Singing in the Rain - Tour Aotearoa

Day 7

I finally got to sleep, and woke to the alarm at 5:30 am. My hands, arm and ankle were still quite sore and itchy.

After eating breakfast and packing up all our gear, we headed out at about 7:15 am. Unfortunately it was already raining lightly, though it wasn't particularly cold. I was in familiar territory, first along part of the Waikato River Trail, then on the roads heading towards the forest.

We met three other riders: John and Kevin, and a woman named Katie Underwood, who we had had lunch with back in Rawene.

When we reached the forest our first challenge was the infamous narrow swingbridge. Greg tried dragging his bike across, which is exactly what I did the first time. Slow and very awkward. I had thought about trying to wheel my bike across on its rear wheel, but with the rain I decided to remove my front wheel and make two trips across instead. That plan was great, except that when I removed my wheel it rolled off down the swingbridge towards Greg. Fortunately it snagged on part of the bridge and stopped before it hit him!

Wheeling the bike across with the front wheel removed was much easier than with the wheel on. After reassembling my bike, we headed off, while the others were still making their way across the bridge.

The first 4 km of forestry road had a lot of blackberry on it. I had been there three times cutting it back, twice with Peter Maindonald when we cleared the whole track, and again a couple of weeks ago with Oscar where we managed to cut back the regrowth on the first km of the track. It was amazing how much it had grown back, even in just two weeks. But at least the track was mostly rideable, as long as you dodged the runners hanging out across the trail.

We stopped briefly to eat a blackberry, just to keep Peter Maindonald happy, and finally made it out onto the more open forestry roads by the YMCA camp.

When I had ridden these roads a couple of months ago it was hot and dry, but today we were only riding at about half the pace I had earlier: the rain has made the road surface soft, and the wet gravel seemed to grip our tyres, making it hard going.

We reached the Centre of the North Island, another compulsory photo stop, where we are some more food. Katie arrived, and we took a photo for her before heading off again.

After another 13 km of riding on the gravel roads (including another big hill), we finally reached the track leading past the historic tractor and on to the Timber Trail. There was a guy there taking photos of the riders...he was the partner of Anka Martin, an amazing Wave 3 rider who is riding with a broken hand. We had met him the day before on Mangakino.

 Once we reached the singletrack through the bush, the riding became much easier. We filtered water from a stream shortly after we reached the Timber Trail. The first 10 km were all uphill, and quite open in places. Unfortunately, it had begun to rain really heavily and we got thoroughly drenched.

From the top, the trail began to descend. This is where it began to get really muddy, and we were sliding around quite a bit. The rain had eased a bit, and at this point had actually stopped. Just as we were climbing over a big fallen tree, another mountain biker came along. We chatted for a few minutes, and he said the weather was improving and we had probably seen the last of the rain. 15 minutes later, it began to pour down again. So much for his prediction...

At one point we reached a big swing bridge, and Greg stopped to take a photo of me while I ride across. On the other side, I got my camera out to take a picture of him, but when he began to ride the last big of track down to the bridge he slipped and fell right over. I wish I'd been taking a video -- it looked hilarious. Fortunately he was unhurt.

We kept riding through the rain, getting more and more hungry, and riding quite conservatively because of the conditions. Finally we reached a small shelter and stopped to cook some couscous. I walked about 400 metres down a side-track to the river to filter water, and the rain became even heavier as I walked back up, while Greg avoided that downpour in the shelter.

Katie came along, as well as Anka Martin, her husband, who was riding to support her, and another fast Wave 3 rider. We continued on, the others in front this time, and finally made it to Piropiro Flats, 40 km along the Timber Trail. The others stopped for water, while Greg, Katie and I began the big climb out of the valley.

It was about 4 pm by this stage, and the rain had finally begun to ease off. The climb out of Poropiro campground was tough, but once we were at the top and joined the old tram line it was much easier going. We kept leapfrogging Katie, as she was faster on the downhill but slower climbing.

