TA day 11: Keep those wheels turning, all the way into the Wairarapa

TA day 11 - Through Palmy over to the Wairarapa from Robert and Marianne on Vimeo.

It was a classic Autumn morning on the first day of Autumn. Clear, crisp and cool, with a heavy dew. The Totara Reserve camping area where I camped last night was the 12th photo checkpoint of the tour. I claimed my photo this morning as it was too dark when I arrived last night!

I was feeling pretty hopeful of riding a big distance today, as I felt so good yesterday and today's terrain profile looked to be one of the easiest yet. But it was not to be an easy day. From very early on I was finding it hard to get the bike speed that I wanted. I guess I was thwarted by a headwind, but I also must have been feeling a bit lethargic. I spent a lot of the day focusing my mind on just keeping the pedals turning. The headwind and lethargy both finally passed in the early afternoon and I finished the day stronger (but tired).

The Ruahine mountains were out in glory today after hiding under blankets yesterday. I followed in their foothills south towards Palmerston North, passing under the Te Apiti wind farm. The final short section of riding into "Palmy"was on the Manawatu River Trail, and brought me to the Victoria Esplanade. This is a lovely park area of the city that I've visited with Marianne's parents many times. I even had an early lunch at one of their favourite cafes, kicking myself for not inviting them up from Levin to join me! 

Then it was the major climb of the day, getting over to the Wairarapa Valley on the Pahiatua "Track". Far from a track, this is now quite a busy road since the Manawatu Gorge highway was closed permanently from land slips. But a takeaway lemon slice from the cafe helped me get over the top. 

On my way down the upper Wairarapa, I passed Pahiatua with its large milk factory and Eketahuna with its large kiwi statue. I stopped for little else apart from a herd of cattle being shifted into another paddock via the road. My eyes were set on reaching Masterton well before dark, with the prize being an icecream that I promised myself!

Wow, time (and distance!) is flying! I can't believe that my cycling journey down the North Island of Aotearoa is almost over. All going well, I'll be home in my own comfortable bed at this time tomorrow!

TA day 10: East into the rain, then south to chance upon good friends

TA day 10 - East towards the Ruahines from Robert and Marianne on Vimeo.

I really have been blessed by good weather when it has mattered on the tour so far. For example, yesterday's journey into the Bridge to Nowhere would have been a nightmare with a wetter track. I've heard that at least five people have had falls there during this year's tour so far, with three resulting in broken bones. And that's with the track being as dry as it ever gets! This morning rain hit before I'd even left the town of Whanganui, but thankfully after packing up camp. And it was solid rain at that! 

The Durie Hill lookout over Whanganui was a compulsory stop on my journey (a photo checkpoint) and the conditions were too bleak to see much of the town. I renamed it Dreary Hill.

My route today left the Whanganui River behind and headed east into the Rangitikei District. It rained solidly for a few hours, but I was wet through after 10 minutes and after that it didn't really matter. I travelled fast with a slight tail wind and nothing to stop for.

After lunch in Hunterville, I crossed the Rangitikei River and continued towards the Ruahine Range.

The landscapewas dominated by cone shaped hills. The morning rain was too recent to bring any green tinge to the yellow pasture that told the story of months of dry weather.

Eventually the route turned south. Today was the annual show day in the small rural town of Apiti. I arrived too late to experience the show but it brought a chance meeting with some good friends. Kath, Tony and their parents were up from the Kapiti Coast to support Kath's sister who helped organise the show. When I popped into the Apiti Tavern for dinner on my way through, there they were!

After a good catch up, time came for me to hit the road again. Once again I'd be racing the fading daylight to reach camp.

The sunset was stunning as I traversed ridgelines in the foothills of the Ruahines. And finally, just on dusk and after 167km of riding, I rolled into camp at the Totara Reserve in the Pohangina Valley. 

It was a great day for me - once again the furthest I've ever ridden in a day - but the cooler weather made it much more manageable. Only a few more days at this rate, and I'll be finished the North Island leg of the tour! I'll be able to put my feet up at home in Wellington and become a MapProgress dot watcher, as Marianne continues our journey to Bluff.

