Day 18 - Mountain bike tour on the Mangapurua Track

The alarm woke me up at 06:00; the night on the farm was a bit uncomfortable due to strong wind and rain. After a small breakfast consisting of an apple and a portion of porridge, I quickly packed up my tent and stored everything. I had arranged to meet the owner of the bike shop at the farm at quarter to eight. With the typical New Zealand calmness, I waited until quarter past eight when Jo arrived at the farm with a jeep and trailer. We quickly loaded my bags and secured my bike on the trailer. I only took the bike bag with the makeshift backpack holder. Jo quickly informed me that rain was expected at 12:00, so I should hurry for the first 10 kilometers. I pedaled hard on the unfamiliar bike, going from about 230 meters to over 650 meters in elevation. Once I reached the highest point, I had a great view of the surroundings; fortunately, the rain front must have changed its route, but it still got wet. The ascent took me along barren ridges and pasturelands, and now it was going deeper into the rainforest. The vegetation and the air changed suddenly. I have never experienced anything like this before. On the 30-kilometer trail to the jet boat dock, you cross about 7 suspension bridges, where you can only push your bike across on the rear wheel. A shaky affair. Shortly before reaching the destination, I reached the 'Bridge of Nowhere'. A massive concrete bridge that runs about 40 meters above the Whanganui Stream. This bridge, as the name suggests, does not fit in at all. In the middle of the rainforest, a bridge built on steel beams, with only a narrow forest path leading to it. This was supposed to ensure the supply for the first settlers when they were building their farms. Unfortunately, they found out that the area was too wet and the slopes too steep for the 'European style' of agriculture. Therefore, the 'Bridge to Nowhere' is the last remnant of that time in the middle of nowhere. From there, I continued to the jet boat dock. I boarded the boat with a young couple from New Zealand. With this boat, we traveled about 30 kilometers through the rainforest, passing breathtaking waterfalls and lonely gorges. A great ride! Today was a real highlight on my tour!

Fortunately, the transport of my bike and bags to the campsite in Pipiriki went smoothly. I was able to set up my tent before the rain started; that doesn't bode well for the nearly 90 kilometers to Whanganui tomorrow. I spent the evening in the common room of the campsite with two older gentlemen from Saxony and two older couples from New Zealand. The two men had been traveling with a camper for 4 weeks, and since they both don't speak English, they asked me if I could be their translator in exchange for 2 bottles of beer. There were some questions that had come up. So that evening, we discussed and clarified questions on both sides about the political situation before the fall of the Berlin Wall, milk prices in New Zealand, and developments in Europe.

P.S.: You only realize how remote you are when you don't have any network for a total of 3 days!