15/1/26 – Helensville rest day! 7.36km.
Today we planned a rest day as the forecast was meant to be pretty horrible and there are thermal pools to explore. Rhys rode to the supermarket to get breakfast supplies, after a delicious cook up we set off for the Kaipātiki hot springs (formerly known as Parakai hot springs). We were too eager and arrived before they opened which was fine as next to them was an amazing adventure playground which the kids had a ball playing in.
When the thermal springs opened we rode straight over, the staff were lovely and let us bring our bikes into the complex for security then it was time to explore. The main pool was a lovely temperature but the inside thermal pool was a beautiful 40oC. It was a great complex and we all had a lot of fun moving from pool to pool and enjoying the brilliant hydro-slides. My Mum spent many weekends at these thermal pools when she was a teenager and I believe not much has changed since then which is kind of cool and concerning at the same time as many of the steps up to the hydro-slides were rather ‘soft’ and the vents on the top of the slides were a little bigger than first designed. It was so much fun going down the hydro-slides, Patrick’s face after the first ride was priceless – pure joy! Eventually the lifeguard told us Patrick was ok to ride by himself which he thought was the best as he was like Oliver and Arthur who were having a blast riding down front ways, back ways, on knees then eventually ‘falling’ off their mats on the way down to try and catch them again. It was the best way to spend the morning. While having a bite to eat Rhys and I were enjoying some alone time while watching the boys in the pool some 20m away, unfortunately the lifeguards did not like this and promptly told us we had to be within arms reach of Patrick at all times as he could not touch the bottom, Rhys attempted to inform them he was a capable swimmer but rules are rules so back in the water we got. Just after lunch the clouds turned very dark and we were hit pretty hard with a rain storm, but this did not matter as we hid in the 40oC pool while it rained. When the storm passed we had a few more rides on the slide then we got changed and made a dash for the Helensville library.
The next 3 hours was spent in silence as the kids were immersed in books and craft work. Rhys and I updated the blog, while sheltered in the library another huge rain storm passed over, it was a nice feeling hearing it on the roof knowing we were dry and warm. The librarians kicked us out at closing time so we rode to the brewery which was conveniently placed just up the driveway from our campsite. We all demonised a delicious American style burger, Rhys and I enjoyed a pint of beer to help wash it down then we joined some locals members of the Kaipara Sports fishing and boating club at the club house for a drink.
16/1/26 – Hellensville to Takapuna, Auckland – 45.85km (420.11km), 657m elevation, 3hrs 36min.
Over breakfast we used good old Google maps to plot a route to Max’s house from our campsite in Helensville. A quick check on the satellite images of the route showed that it had placed us on bike paths/lanes and quiet roads, lets hope its right!
A shower of rain prior to us leaving meant the tent was packed up a bit soggy however we didn’t mind, knowing we had a bed to sleep in tonight and a house to dry all our gear over the next few days.
Leaving Helensville we were straight onto a climb which seemed to continue for ages, turning onto Old north road we quickly descended past old houses and farm estates, catching glimpses of more heavily built up areas and also having to contend with relatively regular traffic. All of the cars and trucks passed us safely and Oliver did a great job in staying between Raelene and I. He rode straight and very predictably but still managed to pull a few wheelies and hit a couple of jumps where he could.
Soon we were intersecting with the motorways around Auckland, True to form google had routed us through underpasses and back onto bike paths that paralleled the busy highway, making for easy stress free riding.
Not before too long we saw Takapuna on the signs and came over hill to a magnificent view of the city in the middle distance. The last 10km was through city roads but always on bike paths or cycle lanes. Again the traffic was incredible and we made it to Max’s an hour ahead of time!
Max was out and about so we made the most of the shade and the soft grass in his yard. playing a bit of soccer and lazing around until we saw Max ambling down the driveway! It was a happy reunion and we were really chuffed to make it to Auckland after a fantastic 2 weeks on the bikes. It could not have come at a better time though as a few mechanical gremlins have arisen due to our time on 90 mile beach.
