Manawatu River Pathway – Palmerston North

To continue my catch-up on the out-of-town rides we did last year … 

On the weekend of 13 to 15 August 2022, we spent a couple of days in Ashhurst and Palmerston North. The impetus for this trip was the 50th Anniversary Dance of the Ashhurst Scottish Country Dance Club on Sunday 14 August. But of course, we figured we could make it into a weekend trip and do some cycling. The Manawatu River Pathway in Palmerston North appealed. It is described in the Kennetts’ book “Short Easy Bike Rides”. It is a sealed shared pathway, which goes for about 10 kms alongside the Manawatu River.  

Saturday was a lovely fine, but cold, day. We left home about 9:10 am, as planned. John had loaded the bikes into the car the night before, and the car was charged to 100%. Ready to go.

We stopped at Otaki River Cottage Café for coffee and a scone. We sat in what we thought was the best spot to sit – an old couch under the veranda, catching the lovely sun. But later in the day, when we got to our accommodation, John discovered that the back of his jacket was covered in long furry hair. We wondered how he’d got that. On inspection of my jersey, it was also covered in fur. It had been on the couch at Otaki – Yikes! Someone had obviously been sitting there with their large, long-haired pooch! It took ages to get it all off. 

We got to Palmerston North just before midday. We turned off on Fitzherbert Ave, and there was an access to the track from the the Manawatu Riverside Park. So we parked and unloaded the bikes.

We unloaded the bikes in Fitzherbert Park

 

The bare wintry trees in the park were beautiful against the blue sky (DP)

We first biked towards the right, towards Maxwell’s Line. The track was lovely, wide and smooth and mostly flat, and it skirted the river. In the open, it was nice in the sun, but where there were trees and shade, it was abysmally cold. I was glad I had brought my neck warmer. 

Some distance down, we found a footbridge, He Ara Kotahi, which was heading towards another track. It is a commuter link connecting Palmerston North to Linton Military Camp and Massey University. 

He Ara Kotahi footbridge (DP)

 

We went across the bridge, but came back to the main track, which we rode to the end, at the Ahimate Reserve, which was once home to the Ahimate Pā, and there is a series of pou to mark this.

The pou in the Ahimate Reserve (DP)

The wattle trees were in full bloom (DP)

 

Here, the track deteriorated to a muddy path, so we turned around and biked back, and found our way to Victoria Park, where we stopped for a bite of lunch at the Café Esplanade. 

A stop for lunch at the Café Esplanade

After that we headed to the other end of the track. This part of the track had fewer trees shading it, or at least the trees were bare, so it felt much more pleasant in the sun.
 

A lovely avenue of winter-bare trees

 

We found an arrangement of tracks, in the form of Māori designs. This, I believe, was a reserve called Te Motu o Poutoa, as a set of display board told us. 

The display board shows the (planned) design of the track

This is what the track actually looked like

We got to the far end of the track, the Riverside Drive end. We sat on a bench in the sun, before returning to the car. We had biked 28 km all up.
 

Enjoying the sun and the views (DP)

The return ride – looking towards Te Apiti Wind Farm

 

John found it quite hard to get the bikes back in the car – he was very tired – but wouldn’t let me help, so I patiently waited in the car. He said he’d been struggling a bit while biking.
 

A bit of a struggle loading the bikes back into the car (DP)

We headed to the AirBnB we had booked in Ashhurst, and after a while headed back to Palmerston North in search of dinner. We walked around The Square looking for a suitable restaurant. It was so-o-o-o cold, walking around. I cursed myself for not bringing along the lovely scarf/shawl I gave myself for my birthday last year – I really needed it here! 

On our walk around The Square, we noticed that the tops of the trees were absolutely covered in birds, settling down for the night. They made a huge racket!

A flock of birds settling down for the night (Click on the photo to enlarge it)

 

After dinner, we walked through The Square, and took photos of the illuminations. Back at our accommodation, John took a photo of the full moon.
 

John in The Square (DP)

The full moon – a pretty good photo, taken without a tripod, telescope or special lens

It was a freezing cold night, and the heatpump in our accommodation didn’t manage to warm us up properly all evening! It must have been the coldest night of the year!

On Sunday, we went into Palmy for brunch, then in the afternoon, I went to the Ashhurst Anniversary Dance. John wasn’t feeling up to it, and he was also still worried about the potential of Covid being around, so I went on my own. As usual, I had a lovely time, enjoying the music, the dancing, and the company of other dancers.
 

The Ashhurst Scottish Country Dance Club Anniversary dance (DP)

On Monday morning, we drove home via Pahiatua. It was very pretty countryside, deep gullies with native bush, and towards the tops of the hills, the enormous wind turbines of the Wind Farms – magnificent! It would have been nice to stop and take photos, but there were no suitable places to stop.  

We stopped in Greytown for lunch, and after a walk around the shops, we pushed for home.

So that was our trip to Palmerston North and Ashhurst. It was nice for a short while, but I don't think we’ll be going there again in a hurry. It is not the most riveting place, though the Riverside trail would be nice to do in the summer.