TA day 9: Whanganui River "descent"

TA day 09 - Down the Whanganui River from Robert and Marianne on Vimeo.

Today's journey took me from the upper reaches of the Whanganui River down to the town of the same name where the mighty river empties to the sea. But don't be fooled - whilst river water flows downhill, my route also had more than its fair share of ups. For the second day in a row I climbed over 2500m vertical!

And climbing is how my day began, on a tough single track known as the Kaiwhakouka Track. I have no idea what that translates as, but wouldn't be surprised if it is something like the "you'll need to eat a lot of food to have enough energy to climb me" track. In turn, it was steep, muddy, rough and always relentless. Along the way I had a look at Blue Duck Falls which was STUNNING. 

A large Maori pou greeted me when I reached the top of the track and joined the Mangaparua Track. This took me to the Bridge to Nowhere and finally the Whanganui River.

Along the way there were signs highlighting the names of returned servicemen from WW1 who were gifted plots of land in the region on their return from the battlefields. They were to turn their hand to taming the land, but it was tough, steep country with poor soils and terrible for farming. So the whole program was a failure... hence why the bridge goes nowhere.

I've canoed down the Whanganui River to Pipiriki a couple of times. It is a beautiful and spiritual place, that I'd happily return to many more times. Today, my journey included a jet boat ride from the Bridge To Nowhere to Pipiriki. It may sound like cheating, but despite performing superhuman feats of endurance on our bikes let me tell you unequivocally that none of the TA riders are capable of riding on water.

Back on my bike at Pipiriki, I followed the Whanganui River Road down to Whanganui. The river was my constant companion, sometimes just beside me and on other occasions far below me. Again it was a late finish as I didn't start this 77km section until nearly 4pm. The day was still intensely hot at that point. With no cloud cover today, I really suffered on part of it, probably from dehydration. But the undulations, mild headwind and ticking clock of daylight hours would not have helped either.

Today was animal discovery and rescue day. I met cows, goats, sheep, a pig and a horse unfenced on the road or track side today. On our jet boat ride we rescued a goat who was in distress swimming in the river and near to exhaustion. And on my last section of riding I lifted a hedgehog off the road who had made some poor life choices about where to have a rest.

A few stats... I've now passed the 1000km of tour route (in fact now up to over 1100km). Over 14000 vertical metres climbed on tour. No flat tires (on my bike). 7 nights camping. No kamikaze drivers (yet). 5 pies and counting. 1 time eating the best icecream in the universe.

TA day 8: Timber trail through to the upper reaches of the Whanganui River

TA day 08 - Timber Trail to Whakahoro from Robert and Marianne on Vimeo.

This morning, Gareth and I completed the Timber Trail. Compared to yesterday's first half of the Timber Trail, today's section was easier riding. This was due to large sections following historic timber tramline routes, ensuring the gradient was gentle. There were more huge swing bridges, and near the end of the trail we rode through the Ongarue Spiral.

This is where the rail line spiralled around and over/under itself to enable trams to gain/lose altitude without much gradient. Again the trail passed through stunning rainforest, though today the trees were taller and more spectacular now that we had lost some altitude.

It's been so dry in this region that the trail was extremely dusty, as were the gravel roads that I followed afterwards. I had quite the layer of muck to clean off my legs once I got to camp!

Gareth's company ended once the Timber Trail did, and I continued on very quiet back roads to Taumarunui. Here I enjoyed a late lunch of bakery food (including my 4th pie of the trip), huge milkshake and a huge apple. I often have a lot to organise when I pass through larger towns. On this occasion, a toilet stop, small grocery shop, chain lubrication, phone call to book my jet boat ride for tomorrow, sunscreen application and water refill were all in order. It was a hot day, 29 degrees but fortunately cloud cover through most of the day didn't allow it to heat up further.

Back on the bike after 4pm I still had a long way to go. it was another 67km to Whakahoro, which is a launching point for canoe trips down the Whanganui River. I'd been there only a few years ago to do just that! 

