TA day 6: Through Matamata to the Waikato River lakes

TA day 06 - Through Matamata to the Waikato River Trails from Robert and Marianne on Vimeo.
(Those not familiar with Lord of the Rings will find the video narration a bit oblique!)

It's been a huge and varied day. After leaving Te Aroha I was pretty soon on a newly made gravel bike trail that connects to Matamata. It's so new it hasn't been officially opened yet. Sometimes I don't know why they bother though... The trail runs right beside the road the whole way, the road is light with traffic and heaps faster to ride on (once the gravel beds in the trail should be easier to ride), and the countryside is flat and dull! The Mt Te Aroha range is a constant companion to the east, with the occasional jagged outcrop on the skyline. Nearer at hand are farms of corn and dairy cattle.

Matamata is a very busy little town, now famous as the nearest town to Hobbiton. I spent far too much time there with visits to the i-site for my photo checkpoint, subway, a bakery, toilet, and supermarket. Each stop required locking up the bike and removing valuables. And each time conversations with locals and visitors alike were enjoyable but took time! Next time I'd park my bike centrally and go on foot as it is not that big a town!

After Matamata the landscape changed to rolling hills as the route continued on back roads towards the Waikato River. After a while I had some highway time, first the busy highway 29 and then about 1km on State Highway 1, New Zealand's main trunk line from north to south. Both had wide shoulders so I felt quite safe though the turbulence from passing trucks kept me hanging on tight! It had been about 650km since I'd last been on State Highway 1 near Cape Reinga.

Then I reached the Waikato River and things changed markedly again. The route became far more undulating with some decent climbs, native bush replaced farmland in places, and the views became more dramatic. 

The swing bridge near the power station and dam at Arapuni was very spectacular! The route took in some of the Waikato River Trails, which meant fun single-track biking. 

But the combination of single-track and steeper terrain made for a long and tiring way to finish the day. This was particularly the case for the last 20km which I hadn't expected.

I rolled into camp in failing light feeling quite smashed after 140-odd km. A lake swim and cooking dinner both happened after dark, but were worth the effort. It is a warm and calm night and stars fill the sky.

I haven't seen a lot of other riders through the day as I think we have begun to space out along the route. But here at the only campsite for quite a while in either direction, we have bunched up again - I'd guess there are about 30 of us. I know about 8 of them by name now having seen them on earlier days.