Tuesday 10 January 2006 - Feilding to Auckland


Trip: Feilding – Sanson – Bulls – Hunterville – Ohingaiti – Mangaweka – Taihape – Waiouru – Tangiwai – Waiouru – Turangi – Waitahanui – Taupo – Wairakei Village – Atiamuri – Kinleith – Tokoroa – Putaruru – Tirau – SH27 – Matamata – Waharoa – Patetonga – Maramarua – Mangatawhiri – Bombay – Wattle Downs

End Mileage: 175502

Start Mileage: 174970

Distance Travelled: 532

Total Distance Travelled: 2964

Eventually managed to leave Feilding just before 10:30am – bit later than what we wanted but not really that much of a problem as we were just going to meander our way back to Auckland anyway. (Well you can’t do much but meander in BILITY.)

WOO HOO – 11:35am and we did it again – passed a truck going UP a hill just north of Mangaweka.

We stopped in Taihape for a coffee and walk around. Robbie stopped there as well so had a quick chat to him. We got away from Taihape at 12:20pm.

Via the Makohine Viaduct – well under it:




Continuing on the road north – not much of a shock there really.


We got to Waiouru half an hour later and did a side trip to Tangiwai where the train disaster happened on Dec 24 1953.

Commemorating the disaster.



Various shots of the river:




Train track crossing the river, about where the accident happened back in 1953.



Back on to the main road and off on the Desert Road to Turangi.

Desert Road shots:




Oh oh a runner...


“road” off to a Tukino.





National Park.



We got to Turangi at 2:10pm. Not a lot happening so kept driving.

Past the lake – well difficult to miss it on this road.



Made it to Robbie’s at Waitahanui and stopped at his home/gallery (Wildwood Gallery) for a coffee and met his wife – Sue. She’s an artist as well – painter. Some awesome pieces of both her’s and Robbies in their gallery.

We then left for Taupo and stopped here for food – continuing the tradition we stopped at Replete and had some Thai Chicken Curry – yum and then back on the road for home at 4:30pm.

The other traditional stop at 5:40pm at Putaruru for lotto at the Challenge Service Station:


Got to Tirau at 5:55pm and decided to continue on SH27 back to Auckland rather than on SH1.

WOW – we passed a pulsar (not a truck) AND we had the air con running.

Got to where we had turned off to Ngatea on 27 Dec when we started our trip at 7:06pm. Odo at 175435 – total of 2897km’s round trip.

Back to Haslip Manor at 7:55pm – 175502 km’s. Trip of 2964 kms in total.

WOO HOO what a great holiday but will be nice to sleep in a bed. ha ha


Links

East Cape and Feilding index page

BILITY home page

Tangiwai Disaster

Replete