I came across very few other TA riders today. It seems we are getting quite spread out now. When I eventually rolled into camp, darkness had crept in. All up, 150km which is a new record for my longest day of riding. I felt quite strong throughout the day, so my bike endurance is obviously building up. Though I am tired!

TA Day 7: Swing bridges, climbing and single-track

TA day 07 - Bring on the Timber Trail from Robert and Marianne on Vimeo.

I'm so proud of myself! I packed up camp and loaded my bike ready to start before 8am. Now that's early for me and did entail getting up in the dark! Shock, horror! But despite my superhuman effort I was one of the last TA riders to leave camp. One was setting off on their bike by torchlight when I got up. Who are these people?

I was eager to get going as my friend Gareth from Tauranga was coming to ride the Timber Trail with me. I had a 50km ride to get to our meeting point which included the biggest hill I'll do in the North Island. I was excited to be sharing the Timber Trail with him as it is likely to be one of the best bits of riding that I'll do.

My riding started in thick fog which was very localised, so I was soon looking at the clearest blue skies imaginable over the mirror calm Waikato River hydro lakes.

Some lovely single trail led to country roads and then the Arataki Swing bridge. All those early riders were lined up here waiting to cross over one at a time, which was quite a difficult exercise! It was not possible to walk your bike across in the normal way as the wire sides of the bridge were too narrow for the handlebars of the bikes. We had to lift the front of the bike up and walk it on its rear wheel. Both hands were holding the handlebars up high and our knees were pushing the bike forward by the seat (which was about thigh height). There were no hands left to support ourselves as the swing bridge swayed! It was dubbed the Hillary Step. 

And the climbing awaited on the other side. 600m up before meeting Gareth and another 400m after. Along the way I passed the geographic centre of the North Island, marked by a monument which was one of my photo check points. I guess it also represents the roughly half way point for my ride to Wellington. Well done me!

Much of the Timber Trail passed through beautiful mossy forest abounding with ferns. At the top of the climb we parked the bikes and set off on foot to climb Mt Pureora, a 90 minute side trip. 

From the top we could see Lake Taupo spread out below us and the mountains of Tongariro National Park. We reaped the rewards of our climbing with some fun descents to some MASSIVE swing bridges.

More descending brought us to our accom at the rustic and quirky Black Fern Lodge. We're about half way along the Timber Trail. Gareth cooked up a storm for dinner - steak, pasta and a huge plate of veggie greens; vegetables have been hard to come by since starting this journey! I'm heading to bed tired and satisfied.

TA day 6: Through Matamata to the Waikato River lakes

TA day 06 - Through Matamata to the Waikato River Trails from Robert and Marianne on Vimeo.
(Those not familiar with Lord of the Rings will find the video narration a bit oblique!)

It's been a huge and varied day. After leaving Te Aroha I was pretty soon on a newly made gravel bike trail that connects to Matamata. It's so new it hasn't been officially opened yet. Sometimes I don't know why they bother though... The trail runs right beside the road the whole way, the road is light with traffic and heaps faster to ride on (once the gravel beds in the trail should be easier to ride), and the countryside is flat and dull! The Mt Te Aroha range is a constant companion to the east, with the occasional jagged outcrop on the skyline. Nearer at hand are farms of corn and dairy cattle.

Matamata is a very busy little town, now famous as the nearest town to Hobbiton. I spent far too much time there with visits to the i-site for my photo checkpoint, subway, a bakery, toilet, and supermarket. Each stop required locking up the bike and removing valuables. And each time conversations with locals and visitors alike were enjoyable but took time! Next time I'd park my bike centrally and go on foot as it is not that big a town!

After Matamata the landscape changed to rolling hills as the route continued on back roads towards the Waikato River. After a while I had some highway time, first the busy highway 29 and then about 1km on State Highway 1, New Zealand's main trunk line from north to south. Both had wide shoulders so I felt quite safe though the turbulence from passing trucks kept me hanging on tight! It had been about 650km since I'd last been on State Highway 1 near Cape Reinga.

Then I reached the Waikato River and things changed markedly again. The route became far more undulating with some decent climbs, native bush replaced farmland in places, and the views became more dramatic. 

