 |
| Te Aroha Domain |
We always love visiting Te
Aroha with its Victorian-Edwardian domain and quiet, country town feel. We have freedom camped around the town (it is
motorhome friendly) and enjoyed experiencing its delights. The hot pools are a big attraction for
us. Māori named the mountain that
overlooks the town Aroha ki Tai—Mountain of Love—and knew of the hot
springs. A bore was sunk after the land
was gifted to the crown in 1882 by local Māori Chief Te Mokena Hau. Amazingly it produced a hot, soda-water
geyser, unique in the world. It is
called the Mokena Geyser, in honour of the Māori chief.
The Domain
was planted out and Te Aroha became New Zealand's first geothermal spa town,
attracting thousands of visitors who came to 'take the waters'. The Domain remains the only complete
Edwardian park in the country. It
features bowling greens and a croquet club, a band rotunda, rose beds, picnic
areas, the Cadman Bath House (now a museum) and the Hot Pools. There are also Mineral Spas at the top of the
Domain but we prefer the outdoor one, beside another (unused) Victorian bath
house. There is even a hot, soda-water
foot pool for tired feet in the domain.
Malcolm
was keen to walk to the summit of Mt Aroha.
It was a four hour return walk starting at the geyser, the first
forty-five minutes following an easy track to the Whakapipi Lookout. I continued with Malcolm for a while further
but soon was scrambling up tree roots and steep sections of rough track. Malcolm walks much more quickly than me so I
left him to go it alone and returned to Te Aroha for another soak in the hot
pools instead. Malcolm continued up the
steep track for a further two hours before reaching a pylon bristling with
aerials at the summit. This peak, an
extinct volcano, was 950 metres above Te Aroha and is the highest point in the
Kaimai Ranges. Malcolm enjoyed the 360
degree views of the Bay of Plenty and the Waikato (you can see Ruapehu,
Ngāuruhoe and Taranaki on a clear day) before heading back to Tangaroa.
 |
| On the track to Wairere falls |
The
following day we drove about 25 kilometres south and had an interesting walk to
Wairere Falls, the highest waterfall in the North Island. The steep track first wound through slightly
spooky, moss-covered rocks and trees with writhing mossy roots. After crossing a stream we followed the track
up through native bush—nīkau, pūriri, tawa and kohekohe—to a viewing platform
at the foot of the falls. The water crashed
down beside us from the top of a steep, 153-metre-high escarpment.
The
next section of the track had lots of steps and a section of staircase. As we climbed up we wondered how anyone got
up the sheer cliff prior to its construction.
Eventually we reached the top of the track and found ourselves on a
plateau beside a stream, which we followed until it cascaded over the
abyss.
Beside
the waterfall there was another viewing platform. From here the neat fields and townships of
the Hauraki Plains were spread below and, knowing Hobbiton was nearby, we
couldn't help feeling we were looking down into the Shire.
 |
| At Hobbiton |
I am
a long-time fan of J.R.R. Tolkien, so going to visit Hobbiton was on my bucket
list. Hobbiton was built as a set for
Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings and
Hobbit movies which was located on a 12-acre
farm in the Waikato. There were no power
lines, buildings or roads in sight, so the Alexander family farm was the
perfect location to transform into Middle Earth. After the success of The Lord of the Rings, the set was rebuilt for The Hobbit movies. After
filming was finished 44 reconstructed Hobbit holes were left—and Hobbiton was
opened for the public to visit.
It
turned out to be a magical place. The
Waikato's rolling hills were studded with little doors and windows. Pathways wound down to a mill on a pond and
an old inn, the Green Dragon. Our guide
told us that the record for the most pictures taken over the two hour visit was
3,000 and we laughed. But I began to
wonder if I'd equal that myself as each corner provided a more picturesque
vista. Apparently there are two
full-time gardeners who keep the village gardens abundant—flowers and
vegetables were everywhere. After a
drink in the Green Dragon (where I half expected to see a hobbit or two sitting
smoking beside the fire) our tour concluded and we reluctantly returned to reality.
 |
| Hobbit holes at Hobbiton |
I
always feel that the part of New Zealand that stretches widely on either side
of the Waikato River is our own Middle Earth.
