I thought I'd get some pictures up and add the words later.Gerda and I were joined by our usual riding group on the first leg of the trip. Here we are having a little break in Pirongia. it is often better to have little breaks before any fatigue sets in.In Te Kuiti we had a leisurely lunch at Bosco's. This is also were we left the group to head onwards to New Plymouth.A special intersection, my leg itched a bit when we stopped here, just north of Awakino.I always stop in Mokau, it's a really special place and I would love to own a bach here.As we approached Mt Egmont it cleared up for us. Unfortunately this road stopped short of the target. If it doesn't say Egmont Rd, you will be turning around.This is my favourite shot. We are already inside the park.This one was taken from the same spot, look who is waiting patiently behind me.The mountain, photo taken by the visitors centre.New Plymouth waterfront. We had spent the night in a Youth Hostel, and to our surprise we were far from being the oldest people there. New Plymouth is a neat place. However, in the evenings they are trying to do their best impression of Queen street on a Saturday night. Loud exhausts do nothing for me.If you are looking for a place to eat in Stradford try the Collage Cafe. It's located in a courtyard opposite the tower. It has good food and a pleasant atmosphere. The information centre is right next door. They have a giant map of the region on the wall. The tower will entertain you with a performance of Romeo and Juliet on the hour.The start of the forgotten world highway. The Whangamomona Hotel, it is the Metropolis in this part of the woods.We even met a BMWOR member, who was kind enough to let his mate ride his brand new X-Challenge. Some people take friendship way to far :-).Some little old lady watching the world go by. Railroad bridge, WhangamomonaBig sky, WhangamomonaAmazing hills, it must be fun riding a train through here.The Hobbit tunnel, a shadow of its former self. Another waste of tax payer's money by sealing a perfectly good road.The scenery is just stunning.That was it, we didn't take any photos on the way back. We covered about 600km on that day and pretty much a 1000km on the whole two day trip. It can easily be done a fine weekend.