Adventures in Retrospect

Sunday 26th to Friday 31st October I had a lazy week in Wellington. The weather turned nasty on Monday and Tuesday with ferocious wind and rain (even hail). This foul weather was the main reason for accelerating my last few legs of the North Island - I really wanted to avoid riding in the wind and rain if I could avoid it.  And as the hail pinged off the window outside my hotel room I felt vindicated in this decision. I filled the time with chores - email admin, route planning for the South Island, restocking food and laundry.  Rob sent me a shopping list which gave me some purpose and reason to get out to the shops (snacks, gels, gas canister for camping stove, Cliff bars etc.). When the weather improved there was also time for a bit of sightseeing in Wellington.   Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were lovely with blue sky and light winds (but cold).  I dropped my bike in for a service, visited the Wellington Museum and joined a tour of the Beehive & Parliament House.  I also met up...

Sunday 26th October Distance: 46 km Elevation gain:  64 metres From Upper Hutt to Wellington About 3:30hrs elapsed from 9:30am to 1pm Just for a change I slept in today.  No early start because I can't get into my hotel until 2pm and it's a short ride down the Hutt valley to Wellington.  Eventually I left the holiday park at 9:30am and cycled with Alison and Olaf all the way to Wellington…slowly. It was a sunny and very pleasant Sunday so there were plenty of locals (cyclists, walkers, runners and dog walkers) on the Hutt River trail that we were cycling.  It made for a carnival-like experience and I was in a really good mood.  We were going to make it to Wellington today!!!  I was high-fiving kids on bikes and saying 'Gidday' to everyone I passed…stupid Aussie!  But I was happy and with all the crowds out it felt like they came out to see us cycle into Wellington and complete the North Island leg of the TA.   When we stopped for a breakfast coffee and cake at a small c...

Saturday 25th October Distance: 110 km Elevation gain:  866 metres From Masterton (via Martinborough and the Remutaka rail trail) to Upper Hutt About 9:30hrs elapsed from 8:00am to 5:30pm I was up before the alarm but it was a rough night.  The wind continued to blow all night and there was one particular blast that I could hear building in the distance like a freight train before it smashed into my little tent.  Being the first time of packing up the tent this trip there was a bit of inefficiency.  I eventually got going at 8am and grabbed a quick breakfast from the local dairy - banana and iced coffee.  Today's stretch goal was to make it all the way to Wellington.  That would be a big 150km day.  Turns out it was a bit far. The first 50km leg was fast and flat from Masterton to Martinborough.  Until the final 10km when the wind picked up and the trail headed northwest.  The wind is just as strong as yesterday - I think the meteorologists got it wrong when they forecast lighter w...

Friday 24th October Distance: 114 km Elevation gain:  1,200 metres (estimated as problems with GPS tracker) From Palmerston North to Masterton (via Pahiatua and Eketahuna) About 8:30hrs elapsed from 7:30am to 4pm The bed at the Airbnb was awesome.  So soft and comfy while the storm raged outside.  However I still woke before the alarm and got moving.  The original plan was for a 70km day from Palmerston North to Pahiatua and then finish in Eketahuna.  However, last night I decided that I put a stretch goal of making it to Masterton tonight, adding another 40km.  Nothing was locked in because I'd not booked any accommodation. The wind was still blowing - 30km/hr and guests up to 50km/hr - but my route today was mostly southwards and the wind was a Northwesterly so there should be plenty of breeze on my back. The first leg was 33km from Palmerston North to Pahiatua. This was the climbing leg today, up and over the mountain range (300m) that looks down on 'Palmy'.  I made good...