It was time to cycle some of it.
We left Te Aroha to cycle the twenty-two kilometres to Paeroa on the
Hauraki Rail Trail. This trail went
along the route of an old railway through lush farmland and took about two
hours. We then moved Tangaroa to Paeroa where we parked in
the town centre, opposite the historic Paeroa Hotel.
 |
| At Paeroa |
Lemon
and Paeroa is 'world famous in New Zealand'.
It has been drunk since the 1800s when locals added slices of lemon to
the mineral spring that bubbled up in a cow paddock beside the town. It has been bottled since the early twentieth
century, though nowadays L&P is produced in Auckland. Apart from the gigantic L&P bottles, one
at each end of town, Paeroa is best
known for its many antique shops. These
were great to browse even though we knew there was no space for any purchases
on our bus!
At Paeroa
the cycle trail split in two directions, north to Thames and east through the
Karangahake Gorge. First we cycled the
Thames section which took less than three hours, including an ice cream break
at Hikutaia, where the trail briefly intersected with the road. These two sections of the trail were very
pleasant, though not particularly dramatic, and we were looking forward to
cycling the gorge section. This section
is 24 kilometres in length but we knew that we'd want to explore some side
trips as we passed by, so we moved Tangaroa
to Waihi and prepared to spend a whole day on the trail.
We
took the bikes by car to Paeroa and set off.
Soon we had left flat paddocks behind and were cycling into the
impressive Karangahake Gorge. Gold was
discovered here in 1875 and the mines soon became New Zealand's second most
productive. Photographs show the teeming
townships where now there is little but bush.
Eight kilometres from Paeroa the cycle trail passed through an old
railway tunnel, a kilometre long and quite challenging to ride through. But this by-passed a very interesting section
of the gorge so we doubled back. We
turned along a footpath beside the Ohinemuri River with cliffs rising on both
sides which brought us to a car park.
 |
| Karangahake Gorge |
This
was the hub from which several walks started, the most dramatic being the
Windows Walk. This loop track took us up
the Waitawheta Gorge—the pathway clinging to the cliff sides and over going
over swing bridges—before finally
entering the mines themselves. There
were several 'windows' blasted out by the miners, which gave us amazing and
unexpected views of the gorge below. A
torch is recommended for these tunnels and we had come prepared.
 |
| Karangahake Gorge |
Refreshed
by coffee and cake from the cafe across the busy state highway we continued on
the cycle trail. Before reaching Waikino
we deviated to look at the pretty Owharoa Falls, just a few minutes up the
road. From there we were soon cycling
among the remains of the Victoria Battery.
In the early 1900s this was the biggest quartz ore processing plants in
Australasia. Fifty years later gold had
become uneconomic to mine and Waikino had reverted to a tiny settlement, now
little more than a tavern and a railway station. Waikino Station has been restored to the
glories of its heyday and cyclists can load their bikes aboard the Goldfields
Railway train and take a trip to Waihi.
We, however, cycled the final eight kilometres beside the tranquil
river, once again in farmland.
Waihi
was a town founded on gold. After its
discovery in 1878, the Martha Mine soon became one of the most important mines
in the world. This huge open cast mine
can be seen just metres away from Waihi's main street. There is a Pit Rim Walkway, a four- kilometre-long
track that circles this massive hole in the ground, but we just stood and gaped
into the mine. It is only when you see
the earth-moving machinery below that you realise how deep the pit is.
 |
| Waihi mine |
Beside
the viewing area is Waihi's icon, the Cornish Pumphouse, built in 1904 to pump
water from the mines. After the advent
of electricity the pumphouse fell into disrepair and was moved to its present
site in 2006 to preserve and protect it.
It is strange to realise that when the pumphouse was built the
population of Waihi was three times that of Hamilton, where people went to
escape the clamour of Waihi. Now it is
Waihi that is the backwater. Seddon
Street and the adjacent roads feature many attractive historic buildings. Some of these are cafes and art
galleries. We spent some time exploring
these, also admiring the sculptures and murals along Seddon Street that pay
tribute to Waihi's past. Then it was
back to Tangaroa, and we drove back
to Paeroa to pick up the car. The route
was much quicker by motor vehicle but not nearly so interesting.
