From Rotorua to Omokoroa, about 53 miles. Leaving the campsite we passed a scotsman which reminded us of our recent tour around southern scotland and the rather run down splendours of Gretna Green and so we set off singing (Piaf style) 'Je ne regretna Green'... We started off by doing a quick tour of Rotorua - impressive early 20th Century english style central bath house. But more delightful still were the roses in the nearby gardens. The blooms seemed even bigger than the ones in England. And the scent of roses was lovely - pervading the whole area. Which is a pleasant change from sulphur which is the predominant smell of Rotorua. It would be a great place to do Mozart's Don Giovanni since the final dragging down to hell could be done with the aid of a hot thermal spot. The picture is, of course, of the bath house (now a rather expensive art museum) surrounded by rose gardens.Eventually we sped off around Lake Rotorua, in heavy traffic. Then out on the Tauranga Direct Road (we would have preferred an indirect road but couldn't find one). Up and down was the style of the day - rarely level. On an early incline we both had mechanical problems together - my cable snapped so all my back gears stopped working and guy's gears got stuck with the chain catching awkwardly. Luckily on the way out of Rotorua we'd passed a bike shop and I'd bought a spare cable. So we had lunch...Another 20 miles off up and down biking saw us into Tauranga where we shopped, missed out the middle of town, and swung up the coast on the horrendously busy 2A with signs for Auckland 200 kms. Hauled up at Omokoroa Holiday Park after about 10 miles ($30 for the both of us - I think we got some sort of kindly biker concession). We drank the beat beeer aso far of the trip - both from Dunedin breweries - Emerson's Wheat Beer and Green Man Brewery's Green Man Stout. Both absolutely delicious. The campsite has got lots of international school students about. Apparently they'll be off at 7am, which is a bit earlier than us.
From Rotorua to Omokoroa, about 53 miles. Leaving the campsite we passed a scotsman which reminded us of our recent tour around southern scotland and the rather run down splendours of Gretna Green and so we set off singing (Piaf style) 'Je ne regretna Green'... We started off by doing a quick tour of Rotorua - impressive early 20th Century english style central bath house. But more delightful still were the roses in the nearby gardens. The blooms seemed even bigger than the ones in England. And the scent of roses was lovely - pervading the whole area. Which is a pleasant change from sulphur which is the predominant smell of Rotorua. It would be a great place to do Mozart's Don Giovanni since the final dragging down to hell could be done with the aid of a hot thermal spot. The picture is, of course, of the bath house (now a rather expensive art museum) surrounded by rose gardens.Eventually we sped off around Lake Rotorua, in heavy traffic. Then out on the Tauranga Direct Road (we would have preferred an indirect road but couldn't find one). Up and down was the style of the day - rarely level. On an early incline we both had mechanical problems together - my cable snapped so all my back gears stopped working and guy's gears got stuck with the chain catching awkwardly. Luckily on the way out of Rotorua we'd passed a bike shop and I'd bought a spare cable. So we had lunch...Another 20 miles off up and down biking saw us into Tauranga where we shopped, missed out the middle of town, and swung up the coast on the horrendously busy 2A with signs for Auckland 200 kms. Hauled up at Omokoroa Holiday Park after about 10 miles ($30 for the both of us - I think we got some sort of kindly biker concession). We drank the beat beeer aso far of the trip - both from Dunedin breweries - Emerson's Wheat Beer and Green Man Brewery's Green Man Stout. Both absolutely delicious. The campsite has got lots of international school students about. Apparently they'll be off at 7am, which is a bit earlier than us.