Thursday 23rd October Distance: 70 km Elevation gain: 632 metres From Makoura Lodge to Palmerston North About 5hrs elapsed from 7am to 12pm I was awake before the alarm and peered out the window but everything was still.  Where was all this wind that had been forecast?  Time for a snooze, and maybe a relaxed start for the day.  There was plunger coffee available in the room and it has been some time since I'd enjoyed a lazy breakfast coffee without having to race off.  As I was slowly getting out of bed, the wind started to blow.  It announced itself by shaking the unit with a huge gust. This was the wake up call I needed.  I had a quick shower and gulped down my porridge.  Although after packing and repacking the porridge sachet for the past 20 days, the oats had been ground to flour so it wasn't very appetising.  Just fuel to get me to Palmerston North. And no time for coffee!  After every passing minute the wind seemed to be pickup up speed.  I finally got out the door at 7a...

Wednesday 22nd October Distance: 73 km Elevation gain: 1113 metres From the town of Hunterville to Makoura Lodge About 5:30hrs elapsed from 8am to 1:30pm The Station Hotel in Hunterville is right beside the train line so overnight I was woken a few times by the rumble of a freight train. Otherwise it was a fine place to stay and Brain the owner really goes out of his way to make you feel welcome. There was even Vegemite on the table for breakfast. That's a luxury I've missed for nearly a month now. The ride today was meh. There was 11K of ugly gravel roads. To complicate matters the road was being graded so the grader blade smoothed out the road but it was no longer hard packed. More than once I checked my tyres to see if I had a flat because there was no roll - just bogged down into the loosely smoothed gravel. It was hard going. Then there was the luxury of tarmac roads with a strong NW wind. Provided I was pointing south there was a boost but with the twists and turns to...

Tuesday 21st October Distance: 67 km Elevation gain: 902 metres From the city of Whanganui to the town of Hunterville About 4:30hrs elapsed from 7:30am to 12:00pm I had a relaxing Monday in Wanganui. It was a grand day out. I caught the bus from the caravan park into the city. I enjoyed a cooked breakfast and lunch downtown and then came home and binged Netflix. While I was downtown I covered off a few of the chores - purchasing a new bottle cage and a new pair of safety glasses (to replace the pair I broke earlier in the week). The bike shop where I bought the bottle cage did have some clear riding glasses but I wasn't prepared to spend $110 on a hi-tec pair and settled for a $10 pair from Bunnings just down the road. Today (Tuesday) I woke before the alarm and was eager to get going. There's another weather front due after lunch today and I was hoping to get to Hunterville before the rain.  The first leg was really a warmup. 7K cycle from the caravan park to downtown Whang...

Sunday 19th October Distance: 96 km Elevation gain: 1081 metres From the town of Raetihi, to Pipiriki and then to the city of Whanganui About 6:30hrs elapsed from 8:30am to 3:00pm I said my good-byes to Orla and kids (Jonathan is with the volunteer fire brigade and had to leave early because of an emergency in Raetihi), and headed off into the rain…yes, once more it's raining.  Raetihi is up on a plateau and it was quite cool so I was wearing my rain jacket anyway. The first leg was 27km down off the plateau to Pipiriki, where the jet boats are based and the summer TA riders would get off the jet boats and start cycling.  So this first leg was just part of the winter bypass.  It was mostly downhill and I made good time because it was all on tarmac.  In fact there were no gravel roads at all today which was absolutely lovely.  The gravel roads really slow progress - both going up, and especially going down because it's so loose and rough that you don't dare speed.  Gravel ro...

Saturday 18th October Distance: 63 km Elevation gain: 1211 metres From the Whakahoro campsite to the town of Raetihi About 5hrs riding time, and 6:30hrs elapsed from 8am to 2:30pm Today was another one of those days where I needed to take a detour because during winter the regular TA route is closed.  Once again this involves taking the long (hard) way.  The summer TA route for today would involve a 40km cycle up and down a mountain and then a 32km ride in a speedboat down the Whanganui River. But I'm not here in summer, it's winter and I needed to take the winter bypass route which does not have a speedboat and is 70km longer cycling.  What is not mentioned in the guidebook is the additional climbing that is included in the 70km bypass.  Brutal. The first leg today is common to both summer and winter routes and involves a 17km cycle on the Kaiwhakauka track.  This was the biggest climb I've ever done (according to Strava) and involved cycling up a hiking (tramping) track. ...

