Push Bikes-R-Us

FRIDAY 14 JUNE 2019 - MIRANDA HOLIDAY PARK

We left at 4:45 pm and travelled in rush hour traffic along the Southern Motorway. We travelled behind "James' car" - well it had the right initials and birthdate anyway.

We finally made it to Miranda Holiday Park at about 7:00 pm. Dave galvanised in to action to whip up a mushroomy, hammy, creamy pasta dish so we could get to the Hot Pools before they closed. We made it by 8:15 pm and got a discount as they close at 9:00 pm. Had a fab soak - the pool was not very crowded at all. Back to the Beast for an Ice Cream, a Baileys and a read. It was a bit chilly but we didn't really even need the hot water bottles we had made up. A very toasty nights sleep.

SATURDAY 15 JUNE 2019 - MIRANDA HOLIDAY PARK

A chilly morning that started with a coffee and English muffins. We set off at 9:30 am in misty rain to cycle to Thames and back. Mr Google maps had said it was about 60 kms and if we had ridden on the road it probably would have been but we were following the cycle track and the cycle track followed the waterways which made it closer to 80 kms. As the longest bike ride I had every been on was only 25 kms it was time for a re-think. We thought we would cycle to Pipiroa and see how we felt there and either carry on a bit further or stop for lunch at the Bugger Cafe. The sun had come out and we were both feeling really great so we decided to push on a bit further.

We made it to Kopu and realised that if we stopped here the return trip would see us cycling at least 70 kms so we decided to call it quits and singled out the Kopu Tavern as our watering hole.

The cycle back was tough going with a head wind and a sore bum!! The cycle track is stoney so you had to REALLY concentrate all the time to avoid sharp rocks or slipping. Dave did get a puncture but of course we had everything with us that we needed for him to fix it. The ride started with rain and it ended with rain. By the time we got back to Miranda we had done 71.17 kms in 5:17:02 hours. WELL DONE US!!

We had a quick beer before heading to the hot pools for a well earned soak. We had debated as to whether we should go to the pools before or after dinner and as it transpired we were wise to go before dinner. Just as we were leaving the pools we noticed a crowd on the other side of the pool - and the lifeguards were obviously performing CPR. We thought it was a chlld they were working on because of a comment Dave had heard but we found out the next day it was a 57 year old man who didn't survive the heart attack. The pools were closed just after we left and didn't open until the following Tuesday. Very sad!

We got back to the Beast for steak cooked perfectly on the Weber. Dave had managed to get the TV tuned in so  we were able to see the next episode of "The Little Drummer Girl". Luckily we also had more ice cream and Baileys to see us through. We hit the sack hoping we wouldn't feel too sore the next day.

SUNDAY 16 JUNE 2019 - HOME AGAIN.

Woke to sunshine and not too sore at all. A caffeine top up then back on the road by 10:00 am as I had to get back to Auckland for a rehearsal. We had already started planning our next attack on the Hauraki Rail Trail. We also knew we would be back again to enjoy the Miranda Holiday Park and the hot springs.