We woke up and took down our camp and continued a little bit further down the road and stopped at the Huka Falls since Ryan hadn't seen them before. They were powerful and beautiful as ever. We went back into town in search of a quick breakfast. We walked around the windy lake front looking for a place but settled on a sit-down cafe. The service felt slow since we were in a bit of a hurry to get going but the food was excellent.
We decided we'd stay in Taupo for a little longer and rent bikes instead of going up to Rotorua and renting some. We went to a local bike shop and hired two hardtail bikes for a half day. We either had to ride a couple kilometers out of town to get to the mountain bike park or put the bikes in our handy dandy truck and take them right up there. So we did that. They fit right in the bed of the truck and we were at the trails in no time. We first went through a woodsy area that mainly had rolling trails, nothing too exciting. Ryan's chain kept slipping off so he'd have to stop every now and then and put it back on. It was raining on and off too.
Once the trail led us out of the woods, it opened up to a spot that looked like it was an old logging area with stumps and tree remains all over the place. It had a few trails through it and on the other side, we came to the other parking area that had a big map of the main part of the trails. We went down a few beginner trails and intermediate ones. I was starting to get the hang of it and began to push beyond my limits. There were some notably steep parts and tight corners with berms that were fun and challenging for me. A section of a beginner track had wooden ramp sections kind of like a bike roller coaster. It was so fun. There was also a teeter totter and ladders. We went on this trail twice before heading out.
Back in Taupo, we returned the bikes and found a kebab place for a late lunch. We drove for a few hours and then made it to Hamilton. We wanted to go to Raglan, a popular surfer town, and hang out at the beach but we decided to find a place sooner instead. We finally chose a small motel in Hamilton, checked in, unloaded the truck, and headed for the hot tub. It was relaxing and just what I wanted after a few weeks of nonstop craziness. We enjoyed a few beverages and cooked up a couple of mountain house dinners in the hotel room while organizing and packing. I passed out early on in the night while talking to Ryan mid-sentence, like I sometimes do.
