The first half of my year centred around building my garage with Don (brother-in-law’s father). An extremely satisfying and fun project with much problem solving and progress, unsure how I’d have managed it without Don’s help.
Garage building was done around a couple of trips to Napier for some work in the sawmill, experiencing being an extra on a TV series that was being filmed nearby, continuing to volunteer on the local ambulance and finally visiting Stewart Island for a three-generation family holiday.
Fascinating to see behind the scenes, the effort and resource going in seemed somewhat unreal.
Clean shaven for a change, on the off chance you see this mug on the small screen pretending to do some carpentry.
Fortunate to stay in a place owned by friends, surrounded by native trees.
Lots of time around the water, mostly walking, some running and James caught plenty of fish to keep us well fed.
Hiking and camping with my nephews also a highlight.
Besides mountain-biking in the Naseby forest, there wasn’t a lot of New Zealand biking. Some notable rides with friends included local day rides, an overnighter on the Old Woman Range, two trips on the always-fantastic Heaphy Track, and a weekend mountain-biking on the Craigieburn trails.
In June, Mum and I went from Broome to Darwin over two weeks in a campervan. An excellent trip I’ll remember for there being a lot of rocks, trees, birds, spectacular sunsets, crocodiles and heat.
Bit of a shock driving home.
Returning from Australia, there was just enough time to finish lining the garage, move all my belongings from the cottage I’d been renting for three years into the garage and pack for my first bikepacking trip abroad in years – and my longest one. Happily, a long-held desire to visit Japan and it seeming an easy option to get back into some foreign bike touring coincided with bikepacking buddy Rachel’s plan to also tour Japan this year. Visiting Mongolia for a month beforehand wasn’t something I was initially keen on, but I could hardly turn down the chance to go with Rachel and Ian.
We thoroughly enjoyed riding through the big open spaces where one could go and camp almost anywhere. Not without its challenges, we left after a month wanting to return and explore more of the country as the landscapes were beautiful and vast, history interesting, the people very friendly – and the food was better than we’d been led to believe. I’ve not had the energy to document the trip yet, nor do I have many photos of me – thankfully Rachel did a far better job of keeping a record of our travels.
Stopped again by locals driving past in a Toyota Prius, offering local delicacies and support.
(Rachel’s photo.)
Second camel ride for the year.
Japan was also excellent to tour, at the opposite end of many spectrums from Mongolia. Apart from the heat, which took a couple of weeks to ease slightly and get used to, it was far easier going but equally fascinating. We enjoyed the landscapes (particularly visiting many [thirty-four] islands, geothermal areas, mountains, golden rice fields, forests and very clear sea, lakes and rivers). Generally avoiding the cities, the depopulating and decaying rural areas were quite a sight. The food was excellent – my favourites a hot soup curry in Hokkaido and a memorable sashimi meal, but over three months too many excellent ones to remember. Somehow I’ve more snaps, thanks to Rachel and Orlaith, to post here.
Later in the trip, we found many excellent bakeries.
Another day, another convenience store – resupply was seldom an issue.
Occasionally we got off sealed roads and paths – meeting the local spiders and leeches here.
My birthday spent climbing Mt Asahidake, the highest point in Hokkaido, was one of my favourite parts of the trip.
Thankfully the bears we did meet were not as ferocious as these ones.
Again, I’d happily return to see more of Japan – despite having ridden over six thousand circuitous kilometres from north to south, there’s more to see (did I mention the food?). Again, Rachel’s account is far better than the one I may one day get around to.
Back in New Zealand, I enjoyed catching up with friends up north before heading home in time for celebration of a significant birthday of Dad’s – great to see all of his siblings down in Naseby for a busy (and tiring!) long weekend. Unexpectedly, after years of wanting one, an EV that ticked most of many boxes became mine after happening to be going through Christchurch. It’s quite a step up from the venerable Corolla (still going strong) and I’m enjoying the change – and looking forward to it powering my off-grid job site. To end the year, ground was finally broken on my small house project – which will keep me busy for most of next year, and beyond. Quite exciting, but also overwhelming.
