Unpronounceable Kokonga

Wednesday 16 July

There were 4 of us at the Ranfurly NZMCA so we felt it was getting a little crowded and it was time to leave… but TBH two of them upped and left before us!

Topped up with fuel - diesel for Banjo’s heater, had a giggle at the local chook and amazing scone & ginger crunch for the humans - then set off on the long drive to the largely unpronounceable Kokonga (approx 20kms away!)

The Naturewise Retreat POP had great reviews and it was certainly very cute - we parked up by the tiny local church which basically opens once a year for Christmas! Our hosts were David & Colleen and David met us at the gate and directed us to a space behind the church and sadly next to a huge and ongoing bonfire which proved rather stinky when the wind blew the smoke towards us!.

From here we got down the bikes, struggled up the path behind the property and let ourselves out through the gate and onto the Otago Central Rail Trail (again) and cycled ten km or so back up the trail to Waipiata. We passed the Saturn marker along the way, stopped to view the disappearing lake, and read the sign about the Kokonga stone which was quarried here and taken down the railway to Dunedin to build the amazing gothic train station.

It was a chilly old afternoon despite the sun, so we popped into the Waipiata Hotel to warm up… only to discover that this was the home of the best pies EVER so Louis had to try a homemade beef, black beer & cheddar pie 🥧 - it was amazing and lived up to the hype! I was keen to get him a WaiPIEata T-shirt but we do have a wait limit in Banjo!

Cycled back to base and pottered in Banjo - Louis did a bit of work, I sorted photos and budgets then we had pork rump steak for dinner and watched more PokerFace then tried to sleep with the odour of bonfire sneaking in Banjo’s vents and the fan heater on low as it was forecast to drop to -3*C overnight!