Category Archives: GPS

bikes, friends, GPS, NZ

Kawatiri Trail loop

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With more of the local Kawatiri Trail open than my previous visit to Westport, I was pleased that a quick loop was on the cards – dodging the weather if possible. Almost thirty kilometres of route from Westport south towards Charleston is open, our plan was to ride road to the southern end of this and ride the trail to Westport for a late lunch before closing the loop home on the highway.

An easy warm-up on highway south and Virgin Flat Road had us at the trail after three-quarters of an hour. We seemed to have caught peak rural traffic on the gravel road, having to share the road with a few vehicles. The easy, Grade Two, wide, well-surfaced (it’s new after all) drops to cross the Okari River before climbing away from it through a patch of native bush. I’m told there are kiwi around, but midday was not the time to see or hear them.

It’s a fun section of trail in the lovely forest; before long farmland is reached. Here it felt that one was hopping from one stand of bush to the next through little bits of pasture – they’ve done well to get access and keep the trail on the border of bush and grassland. We were heading to the sea, Tom and I had some fun speeding downhill on the more open sections.

Out in the farmland, we enjoyed looking back to the Paparoa Ranges and trying to name peaks. Famous scientists seems to be a theme with Mounts Kelvin, Rutherford, Euclid, Faraday, Curie, Mendel, Priestley up there somewhere.

At the coast, the trail parallels the quiet gravel Okari Rd a few flat kilometres to Tauranga Bay. Familiar territory to me now.

Steepest climb of the day towards Cape Foulwind beginning. We managed.

Near the top there’s this handy labelled silhouette of the peaks (that’s the oxidised steel, not Rachel).

Signs of the old cement works popping up around here; part of the trail to Carters Beach is on an old haul road.

We battled the increasing wind to and through Carters, the section near the Martins Creek estuary was new to me and pleasant. A detour into town for lunch and we were soon home.

That’s an excellent little local cycle trail and I really enjoyed it – recommended if you’re in Westport and the weather is fair, looking forward to one day be able to ride the rest of it to Charleston.

bikes, friends, GPS, NZ

Lady Lake and Lake Brunner loop

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A later start for a less ambitious ride today – a nice gravel loop out of Moana. Recovering from the Paparoa, Pike29 loop I did have the planned advantage of being on a faster, rather than slower, bike than the others – life was a lot easier trying to keep up on the road! I see now that most of the loop was on roads I first rode in my first bikepacking event – the Kiwi Brevet back in 2015, I think about that day every time I drive over Arthurs Pass now. Past the little house at the old Kotuku School, the road turned to gravel as we began the climb to Bell Hill – not a particularly big climb, just the biggest of our day.

Farm land for a bit, looking back towards Lake Brunner, Mt Te Kinga (left).

Turning south, the drop to Lady Lake through native forest was both beautiful and fun. Alas, no great viewpoints were obvious as we whizzed past. We did stop to drop jaws at the clarity and colour of Crooked River.

Wasn’t difficult to spot big trout in there too.

Te Kinga again.

Back on the seal for forty minutes to return to Moana, Richard sure showing signs of Tour Divide prep – keeping a fair clip on his hardtail up the rises. I enjoyed the fun and ease of a lighter bike. Rachel was keen to check out the new, not quite completed but open to ride, Lake Brunner Scenic Trial that starts in Moana and runs around the lake towards Mitchells. A previously existing bridge took us over the lake’s outlet – the Arnold River.

Difficult to believe that’s a river.

Past a few houses and across a grassy section, with a surprising sand trap, we found the trail. It’s a cracker, a credit to the community – it being managed and built by them. Following the edge of the lake through native bush, there are plenty of twists, turns and small rises to keep it engaging. Great fun at the front – with care, as already it’s a well used trail, plenty of others out on foot and wheel. The surface is already mostly good, just one section in the middle was, at the time, bone-rattling on a rigid bike.

After seven kilometres, the trail just stops – currently.

But it’s easy to see why.

It looks that once the Eastern Hohonu River is bridged, it’s not far to join up to the existing Bain Bay walkway back to Mitchells, and then it’s twenty kilometres of backroad to Kumara and the West Coast Wilderness trail… Alas, we had to turn and head back.

Not without stopping at Irishmans Landing, snacking and pointing at things.

Te Kinga again, really should get up there one day.

A fun few hours stretching the legs and seeing some different sights, we parted ways – some back to Christchurch and some of us to Westport for more time with friends and riding bikes.

bikes, friends, GPS, MTB, national park, NZ

Paparoa, Pike29 loop

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Not having seen Rachel since her last big bikepacking trip abroad, time was running out to get the Oteake crew back together for a more modest bike trip. The weekend long since decided, the location was only confirmed closer to the time as late-autumn forecasts considered. Andy and I were keen to ride the recently opened Pike29 Memorial Track, off the Paparoa Trail; Rachel was happy to ride it again – possibly as it meant she had the shortest drive. Richard (soon off to Tour Divide), Tom (recently reacquainted with on previous ride) and Ian made up our group assembled in Blackball Friday night. The plan was to ride a loop from Blackball, to and along the southern section of the Paparoa to the Pike29 intersection, the Pike29 and thirty-odd kilometres of road back to Blackball.

A very frosty morning, we were eventually underway after I’d sorted my car loaded for two weeks of adventures (and possibly two weeks of work) out. Getting up to the trailhead at Smoke-ho was an opportunity to warm a bit, but it wasn’t too chilly – even being the only one in shorts. The climb to Ces Clark hut is one of my favourites – an old mining pack track, I’ve always found it an achievable technical challenge on a loaded bikepacking rig. I was looking forward to the Paparoa on my unloaded trail bike; the climb seemed a lot easier – it seemed to have been sanitised in parts, but it was probably mostly the change in set-up.

