It wasn’t until we parked outside the information centre in Ohakune that the clouds parted and Rosie and The Operator caught their first glimpse of the mountain looming over us and the main street.
Ohakune is the gateway to the Turoa ski field on Mt Ruapehu and has a good looking wee town supporting it. Along the highway is the bulk of the central business shopping district, but, head up toward the mountain a couple of kms passing a line of budget hotels all advertising their cut price tariffs and you come to The Junction…party central for the winter crowd but pretty quiet in summer, there are a couple of big resort style lodges boasting bars, accommodation and nightclubs. We headed up the road for a closer
looksey at the mountain. About 6 kms up the well sealed road are huge coach parking areas. The Operator explained they are parking spots for tourists buses that take you further up the mountain. Rosie is not really a winter sports person, too wet and cold…plus if I fell down I would never be able to get up…I can imagine my body rolling down the mountain side and the snowball getting bigger and bigger, the stuff of nightmares….Rosie is more suited to a nice glass of mulled wine in front of a roaring lodge fire sitting looking at the side of the mountain through a huge picture window…hmmm, must get The Operator to wear that fluro fishing hat if he ever goes skiing, he would stand out a mile against the white backdrop. Next, we visited Ohakunes second biggest
drawcard…The Ohakune Carrot…which we couldn’t find and had to ask a local where it was, small town, big carrot, don’t quite know what happened there. Rosie was a bit disappointed the carrot had not been restored to its original orange glory. The carrot had been painted black for the Rugby World Cup, what a shameless promotion of our national game! Some purist had scratched a small part of the dark exterior revealing the inner orange glory, why a giant carrot you may well ask? Well the cool climes are perfect for the growth of the tasty vegetable and basically all of NZs carrots come from out of here…gotta have enough to feed all those ‘ski – bunnies’.
We found the Ohakune Top 10 Holiday Park campground and booked in for the night. A lovely friendly, efficient young lady booked us in and said if we were not happy with our site, come back and we could switch spots. We parked up mid afternoon and the campground was quite empty,
the clientele seem abit more transitory, but, by six pm the campground was quite full of overnight rental campers. It is a small camp set in an oval with a small river clad with native bush bubbling along the rear boundary. There are many chalets and cabins available and there is a nice play area for the kids set right outside the cookhouse. The bathrooms were hotel quality in cleanliness and styling. The showers did have seven minute timers on them but the pressure was high and each stall had heat lamps and, as Rosie discovered with a burnt bum….heated towel rails. Great place!
Rosie explored the campground http://www.ohakune.net.nz/ and The Operator unhitched his mountain bike from the back of the camper and set out to explore the The Old Coach Road, a newly finished part of the Great NZ Cycleway.
This trail is part of a community led restoration of the original coach route from Ohakune to Horopito. First forged in 1886, it was built largely by hand by settlers who experienced great hardship, living in canvas tents and working so close to a mountain in harsh winter conditions. It was said in a recovered diary from the time that the nine weeks preceding August 9th 1907, ‘it was dry for only 5 days……’
The road was gradually upgraded to carry passengers and goods and was in use up until 1909. When State Highway 49 opened it
fell into disuse and pretty much remained untouched.
The cycle way incorporates the only two curved rail viaducts in the Southern Hempishere. This is the Hapuawhenua Viaduct which was built over a ten month period in 1907. Hand rails have been added for the cyclists and walkers and the train tracks covered. All of the sites along the way have information and history boards telling you of the history and hardships of that point of interest.
This trail passes through ancient forests of giant Rimu and Totara and is very scenic. This is the new rail bridge, old standing side by side with the old. The Operator was the first to admit he tackled the ride from the wrong end of the trail…it is recommended that you start from Horopito and ride…downhill, to Ohakune. The sun was blazing and the trail surface went from packed papa to ancient original cobble stones. The track meandered through bush, open land, over bridges and through tunnels, a great variation of terrain for the complete 12 miles of track.
Technically The Operator only did half of the track, he rode halfway and then turned around and came back…for the more organised and intrepid there is a riding tour company that can drop you off at the beginning of the track and you ride to the end and then can be returned to where you want to go. The day was hot, no cloud cover and The Operator returned to the campsite soaked to the skin and hobbling with legs wide apart…Rosie wanted to know what was wrong…The Operator answered that he had a broken arse from his hard bike seat…
Sitting on a cushion, The Operator turned the camper south and drove Rosie down the middle of the island towards the coast aiming for Foxton, along the way we called into small towns and recorded the things that make them special in the eyes us Kiwis…the things we celebrate…..!
As
The Giant Gumboot – Taihape
The Aeroplane Cafe – Mangaweka Petrol Station
The Huntaway Dog – Hunterville
As Rosie and The Operator rolled into Foxton we had an unexpected visit from Bean and The Biker, our camp swelled and a good time was had by all!
Rosie is a Middle Aged Kiwi who is about to embark on a twelve month adventure of a lifetime, travelling The World with her trusty, loyal sidekick The Operator. In search of adventure, culture, new taste experiences and world wide 'happy hours', Rosie's journals chronicle their travels and experiences.
Rosie had a lightbulb moment. Within that flash of clarity came the realisation that time was spinning out of control and passing her by. So, armed with the confidence, means, ability and a new found passion for life, Rosie and her trusty, loyal sidekick The Operator have devised THE PLAN.
ROSIE – Continually travels The World for the next 12 months.
THE OPERATOR – Works his 28 day roster and meets Rosie somewhere in The World to explore the area together for his 28 days off. Repeat x6.
ROSIE – Will then stay in one spot of the country they have been exploring for 28 days of local immersion whilst The Operator returns to work.
THE OPERATOR – Certainly has the shorter end of the stick xxx
Join me as I journal my middle aged musings on our day to day travels, culture, food and the quest for the ultimate world wide happy hour.
August 9th 1907, ‘it was dry for only 5 days……’
