Twas 5pm before we finally hit the Waikato River Trail on our bikes. It had taken from 5am the day before to travel from Australia to here for our week long riding adventure on the North Island of New Zealand! But now, finally, with darkness nipping at our heals we can ride.

The trail is windy, twisty, in places muddy, with slippery tree roots and a bit tricky as we turn our lights on. Several times both of us almost loose our front wheels in the mud, having to stoop so low as to removing a foot from the pedal!

Creatures of the night – its all about them this evening. We spotted two, no three, possums on the ride (cutest Kiwi creatures they are!) Then we spotted – almost ran over – a, well, we didn’t know what it was. It was barely bigger than a cricket ball but longer and it looked spiky. We took photographic evidence of its existence then Paul tried to pick it up. He must have scared the hebee gebees out of it cos its entire head disintegrated – gonesky! Now it was a ball of wool. Extremely curious by now I had to touch it. Ouch! Even through my riding gloves very sharp multiple needle pricks.

What the heck is that?

This thing – which now appeared to be settling down for the night in its role of spiky ball – was it a dwarf echidna? Nine previous visits to NZ – never seen one before! Native? Doubt it! This is NZ, the land devoid of native creatures, after all. But wait, some four hours later (thats right, midnightish) en rough to The Timbertrail, there’s another crossing the road and than just a short while later we have to stop dead in the road to watch one cross close to us, it was either stop or endure a puncture from running over it. Walking, it displayed disproportionately long legs, a proboscis like nose and a waddle lee gait.

Later we learned, and you may have guessed it already, these were porcupines. Yep, imported of course.

Enough creates for one night, but the 1.5 degree C and the mountain fog has the creatures astire. Now there are goats, yes goats, on the road. We avoid running one of the cutest black kids ever – one even had white ears. They are all over the road! Paul yells, “Stop! They’ve gone under the van!” He opens his door. There is loud baby goat bleating noises. We think the kid may have grazed the wheel but he’s fine!
Up the road I spot something else skittle into the bush – kriky, its a pig! A black fat big with a black curly tail (of course!).

Just 300 metres further on a bunny is hoping about petrified by our lights. In desperation it stops dead in the middle of our path – planking!!! He was lucky to survive, though he may have ended up a metre wider!!

At the start of the Timber Trail

Finally, exhausted at 0024 hours we pull into the carpark at the start of the Timber Trail. We taxi to the far end, prepare to kill the engine and …. what is that lying in the grass just a few feet in front of us? A massive, most masculine, muscapone coloured bull – as big as our van – and the fence between he and us is lower then a tennis net.

Biggest creature of the night!!!

We say good night to the creatures of the night – and relocate our van.

Our Van in the carpark at the start of the Timber Trail