Hikes, Coffee, and Ohakune

What a weekend!

John had to head down to Ohakune for work—an outage tied to a new project—and since the company booked him accommodation for three nights (Friday to Monday), I tagged along. I took Monday off, which was perfect. I’m always happy to squeeze in a surprise leave for a little getaway, especially when accommodation is free!

Friday night didn’t quite go as planned. We were supposed to leave for Ohakune, but John got called into an emergency at work. Something about needing to fix an issue or the whole substation wouldn’t get power back on. The technical details went straight over my head, but I understood enough to know it was serious.

I waited for him… and waited… and eventually fell asleep on the couch. He finally got home at 12:30 a.m.—absolutely exhausted. I felt so bad; he hadn’t even had dinner. He ended up eating my leftover chips, took a quick shower, and went straight to bed.

SATURDAY

We were up early to finally make the drive. We grabbed a meat pie and a chicken avocado baguette for breakfast while filling up the ute—simple road trip rituals that somehow always feel extra satisfying. When we arrived, we checked into The Hobbit Motorlodge, and to our surprise, the owner upgraded us to a one-bedroom suite. Lucky!!

After dropping me off, John headed straight to work while I changed into my hiking clothes. From the motel, I walked toward a nearby café on the way to the forest walk I had planned to do solo.

I ended up at Frank's Eatery & Bar, a charming little café, and ordered a classic eggs benedict and a mocha. The cashier asked if I wanted ice or ice cream with my mocha, and I said something along the lines of, “Ooh, ice cream of course—who would choose ice over ice cream?” (apparently… health-conscious people, definitely not me 😄).

I sat there for a while, enjoying my breakfast, and reviewed the trail for the Mangawhero Forest Walk. Then, walked from the café to the car park where the hike starts. It was a beautiful walk—very quiet—and I didn’t come across anyone except for an older couple at the car park. It’s an easy track, and if you’re staying in Ohakune, you can either walk from town to the start or conveniently drive five minutes and complete the loop in about an hour. There are plenty of signs, and the trail is very easy to follow. You’ll end up back on the other side of where you started.

After a bit of sweat and a peaceful walk, I headed back to the hotel, took a shower, and snoozed while waiting for John to finish work.

I made a 6:30 p.m. reservation at No8 Restaurant & Bar Ohakune, and we dressed up for a proper date night. We ordered their popular seafood broil and one of the specials—crispy pork belly with mashed kūmara and roasted carrots. The seafood portion was massive—we were so surprised when it arrived. Everything tasted divine, and we left completely full.

My handsome husband 💘

Crispy pork belly

Seafood broil

After dinner, we decided to walk around town, checking out other restaurants and scouting where we might eat next. We ended up popping into another restaurant, Osteria, with a giant, cozy, crackling fireplace. The smell of wood burning from outside was so inviting that we couldn’t resist going in to take a look. We were still so full, so we told the waitress we’d already eaten and just wanted to grab some coffee.

John ordered a vanilla latte, and I got a flat white. We sat there talking like we were still new in the relationship. What a great date night!

SUNDAY

John was supposed to work, but they managed to get everything done on-site the day before, so he was suddenly free. I cooked pasta for breakfast (yes, a bit heavy but it's a big day ahead!).

Originally, I planned to just stay in the hotel, but since John no longer had to work, we decided to do the hike I’d been eyeing—the Hapauwhenua Viaducts.

We parked at Marshalls Road and walked about 3.6 km to reach the old viaduct. Along the way, there were plenty of stops with information boards about the Old Coach Road, sharing bits of New Zealand’s history—roads, railways, and how people used to travel through the area. The views from both the old and new viaducts were incredible and absolutely worth the hike. I’m afraid of heights, so we didn’t walk all the way across the old viaduct (you totally can though!).

We headed back to the hotel for a nap (exhausted after covering around 7.4 km in about two and a half hours!). We woke up around 4 p.m., cooked some steaks for an early dinner, and settled into a slower evening. John did a bit of work while I fully embraced vacation mode—played The Sims 4, soaked in the spa tub, and read on my Kindle.

Hot tub at the Hobbiton Motorlodge

By 9 p.m., we were somehow starving again, so we made instant Korean noodles. I played a bit more, John worked a little more, and then we called it a night.

MONDAY

John headed back to the substation for work, while I took my time easing into my free day. I checked out of the hotel before 9 a.m., walked into town, and had breakfast at The Mountain Rocks. Knowing I probably wouldn’t eat again until dinner, I ordered a big breakfast with a flat white. Yum!

I’m realizing how small Ohakune is—the cashier greeted customers by name. It felt oddly refreshing, everyone knows everyone (and probably their orders too).

After breakfast, I wandered to the public library, found a couch, and spent a few quiet hours reading on my Kindle.

By 2 p.m., John picked me up, and we made our way back home to Taupo.

And just like that, our Ohakune trip wrapped up—such a good, unexpected little escape. ♡

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If you’d like to read travel guides in Ohakune, you can check out my other blog posts here.

⇨ Mangawhero Forest Walk

⇨ Hapauwhenua Viaducts (via Marshalls Road Carpark)

No Rhyme, Just Reason is a Taupō, New Zealand–based blog by Ariane about books, good food, long walks, and unapologetic naps.