Having cycled 500 miles we are one quarter of the way finished with the TA. And today we saw the exact center of the North Island.
But first… we had coffee at the Maraetai Lodge where we splurged for another night between cotton sheets and fluffy pillows at a bike hostel.
Then the obligatory filling of water bottles. We’ve been using these same liter bottles since we started nearly two weeks ago.♻️
Shortly after a flowy single track on the Waikato River Trail we crossed our first swing bridge.
And as if to bookend a beautiful hilly off-road ride today, at the end of the day we stopped to see the abandoned tractor many have written about.
Several of these were imported from… wait for it… Illinois to help with the massive effort to clear timber back in the 1940’s. This one was used for hauling posts and other agricultural equipment.
Unfortunately it threw a piston through its engine block so it just sits where it quit. There is even a cover over it now to help preserve it since it’s become somewhat of an icon.
Tomorrow we move on bicycles from the center of the North Island to the very top of the Tour Aotearoa Trail.
Hope your days are extra special. Thanks for the follow!
Click on the image below to view today’s video.
Keep Calm and Pedal On 