Accidental Trigs - Hauraki Rail Trail

Tom's racing the Coromandel Classic this weekend and I'm support crew.  We all know that I'm better at HAVING a support crew than BEING a support crew.  I have realised that I am essentially a selfish person.  So, it took a bit of a gulp and some later regrets to say "Yes, I'll miss my own Adventure Race (the one that I got 2nd at last year and has great prizes) to follow you around the Coromandel in the car, passing you bikes and shoes.)

Things started looking up when he took Friday off work so we could travel up in plenty of time.  A couple of late nights and I had planned a 60km cycle on the Hauraki Rail Trail, and a list of 20+ caches to pick up on the way.

(Geo-caching is my new nerds sport.  I can't believe it took me this long to start a geeky, online treasure hunt using gps and clues to find hidden caches.)

Tom drops me off in Waihi and I head off for Thames.  That's a decent car trip so it's a bit daunting on a bike.  With a gammy calf.  (Long story to do with overuse and finished off at hockey.)  The first part of the trail from Waihi to the Karangahake Gorge is very new, quite peaceful, not much going on.  Needing to be in Thames by dark, I'm on speed caching and have to give myself only a few minutes to come up with the cache or move on.  This is pretty tough going!!

I've got a map board set up on my bike, but no map on it.  Only a nong could get lost on a rail trail.  The map board is a list of caches and clues, with the gps coordinates already loaded into the Garmin so it beeps as I approach.  The watch beeps, I check the clue, jump off and have a search around, find the cache, sign it, and am back on my bike in a few minutes.  Well, that's the plan, but today I fail in around HALF of my caches.  :/  All the caches on this trail were laid by one operator, and I was silly enough to figure that choosing the bridge caches would mean I didn't have to navigate, as a bridge usually stands out.  Unfortunately the clues were as specific as "Where the troll lives", which is pretty bloody general when you're standing on a bridge.  Which end?  On the bridge structure?  In the creek? UP high or down low?  I was a grumpy troll about bridge caches!

The ride through the gorge I've done many times, and is just so pleasant.  I'm a bit surprised to hit a head wind rattling through the gorge, and whistling in my ears as I head through the 1km rail tunnel.  I have a torch in my pack but am too lazy to get it out... the tunnel lights are working but very dim and it's an uncanny feeling racing along in the dark, aiming for a speck of light in the distance. 

The gorge leads to Paeroa.  Where I get lost on my entry into town, missing the riverside trail and braving the main street instead.  McDs is tempting.  I refind the trail and head off on it.... then realise it's curving around to take me back along the river where I was supposed to come.  180 degrees and I'm on track, for all of 200 metres where I head out of town on the road... the wrong road.  Did I mention that only a nong can get lost on a rail trail?  I reckon this is a conspiracy to keep tourist dollars in town.

From Paeroa to Thames is straight and flat.  For hours.  At one stage I go around a corner which was actually surprising as I was just chugging along like a train. There's a head wind, and cows for a view.  For hours.  I plug in some earphones to relieve the boredom, seeing as there's no traffic to worry about.  I sing out loud for a while and scare the cows.  I see a grand total of ZERO cyclists on this part.  And then, whaddya know!!  A trig station!!  The best bit of the stretch.  :)

 Trig A6CH, 4975.