The swing bridge near the power station and dam at Arapuni was very spectacular! The route took in some of the Waikato River Trails, which meant fun single-track biking. 

But the combination of single-track and steeper terrain made for a long and tiring way to finish the day. This was particularly the case for the last 20km which I hadn't expected.

I rolled into camp in failing light feeling quite smashed after 140-odd km. A lake swim and cooking dinner both happened after dark, but were worth the effort. It is a warm and calm night and stars fill the sky.

I haven't seen a lot of other riders through the day as I think we have begun to space out along the route. But here at the only campsite for quite a while in either direction, we have bunched up again - I'd guess there are about 30 of us. I know about 8 of them by name now having seen them on earlier days.

TA day 5: Who says milk and L&P don't mix?

Well things are going well enough for me to be up for burning the candle at both ends again... I've made a video blog for my fifth day on tour.

Hope you enjoy!

TA Day 4: A journey through the land of orcs

TA day 04 - Through the city of Orcs from Robert and Marianne on Vimeo.

How convenient that it just happened to be a Sunday as I journeyed through the land of orcs (Auckland). No peak hour traffic and not even busy weekday traffic to deal with.

I spent a comfortable night camped outside the Kaipara Cruising Club in Helensville. They opened their clubrooms to us TA riders for a minimal charge. I thought the tent a better option than dossing down on the floor inside due to the high risk of the other riders being snorers and early risers!

My journey into the big smoke began in hills to the north of Auckland. It looked like lifestyle block (hobby farm) country with lots of horses, alpacas and goats. It might not surprise you if I confessed that my legs felt a little sore today, and some small early morning uphills through the rolling countryside felt too much like hard work! But I kept the wheels rolling as I had a brunch date with Auckland friends Trish and Stephen. 

These friendly orcs met me atop Mt Eden, a dormant volcano in amongst the more central Auckland 'burbs. This was my 5th "photo checkpoint" of the journey. We had brunch at a quirky Mt Eden cafe called Circus Circus (all decked out like, you guessed it, a circus). My burger was superb (mind you, most food is tasting great to me at the moment).

The route out of Auckland took me through Manukau where the airport is and I saw many planes landing over my head. When the route passed the Totara Park mountain bike park, I couldn't help myself to try out some of the trails. The map showed that if I joined two of the mountain bike trails, it would take me to the same place my gravel road was going. To me it seemed a no-brainer, with fun mtb tracks being the winning choice over a boring gravel road. But alas, after descending the first of these tracks I discovered the second track was designated as a one way track. Sods law it was marked no entry for the way I wanted to take it. So back up the first track I went, wishing I'd just focused on the main task at hand... making more progress in riding to Wellington!

My route turned east towards the Firth of Thames, which put the wind at my back and I made good time after all the navigational issues were behind me! 

When I reached Kawakawa Bay I was heading straight to the icecream shop when who should appear - Trish again! She'd decided to go for an afternoon ride to meet up with me again (her bike has a 300cc motor). The timing was perfect. In the end she had the icecream and instead I had a pie and thickshake. I'm so indecisive about food - it all seems so good! We sat on the beach gazing out towards Waiheke Island and putting off the inevitable remounting of our steeds! 

Only a decent hill climb and a brief thunderstorm stood between me and camp at Orere Point.

TA Day 3: Don't miss the Kaipara Harbour ferry!

TA day 03 - Don't miss the Kaipara Harbour ferry from Robert and Marianne on Vimeo.


I was up with the dawn chorus of birdsong this morning because I had a ferry to catch! In between times there was just a mere matter of riding 110km to reach the ferry "terminal".

A mostly downhill journey into Dargaville was the fruit of my climbing labour at the end of yesterday. Then a very civilised Saturday morning brunch of eggs and bacon set me up for the afternoon ride to Pouto Point. 

Heavy rain forecast for the early afternoon never materialised, but instead it was jacket on, jacket off, jacket on... as showers came and went. On the way I passed what must be the world's smallest church!

 

At Pouto Point, waiting for the ferry, I had a very pleasant surprise as I rediscovered the chocolate brownie that I'd bought takeaway at brunch (and then forgot about).