Friday 17th October Distance: 93 km Elevation gain: 1419 metres From the town of Taumarunui to the Whakahoro campsite About 5:30hrs riding time, and 6:30hrs elapsed from 10am to 4:30pm Friday was moving day, time to get out of the Lodge and say goodbyes to the Timber Trail.  I managed to put my bike and gear into Orla's big car and we left about 7am.  Luckily the roads were still open. There was talk that an engineer was needed to assess the repair work before we could drive out.  However, we couldn't wait… By 8am I was in Taumarunui and Orla was on her way home to her family.  I originally planned to have a rest  day to decompress in Taumarunui after the drama at the Lodge, but it was early and there was a lovely clear blue sky.  I decided to skip the rest day and ride to my next planned stop at the Whakahoro campsite.  There was shopping for supplies (chocolate) and booking the campsite.  Also a change of clothes in the main street in town, into my riding gear.   I finally go...

Distance: 72 km Elevation gain: 1038 metres From the Timber Trail Lodge (half way along the Timber Trail) to the Ongarue Spiral and back to the Lodge About 5hrs riding time, and 5:30hrs elapsed from 10am to 3:30pm Sit-Rep - Thursday. Everyone in the Lodge is stuck here.   The roads are cut by landslides and the Timber Trail is cut at the Ongarue Spiral (75km mark), where the trail uses bridges and a tunnel to do a complete loop underneath itself. We received word that a rider attempted to cycle in from the end of the Timber Trail (at Ongarue) and reach the Lodge.  They were stopped after just 5km by a landslide at the Ongarue Spiral.   What we don't know is if there are other landslides or blockages between where we are at the Lodge (39km mark) and the Ongarue Spiral (75km mark).  That's 35km of track that may be perfectly fine or un-ridable. The staff had their regular jobs to do and needed to contact guests to postpone their arrival.  I had nothing to do so I offered to ride ...

Distance: 40 km Elevation gain: 745 metres From the start of the Timber Trail at Pureora to the Timber Trail Lodge (half way along the Timber Trail) About 4hrs riding time, and 5hrs elapsed from 7:30am to 12:30pm  Firstly, let's recap the last few days I arrived in Pureora on Monday 13th October at 12pm and it started raining and blowing.  It didn't stop for over 24hrs.  I had a forced rest day on Tuesday in my little cabin - catching up on admin and Netflix.  I was lucky there was mobile reception.  The rain was very damaging for the centre of the North Island and many roads were cut by flooding and landslides.  The flooding subsided quickly but the landslides would take longer to clean up and it would be days before all roads are reopened. I phoned the Timber Trail Lodge on Tuesday morning (while it was still raining) to check if they had a room for me on Wednesday night.  Yes they did!!  I chatted to Orla about the rain and conditions of the trail.  They had guests due to ri...

Distance: 51 km Elevation gain: 1,071 metres From the town of Mangakino to the start of the Timber Trail at Pureora About 4hrs riding time, and 5hrs elapsed from 7:00am to 12pm  I was awake early (5 am) and still debating whether to ride today or to have a rest day.  There's a weather front coming which will mean probably two rest days here in Mangakino.   I have contingency to spend two days here and still get to Wellington by 30th October, but I looked outside and it wasn't raining so I made the decision to try and get to the start of the timber Trail today and race the weather.  I was on the bike at 7 am and cruising out of Mangakino when the rain started, quite heavily in fact. It was at this point that I regretted my decision to get out of bed.  I pushed on and the rain eased up and eventually stopped.  I climbed into the mountains heading towards the next photo control point which was the centre of New Zealand's North Island.  During dry spells, I munched down food an...