Category Archives: roadtrip

Migration south for summer

Car loaded with the rest of my possessions that weren’t on a truck somewhere , I had a vague plan of seeing plenty of friends and family on the way south over a few weeks – with hopefully some time outdoors. Apart from that, I just had to make sure I was in Otago for an early family Christmas; not missing too many weekly venesections would be good too.

Mostly successful, I had an enjoyable couple of weeks catching up with many, seeing new places and some memorable meals – even if the weather didn’t always play nice. Patches of sun were few and far between in Wellington, but it was still easy enough to walk around exploring the city when I couldn’t summon the energy to get out riding or running.

Riding around the bays east of the city was a pleasant, if blowy, afternoon.

Some inadvertent hike-a-bike to get here.

Evening run up Mt Vic.

Actually got warm on this big walk – but perhaps because I was dressed for the previous weather, which I don’t have photos of.

I did get a cracking day for a delayed sailing across Cook Strait, and then had a lovely quiet drive down to Hokitika – where I caught up with the rain, three fairly solid days of it. But there was still plenty of biking, walking and jogging in the bush to be done. Only having ridden the West Coast Wilderness Trail way back in 2016 on Tour Aotearoa, and getting thoroughly soaked – I had been hoping to see it on a drier day. Alas, that will have to wait for another time – water being our constant companion for a fun afternoon ride on part of the trail.

Some shelter for a late lunch.

The following day proved even wetter, but out in the rain for a Mahinapua jog proved quite pleasant.

Sunday we managed a couple of hours walking through dense, lush and unsurprisingly green bush before the heavens broke for the last ten minutes or so. Weekend over and the weather did improve – I was pleased to be able to wait it out, as I was able on last year’s West Coast trip. Unusually windy, I was told, it was mercifully dry as we got up on the tops of the Kelly Range.

Towards Otira.

Plenty of Mt Cook lilies out.

Yup, blowing a gale up here.

Down the Taramakau valley to the Tasman.

I enjoyed getting up a bit higher and gaining more of an idea of the lay of some of the land.

Conveniently skipping the first afternoon and the big hike-a-bike section of Nina’s Tour Te Waipounamu training ride, I joined at Blackball for a cruisy and pleasant overnighter. It only rained for the first couple of hours, which was far better than expected on the wet drive north.

Some deserted forestry roads gave few views, save this one.

A strange collection of long-abandoned short lengths of wood.

Across Lake Brunner from Moana – tasty late-lunch stop.

The afternoon’s gravel riding, particularly around Bell Hill, was excellent – as was the easy ride down the valley to lovely Nelson Creek.

With route options aplenty but no firm decisions, I may have (foolishly?) mentioned I like a bit of creek riding – as per Waiuta-Big River. Access through a farm arranged, with handy pointers, we were off for Napoleon Hill.

Through the farm, heading for the beech forest.

A four-wheel drive track provided a suitable, but surmountable, challenge on loaded bikes before it plateaued across the top with plenty of big puddles – thankfully firm bases.

The descent to Nobles Creek got a lot chunkier, I had much fun bouncing down it.

Before long the track was the creek bed and it was excellent – the highlight of the trip for me. I was pleased that it was basically all rideable (the odd dab as rocks proved adept at enforcing sudden changes of direction) and, despite riding down a creek for kilometres, my feet stayed relatively dry until its volume had swollen somewhat when it joined the next creek.

The first of three tunnels – thankfully there was a bypass.

This one far more conducive to riding through.

Finding our way out through more farmland, we were soon whizzing down to the Grey Valley again before lunch in Ikamatua and the last section of seal south towards Blackball. Looking across the valley we could spot the hill we’d just climbed – the bicorne shape obvious. At Atarau we turned north and climbed to Anderson’s Flat – where, after another lovely section through native forest, we were pleased to see Nina’s truck where she’d left it. Much fun on that wee overnighter and it was interesting to take the longer route back to drive through some of the area we’d just ridden and see it from a different perspective.

Thursday and my time on the Coast drew to an end with one last run around the Kaniere Water Race (fascinating following it through the bush) and a tasty Hokitika Sandwich – reputation deserved. With little (/no) tourist traffic around, I’d decided it was a good time to drive down the coast (also first visit since that wet section on TA16) and stay a couple of nights near Wanaka – more people to visit and biking to be done.

