Terrific Tui Te Mata Peak Half Marathon

We admit it. We are feeling mounting pressure to return to Colorado race-readiness. That means training. We both have races scheduled shortly after our return Stateside and since everyone told us we should make our way to the east coast of the North Island we killed two birds with one stone. We signed up for a trail half marathon in Hawkes Bay.

It rained and rained in the Waikato late last week, so when we left Otorohanga about 10 am Saturday morning we did so in pouring rain. It poured all the way to Taupo, where we stopped for lunch and coffee. We found a great cafe and lingered longer than we should have, but we eventually got back on the road and Ruben drove us the rest of the way to the Wine Country Motor Lodge in Havelock North. It was raining there, too.

Then the sun came out! We ventured into Havelock North Village, which we discovered is very posh. The area is one of NZ's most famous wine growing areas and beautiful vineyard estates surround a tiny village chockablock with boutiques, cafes, and restaurants. 

Looking at Havelock North Village from the roundabout.

Sunday morning was foggy, but as race time approached (at a very civilized hour--9 am) the sun began to shine brightly. Our short drive to the start area was beautiful:

When we arrived at the parking area there were already signs that this was going to be a bigger event than we'd taken part in for a while. We were in the first event of the day--the long-course 21.1 km off-road run. There would also be short- and medium-course runs beginning at 9:15 and 9:30.

Ruben and I ran the race together. This was a challenging course in the best conditions, and we did not have the best conditions. The temperature was ideal, but the track was muddy and slippery. We both did a number of slow-speed mudslides that left us dirty but unhurt. I didn't take any pictures along the way, so after the race we peeled off our wet, dirty clothes and drove up to the summit of Te Mata Peak, which we had achieved earlier on foot. The views during the race were even better!

We liked it that this couple had brought a picnic lunch up to the summit.

Havelock North is just south of Hastings on the east coast of the North Island.

We decided to drive home through Napier (a city that burned in the 1920s and was purposefully rebuilt with major buildings in a 1920s Art Deco style) to check out the coast and the architecture, but wouldn't you know it--it started raining again. We pretty much just plowed on toward home from that point. The winding two-lane NZ roads are nerve-wracking in good weather and I have a hangup about running out of gas when there are 100 kms or more between petrol stations, so I was relieved to hand the wheel back to Ruben at Taupo. The rain came even harder and the daylight faded into a dark night, but Ruben got us home safely.