Category Archives: around home

around home, bikepacking, bikes, GPS, NZ

NITT 9 – Tiniroto to Napier

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Gone by six, unusually there was a little rain – cool on the descent from Tiniroto, and pleasantly so on the following climb. Now on the home straight and with only two percent of the day’s route roads new to my bike, the 180 km back to my front door turned into a bit of a celebration of the week’s most excellent trip.

Celebrations started in style with the best meal of the week (copious numbers of mushrooms in there) – East End Cafe in Wairoa is exceptional. What a find (thanks Keiko) for breakfast, and so close to home.

Out of Wairoa on the highway, I was a little disappointed to have to, poorly, sing “Goodbye Cricklewood Road” as I passed one of my favourite gravel roads (I’d be back three weeks later). Sunday morning, the highway was quiet and with only a day’s riding left and all batteries fully charged, music from my phone was a regular accompaniment of the day. The four kilometres of Mohaka Coach Rd down to the township were new – and provided the first blackberry stop of the day.

And views across to the cliffs towards the Waikare mouth.

And across the lower reaches of the Mohaka, towards hills that get more and more familiar.

Climbing Mohaka Coach Road towards Kotemaori, I found it may ride just as well as it does down towards the coast. That is to say, it was a very pleasant Sunday midday ride with absolutely no traffic. Back on the highway, traffic had increased – but it was mostly of the boat towing and carrying surfboards variety as a long weekend ended.

As the afternoon warmed, it was time for a spell at my most-frequented country store. How many pies, milkshakes and ice creams I’ve consumed at the Tutira store? I’d not like to hazard a guess. Off the highway, the roads just got more familiar. Another prolonged blackberry stop eventually had to be cut short or I’d never make it home.

A kind wind pushed me up Darkys Spur and onto Waipunga Road – where it was time for another stop. This time dropping in to congratulate newlyweds (a workmate) and hear how the wedding on the farm went; there may have also been giant cookies and other refreshments. Waipunga was riding far better than it was on HBAT, so that was pleasing.

Home, just over there! With a bit of over-zoom.

In no time I was back on my bike-commute route, savouring a very successful week of riding, seeing much of the central North Island, great company and food, fine weather, averaging over two hundred kilometres per day on mostly hilly terrain (with little riding at night when the views aren’t so good). Most importantly I found I could ride such distances day after day and thoroughly enjoy it – fantastic; the weather may have helped a lot there. Thanks for following along.

Pretending that the commute-route is new to me.

around home, bikepacking, bikes, GPS, NZ

NITT 1 – Napier to Mataroa via Gentle Annie and Taihape

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Inspired by, but ultimately unable to ride the Kopiko Aotearoa at the end of February (a 1100 km bikepacking event between Cape Egmont and East Cape with about a hundred people riding each way), I hatched my own little plan to steal away and ride a more direct route that had far more sections I was unfamiliar with (thanks for the route, Pete). This shorter route meant that I, optimistically, had enough time to ride from home across the North Island to Cape Egmont, meet Pete and ride to East Cape with him, before riding home solo. So with a week off work I set off to traverse the North Island twice and then back to Napier – the NITT was born.

The first day was expected to be the toughest – the notoriously hilly route from Napier to Taihape. It’s all sealed, but I’d found a gravel alternate to make the last third to Taihape new and more interesting – not to mention slower. Similar to the start of last year’s Easter Escapade, I was confident I’d get this big day done and therefore meet Pete as planned on Monday evening.

Early morning, I also worked in a roadies’ favourite that I’d not ridden before.

Gradually I climbed above the Ngaruroro and headed to join Napier-Taihape Rd.

After sixty-five kilometres the climbing began in earnest as the sun really started to beat down, there was a gentle westerly which cooled things a little. With no resupply until Taihape, I was well loaded with food and being particularly careful not to succumb yet again to some level of heat stroke. One big climb and descent done, I figured I had the time and need for a break off route at Kuripapango.

It certainly was tranquil back down at the Ngaruroro.

Refreshingly cool water, I soaked my legs for some time before climbing back up to the road.

The Gentle Annie climb to the highest point of the day done by early afternoon, it was again clear enough to see Ruapehu – in fact, the mountain would keep popping into view rather pleasingly throughout the afternoon. Then, my turn-off to the unknown. I’d not found any intel of people biking this road, just one report online of a motorbike ride through – at least I knew the road went.

I was about to drop a lot of height – but the sealed road does that too.

It was a big descent, as expected – but very corrugated, it wasn’t exactly fast. Treating some water from a stream, I then happened across a big sheep station complex of buildings – there is a convenient tap on the outside of the Otupae Station office.

Alongside the Mangaohane Stream, things flattened nicely.

I enjoyed this 150 m climb.

The descent to and then climb away from the Rangitikei is far gentler than on the main road and really quite nice.