I had a few stops on the way down to go for short walks, well worth breaking the drive up.

In Hawea in good time that evening, I was promptly lent a bike and was out exploring some rather hidden, and more technical than I’m currently used to, trails. Over-preparing perhaps for Friday at the relatively new MTB park at Glendhu.

Climbing to the high point over an hour, I enjoyed passing and staying ahead of e-bikes – but was beginning to wonder if the entry fee was worth it for what is still a developing trail network. Admittedly, the views alone were almost worth it.

No sooner had I pointed my bike downhill, I found fast, flowy trails – so, much, fun! I particularly enjoyed one with a few more natural, rock features. After a couple of hours, I headed down to the base for lunch and a nap on a shaded beanbag as the day warmed and the wind increased. Recharged a little, I was able to get back up the hill for more fun. Excellent – can’t wait to get back there with some riding buddies.

Having timed the Glendhu riding well, Saturday was fairly bleak – perfect for many more catch-ups and excessive amounts of food. In the end, it was only two weeks of much visiting and fun outside before I made it down to family. Great to make it and see them after six months filled with all sorts of changes! Thankfully I was able to book a venesection soon after, as the iron overload fatigue seems to be returning – although, who can really say what other factors may be at play?

Taranaki Trip

A trip for work for a one-day workshop on the other side of the North Island evolved into a little road-trip due to the places we planned to stop on the route. I say a little road-trip as it was only nine-hundred-odd kilometres over three days. That doesn’t really give a picture of how difficult and slow the driving was in places as we took in four significantly windy and steep roads: the Gentle Annie (Napier to Taihape), the Paraparas (Raetihi to Whanganui), the Forgotten Highway (Stratford to Taumaranui) and the Napier-Taupo highway. I’d think a case could be made for those being among the most tortuous long roads in the North Island – each crossing some very hilly and rugged country.

Somehow I ended driving all those, which was fine but tiring. I was exciting to be driving the Gentle Annie for the first time I remember – I know this rough road was mentioned every so often when I was young, but I have no recollection of having traveled it. Mostly I was interested to see it firsthand as I think bikepacking it one summer will be great as it opens so much more country to explore. It’s no longer a gravel road, but with hilliness of the road is well-known and spoken of in hushed tones if bicycles are part of the same conversation. It was stunning country and I look forward to exploring it more slowly by bike.

I relived a very small part of my Tour Aotearoa driving into Whanganui for lunch before distant memories of university summer holiday work flooded back as we went through South Taranaki. Work things done for the day, there was just enough time to pull bikes out of the car ride the famed Coastal Path in New Plymouth before dark. It was all very pleasant and nice to be out in the fresh sea air after a day mostly in the car.

So many choices; I want to know if Colin’s cat is still in the same place.

Fortunately we had some dim lights to do a bit of urban mountain-biking through a couple of reserves and parks as night fell. That could even be the first time I’ve been to Pukekura Park, shocking.

The WorkSafe workshop proved useful – but Taranaki sure was a long way to go for it. But it did enable a plan to be hatched for the drive home in what was now the weekend. That plan took us through the twisty Forgotten World Highway into another extremely hilly area. Thankfully we made the Whangamomona Hotel just before nightfall as it meant we could take in the spectacular views across this remote area. That there is even a road, let alone a rail line, through here beggars belief. Some of the rail tunnels are over a kilometre long – which is very unusual for NZ.

Much to our surprise, the Whangamomona Hotel – seemingly in the middle of nothing but a lot of hills – was absolutely packed. Just as well we’d booked rooms; a birthday party had really swelled the crowd, I’m unsure if the group on a collection of classic motorbikes was separate or not. We enjoyed the history of the place as we waited for dinner – the kitchen was understandably very busy. The history is rather quirky – not just because it’s in the backblocks and has a proud pioneering & frontier history, but also because the town seceded from NZ in 1989 and declared itself a republic when they were unhappy with new regional council boundaries.

I had a bit of time to wander the town before we left Saturday morning for the rest of the adventure – it didn’t take long.

A little family road-trip to the start

When I first hatched this plan to ride the inaugural Tour Aotearoa, Dad immediately volunteered to drive me to the start at the very top of the country. Not only that, he also offered to pick me up at the end – should I get there. This was a tremendous help as it took a lot of the planning out from the get-go.

