This was the most scenic ride so far, I rode along and over various rivers and streams, saw multiple waterfalls and gazed upon mist covered mountains in the horizon. Most of the locals have said that it’s a shame that I’m only seeing the North Island, since the South Island is so much prettier. To be honest, I’ve been blown away by what I’ve seen already, so I must be very easily impressed.

Raukawa Falls

The road was very quiet, so I didn’t need to worry about being blown away by passing trucks, however there were other more concerning obstacles. I only saw three of these rockfalls but I was grateful to make it through unscathed.

There were no towns to stop at for the first 86km, so aside from the infinite number of beautiful scenic shots, there weren’t too many things to take pictures of. However I came across the scene below, I’m not sure if it’s cool or creepy, but for 100m or so, there were shoes strewn along a fence. I slowed down to browse for a bit, probably the closest thing to window shopping out here, but there wasn’t anything in my size or style. 

Along the way I came across lots of different animals, aside from the usual sheep and cows, I saw: peacocks, deer, chickens, horses, ponies and dogs. This little guy had escaped from his home and was just wandering around on his own. He seemed to like lying down on the road, which wasn’t a good idea, since he was so well camouflaged. I walked my bike with him for a while, until we were able to flag down a car and get someone to call his owner to come and fetch him.

Further down the road I met a farmer named Jay and his chilled out dog Axle, it was pretty neat to see a dog ride on the back of a quad bike. It seems like my previous fear of dogs was beginning to fade away after all.

Unfortunately, after the 65km mark, the hills began to get more intense, so I couldn’t spend any more time stopping for pictures. Once I reached Ohakune, I was so relieved and ready to have a well deserved break from my bike.

Some cute chalets, I wish I’d booked one of these for the night.