Thirty kilometres of gravel over, I was pleased to find a school and more water at Pukeokahu. The hills got smaller and much more shaded for the eighty minutes remaining to Taihape; I started to salivate thinking of a large steak dinner.

After such a clear day, over here I was surprised that there was a fair bit of smoke sitting around having drifted again over the Tasman.

Into town after twelve hours in the sun and plenty of hills, my search of the main street for a decent feed was fruitless. I filled up on an ordinary burger and good chocolate milkshake, resupplied for the next section to Ohakune and rode north out of town. Whereupon, I promptly found a recently opened steakhouse. I couldn’t go past that, so quickly settled in for second dinner. Such friendly service, it was disappointing I couldn’t fit much of the steak in – but I did leave holding a box full of steak cut into small pieces (someone wasn’t carrying a knife) for ten leisurely kilometres to Mataroa, where I figured I’d bivy at the school for the night.

Suddenly, Ruapehu again.

A last little climb and descent, I found the school and settled in for the night – taking care to protect my takeout from the school cat. According to the chart on the window, it hadn’t been fed for a week – I found the biscuits, fed it and marked the chart; my breakfast was safe, I thought.

In my bivy bag to avoid the mosquitos, it was warm – but I tried to sleep satisfied with the first day going to plan. Plenty of hills, some new roads, all day in the sun and heat with no heat stroke and much more exploring to look forward to the following days.

around home, bikepacking, bikes, GPS, NZ

HBOP 3 – Whirinaki to Matahorua

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At lower elevation, sleeping in the proffered gazebo was far warmer than the previous night. Rampant mosquitoes were a drawback; eventually I succumbed and crawled inside my bivy bag. Neither of us got much sleep that night, with Pete being a little ill to add to the sleep-robbery of whining bugs. Astoundingly, two different people in our generous hosting party added a little extra to their respective pans – combining to satisfy even our hunger:

A more leisurely departure, we left around half-seven facing a similar distance day to that which took us to Whirinaki – a little less climbing, no singletrack and more sealed roads should see us finish earlier. First up, fifty-five kilometres of deserted forestry roads. The climbing began straight away to warm us up. Having driven through this easement through privately owned forest, I remembered more plantation – but was pleasantly surprised at how much native forest there was to cycle through.

The rain looked like it was just over the provincial border, so it was some time before we found it. As we climbed through five hundred metres of elevation, Pete was feeling the effects of a restless night – I had plenty of stops before it was suggested I ride on ahead.

Getting on towards noon, with a much better appreciation of the lay of the land I’ve now driven through four times, I was taken aback to see a pick-up just before exiting the forest. The first of the paper roads that I hoped would cut out kilometres of highway was a big jumble of locked gates, signs promising video surveillance, tracks that didn’t follow the legal corridor and six groups of beehives protecting the route that looked most likely. Not overly comfortable with that, I climbed up the old highway to join the traffic on the current one. We were later told that the current owners of the land are rather protective of their crop, of questionable legality, so I’m glad I didn’t find that out for myself.

Mixing it with the roaring traffic down a long hill in stinging rain was over soon enough, and I was through the Waipunga River gorge and stopping at the only store of the day – Tarawera Cafe is a busy little spot, with a fantastic display of local history and plenty of food. I enjoyed refuelling as I watched the constant rotation of squally showers blowing through and the sun reemerging; Pete arrived as I was finishing up, so I lingered a while longer. It promptly poured down, jacket on and a bit more highway until the next paper road. This one went through – I climbed a steady ten percent for half an hour, the jacket not lasting long as the afternoon warmed and the views opened out. Once more, my appreciation of the connectedness of many hills and valleys I’ve only previously glimpsed improved.

Northern Kawekas obscured – but the plateau in the centre is where Steve & I ended up on the Sunday morning of the last hot springs trip.

A little gentle ridge riding led to a big fast downhill, mostly on highway, to cross the Mohaka again before a short grovel up off the main road onto Waitara Rd. Past Glenfalls campground the seal ends and once again there was no traffic to speak of; but the rollers, oh the rollers. Every climb seemed to be followed immediately by an almost-equally large descent. A couple of sprinkles of rain came in on the now helpful wind.

I still haven’t done the Bell Rock hike, but I knew we had to climb to about the height of that ridge before the last long descent.

With just thirty kilometres to go, I promised myself a stop at five hundred metres elevation to eat most of my remaining food and enjoy the scenery before putting on some music and enjoying the remainder of the climb. The steepness soon abated and it really was most pleasant to ride up a road I’d only ever ridden down before.

At the junction with Pohokura Rd a little sun broke through to throw dappled light on yet another section of road to explore.

Most of the way up, one could look northwest over to hills we’d recently been riding through and around.

Clagged in again, but there was no rain on the long descent.