This section of the track was much easier riding than the first half, though it was still quite slippery. The trail passed through numerous cuttings where trees had fallen across the top, forming a kind of half-tunnel. We were getting worried about the light as it felt quite late, so we pushed the pace to get through the trail by dusk.

At one point, Greg got really hungry so I gave him my salami and nuts. He ate 3/4 of a whole salami in one go!  Then, later, Greg's rack began to bend with all the pounding.  We may need to repair or replace it somewhere if we can.  I really enjoyed the ride along this singletrack, and sang silly songs to myself as I raced through the half-light. It was really dark whenever we rode through a cutting.

At long last, we reached the Ongarue Spiral, another compulsory photo stop, before zipping down the hill in the gloom. I was riding really well, and was loving the flowing track.

 At the bottom, we rode through some forestry track and around a farm. It was almost completely dark by the time we reached the end of the Timber Trail.  At some stage, Greg's spot tracker fell off the bike.

We had ridden a total of 130 km, and climbed about 1,400 metres. We were out for over 13 hours, covered in mud, and completely exhausted.

Katie pushed on to Taumaranui, where she had booked a motel, while Greg and I rode in to Ongarue township where there was a backpackers. (Flashpackers)  The guy there was brilliant -- hot food, a hot shower, and a comfortable bed to sleep in. They even have a washing machine and dryer, so we can clean our filthy clothes and gear before heading on. Heaven!

Into the Hornet's Nest - Tour Aotearoa

Day 6
I didn't sleep well, with the after-effects of the long ride and the smell of oil in the garage and the rain on the roof. I eventually woke at about 7:30. The rain had stopped, and since we had arranged to meet Ruth and the children in Arapuni we decided to skip cooking breakfast.

We made good time in humid conditions, at first on the road and then on the wide gravel path of the Waikato River Trail. We reached Arapuni about 20 minutes late, but Ruth and the children were waiting for us. It was wonderful to see them again, though it was far too brief and I had to eat and drink the whole time.

After breakfast, and hugs goodbye, we headed off, and made good progress along the river trail. Just before Jones Landing, though, I had an accident. I was having a bit of trouble getting around all those tight switchbacks with the heavy bike and big wheels. At one point I entered a tight corner at an awkward angle and didn't quite make it. I put my foot down but then my foot slipped, and I gently slid into the bush on the side of the track...right into a wasp nest!

As soon as I realised what was happening I jumped up and ran, but unfortunately my bike was still on top of the nest surrounded by hundreds of angry wasps. I had to do something, so I grabbed my front wheel and dragged it away, getting stung several more times in the process. Now my bike was free but one of my drink bottles had fallen out and was lying under a swarm of wasps. I grabbed a stick and eventually managed to retrieve it, with only a few more stings.

Ouch...I walked out to Jones Landing a few hundred metres away, still a bit dazed and getting sorer by the moment. I couldn't tell how many times I'd been stung...I could count 11 times at first, on both hands and arms, and both legs. It HURT.

I continued riding, feeling basically okay but unbelievably sore. We had about ten km to go on the road, which was ok, but when we reached the singletrack again I realised that I wasn't riding very well...I felt a bit woozy and was having trouble keeping the bike under control. It felt like how I would feel near the end of a very long ride, too tired to ride well...but I wasn't tired, just feeling funny.

I took it extra carefully for the next 30 km along the river trail, through Jim Barnett Reserve, up the road to the top of the hill, and then down the zig-zags to the river. Riding along the river was kind of tough, not just because of the heat and the endless hills (there was plenty of both), but because I wasn't able to ride well. I just felt "weird", and very sore.

The pain eventually eased a bit, and I discovered another half dozen stings I'd been too sore to notice earlier. It was an effort to stay positive, so I just concentrated on the ride.

We met John Edlin and Kevin Searle, and rode to the swing bridge where they stopped for lunch while Greg and I pushed on. After lots more climbing we reached the stairs and descended to Waipapa. Greg's rear tyre had gone down, but he pumped it up and it was fine again. That was a relief, as he's running tubeless tyres.