Our next cycle ride was the Waikato River Trail. For this we based ourselves in Waikato's
heartland—firstly at Horahora Domain by Lake Karapiro. Horahora Reserve is one of several attractive
freedom camping spots on the shores of Lake Karapiro. The lake was formed by damming of the Waikato
River, and is a popular spot for families and water skiers. We cycled from Tangaroa to where the trail
started at Pokaiwhenua Bridge, and followed the lakeside—via a very pretty
wetland section with a boardwalk—to Arapuni where there was an historic swingbridge. This was a flat and easy trail, the sort I
like. Before Malcolm—by himself— tackled
the longer and more difficult section, from Arapuni to Mangakino, we moved Tangaroa to Matekuri Island at
Mangakino, which is accessed via a causeway.
 |
| Horahora Reserve |
Mangakino
was established as a temporary township to house the families of workers who
constructed the dams at Maraetai. In its
1960s heyday Mangakino had a population of five and a half thousand, now it is
a sleepy town with only around 1,000 residents.
I dropped Malcolm and his bike off at Arapuni and he spent the day
cycling the up and down trail beside the Waikato River. He was pretty tired when he got back to the
bus but had seen some magnificent scenery.
It had been a very hot day but a thunderstorm in the evening cooled the
temperature down for the final leg of the trail which we cycled the following
day.
 |
| Views from the cycle trail |
We
took the car to Atiamuri and cycled along the track beside Lake Whakamaru. There are views of cliffs on the other side,
though it is not advisable to take your eyes of the trail for long. The Waikato River Trails are not flat
rail-type trails but mountain biking tracks and as such are windy, rough
riding. Although the riding is
challenging it is rewarding too because the Waikato River can be seen from
vantage points not accessible from the road.
The Waikato River Trails were another facet of our memorable journey
through New Zealand's own 'Middle Earth'.
Information about places mentioned in this post- correct at time of writing
Walks
- ·
Te Aroha Summit Track
www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/bay-of-plenty/places/kaimai-mamaku-forest-park/things-to-do/tracks/mount-te-aroha-tracks/
3.9 km, 3 hr one way,
tramping track
Access: from the Te Aroha
Domain
- ·
Wairere Falls Track
www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/bay-of-plenty/places/kaimai-mamaku-forest-park/things-to-do/tracks/wairere-falls-track/
5 km return, 3-4 hours,
easy: walking track
Access: Goodwin Road, between Te Aroha and
Matamata
- ·
Karangahake Windows Walk
https://www.freewalks.nz/tauranga-tramping/karangahake-gorge-window-walk/track
2.5 km loop, 1 hour, easy
Access: SH 2 at
Karangahake Gorge
Cycle Trails
- ·
Hauraki Rail Trail
https://haurakirailtrail.co.nz
Thames to Paeroa, 34 km, grade: easiest
Paeroa to Waihi, 24 km, grade: easiest
Paeroa to Te Aroha, 23 km, grade: easiest
- ·
Waikato River Trail
www.nzcycletrail.com/trails/waikato-river-trails
Pokaiwhenua Bridge to
Arapuni, 11.5 km, grade: intermediate
Arapuni to Waipapa Dam, 36 km, grade: advanced
Waipapa Dam to Mangakino, 19 km, grade: advanced
Mangakino to
Atiamuri, 35.5 km, grade: intermediate
Places to visit
- ·
Te Aroha Hot Pools
Te Aroha Domain
www.mpdc.govt.nz/our-facilities/te-aroha-domain
www.swimzonepools.co.nz
Hours: Monday-Friday
10.00 am-5.45 pm, Saturday and Sunday 10.00 am-6.45 pm
Entry price: adult $6,
senior $5, child $4
·
Hobbiton
501 Buckland Rd, Hinuera,
Matamata
www.hobbitontours.com/en/our-tours/hobbiton-movie-set-tour
Tours between
9.00-5.30 Various tours and prices, our
tour was $79
No comments:
Post a Comment