Day 31 of TA - Nipple Ripper!
Saturday 8th November
Distance: 76 km
Elevation gain: 549 metres
From Hokitika to Harihari
About 6.5 hrs elapsed from 7:00am to 1:30pm.
We are getting faster at packing up and were both ready before 7am. Today we continued our journey south, down the West Coast. Our first leg was 14km along the West Coast Wilderness Trail. This was a great single-track rail trail through the forest and was fantastic riding with the trees forming a canopy, it was like we were riding through a tunnel. Rob was enjoying it and was videoing the twists and turns when he turned instead of twisting. He ended up off the track, and worse still he sideswiped a tree and knocked off one of his panniers. The hanger was broken but zip ties made a robust replacement, and his pannier has never been more firmly attached to his bike. You can read more about it on his blog.
Sadly, the rail trail didn't last and we were back on Highway 6 sharing the road with cars and trucks. It was still early, and a Saturday, so there wasn't too much traffic. We stopped in the small town of Ross for a break (i.e. sausage roll and muffin).
We took a short 14km gravel road that ran parallel to the highway for a time, but otherwise it was Highway 6 all the way to Harihari. About 5 km before Harihari we crossed the Wanganui River on a very long single lane bridge. It was about 200 metres long and quite the experience on a bicycle. We decided to follow another car but of course we can't go that fast…so there was all this traffic behind us, and cars waiting on the other side for us to get across. So a lot of people were watching and waiting for our 2 bikes to get across the bridge.
Our accommodation in Harihari is one of the pricier places we've stayed. But then it's 2 bedroom and 2 bathroom, so kind of like 2 separate rooms. We were impressed.
We shared a late lunch with Fran, another TA cyclist, and then she headed off with another 50km to cover today. (She had cycled 40km already.) One of our strategies is starting early before the traffic builds and wind picks up. Today we covered 70km by lunch time. I've not enjoyed being on the bike after 3 or 4pm. Cycling after 4pm always feels like a grind to me. Start early and finish early is my motto.
Our chores were done pretty quickly today - bike maintenance, laundry, shaving and showering. We had access to a washer and dryer so our laundry was dry by 4:30pm. By comparison, yesterday we had to construct a makeshift clothesline and rely on sun and wind to dry our gear. Which it didn't.
Finally I'd like to discuss the shower situation in NZ. Some showers have 2 taps or a flick mixer that allows you to control temperature and pressure. Others have a simple temperature dial and the pressure is fixed. I detest the simple temperature dial control! Today's shower pressure was incredible. Way too strong, and easily able to peel your skin off. Think of those water cannons the riot police have mounted on trucks. If I set the shower head too high my nipples were ripped off. Too low and my twig and berries were battered and bruised. Rob's shower was the flick mixer kind and he had the 'best shower in ages'. Luck of the draw.
Today's theme song is by Birds of Tokyo - Broken Bones
So while Rob and I survived today, one of Rob's panniers didn't. Lucky that zip ties can mend broken bones…
Grey clouds as we started on the trail today.
West Coast Wilderness Trail with the tree canopy forming a makeshift tunnel.
The southern end of the West Coast Wilderness Trail at Ross. We photographed the northern start all the way back at Greymouth.
Pretty flowers along the gravel road justified a photo as I cycled past. The blue sky was a bonus.
Photo control point 22. Lake Lanthe. Rob was talking about a swim. But it was cold.
'THE NIPPLE RIPPER SHOWER' with the single temperature control dial.
Distance: 76 km
Elevation gain: 549 metres
From Hokitika to Harihari
About 6.5 hrs elapsed from 7:00am to 1:30pm.
We are getting faster at packing up and were both ready before 7am. Today we continued our journey south, down the West Coast. Our first leg was 14km along the West Coast Wilderness Trail. This was a great single-track rail trail through the forest and was fantastic riding with the trees forming a canopy, it was like we were riding through a tunnel. Rob was enjoying it and was videoing the twists and turns when he turned instead of twisting. He ended up off the track, and worse still he sideswiped a tree and knocked off one of his panniers. The hanger was broken but zip ties made a robust replacement, and his pannier has never been more firmly attached to his bike. You can read more about it on his blog.
Sadly, the rail trail didn't last and we were back on Highway 6 sharing the road with cars and trucks. It was still early, and a Saturday, so there wasn't too much traffic. We stopped in the small town of Ross for a break (i.e. sausage roll and muffin).
We took a short 14km gravel road that ran parallel to the highway for a time, but otherwise it was Highway 6 all the way to Harihari. About 5 km before Harihari we crossed the Wanganui River on a very long single lane bridge. It was about 200 metres long and quite the experience on a bicycle. We decided to follow another car but of course we can't go that fast…so there was all this traffic behind us, and cars waiting on the other side for us to get across. So a lot of people were watching and waiting for our 2 bikes to get across the bridge.
Our accommodation in Harihari is one of the pricier places we've stayed. But then it's 2 bedroom and 2 bathroom, so kind of like 2 separate rooms. We were impressed.
We shared a late lunch with Fran, another TA cyclist, and then she headed off with another 50km to cover today. (She had cycled 40km already.) One of our strategies is starting early before the traffic builds and wind picks up. Today we covered 70km by lunch time. I've not enjoyed being on the bike after 3 or 4pm. Cycling after 4pm always feels like a grind to me. Start early and finish early is my motto.
Our chores were done pretty quickly today - bike maintenance, laundry, shaving and showering. We had access to a washer and dryer so our laundry was dry by 4:30pm. By comparison, yesterday we had to construct a makeshift clothesline and rely on sun and wind to dry our gear. Which it didn't.
Finally I'd like to discuss the shower situation in NZ. Some showers have 2 taps or a flick mixer that allows you to control temperature and pressure. Others have a simple temperature dial and the pressure is fixed. I detest the simple temperature dial control! Today's shower pressure was incredible. Way too strong, and easily able to peel your skin off. Think of those water cannons the riot police have mounted on trucks. If I set the shower head too high my nipples were ripped off. Too low and my twig and berries were battered and bruised. Rob's shower was the flick mixer kind and he had the 'best shower in ages'. Luck of the draw.
Today's theme song is by Birds of Tokyo - Broken Bones
So while Rob and I survived today, one of Rob's panniers didn't. Lucky that zip ties can mend broken bones…
Grey clouds as we started on the trail today.
West Coast Wilderness Trail with the tree canopy forming a makeshift tunnel.
The southern end of the West Coast Wilderness Trail at Ross. We photographed the northern start all the way back at Greymouth.
Pretty flowers along the gravel road justified a photo as I cycled past. The blue sky was a bonus.
Photo control point 22. Lake Lanthe. Rob was talking about a swim. But it was cold.
'THE NIPPLE RIPPER SHOWER' with the single temperature control dial.
Good to hear that you both survived the ride, and always an educational read, now I know what to watch out for in the showers normally I’m just worried about dropping the soap.
ReplyDeleteWe did some of the West Coast Wilderness trail from Ross, illegally crossing the old rail bridge. It was a bit of an effort getting our ebikes over the barriers both going and returning! I wonder if you biked along the waterfront course near Lake Kaniere, that's quite pleasant once you know where to go! We have taken our photos too at that sign in Ross, but cant claim to have ridden the whole trail! Glad you were able to fix Rob' s bike/panniers ok. Those old type of shower mixers can be a right pain! Enjoy the next stages.
ReplyDeleteI am learning so much! W
ReplyDeleteGlad you had zip ties in the kit!
ReplyDelete