Desert Road

After the craic of the Euro 2016 Final and a hearty breakfast with locals and visiting Frenchies at the Finn MacCuhal's, it was time to head South on the Desert Road...

Following the eastern shore of Lake Taupo, the largest lake in New Zealand, took me southwards to Turangi. Here, the highway climbed onto the North Island Volcanic Plateau and passed through the fringes of the Tongariro National Park. The volcanoes of Tongariro, Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu whizzed by my window before I entered the Rangipo Desert, which gave the road its name.

The Desert Road is frequently closed by snow at this time of year, but I drove 1074m above sea level - the highest point on the State Highway Network - to where the crystal clear sky met the cinnamon coloured shrubs. The descent through an army training area brought me to the end of the Desert Road at Waiouru.

I turned right and appear to have entered the Yorkshire Dales as the road winds its way westwards. Moments later, with Mount Ruapehu's imposing silhouette in the background, I stopped to visit the memorial of the Tangiwai Disaster.

At 22:21 on 24 December 1953, the Whangaehu River Bridge collapsed beneath the Wellington to Auckland Express Train killing 151 people. As the train was approaching, a lahar from Mount Ruapehu's crater lake swept down to destroy the bridge. The disaster remains New Zealand's worst rail accident.

In stark contrast, the Ohakune Old Coach Road is billed as one of the most enjoyable half-day cycle rides in New Zealand. In Horopito, I checked out the infamous car graveyard known as "Smash Palace" and then hit the trail. The route through ancient forests of giant Rimu trees passed a number of unique engineering features, including the historic Hapuawhenua and Toanui viaducts - the only two remaining curved viaducts in the Southern Hemisphere. The sweeping downhills, underlaid with historic cobbles, finished at the Junction in the aprés-ski end of Ohakune. The day was nicely rounded off with a few craft beers and a feed in the Powderkeg!