All that can wait though, for now Max cooked us a delicious dinner of lamb shanks and we regained him with stories of our trip so far. Sleep came pretty easy to all after yet another successful day on the TA!
Summary of week in Auckland 17th-25th/1/26. 14.1km
It was great to wake up on the 17th knowing we had nearly a week to rest, clean the bikes, restock and catch up with family and friends.
All three bikes needed quite a bit of attention, especially the chains as the sand destroyed them. Thankfully Rhys is amazing with bikes and was able to do all the maintenance himself. We also realised that Patrick has grown enough that we no longer need the kiddie crank on Trunkie – therefore we made the decision to take it off….a big step for us and a close of a chapter. Trunkie looks so different without it, Arthur is not too sure about having to come back on Trunkie as he has been enjoying being with Rhys but I am sure Team Arthur and Mum will have lots of fun. After a new chain for Oliver and Rhys, new chains for Trunkie along with new brakes and brake cable our bikes are ready to go again.
Between bike maintenance we did some shopping, visited the beach, played in the park, ate so much food which kept appearing thanks to Max, caught up with cousins and visited Mt Eden. Mt Eden was great, the kids were excited to see the crater of a real volcano and the view of Auckland was fantastic.
We decided to experiment an escape room for the first time and found a ‘School of Wizardry’ escape room, it was brilliant. Oliver was stoked to find it was all about Harry Potter and we needed to save Dumbledore. The first 10mins were spent trying to lower the excitement of the kids and work out what to do….It was fun working through all the clues, unlocking the padlocks one by one and eventually saving Dumbledore with 3mins to to go. Oliver had a great time playing chess, Arthur enjoyed following the spiders with the special glow in the dark torch and Patrick did well to keep up with everyone. Max’s expertise in the morse code got us started, I was able to crack the code book and Rhys’ musical talent saved the final task.
Following the Escape room we had a surprise in store for Arthur. For the last few months we have been planning a catch up with our great friends – the Henshaws! They left Nhulunbuy around 12 months ago and moved to Karratha, Arthur and their son Beau are absolute besties and have kept in contact. Arthur always talks about Beau and often wishes he could go and see him. Well luckily for Arthur, Bridget and Brent were holidaying down south near Christchurch and took the opportunity to fly up and catch up with us for a few days!
Rhys headed off to the airport to pick them up. It was hilarious turning up as both Charlie and Beau got a huge shock. Rhys asked if they wanted a lift but Charlie replied that ‘its ok, great aunty Doris is coming to pick us up’ – Bridget had to spell it out that great aunt Doris was actually the Yerbury’s! On arriving back at Max’s Beau went up and knocked on the door, Raelene got Arthur to open it and there was a very happy reunion of friends. Arthur was a bit stunned but calmly managed to say, ‘hello Beau’!
We spent the afternoon catching up on old times, braving the wind and impending storms by heading down to Takapuna beach for a play at the playground then returning to Max’s for an incredible meal of Chilli con carne! Thanks Max!
The next two days were spent enjoying each other’s company and eating waaaay too much food. Highlights included dodging rain and ticket inspectors on busses that we found out we had paid for incorrectly. We had a great time checking out the Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT) – where the children all were entranced, dialling numbers and playing with the telephones that we all grew up with, it made us feel a bit old!
It was about this time that we realised that we had been incredibly lucky with our timing in arriving and staying in Auckland. A huge Subtropical low was bearing down on the North island and Auckland and our forward route was all due to be impacted by severe winds and copious amounts of rain. We were watching the forecast daily to try and plan what would happen in the coming few days…more on this later!