It just so happened that I went and moved far away from my parents – all the way to Napier in the North Island. Nonplussed, Mum & Dad flew north and turned up at my house a few days before we set off on a good Pheasant roadtrip to far-flung parts of the country – wasn’t quite like childhood, as I had a bike next to me in the car not a sister.

We took it pretty easy heading north – as I was in Wave Two of the starters, I didn’t have to line up until Tuesday. So we spent three days making our way the seven-hundred-odd kilometres north visiting family and friends along the way. The highlight was definitely the visit to Matakohe – a place we’ve been many times before. Where the Pheasants settled way back when, there is a little bit of family stuff in the comprehensive and very well-done Kauri Museum. But this time I’d arranged a visit to a much smaller historic building.

Fortunately, David & Sherry were going to be in their small house the weekend we were traveling north. It just so happens that they had rescued their house forty years ago from its fate as a hay barn and faithfully restored it. This house was the house of my great-grandfather at the turn of the previous century and was where my grandfather and his siblings grew up, until the family moved south to Auckland for better educational opportunities. I was thrilled to be able to arrange the visit as Dad had never been inside the house, only looked in the windows.

It was a special visit discussing family history, how my great-aunt helped with the restoration details thanks to an extremely detailed memory, talking of the restoration in general, looking around the house in detail and roaming the grounds trying to imagine what it was like growing up on the edge of the Kaipara Harbour over a hundred years ago. Thanks to David & Sherry for having us – & doing such a thorough and incredible job of saving a bit, probably the biggest bit, of Pheasant family history around. Dad & I managed a walk down to where the wharf used to be – boats from here would have been the main connection with Auckland (boat to Helensville, then train to Auckland).

Leaving Matakohe, thoughts begin to turn more to just what I was about to embark on. This was probably brought on by driving north through, & stopping to buy riding food in, Dargaville – I could see some of the terrain I’d be riding through, up & over in but a few days’ time. At our accommodation in Kaitaia, the bike was pulled from the car and the final pack for 3000 km of adventure was completed with no drama. Ride time!

West Coast Week

Probably coming close to doubling the amount of time I’ve spent on the West Coast ever, it was a great week exploring various parts of the area previously unseen by me. Unfortunately Adele had to work for most of our stay – that after all being the whole reason she is there – but at least there was a long weekend in there to enjoy together. Activities were varied for the week, hopefully James enjoyed having a few extra people around during the working week – at least, he was pretty easy to persuade to go mountain-biking with.

First up we headed up to the Denniston Plateau, an old coal mining area just north east of Westport. Considering its proximity to town it was remarkably remote – helped by the very steep hill we had to drive up to get onto the plateau. We timed our ride well and didn’t get wet at all as we explored a loop, recommended by the local bike shop, taking in part of the trail network up there. It was a great fun loop with a variety of trail surfaces that seemed to change in an instant. From bog standard gravel road, to smooth almost-slickrock double track to quite rocky singletrack. Well worth the drive up and with a few decent little pinch climbs to keep us honest.

At times the trail got rocky, narrow and steep.

I’ve not seen such an interesting sign-in hut before – this for the coal mine just down the road.

Back near the car, I couldn’t resist poking around some of the old mine buildings long since abandoned. These, below, near the powerhouse and changehouse. A little bit down the hill we found the main historic displays detailing working in the various mines and life in such a wet and isolated place as the company town must have been. We also happened across Mum & Dad out exploring a bit; unfortunately the cloud and rain really rolled in, so I abandoned a scheme to ride down the closed bridle track to sea-level.

The next day’s ride was a stunner on the Old Ghost Road – which is not quite completed; even so, there’s more than enough there for its own post.

The warm sunny weather persisted, much to our surprise and pleasure (the West Coast is notorious for its rainfall), into Friday. With a day off the bikes, James & Dad headed out for a round of golf while Mum & I took the drive south to Cape Foulwind. It was a much better visit that the one twenty years previous – where both of us were completely overcome with hayfever and remember little else. The beach and coast was looking fantastic and we spent some time watching the seals basking in the sunshine or playing in various rocky pools.

Spot the seals and rocks.

Friday evening walk on the beach and sundowners.