Then a 3 hour ferry crossing of the Kaipara Harbour brought me near to Helensville, and time to rest my weary head. The boat load of bikes is impressive (but the BO of a boatload of sweaty bodies is not)!

I'll be crossing the metropolis of Auckland tomorrow... I'm glad it'll be a Sunday. And I'm super looking forward to brunch with Trish and Stephen!

TA Day 2: Hokianga Harbour and the Waipoua Forest

TA day 02 - Off to see Tane Mahuta from Robert and Marianne on Vimeo.

Today was a very undulating journey south from Ninety Mile Beach, across the Hokianga Harbour on a ferry and then through the Waipoua Forest.

A long day; at 143 km it's by far the furthest I've ever ridden in a day! I arrived at camp after dark. I did have a late start though, waiting for my day 1 video to upload before I could start. Sigh - technology!

A highlight of the day was Tane Mahuta, a gigantic kauri tree thought to be over 1200 years old. 

   

And then descending a big hill through the Waipoua Forest with kauri towering overhead in gorgeous end-of-day light, and with no other cars on the road was amazing. I even got to see the sun sinking into the Taman sea as I rode along a high ridge.

The other highlight of the day was meeting other travellers and locals. Opinini was full of friendly folk visiting the best takeaway in town as I devoured a burger and icecream. The town of Waimamaku was gearing up for their annual Wild West Festival tomorrow. They even have a shoot up in the street! (Glad I passed through today rather than tomorrow!). Another small community I passed at 8pm was packing up for the day a stall of wholesome vegetarian food they are setting up daily to cater for the TA riders. And when I arrived at camp some other campers brought over a couple of sausages in buns. So kind! And of course they all want to know what on earth I'm doing (which I asked myself a few times today).

For those interested (you know who you are), the pie count is at 1, and no flats yet.

I am having some technology issues at the moment due to my power bank dying. I'll be looking for a replacement in Dargaville tomorrow. I NEED power for navigation, photos, planning ahead and doing these blogs! It's nearly as important as my bike and body working!

The adventure begins... Day 1 of Tour Aotearoa

And we're off!
Here is a video blog from the first day of riding on the tour.

Training in Tasmania...

It's the final countdown!

Having spent an awesome 4 weeks in Tassie, catching up with family and friends, and doing some great training rides, we're now back home pedalling some of our favourite routes. Only this time we're loaded up with all our bike packing gear. The packing of the bike gear seems to take us as long as the training ride itself! Tent, sleeping mat, stove, clothes, some food, electrolytes, snacks, first aid kit for ourselves as well as for our bike - the list goes on... and yet we're trying to stay under 12kilo!! 🙄

In Tassie we had some great rides, combined with a little cross training of tramps/bush-walks in the Pelion Plains to climb Mt Ossa (Tasmania's highest mountain), and the Walls of Jerusalem.
We rode to the family shack in Orford on the East Coast, around South Arm, south of Hobart from beaches to foothills, on lots of tracks in the Derby mountain bike mecca of the North East, and up kunanyi/Mt Wellington. Check out some of the holiday snaps below...

Wow! Riding 3000km in 30 days sounds like mission impossible. We've never ridden more than 100km in a day before yet will have to back it up day after day for up to 30 days!

But we're not foolhardy (or are we?). We've been training hard through 2019. Our training goal has been simple - ride more kilometres each month than the one before.

We are truly blessed in Wellington to have some great options for long rides that mostly avoid nasty encounters with traffic. Some of our favourites are:

• Riding "around the bays" of Wellington's south coast
• A lap around Mt Kaukau into the very remote feeling Ohariu Valley and Makara
• Up and down the Hutt River valley, which has bike paths on both sides of the river for much of it's length
• Around the harbour to the lighthouses at the entrance to Wellington Harbour, and then back home via Wainuiomata
• Following cycle trails north from Tawa to Peka Peka
• The Remutaka Trail loop (a multi-day adventure)

Here is a map of some of the delightful (and not so delightful) riding routes we've discovered this year.