Our second day started with breakfast at Poppy's Café & a discussion about how we would proceed as there was a potential road closure further down SH2 around Opotiki. As you can guess, we all decided we would give it a go & see what was in store for us as we went.
Today the plan was to head out around the cape taking SH35 all the way round. The day was magnificent as we headed off. Not only were we lucky with the weather but we also struck good luck in regards to the road conditions. The road closures we were concerned about the previous night did not manifest. Once again, the only signs of any destruction were a smattering of dust & dirt across the road from time to time.
The ride had started off with some gentle bends with a nice climb & descent between Torere & Omaio. It was beautiful smelling the sea salted air as we road along the coast bringing back memories of childhood holidays nearby.
We wound around the coast with the sun on our faces & views of the beautiful coast line. The ride from Omaio to Raukokore was pretty flat with the odd climb but it was very beautiful enjoyable ride. We pretty much had the road to ourselves for a lot of the ride which was nice. We made a stop at the famous & beautifully situated Christ Church before continuing on this beautiful iconic ride.
This was definitely the best day of the trip but that was as expected, however, on the start of the trip I did not expect it to be this fantastic. I thought we may have to changeour route, turn back or end up stranded somewhere between destination points.
After Raukokore the road started to have a few more climbs & became a more interesting road to ride. To be honest, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole day. The combination of great roads to ride, beautiful sunny weather & the smells of my childhood summers made the day absolutely fantastic.
We continued around the cape passing through Hicks Bay, Tikitiki, Ruatoria before heading to Tolaga Bay. Tolaga Bay is a fantastic small town where you ride the main road into the town to see the kids on a sunny day playing in the street.
We made a quick stop in the middle of the town to enjoy the view & have an ice cream. We then headed to Tolaga Bay wharf which is amazing. Constructed in 1926 and completed in 1929 & is 660 metres long.
From Tolaga Bay we continued to Gisborne where we stopped for the night.
« Previous Adventure | Next Adventure »
