Leaving the barn, we were soon in and out of Patea. At that time of the morning, little was open but we had been carrying sufficient supplies. Earlier in the trip I’d made sure I ate the food I was carrying between towns, rather than eating it as I bought more in towns. That worked well, but for this last 150 kilometres there were to be few shops – so it was just as well we had stashed a fair bit.

Pleasant morning riding through southern Taranaki dairy farms was interspersed with only short sections on the highway. I can’t say the scenery does too much for me around here, but the area served its purpose in closing a fantastic loop. We did get some good glimpses of Mt Taranaki as we left it behind.

Heading away from the highway again, this time inland.

A steep climb on the highway out of Waitotara was followed by more ascent towards a quarry in the hills – there were an alarming number of big trucks going to and from it. That did at least put us back into the Whanganui region and the landscape got a little rougher and captured my attention more as we rolled down to as close to the coast as we would get.

Crossing the highway for the last time, the Kai Iwi hall provided a nice cool water top-up and shade to make a big dent in the food we were carrying. Only twenty kilometres from the finish point, Fay had put in an eighty kilometre detour up into the hills – a stroke of genius, as I’d soon find out. I’m unsure what others felt about this routing so close to the end, but we had a line to follow and follow it we did. I tried to rationalise the climb as about the same length, with less elevation gain, as one of my local favourites, Waipunga Rd. It didn’t seem so daunting…

A shed – because we’d seen so many on this route, ranging from rustic to tumbledown. I’m sure plenty were slept in…

The climb was steady, shaded and sealed as far as Bushy Park; with little traffic, it was enjoyable. Onto gravel, the steady nature continued – it never got steep and, unlike Waipunga Rd, it never lost altitude significantly. With wide, smooth gravel I was delighting in consistently climbing and seeing what would open up in front of us. This was quickly becoming the highlight of the route, I was having a ball and feeling close to what used to be normal – nothing like getting close to the finish to empty the tank a bit more.

The summit wasn’t immediately obvious as there were slight dips and rises along the top. I waited before the big drop, during which someone told me a wide load was making its way towards us. When Brent appeared, my curiosity as to what on earth was being hauled up here was not strong enough as my conviction we’d easily beat it down the twisty downhill. We scarpered.

Whanganui National Park, again, in the background.

Dropping to, unsurprisingly, Kai Iwi Stream just meant we had to regain 150 metres on another excellent climb.

We did at least make better progress from the stream than some.

Now, this is fun!

Reaching the Kauarapaoa Rd junction, there was ample time to savour the excellent climbing, new sights and be enticed by this:

There started thirty wonderful kilometres of singletrack road, grass up the middle, still next to no traffic and riding bliss into and down the valley. What a way to get back to Whanganui! The best until last, and that’s saying something.

From then an easy section along the river, eventually crossing it near the city centre and grovelling up to the Start/Finish at Durie Hill. A late entry, with everything going on, I was well pleased I’d made the effort to come across and see just what a great route Fay had put together. Thankfully, for my current state, it wasn’t as hilly as I’m used to or I may have really suffered; planning a slower five-day ride worked a treat, plenty of time to eat, rest, recover, and enjoy the sights and good company along the way – thanks especially to Brent.

Made it!

The finish bonus being finally going on the Durie Hill Elevator down the centre of the hill and out the tunnel. An ice cream was in order, and more food besides. Time to pack and head home feeling privileged to have health, means, time and lack of restrictions to enjoy these days exploring more of the country with friends.