So yesterday we left Waikawau and headed towards Mt Damper Falls.An interesting trip via Tongaporutu.
A lovely little spot on the coast and further round is the Three Sisters, but only available at low tide and of course the tide was almost full when we got there…
So from there we headed down to Ahititi and headed inland. The road was very interesting, leaving the tar seal and heading off on a gravel road. Suddenly there was tar seal again and the sign said “Trucks use low gear” and off we went up the hill, and up the hill and up the hill. Was quite a hike up the hill, probably only a couple of km but it seemed to take forever grinding up the hill. I managed to get about half way up in third gear but had to change down to second for the last bit.
Whew! And from there the road wandered around up in the sky and eventually we came across a lovely little parking spot and we walked across some lovely countryside and then into a beautiful track leading down to an amazing view of the Damper Falls.
After that we meandered about 88km up the road towards the Rerekapa Falls.
On arrival there were a number of parking options and we opted to park alongside the old steam engine.
The toilet was interesting…..who would use particle board for an external toilet seat?
So after wandering down the road and meeting a very interesting couple who were parked further down the road in a quiet campsite off the road we had a rather quiet night.
In the morning Roger and I headed off to ride through to the Rerekapa Falls The track was a farm track and nice and gentle until we hit the mud.
The road had a couple of areas where the surface was a lovely coating of mud. This clogged up the bikes really quickly and Roger had to stop and clean out his brakes as the mud seized up the wheels.
Anyway through that area and we headed out through the yards and back into some open country and there was the falls.
A lovely little waterfall and worth the walk or ride into the area to see. There is a mountain bike/walking track that continues on through to Kiwi Road and one day I might head back there and give it a go over some drier weather.
The trip back out was interesting, more mud and by the time we got back to the busses there was quite a bit of mud, a quick blat up the road got rid of some but we decided to let it dry and hope the motion of the bus knock some off….
Heading back to SH3 was a lovely trip, heading very slowly down the hill in 3rd gear and taking it very gently. There were a couple of interesting sights in the way, a caravan in the paddock, miles form anywhere…
Also there was a lovely waterfall coming down the side of the hill, hadn’t noticed it on the way in, but was a beauty.
There was also a tunnel that we went through on the way in and out.
Heading in and then….
Once we hit SH 3 again we headed through to Waiiti Beach which was a lovely little beach with some interesting rocks and formations, and a view of the mountain.
From there we headed off to Mike’s Organic Brewery to sample some of his brews and spend the night there.
We sampled some lovely brews, from Pilsner, Taranaki Indian Pale Ale, Strawberry Blond and a Lager. Lovely site and some lovey brews. Well worth a stop.
So tomorrow heading through to Bell Block to visit the dump station and then heading to the Coastal Walkway.
From there the plan is to travel around the mountain and head out to the coast and walk some beaches, catch some fish and just see what is there to be seen!
The weather is clear but chilly with a light breeze. So layers are being worn.
Safe travels everyone.
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