Huka Trails Rotary Ride to Aratiatia | Time Out 2021-22 Taupo

Taupō was my next 'away' destination to ride the Great Lake Trails. There are four sections on the lakeside around, and further west of, Kinloch. The Kawakawa/K2K and W2K trails at Kinloch can be ridden in any order but the more remote Waihaha Trail typically requires a shuttle drop-off and boat pick-up, from the beach back to Kinloch.

Originally, I planned to do all four legs while in Taupō but the Auckland Cycling Group scheduled a ride in Rotorua for the same weekend. I couldn't go any earlier, due to the 'can't be missed' Big Bike Film Night but also couldn't extend my stay as needed to be home for a few days before leaving for the South Island.

Decided to join ACG in Rotorua for a day, ride the K2K/W2K trails, then come back for Waihaha Trail and remaining Waikato River Trails, nearer Taupō, another time.

At 'The Big Bike Film Night' before going to its birthplace

The Big Bike Film Night cycle film festival is a must see and I always buy a ticket well in advance after missing one, sold out, when I didn't. The January ‘Feature Series’ showcased a documentary on the inaugural 'Tour Te Waipounamu'.

It's a bikepacking race, the length of the South Island, which traverses some country I'm going to ride, albeit at a far slower comfier pace! It was great to see, Academy Cinema packed full of enthusiastic masked cyclists, the evening before heading to Taupō and just a week before departing for the South Island.

Brett's cycle film festival gets its name from the Taupō Big Bike sculpture on the corner of Wairākei Dr and Poihipi Rd. The first was a fundraiser towards repairs after vandals destroyed it. From there more demanded to see it and he has grown it into a regular (at least annual) nationwide, then international adding Australia and Scotland, event for the cycling community wherever it screens.

I'm sure many of the dreamers now out there exploring New Zealand, and further afield, on bikes were inspired by his superb curations; this one certainly was.

Before the screening I popped into Auckland Art Gallery to check out the "vocabulary of solitude" by Ugo Rondinone. This installation combines clown sculptures in a space lit by rainbow colours created by film on the display space windows. Clowns are always a bit creepy, them being unmasked when everyone else in the gallery was wearing them (COVID requirements) and after all the pandemic disruption felt a little dystopian.

To Taupō, retro and cool!

I loaded the Bravo with En-Trance, my mountain bike, and drove straight through to Taupō on the quickest, but boring, main highway via Hamilton & Tokoroa.

I'd booked a very affordable studio room at The Lake Motel which has a 70s retro theme. Although the vibe is 'traditional kiwi motel' it is beautifully kept with modern kitchen/bathroom upgrades and the retro furniture is like new. It's not on the lake front, or a main highway, and away from the town centre bustle and noise. I was glad of that as it turned out Taupō was busy! My room was separate from the main building, around the back with access through a nice garden courtyard, and perfect for me.

It was mid-afternoon by the time I got settled in and a beautiful day to get out exploring.

Huka Trails Ride

I jumped on the bike to revisit the Huka Trails Rotary Ride to Aratiatia (TO2122-63). It must be about 15 years since I last rode it and vastly upgraded from vague memories of what was there. It follows the Taupō side of the Waikato River down to the Aratiatia Dam, returning up the other bank via Wairākei.

It was my first chance to try some new bottle/feed bar bags. They proved to be brilliant allowing up to three bottles, when combined with the one on the frame, or a mix of bottles and easily accessible food. Along with the front bag I could do all but the longest rides without needing a backpack. That makes riding much more comfortable, no sweaty back, and for trail riding they didn't impact steering at all.

Love the rich blue and aqua of the river on a sunny day.

There's some lovely flowing downhill trail and the climbs are comparatively short and well graded.

Waikato River looking across to the exclusive Huka Lodge (top left just visible in the trees). It was established in 1924 and is still one of NZ's leading premium lodges. More than a bit beyond my budget!

A short side trail leads down to Huka Falls.

Here the Waikato River, from Taupō NZ's longest at 425 kilometres (264 mi), is squeezed into a gap just 100m wide. Although the outlet fall is only 11m the sheer volume of water makes it spectacular and one of NZ's most popular tourist attractions.

More than 220,000 litres of water per second burst from the channel.

The path passes under the East Taupō Arterial 'Red Bridge' which requires either a repaint or new name!

These tranquil looking riverside ponds are reserved for giant Malaysian River Prawns. "Huka Prawn Park" uses the outlet water heat from the adjacent geothermal power station, helping to cool it before discharge into the river.

Single track heading towards Aratiatia Dam.

I was too late to see the Aratiatia rapids. Dam water is released several times a day for tourists, a trade-off for it otherwise being diverted through a power station. I can't imagine it would be allowed today but was accepted when built in the 1960s, and it is spectacular. According to the tourism folks it was a location for a Hobbity film, but I've never seen them.

On the return journey you pass over the Wairākei Geothermal Power Station feeds. It was the second of its type in the world when completed in 1963, using high pressure geothermal steam to drive turbine generators. Much hissing and occasional venting of steam gives a hint of the power within.

The trail passes through the perimeter of Wairākei Resort and Golf Course and follows the boiling hot Kiriahineki geothermal stream. Even a fair distance downstream it was hot to touch, certainly too hot to paddle in!

The trail revisits Huka Falls before heading towards the Wairākei Forest.

There's a nice redwood section but the bulk of the forest is pine. You can divert to the "Craters Mountain Bike Park" which runs through the pine forest, avoiding the geothermal features which led to the name. I didn't have time for that as dinner beckoned!

Back to Taupō, downhill from here!

Evening on the Taupō foreshore.

It was quite late by the time I got back to the motel and cleaned up. With a big day and early start planned tomorrow, to drive up to Rotorua, I just got a takeaway dinner. Nearby "Double Happy Chinese" had complimentary reviews on several sites. They had a wide range of buffet dishes, but I ordered 'Beef and Black Bean Sauce' which was cooked to order and very tasty.

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