From Otorohanga we continued to head south with a vague plan to eventually end up visiting some of the NZMCA Parks further down the island that we haven’t yet checked off the visited and stayed list. One thing I had agreed with Sarah is that we would stop at National Park so she could visit an old friend she has known since school days who recently moved there. We had decided that instead of calling in advance that we would just turn up assuming that her and her husband would be home as they run an Air B&B in the village. But good old Murphy’s Law was doing its thing, and surprise, surprise they were in Auckland for a few days.
Sarah’s friend and her husband have purchased the now closed tearooms located on your right as you come into National Park. They have been slowly converting the building into a number of self-contained units. An ideal place to stay for those, without a motorhome, planning the Tongariro walk, ski the mountain or as we intended to do, try one of the local bike trails. We had been offered an open invitation to stay there if we ever happened to be passing through, so here we were and they weren’t!
It was such a glorious day we decided that, instead of staying close to the main road, we would freedom camp in the huge carpark at the back of the village that also contains the KiwiCamps site. The KiwiCamp concept is a great idea providing all the facilities that some of the less well-equipped vehicles could want. The carpark also serves as the pick up point if you are doing the Tongariro Crossing or need a lift up the mountain. The only drawbacks I could see at this site was that it wasn’t quite level, with quite a noticeable slope. Also, the designated spaces were still not that much wider than a standard carpark which if full would present huge issues for a vehicle of our width, which would be the same for most campervans. Not needing the facilities on offer we found a spot in the main carpark area. Initially choosing a spot close to KiwiCamps.
It was one of those fantastic blue-sky days that sometimes occur during winter. It was however cold, maybe something to do with all that snow on the mountain behind us. What a fantastic scenic background for the camping area. It also made us glad that we had purchased the gloves in Otorohanga. Nearby where we had parked is the now closed cafe in the National Park railway station. This is also close to the start of two bike trails. Fishers Track which is described on the map as a fifty-kilometre downhill blast! And the Marton Sash and Door track a shorter, eighteen-kilometre, flatter track. Sarah was quite keen to try Fishers track until I pointed out that if it was a downhill blast we would need to cycle back fifty kilometres uphill to return to the motorhome. We will do that track one day but will arrange a shuttle to collect us at the end of the fifty kilometre ride to bring us back to the van.
So, the Marton Sash and Door won the day, and we set off with Mt Ngauruhoe providing a spectacular backdrop to the ride. After crossing the railway line just down the road from the carpark the track follows along the main-trunk line for a little while. I know that neither of us are experienced mountain bike riders and it showed as we struggled to cope with the large stones scattered across the track. They might help keep the railway sleepers in place but add nothing but obstacles to the bike path. Also despite the blue sky days, we had enjoyed over the last three days there were numerous large deep puddles to try and avoid.
It was trying to avoid these puddles that led Sarah into a bit of trouble. Her bike, which is really a road bike rather than a trail bike, has narrow tyres making riding over those rocks even more difficult. It was trying to avoid one of these large puddles and hitting an uneven surface at the same time that saw her come off the bike. No damage done thankfully after fracturing her wrist on one of our adventures late last year.
After a few kms of rather unpleasant riding the track turns inwards following the trail towards the old logging tramway that used to run through this area. It’s a flat easy ride through low level scrub, as we crossed an old timber bridge where ice from a previous snowfall remained, proving just how cold it was. hidden from the sun I wondered how long it had been there and how long it would take to melt. Just after the bridge the track takes a very sharp climb upwards, just as well we both have E Bikes otherwise, we would have had to dismount and push our way upwards. Once you crest the top of the hill the old tramway lies before you.
The tramway is mostly flat but in a lot of places the old sleepers for the tram line are still underneath or partly buried in the ground. This creates a bumpy ride at times made even worse when we hit a couple of large ice patches hidden in the shade of the trees. One of these saw me almost come off my bike only saving myself by crashing into a handy tree.
The trail we had chosen is an out and back track with a large loop, at the end, that we chose not to ride. By the time we had reached the start of the loop with frozen fingers and not really enjoying the ride we decided to return to the van to thaw out.
The views on the return were spectacular and this photo shows another aspect of the trail, a ride through the wetlands between the railway and the tramline. I think in warmer weather we both would have enjoyed it much more.
Once we reached the end of the trail, we had a quick ride around the village taking in the sights, which to honest didn’t take that long. We returned to the van and after realising that we had parked directly underneath one of the large streetlights that light up the carpark at night we decided to move it. The motorhome has really good blackout type blinds, but nothing is perfect, and we both value our sleep. We were also really glad to make use of the windscreen cover we had made back in 2022 to help keep the heat in, with another frosty night due.
The following morning it was back to domestic duties and one last photo opportunity before hitting the road for the next destination. With the dump station and fresh water right there just outside the carpark this place is just so well set up. Another place that can offer as little or as much as you want and one I would encourage you to explore.
To view the places we have visited click here to see them on Google maps. You can then click the link to read the blog about that area.
