Cape to Cape day eleven: Dargaville to Ahipara

Route
Opunake Road and Maropiu Settlement Road North from Dargaville, SH 12, then Trounson Park Road,  returning to SH 12 via Katui Road and following it through to Rawene.  Ferry to Kohukohu, Rakautapu and Paponga Roads to Broadwood then Awaroa Road to Ahipara.

Link to Map

Distance: 172 Km

Old School GPS

The commute means another late start from Dargaville at 8.15.  I planned to follow the Tour route from now but had been half expecting changes in plan so hadn't studied the route as carefully.  This meant some swift work last night to hand write directions and distances.

Trounson Kauri Park

The Tour route follows some gravel back roads that are good riding, paralleling SH 12 before joining it at Ahikiwi.  There’s a kauri shop shortly after selling everything kauri including rough slabs – worth a stop.

Trounson Road provides another respite from SH 12 meandering along on seal until Trounson Kauri park; a 30 min bush walk through a stand of kauri – also worth a visit.  The route returns to the SH 12 via gravel roads through Donnellys Crossing ending with a steepish climb up Katui Road.

Shortly after the road enters Waipoua Forest (18km long) starting with a fast, winding downhill to the Waipoua River.  It’s lunch time so I pop along to the camp ground and shop (about a km along a gravel road by the river).  The selection is limited but the food is pretty good.

Waipoua River

Back on the road the long climb is windy but not as steep as I feared.  It’s pretty good going with a couple of stops for photos of Darby and Joan (kauri lining the road) and to walk to Tane Mahuta. The kauri forest is impressive, hemming the road with magnificent trees.

Darby and Joan

Tane Mahuta - note the wee people in front

It’s a shame to leave the forest but there is the consolation of a screaming downhill to the Waimaku River followed by a few sharp wee climbs before reaching the coast at Omapere and a good break at 2.15.

Surf to the North of Hokianga Harbour

First view of Hokianga Harbour - Note the massive sand hill

Hokianga Harakeke

It’s about 21km to Rawene, mostly flat with a couple of hills so I figure to catch the ferry and see how far towards Ahipara I can get before dark.   There are some potential accommodation options on the way.

The ferry leaves every hour on the half hour from Rawene, so I have a 45 minute wait for the 5.30 ferry and time to stock up at the shop.  It seems a tidy wee town.   The ferry is half full as the time to leave approaches but a last rush sees it chocker by the time we depart.  I chat with an older Canadian triathlete on the way across who is touring around before participating in the Masters Games in Dunedin, an impressively fit woman

Bike on boat number five

That's pretty much full

Out of the way

Rawene disappears astern

I let the traffic clear before exiting the ferry and heading towards Kohukohu.  The odd vehicle races past intent on catching the ferry.  The Tour route has, as usual found an interesting and hilly gravel road instead of the obvious tarseal route.  Rakautapu road dives steeply up from Kohukohu in the early evening light.

It’s an interesting road in pretty good nick through to Broadwood to join the seal again.  The accommodation option here seems to have disappeared and its only 20km so I potter on to Herekino with a brief stop to alert a farmer to wandering stock (black cattle at night on the road could be a bit nasty!). He seems grateful and heads off to sort it out.  Then its only 15 km to Ahipara, so onwards again with a stop to set up lights.  The roads are quiet and it is again good riding.

There’s one significant hill to negotiate beside Herekino Forest then a run down to Ahipara, passing a couple of cyclists heading up the road in the dusk – they must be intending to camp out.

It’s well dark as I head through Ahipara to find the holiday park at 9.30pm.  The town has a lot of young people wandering about and there’s a Police car keeping an eye on things, it feels a little unusual.  The park is at the end of a drive behind a large electronic gate.  We had a booking for the following night but the cabin is free tonight and they are happy to change the booking.   I’m quietly sorting myself out when a cyclist sidles up and asks the usual questions about where I’d come from etc.  He’d travelled down 90 Mile Beach into a head wind yesterday and had to call it quits part way along.  He’s travelling with a lass from Wellington and they’re happy to share the remains of their dinner as we compare notes about the route ahead/behind.

Finally I crawl into the cabin, lube the bike, shower and grab 5 hours sleep so as to catch the low tide in the morning.


Link to day twelve: Ahipara to Cape Reinga