Opononi > Dargaville (87km, 5h)

This morning for the first time, since the beginning of this trip, my tent is dry. Ouha very important news but everyday I pack my tent when it’s wet and it’s getting to smell moisture. I need to clean it :-). But anyway I eating my energy for the morning and Karl is already ready to go, it’s 8am. He is going to Dargaville today and I think I will do the same so we will meet in the next camp :-). Ok, I have now all the necessary energy to ride 87km and it’s 9pm so here we go! Today I will pass through Waipoua Forest, the highest point is around 400m, gloups.

Just before to leave a rapid turn of the camp. That’s the door of the entrance office of the camp. I like the colours.

I’ve already packed my tent but that was my private garden for one night :-).

This camp is ecologic, they use goats as lawn mower and there is three of them :-)

Opononi is a really beautiful place I could take many many pictures but I need to paddle forward. All houses have the view front of the sea and the beach and the sand dune and ok stop :-).

Fiou! This first slope was really steep but the view like yesterday is wonderful.

Ah ah! It seams that is the time for mini cows to have lunch break:-) maybe I should do the sand but it’s only 10am.

I was somewhere there this morning. I really surprise about this road because I thought it was steep and very hard but after a look to my gps I remark that I riding toward the top by a long way.

Aaaah now it’s looks as a forest:-).

Finally on the top, there is a place to visit : a Kauri tree “Tane Mahuta” which means “god of the forest”. It’s the same kind of tree I’ve seen in Puketi forest with Peter but with a different story…

Tane Mahuta is the tallest Kauri of the world and it is 1200 years old! Wouahou! That’s impressive! A detail, I’m on the picture somewhere :-)

The green way :-)

Four sisters? I’ve already seen the three sisters in Australia in “blue mountains”. It was rocks so what’s four sisters?

Ah yes it’s four Kauris no the sand place, giant!

The vegetation is growing directly on the tree!

I like the macro mode!

Oooh! The second largest Kauri! I want to see that. “Te Matua Ngahere” means “forest’s father”.

The suspense is long…

And green…

Noooope… it’s not this one :-)

Ouch! The Kauri has more than 2000 years and it’s the oldest tree of the world after the sequoias of the west coast of America.

Information!

To have an idea, the litle black stain almost centered on the trunk, it’s maybe the size of my hand.

Nature…

I was on the top, 380m! And now, after 25min of descent I reach 60m. 320m of wonderful snake road!

I went out of the forest but it’s still hilly will a great view on the valley.

Aaah! cool I like that. Ok go, speedy position and fiiiidzzziiiii! And? New speed record! 72.2km/h hahaaa!

Fiou! After 86km and 5 hours of cycling, I finally reach my goal!

I think I will come here tomorrow because it’s day off:-).

It’s 4pm but all shops are closed… Ah! Yes! It’s sunday… I’m lost…
At the end of this street there is somebody I know… Peter! We were on the same road today and we didn’t see each other. He was front of me somewhere (like always :-)). Tonight he will sleep in a “backpacker’s” and me in the camp so we will meet later but that’s fun to meet us often in different places :-).

The camp shouldn’t be so far now. I can smell it.
Note : I didn’t take anymore picture but I’ve met Karl :-) as well in the camp. There is too much riders in this city haha! This time Karl was in a tent because his friend came back home. Tomorrow we will have a day off :-).

5 thoughts on “Opononi > Dargaville (87km, 5h)

  1. beurk beurk tu manges donc des bêtes mortes et toutes aplaties.. bon tu vas kiffer les coquillettes-jambon et ptit filou en dessert à ton retour alors !!!! ;p ;p

  2. Humm! Oui does bonnes coquillettes jambon :-) ça fait bien longtemps que j’en ai pas mangé. Ils vend et rarement des vraies grosses tranches de jambon ici. Elles ont toujours la tailles du salami…

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