Merry Christmas and all the best for the coming year!
Even the locals were looking bedraggled as we set off into the rain.
Not many photos initially as the light rain got heavier and heavier over the main pass of the day.
Pleased to find a tearooms for lunch after one such steep climb, especially as the rain had cleared and it was getting hot.
Typical broad valley with a short, sharp, steep climb out.
Ger camps, of varying sizes, would become a common sight for us – families out for the summer with their animals grazing. We saw signs of some of the forests dying too, never found out why.
A little clamber above the stalls at the top of another rise.
Of course the sun came out; but after we’d showered and warmed up, it did help to dry some things out.
Bigger than my tent. Nice to have after an alarmingly tiring day first up!
Decaying buildings continued to intrigue me.
As do contrastingly colourful ones.
Leaving town, we soon turned off the previous day’s route to cross Egiin Gol – which drains the lake, the water taking over a thousand kilometres to get to Lake Baikal which is only two hundred kilometres away.
One little rise,
before dropping to the lakeside.
Not a bad spot to sleep in a new tent for the first time.
Sign didn’t say we couldn’t go through the imposing, closed gates.
Wildflowers!
Can confirm, it’s a big lake. Russia just beyond the end of it.
Up to the Wishing Monument.
It was surprisingly busy, noisy speedboats bringing people from the more developed western side of the lake.
As uncrowded a snap of the monument I could get.
Afternoon storm starting to get a bit closer.
Back to find where we’d stashed the bikes and try to outrun the storm.
Fairly typical surface in these parts.
Remembering some passing snaps of the holiday camps.
And friendly yaks.
We didn’t have time to go and see the reindeer people up in the mountains near the Siberian border, but some had brought their animals down – but tied up with nothing to do, it was faintly depressing seeing them so.
We returned to the same teahouse for lunch, and managed more conversation than the previous day. I was pleased to try these pockets filled with minced meat of some description – after being denied at dinner two nights before. The salty milky tea became a favourite too.
A lot of vultures hanging out.
Back through fifty degrees north, hundred degrees east.
Trying to outrun another afternoon storm – successfully this time.
A much easier ride back – net descent helps, along with even quieter roads as most people seem have gotten to the summer Naadam festival – that we managed to keep missing by a day or so everywhere we went.
Back at the guesthouse in Murun, we reclaimed our extra gear and set about spreading out and packing for the touring proper after a successful shakedown.
Sunday morning quietness. Warming up by now; especially in the basic interior of a bread loaf trundling along at 80 km/hr.
Out into the expanses.
Some sort of factory, which will always catch my eye.
Sportsground in a small town.
More expanse. Just as well we didn’t get sick of it, a lot more to come.
Pick a path!
(Not a copper mine.)
Wrestling stadium.
Overgrown colourful playgrounds (educational facilities closed for long summer break) always look vaguely menacing to me.
Creepy.
Plenty of the expected big open spaces apparent on approach, we’d find later that the fences were an exception to the norm.
UBN – bigger than I was expecting.
First bicycle sighted?
Our ride to the city.
Three bike boxes fitted in here, thankfully, with a little thought.
Ian keeping an eye on things as we venture into the traffic, note the plush ceiling covering. Unfortunately the suspension was not so.
Big empty highway most of the way into the city.
Few big coal power plants in the city contributing to the notorious air pollution in the winter. At least they also pump hot water around the city.
Should have brought a bigger wallet. About two thousand togrogs to a New Zealand dollar. 
The timing of an official visit from Japan seemed serendipitous.
Wedding party.
Walking back streets through tower blocks looking for a map store.
Annoyingly, the map store was no longer where it was marked on Maps.
Found it eventually – very near to our hostel. Through the language barrier, some paper maps of where we were intending to ride were purchased.