After Waipapa, the track got even steeper. We filtered water out of the Waikato River, ate more food, and pressed on.

I was still feeling a bit weird, but at least I could continue riding. I must admit that I walked a few of the steeper hills, but got there in the end.

We reached the end of the trail at about 6 pm, having ridden only about 80 km but climbing 1,500 metres.

At the end of the trail was a man offering free chain clean and lube! Our bikes really needed the TLC.

In Mangakino, I rushed off to the store to get some Stingose or antihistamine cream, but the man behind the counter said "we're not allowed to sell that sort of thing". Damn...I've taken painkillers and one of the riders gave me an anti-inflammatory, but I'm not sure how much sleep I'll get as I'm still quite sore.

I had takeaways for dinner at the lakefront cafe, along with three (!) milkshakes, and then we camped at the lakefront. I discovered that my hand was quite swollen, and I couldn't bend my right ankle properly because it had swelled up. I had multiple stings on my hand, wrist, legs and ankle, so I've got no idea how often I'd been stung -- I'd say it was at least 20-25 times.

No wonder I can't sleep...

80km today, with 1500m

Plains and Trail Angels - Tour Aotearoa

Day 5

 We woke at 5:30am, packed, and had a breakfast of porridge and sweetened condensed milk cooked in a kettle.

Kettle Porridge by Kay Haasma

We were riding at about 6:30am, while the others were still getting packed. The ride started with some gentle climbs before dropping down and down to sea level.

At one point I saw a hawk on the side of the road -- it must have had a broken wing as it couldn't fly.

After Miranda, we stopped for food at a local store, and went back three times to buy more -- we were hungry.

We rode along a busy main road into a headwind to Kopu and the start of the Hauraki Rail Trail.

 The trail itself was quite boring, and Greg said it was making him sleepy, but we chugged along at about 20 kph on the gravel, taking advantage of the tail wind and only slowing for the countless cattle stops.

It had gotten hot, so when we reached Paeroa I had a milkshake and put some salt in it (weird, but delicious and great for avoiding cramps), a small bottle of L&P (just because) and a small chicken roll. Second lunch. I was still thirsty, so I bought a second salty milkshake.

Greg's water bottle had something growing in it. He tried washing it with hot water but that made no difference. He also needed a new light as he'd left his big headlamp at Mt Eden Cycles in Auckland, so we searched on google for an open bike shop. There was nothing until Matamata, and the web site said that shop was closed, so we were kind of stuck.

We continued along the Rail Trail, still making a good pace. At one point someone had left bottles of water and some biscuits on the side of the trail -- a trail angel. I took some water as I was getting low again, and a yummy biscuit. Much appreciated.

A few km further on, someone had taped up a sign saying the Matamata bike shop was staying open until 5. What luck! We figured we had time to make it, so pushed on.

We didn't stop in Te Aroha, but followed the course around the edge of town and onto the open road again. We then picked up the pace even more, still taking advantage of the tail wind. By this stage we had ridden about 120 km, and I was getting a bit tired, so I wasn't bothering following the cue sheets on every turn. Of course, that was the moment I missed a corner and we went off-course. We double-checked with my phone and had to back-track. I then got confused reading the cue sheets and miscalculated the distance to Matamata. When we should have been nearly there, we passed a sign saying it was still 16 km away. Oops!

Fortunately we had been riding so quickly that we could still get to the bike shop on time, even though the wind had dropped and we were riding a bit slower. We were both pretty tired by this stage, having ridden about 135 km.

We were both getting low on water, but we pushed on and stopped at the Firth museum where there was a tap. I immediately drank half a bottle before refilling it. I was thirsty!