The day that The Henshaws had to fly home we had to dodge the rain yet again and decided to made our way to the Indoor pool at Takapuna. Unfortunately the time came to say our goodbyes to a visit that went way too quickly! We were so chuffed that Bridget and Brent made the effort to fly up and see us in Auckland, unfortunately the impending subtropical low made outside time a bit tricky due to the wind and rain! Arthur and Beau gave each other one more big hug then Raelene drove them to the Airport, Thankfully the weather held off enough for their flight to leave unaffected.
We had initially planned to ride out towards the Hauraki Rail trial and Matamata on Thursday the 22nd, however that Wednesday afternoon and evening saw huge amounts of rain fall due to the subtropical low, causing massive amounts of flooding and tragically, a number of land slips. The route we had planned to be on was heavily affected and we counted our lucky stars that we had been tucked up safe and dry in Auckland which had been relatively unaffected. We routinely checked the weather and found that while it looked to be fining up on Friday, more strong winds (gusts up to 100km/h) and rain was due in on the weekend. Thankfully Max was happy for us to stay for a few more days so we made a tentative plan to head off on Monday. Initially this decision was a bit disappointing to make, we all felt the itchy feet to get back on the bikes however with trails closed due to flooding, huge wind gusts and weekend traffic to deal with on the coastal route, the decision was ultimately very justifiable.
Thursday however dawned bright and sunny but very windy. With the decision already made to spend an extra few days in Auckland due to the forecast we caught a bus down to the viaduct district to go to the Maritime museum down at the waterfront. Max came too and Raelene managed to bluff her way through as an Aucklander – behind Max – meaning we all got in for free! The museum was awesome and there was so much to see and do. The kids loved looking at the old boats, the Maori migration exhibition and also the Americas cup exhibit where you could design a Yacht and race it in a simulation, very cool. Following on from the museum we found a great pub to enjoy a homemade pie, a pint for the grown ups, and watch a game of tennis on the TV. Walking back to the bus stop through the marina was great, so many boats that would be incredible. The one we were keen on was an affordable $40 million….We also stopped off at the ‘pool’ where the kids had a swim and enjoyed jumping in off the platform that was there too. Oliver and Arthur made a few little friends, challenging each other to jump in and having a bit of banter along the way, it was nice to see. It was great to make the most of the fine weather but our thoughts went out to those who had lost their lives through yesterday’s storms.
We continued to make the most our extra time in Auckland by riding down to Devonport on Friday morning, visiting Granny’s old house she grew up in and having a play at the awesome playground. It was great to get back on the bikes and also test the new configuration after removing the kiddy cranks on ‘Trunky’. Raelene now has Arthur on the back of her tandem and I have Patrick on the back of mine. We are all keen to get loaded up and get riding. That afternoon we caught up with Erina again and Arthur got some new handles which he was pretty stoked about.
Saturday saw us taking the time to catch up with Peter and Jane again. On Janes recommendation we took the kids to Clip’n’Climb, an indoor climbing gym that uses an Auto-Belay system so kids (and adults!) can simply clip in and climb on a variety of different walls with different challenges. The kids absolutely loved it. Peter and Jane met us there and enjoyed watching us all clamber up the walls, Raelene and I even had a crack and relived a bit of our climbing days! The forecasted rain was so heavy on top of the complex, we were all happy we had made the decision to hang out in Auckland until Monday. We had takeaway Chinese at Peter and Jane’s, having a great catch up around the table while the kids watched a movie late into the night.
Our final day in Auckland was once again wet and windy, another visit to the pool, intensive Journal and blog writing, a round of ten pin bowling and a visit to the arcade topped off with a delicious BBQ/roast dinner with Max, rounded out our time in Auckland. We packed our gear up ready to ride to Devonport in the morning to catch the ferry to the city then another ferry out to pine harbour and ultimately continue our cycle tour south! We are indebted to Max for having us stay at his house while we have been ‘sheltering’ from the weather – today has again been really windy and we found the Auckland harbour bridge had been closed multiple times yesterday due to high winds! Thanks again for everything Max, we really appreciate everything you have done for us over the last week.
