I didn’t take much convincing to join one of Amanda’s Tour Te Waipounamu training weekends in neighbouring Tararua district. Learning it was her preferred Wellington escape for gravel roads and hills was enough. Alas, I’m back to having to carefully manage my leave from work, so I couldn’t join for Friday’s riding. Timing it well, we met Friday night at the Dannevirke campground to find it extremely well sheltered from the high winds that had been around all day.

Away at half-six into an overcast and still windy Saturday, a delightful twenty kilometre detour cut out a few kilometres of the busy road to Weber. With no traffic and slight hills, I’m intrigued by the connector to Te Uri (a favourite part of this year’s HBAT course) and the longer option of the loop we did. Back on the Weber road for twenty minutes, we dove off south for the Waitahora Valley and roads all new to me (I’d ridden only seven percent of the day’s route previously). No sooner had the gravel started, than it turned to freshly graded – so fresh we had to negotiate the grader approaching, blade spanning the entire road.

Grader passed safely; beside the Mangatoro Stream.

Next up Amanda had an hour or so of hike-a-bike through the Waewaepa Reserve planned – ten kilometres of long-since overgrown road, now good for ATVs, bikes and walking. But first, a rest. Very rare that I ride for four hours with no stops for food – there’s always something to stop and take a photo of, someone to talk to… But not today, being a bit slower I didn’t stop lest I hold things up or get completely left behind. A big snack break and discussion of what we’d find on the track was welcome.

Well benched for the most part, we were soon pushing up a couple of hundred metres for forty minutes – avoiding the cutty grass, small bogs, water running down the road and, with varying degrees of success, the ongaonga (a stinging nettle). The downhill section was at least mostly rideable, even if there was far more ongaonga to avoid.

Soon down to the Tiraumea River and some flattish riding beside it, only now do I realise how very close we were to State Highway Two and a couple of small towns. We found a spot out of the wind for lunch, before the short section I’d actually been on before (“It looks a nice spot to come back to explore some of the gravel roads I’ve since realised are nearby.“! True words, only took me twenty months…). Pleasingly, I even recognised it – especially the beautiful Makuri Gorge.

Strange to see some traffic again, even stranger to see it flashing high beams at us. We quickly realised that Guy had done a really good job of estimating our progress from my tracker. His bike quickly off the back of the truck, up the fantastic Pori Road we went, chatting all the way helping to pass the climb up to skirt around the south of the Puketois. Guy needn’t have worried about being slow, I was the straggler again – but at least I could try to snap some photos as we rode along.

Grey, green, lumpy.

Down on Route 52 quickly, in one of those tired lapses of concentration it took me a fair while to realise it – the Rapid numbers (in rural areas they measure tens of metres from the start of a road) were improbably high. Route 52 (a long ago declassified highway and very popular for cycle touring) is even quieter in these parts! Heading east for the coast now, the wind was now paying back for all the toil earlier in the day. Still, I lagged. Finally, a water source at Tiraumea Hall – and another big snack stop. Even if my hayfever did kick in.

Shortly after, Guy left us to return up and over the Puketois to his truck. All three eyed warily the ominous black clouds gathering back that way. Straight back on gravel, Amanda and I headed for the beach. Hills abounded again, but the sun continued to shine basically wherever we were. Ahead and behind looked well grim, with legs tiring the tailwind was much appreciated. Occasionally it had to be battled, but generally it pushed us to the coast.

The most striking hills of the day – helps being able to see them.

We chased this rainbow for quite some time, and watched it grow.

I was actually there – about the time we were sure rain would soon dump down, it didn’t.

The last little climb before dropping to Akitio.

Into the wind for the last time, down to see what’s at Akitio.

All day we’d been hoping we’d arrive before the burger van closed. We managed it with an hour to spare, and promptly loaded up with burgers, wedges, fritters and ice cream. It was quickly devoured and at the little campground we were warmly welcomed and advised where best to camp to shelter from the wind. We were only the second group to bike in this year! I think I know the other. How is that possible? It’s a great spot and excellent riding; ok, we were both pretty exhausted – but we didn’t exactly take the direct, flat route. There is much potential around here.

That extra shelter came in handy, as the wind really got up before midnight – before dropping and the sky clearing nicely for sleepy stargazing. Sunday was a slightly later start and, both wanting to get to our respective homes in the late afternoon, a far more direct route. But it wasn’t the most direct as we found extra hills and gravel roads. The wind stayed moderate and with a clear sky I appreciated being able to see more. My GPS logged a fair bit of climbing, so it wasn’t a complete cake walk.

I particularly enjoyed looking north over Central Hawke’s Bay and early-HBAT terrain, not to mention spying the Triple Peaks of Kahuranaki, Erin and Te Mata close to home.

It took riding up to the apiarists to work out that this chopper was hauling hives into the bush.

Guy had told us of Sunday’s country market at Weber, which we found in full swing mid-morning. It was definitely time for tasty paua rolls and such things – as well as catching up with Guy and Jane. Amanda headed south to her car, and me back to Dannevirke to mine, with plenty of time for the drives home. What an excellent weekend of biking new places, eating plenty and spending time with great bikepacking buddies – and not having to do any planning, thanks Amanda! Only the first weekend of December and already the summer is too full of plans to fit in all I want to do – so good to be in that position.