A few bridges early on; the entries and exits the only non-rideable parts of the trail.

Frosty at the old hotel site, around 400 m elevation.

Ces Clark hut view down the lower Grey River valley.

As we reached the tops, the breeze picked up a bit – cooling things off a little. Despite a few prolonged stops, not many photos taken (previous trips here) as I was enjoying riding and being on the trail.

After lunch at Moonlight Tops Hut, it was into one of my highlights of the Paparoa – the goblin forest as you ride along the escarpment. My lack of time on the bike starting to show – I don’t remember there being so many little climbs! With all our stops, it was about six hours before we reached the top of the Pike29 track.

From the top end, the trail starts with a somewhat unexpected climb for half an hour – at my, now, slow speed having walked an alarming amount of it. You’d think I’d have dropped from the 32 tooth chainring by now, but no – at least getting a smaller one is finally in progress. 32t was manageable when I was in some sort of bike-fit condition and I’m definitely no longer that.

More, possibly even better, goblin forest at the top of the Pike29.

All were waiting for me at the final lookout at the top of the descent.

Finally, the long descent to Pike River – which was the main reason for bring the more-fun (on trail anyway) bike today. Wow, I don’t know of a longer downhill on an intermediate, built trail in the country. Dropping eight hundred metres over seven and a half kilometres, that was fun that continued for twenty+ minutes – little effort to give, I just enjoyed the descent twisting through the forest. For the time of year and location, the trail was remarkably dry (well-built and little used so far) – only getting a bit sticky on the lower parts near streams. An extraordinary trail, both in itself and the memorial aspect of it.

I waited for five minutes at the carpark, time to rest, look around and consider some of what had happened here in the previous fifteen years. Realising, as the slowest one on the road, I was wasting time I began what can only be described as a plod thirty kilometres back to Blackball. With big, slow-on-the-road tyres and little energy to push them it was only twenty-five minutes before I was caught and fairly unceremoniously dropped. The rest of the way being character building and good training for something. Thanks to Ian for picking me up just before the final climb to Blackball! A grand day out on two excellent trails.

around home, bikes, event, GPS, NZ

Macraes to Ocean 2024

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I spied the Macraes to Ocean ride some months before I was due to finish working in Napier on the pulpmill’s Cyclone Gabrielle rebuild. Conveniently timed the week after my last day, it was a good incentive to not prolong the journey home too much. In an area I became familiar with when I returned from living abroad nine years ago (parents had moved nearby; also I was getting into bikepacking and riding in more remote areas), this fundraising ride would show me some new places as it involved access to two large farms. That the ride was fundraising for a cycle crossing of the lower Waikouaiti River (would be most welcome, the highway bridge is nasty on a bike) sealed it.

Grateful to Adele for a drop-off in Macraes village we were not sure what to expect; we arrived to scores of bikers milling around. Having been home just a day, my only serviceable bike was my gravel bike – I thought I, and it, would cope on farm tracks, gravel roads and then be glad for it on the last fifteen kilometres of sealed road. To our surprise, there were about 150 people ready to ride on a fresh, clear morning. Ninety-nine percent on mountain bikes, I’d say about half were on e-bikes – which was great to see as it opened up what would be an adventure for far more people. We were pleased to see some unexpected Naseby faces to chat with.

Happy, as usual, to linger at the back the crowd set off, stretching out along a straight, gently climbing gravel road. A new place, there was a new part of the landscape puzzle of the local area to fit in one’s mind. Rocks aplenty in the fields.

Off the road and onto farm tracks, a short downhill was fun to blast down before a longer climb led to an hour or so on fairly flat terrain with expansive views west to the Rock and Pillar Range. It was so vast, there was little point in trying to capture much on my phone – so I enjoyed the views and chatting with obvious-bikepackers, we seemed to gravitate towards each other. A fast section through fields of turnips soon gave way to a steep descent – much fun bumping and barrelling down it and past plenty of people. A short climb brought us to the feed station – very well put on as another fundraiser, this time by a local junior rugby club. Community events are great.

This was a good time to pause, chat and admire the landscape. I was pleased to discover we were very close to one of my favourite gravel roads – Ramrock Rd (not just because of the name), one I’d enjoyed riding bits or all of years ago.

Our track continuing across the hill behind the hut.

Food time.

Back on the bike, it was mostly down and became progressively steeper (this hill we were warned about at the briefing) to the El Dorado farm gate and buildings.

Down to the north branch of the Waikouaiti, and the end of Mt Watkin Rd – no new terrain for me from there. Mt Trotter in background, the road of the same name didn’t quite take me to its upper slopes a couple of years back.

A twenty-five minute grovel up from the end of the road showed up my lack of fitness, I was pleased to have plenty of gears and easy-rolling tyres. The highpoint being going past Mt Watkin, amusingly the only time I wished for a mountain bike over a gravel bike was on the next section of gravel road! A long fast, extremely corrugated descent shook me up far more than any of the farm tracks.

Down to the Waikouaiti outlet at Karitane, left of shot.

Across the highway, soon through Karitane on Coast Road the steep climb at Puketeraki the last remaining challenge before the gentle ten kilometres to finish at ARC Brewery with a few dozen riders – most others opted for the shorter option, ending the ride at Waikouaiti.

Always worth stopping at the turnout at the top of that climb.

A fun outing around lots of people, it was good to chat a bit more in the warm sun. I was surprised when Tom came up and said hi, I’d not ridden with him since meeting him a couple of years ago as I joined a group of people I didn’t really know to ride the Lake Dunstan Trail for the first time.

With casual remote working for the rebuild project ending last week (officially unemployed again, huzzah!), here’s hoping I can return to writing a little of recent modest outings, get some condition back and go on some bigger trips.