar, etc., as I am typing this on my phone, and I am probably pretty tired.