Day 8: Waikaremoana - Rotorua

Wow! New Zealand delivers day after day!

It felt a bit creepy last night, all alone in a big mountain hut, 60 kms from the nearest town and with the wind blowing up a storm outside. All that was missing was Jack Nicholson and an axe ;)

Though you can't complain when you wake up to a view like this:

Left Big Bush Holiday Park mid morning - never got to meet Big Bush, think it must have been her day off.

Today was just further confirmation that I've found the ideal combination by having the rental car and my bike. There is no way I'd have cycled the first 100 kms today. Not because of the gravel road, nor because of the 1,000 metres of ascent in just the first 40 kms (and that's following a lakeside road). No, today it was the wind which would have made the ride nigh on impossible. The scenery around the lake was stunning, very much temperate rain forest, but a couple of times it took all my strength to open the car door when I stopped to take pictures.

After following the lake shore for a while you then climb up and over a pass before dropping down to a completely different scenery and climate zone as you approach Rotorua.

This is volcanic country - confirmed as you near Rotorua by the smell of sulphur in the air.

Quickly found the YHA Rotorua, checked in, got changed and then got out on the bike for a ride "around the lakes".

Going clockwise you follow a fairly busy road out of town before the traffic thins and you're out in the countryside. Along the north coast you can get quite close to the lake.

An ideal spot for the "panorama of the day".

Stopping off for "fika" it was difficult to choose 

Until I discovered that there was a "scone and coffee" offer for $2.

I then continued east, to go around Lake Rotoiti. Here the landscape changed again, becoming more "Hobbit like".

And sitting posing on top of one of the mounds - today's winner is...

After about 10 kms of gravel road it was then time to head west again, along the shores of Lake Rotoehu and then again Lake Rotoiti before joining the main road again back south to Rotorua.

Caught up with then chatted all the way back into town with Peter, from Invercargill, out on a ride around the lake on his MTB. Peter gave me a good pub tip for this evening so after over 100 kms I took a quick shower then strolled around to the pub for dinner.

Another extraordinary day. Amazing scenery, great people and a fantastic bike ride. A sound sleep awaits.