The World's Forgotten Highway & Taranaki

So - I'm now on Sat Sept 3rd & I left Ohakune around 9, headed up SH4 to Taumarunui (where I'd been breathalised on Wed).

At National Park Village I picked up my 2nd hitcher - Cain, who worked at Whakapapa & was going home to Piriaki, just south of Taumarunui.

We had a great chat & discussed UFC Ju Jitsu as opposed to the Trad sort. I make it a point to tell anyone I pick up about doing MA - just in case ;-).

I left SH4 at Taumarunui & took the "World's Forgotten Highway", SH43. My G Map directions told me it would take just over 3 hours to get to Stratford from Ohakune, & having spent 50 min on the road, I figured that was another 2 hours drive.

Wrong!

While the speed limit most of the way along was 100k, the road went up hill, down dale, & along the side of a gorge, & there was no way of doing anything like 100k.

It was an awesome drive though, & I wished I could've had someone to drive then I could gawp properly.

In the 1st 45 min I only passed 1 car, & only 11 went by the other way. It got busier nearer Stratford, tho.

I stopped off at Stratford at about 1.50 & had a brew. I took a pic of the clock tower, too. That's it, looking all Tudor.

Then it was along the SH3 to Inglewood & left to Taranaki, where I was booked in at the camphouse. There were some great views of the volcano - which legend tells used to be on the central plateau, but moved west after an argument with Ngnaruhoe & Ruapehu about a woman.

I got the keys to the bunkhouse & discovered I'd be the only 1 there that night.

Golly gosh! 1/2 way up a volcano all night on my own. I kept nipping out to try & to get pics of the sunset, but I was too far on the north side.

Come tea time I realised I'd left the anti-cough pills in the car & went to get them - & locked myself out. Fun, with no shoes on & no coat. The lights were on, my wallet in full view & my pot of tea going cold :-(

I drove back down to the visitor centre & got Gary's emergency number, & because my mob was safely locked indoors, had to drive out of the park & find a farm with someone at home. I tried 2 with lights blazing before I found one with people in it.

Gary seemed unfazed & gave me the code for the spare. It must happen a lot?

No idea why the door suddenly decided to lock itself when I'd been in & out without a prob about 4 times? ? ?

Anyway, the rest of the night passed without incident & I woke at just after 6 to find dawn was on its way, so I got off the sofa (it'd been too cold to sleep in the bedroom, so I'd spent the night in the main room on a huge settee)

I've tried to load the Taranaki pics but keep deleting them trying to organise & label them - doh ;-p

I'll send them in a min in the next blog.

So TTFN for now

OAO