A day waiting out the forecast rain (didn’t really eventuate until late) was well spent cleaning gear, walking the dog, planning the rest of my little tour, popping into town and really doing very little – there may have been a lot of tea. The following day was only marginally less restful, with a four hour ride on quiet, flat highways to Reefton. It was wonderful to be welcomed by friends I’d met when they were some of my very first warmshowers guests five summers ago; as is prone to happening in New Zealand, they just happened to know well the friends I’d just met and stayed with in Westport.

I figured I could either have one day in Reefton riding and then a relaxed two days getting back to Nelson before flying home, or two days riding in Reefton before a big rush to get back, pack my bike and catch a flight. With the weekend weather looking woeful, I was tending towards the relaxed option with plenty of time to dry out. Either way, I couldn’t wait to ride the Waiuta to Big River trail again. It was easily the highlight of my first bikepacking event, the Kiwi Brevet in 2015, and my Tour Aotearoa the year after.

Starting at the abandoned, and mostly gone, former gold mining town of Waiuta I remembered the trail being closer to a hiking trail with plenty of technical challenges and pushing on the old pack track, in dense forest where all the water is tainted brown. Twenty-odd kilometres on the highway preceded the gravel climb up the valley through Blackwater (a few houses, and a long since disused school room) to Waiuta. There was still a bit of snow to be seen in the distance and a few ruins briefly caught my eye.

Reaching the trailhead proper, the gradient kicked a little and the bush closed in around the track. Perhaps my memory tricks me, or I’m more experienced in such places or both – but I was most disappointed in the first hour of trail. It seemed to me that the trail had been heavily sanitised with a lot of gravel laid and it was easily rideable. That just gave more time to admire the surrounds, a vividly green, mossy, gnarled primordial looking forest.

Beginning to wonder if I was in the right place, very easy riding.

Dropping sharply through two tight switchbacks, suddenly the trail was back to the part I liked best.

The moss closes in…

Finally, the best part – the trail is literally the creek. Good fun trying to keep dry feet, and plenty of time to stop for photos.

I was even more underbiked this time around, but that hardly mattered – loaded only for a day trip certainly helped make the trail easier.

That short section had me grinning and satisfied all my expectations for the day.

In some places, granted, the trail was barely discernible.

Reaching the highpoint after climbing out of the creek, I was surprised when it started hailing for some time – I didn’t think it was that cold. Big River Hut was only fifteen minutes away, so I cruised down and sheltered for a short time from what was now rain. Fond memories of dotwatching best-sister switching shifts, travelling all the way from Westport and riding bits of my TA with me (in between shuttling her own vehicle) and staying in this hut together. We don’t get enough trips together and they’re always memorable – that one particularly so.

From the hut to the old gold treatment plant for the Big River Mine.

In continuing the trend, Big River is now bridged – which is entirely sensible as it tends to flood easily. Just twenty kilometres of four-wheel drive track out remained. Hard packed stone, I’m not sure a four-wheel drive is necessary and it’s quite a tedious descent being shaken to pieces for long periods – I definitely prefer to climb this section. That was the wettest I got all day, plenty of spray from the surface even though there were barely any puddles.

Back in Reefton with plenty of time to dry things out and poke around what is a charming little town – a good day out seeing a favourite place, albeit it in a different light to what my memory had me expecting.