In fact, there was some evening light as favourite views of Darkys Spur and surrounds came back.

Looking west from Matahorua Rd, almost there…

Ten kilometres of seal, some more rollers – kinder this time – and one last little climb later, I was rolling back to the car. It may have taken five months from conception to get to ride my little HBOP loop – but well worth the wait. What a fine and full weekend – fifty hours, 380 km and about 8500 m of climbing. But numbers alone hardly tell the story of all the deserted backroads, greenery and hills everywhere, great people and pleasant mid-summer riding weather (i.e. I didn’t cook). Bike in the car, I popped in to meet Graham and Sue – plied with cups of tea and slices of cake, conversation of bike adventures past and future, history of the local area and potentially arranging access to private land flowed. I could have stayed far longer; but Pete was still out there and there was the small matter of driving home, eating a lot and getting to work in the morning – so off I went suitably exhausted, but fizzing for the ride completed and more rides to come.

around home, bikepacking, bikes, GPS, national park, NZ

HBOP 2 – Waihi Rd to Whirinaki via Moerangi Track

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A brisk morning greeted us, thankfully there were some rollers to warm us up a tad before dropping down to cross the Waikaretakehe and head towards the lake. Clouding over as we reached Piripaua power station – the lower of three in the scheme. Surprised again to show Pete a new road, we got off the main road and climbed gravel up to the quaint dam town of Tuai.

Across Lake Whakamarino to the Tuai power station.

Remembering my first ride through here, I was sure we could avoid the sealed section of Lake Rd and ascend beside the penstocks.

Over twenty percent, it wasn’t the easy option – but it was quiet.

It flattened out ever so slightly.

Finding the upper power station, Kaitawa, I figured we’d done enough pushing – heading for the main road it was for the last climbing up to Lake Waikaremoana. The precipitation ranged from mist to mizzle to drizzle, we arrived at the average store well in time for mid-morning pies – even if we had to microwave them ourselves. Still a little surprised to be riding mid Hawke’s Bay summer in rain and 10ÂșC, we were making good time and should make it to cafe at Ruatahuna before the two o’clock closure.

The moisture did at least damp the dust on the long stretch of gravel – and keep the traffic volumes low. It really was quite pleasant, even if we didn’t see quite as much as usual – the sights were different.

Across Whanganui Inlet

Leaving the lake and heading north.

I wouldn’t have been too surprised if that sign proved correct.

A longer climb took us up to the watershed and deposited us in the other Bay – the Bay of my childhood, Bay of Plenty. As we hoped, dropping quickly we soon left the clouds behind and found some warmth – and an open cafe. The menu was a bit restricted due to illness, but the frybread fish burger went down very easily – along with a pot of tea.

Is that the fish or the frybread?

Heading for the Moerangi Track and perhaps a night in a backcountry hut, we stocked up a little at the store before a pleasant stretch alongside the upper Whakatane River. I do so enjoy riding this area and each time piecing a little bit more of the geography together in my mind. Disavowing some poor lost young fullas that they were on the way to Whakatane, they soon turned and passed us again. Another climb and descent over, we headed up Okahu Rd towards the trailhead. The sudden increase in gradient at the end of the road was not as long as I remembered and by three-thirty we were heading into thirty-five kilometres of Grade 4 singletrack. I was hopeful we’d get out by dark, but a lot would depend on trail condition.

Ever so slightly more rugged gravel road riding.

Not quite looking up in time…

At the top of the first climb, back in Hawke’s Bay and admiring the ferns.

A nice section led us over ever-skinnier bridges, some rideable, some not, and down to Skips Hut.

Where it promptly began to rain again.

Up and over another couple of ridges, it was nice to be out in the late afternoon sun at Roger’s Hut.

Pete emerging from the mature native forest.

The next section to Moerangi Hut climbed steadily, a bit more technical, most was rideable but at times it made more sense to push one’s bike a little. Another break in the sun, snacking, at the hut was called for before the concerted spin and push to the high point of the track. Enjoyable as the long, bumpy descent is – maybe one day I’ll do it on an unloaded full-suspension bike. Occasional breaks in the forest cover gave glimpses of more bush and forest stretching to distant landmarks as the light faded. Just lovely.

At the far trail end by eight o’clock, three and a half hours of riding time with a loaded bike seemed quite reasonable. I was hoping whoever was at the Recreation Camp ten kilometres down a gravel road would take kindly to two smelly bikepackers invading and requesting a small patch of the giant lawn to camp on. The group of five families were lovely and plied us with tea, marshmallows to toast on the fire and a gazebo to sleep in – all we had to offer were, astonishing to them, tales of our day’s ride.

What a day it was too – not an easy day by any stretch (there were a few hills), but with plenty to see and some good breaks in the weather most enjoyable to be out exploring.