Saturday the weather turned somewhat, but we were keen for a day out to Reefton. Somehow we got our three mountain bikes on and in the Vitara and the five of us piled in for the hour drive south-east. Bikes assembled, we rode from town to do the Murray Creek Circuit that had been given four stars in the most recent edition of the NZ MTBing bible – which interestingly uses a scale of zero to four. We would have liked to do a bigger ride, but didn’t want to keep Mum & Dad waiting too long.

Leaving the highway after a couple of kilometres, it was a steady climb through beautiful native forest beside the creek passing various mining relics and even an old town site – Cementown, one of the more boring names for a town possible. It got a bit muggy at times as we were surrounded by all the trees keeping the moisture in. For most of the climb we followed an old road from gold-mining days that was still a good wide and even surface.

Opting for the singletrack route, we continued climbing as we turned left at Waitahu Junction back towards town. It was a rare point when the thick canopy of trees opened enough to look down on the view below – this down to the Waitahu River:

The track narrowed and soon it became apparent we were on some new singletrack. Around the time we were passing the last gold mines (well the head of the shafts – a look at a plan on a signboard showed that the hill was riddled with various mines off two deep vertical shafts) the trail became really quite good. There wasn’t a lot of overall altitude gain or loss for a while and trail was lush – there was one point where they’d worked really hard to put some tight switchbacks in, much too steep and compact for me to climb. With littles bits where one still had to work hard to crest a rise, it was a good mixture with the flowing singletrack. I was disappointed when the trail became gravel closer to town – even if it was still fun.

Reefton looking pretty much as it is – small and surrounded by hills and native forest.

Back in town to savour a fun little ride and eat lunch, we loaded up again and headed out to Waiuta. I’d never heard of Waiuta until the Kiwi Brevet earlier in the year and was then disappointed I didn’t have time to stop as I rode past and into my favourite part of the entire brevet course – the Big River Trail. Once a company town for yet another gold mine, this one lasting about fifty years; Waiuta went into decline in the fifties after the mine closed. I thought the rest of the family would enjoy going up to this remote corner of the country and enjoy poking around what is left. I think I was right, even if it made for a long day by the time we got back to Westport.

Sunday the weather proper rolled in and was quite wild. But that didn’t put us off driving south along the coast to harvest large mussels (Adele & James had been talking of them for a while) off the rocks at low-tide. Unfortunately, with the stormy weather the tide wasn’t quite as low as it might have been on a calm day – but how wet we got was worth it for this rather large pan filled with fresh mussels, white wine, butter and garlic. It’s even better considering Adele doesn’t like mussels, so there were more for the rest of us.

The Charming Creek ride/walk was reported as being beautiful by Adele & James – following an old river-side railway through tunnels, over swing bridges, beside huge native trees and past, once again, old mining equipment. I decided to ride, naturally, while Mum, Dad & Adele walked on the public holiday Monday. While happy to walk and ride in the rain, we didn’t factor in the cumulative rainfall over the previous day or so.

The river was absolutely raging and the trail wet under wheel (so much so, that I put my over-trousers on to keep the spray from my wheels away). All that wasn’t much of a problem, but the number of waterfalls seen became an issue when I emerged from a tunnel to find a torrent of water dumping right on to the trail. I pondered awhile – it didn’t take long to see that I’d be absolutely soaked trying to pass under it or, worse, swept into the river. Not keen on either outcome, it was disappointing but prudent to turn around after only two and a half kilometres. That trail will have to keep for another visit.

That was about our stay in Westport – most enjoyable, there’s so much to do and still left to explore. One just needs to be able to time outdoor activities with the famed rain to make the most of it. Tuesday Mum, Dad & I left for home down the West Coast. It sure is a long, & at times slow, drive to Haast. It’s definitely just short of twenty years since I’ve been down that way, so we stopped to look at some of the more famous sights – the Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki and a brief glance at Fox Glacier.

It’s a long time since I’ve seen so much flax in one spot.

The wild West Coast – a whole lot less wild than the previous two days.

There definitely isn’t a lot to do in Haast Township of a cold, dark evening – but that didn’t matter as we were exhausted from the slow and winding drive. The whitebait was excellent.

Following day we set off for home to complete our little road-trip.

Over Haast Pass and away from the West Coast, the rain was gone and the sun was out.

Not a bad spot for lunch, near Bannockburn.