It was only a short ride to Matamata itself, where we stopped briefly at the iSITE for the compulsory photo stop before dashing off to the bike shop. Greg managed to get the gear he needed, and I managed to buy a bottle of chain lube small enough to fit in my bike bag, as well as some electrolytes to put into my water -- I've been drinking an unbelievable amount.

We enjoyed dinner at Fez,  a middle-eastern cafe ( big servings with lots of fresh veggies...perfect) before getting another milkshake from across the road. We looked at the weather report...heavy rain overnight...and decided to see if we could stay in a motel overnight so we wouldn't be riding with a wet tent tomorrow. Unfortunately everything was booked out, so we looked at nearby campgrounds instead.

There were two: a big one 8 km back along the course, and a tiny one 3 km off the route and 11 km further along the course. We chose the latter one, which turned out to be a great choice.

It started to rain as we rode into the hills southwest of Matamata. The road climbed and climbed...just what our legs didn't want. Finally we reached the campsite, where the owner let us sleep in his garage. Fantastic -- no wet gear to carry in the morning.  Brock's place, Buckland Road, about 2km from the Hobbiton Movie Set.

 We had only climbed about 700 metres, but had covered more than 170 km. A big day, but a great one. There were power points, a shower, and some cushioned chairs to sit in. Heaven!

After my shower and talking with Ruth, I sat in the comfy chair and ate a bunch more food...despite the enormous dinner and all the food (and milkshakes) I'd eaten during the day, I was still hungry.

Tomorrow we head into the Waikato River Trail. It's supposed to be a bit damp. We're also meeting Ruth and the children in Arapuni. I'm really looking forward to that. For now, though, all I want is a good night's sleep lying on a gravel floor out of the rain...

Auckland Adventures - Tour Aotearoa

Day 4

I woke around 7am, and promptly found my missing electronics bag -- it had fallen beneath my sleeping mattress and had stubbornly stayed hidden even though I'm sure I looked there at least three times the previous evening. What a relief

We headed out at about 8:30am -- we didn't want to get to Auckland at rush-hour so we deliberately left a bit later. It was hot already, and the steep climb out of Helensville was sweaty work. My backside was tender, but I was wearing two pairs of cycling shorts, which helped a lot.

Greg's bike was having problems with skipping gears, and it crunched all the way up the steep climb. Not good -- at least there's a bike shop not too far away.

After the first big climb, we had rolling hills all the way to Auckland. Following the route was easy as I'd ridden it at Christmas time.

We made good progress into the central city, where we stopped at Mt Eden Cycles. I bought a packet of Nuun, which are electrolyte tablets, while Greg got his bike serviced and bought a new stuff sack for his tent. He also left a bag of stuff he didn't want any more, including his big head lamp...he intended to buy a small bike light, but he forgot so he doesn't have a torch or front bike light any more.

I checked my dynamo battery and confirmed my suspicion: it wasn't charging. Great -- now I have no way of charging any of my electronics!

The bike shop couldn't help but they pointed me to a computer repair shop two doors down. The technician and I managed to show that the hub itself was working, as was my USB cable and battery -- the fault was in my cable or voltage converter. Grrr...they are all sealed up and impossible to repair.

We saw several other TA riders at the bike shop, including Richard Harding.

After we left the bike shop, I had a burrito from Pita Pit with Richard (fresh vegetables...yum!), while Greg had sushi and soup. We headed out and began the climb up to the top of Mount Eden, which is our fourth photo stop. Unfortunately, Greg's bike was even worse!

 After the photo stop we headed down the hill, through Cornwall Park and down into Onehunga. There we found another bike shop, where Greg got his bike serviced again while I went off and bought a USB wall charger and a milkshake. Fortunately they managed to fix Greg's bike, and it's working well now.


We headed through South Auckland, which was terrible. When I had ridden it at Christmas time there was hardly any traffic, but this time the traffic was diabolical. Near the airport we met up with Louise and Neville, a couple riding together, as well as Kay Haasma. They wanted me to guide them out of the city, so Greg and I slowed down so we could stay together.

 I managed to leave two of my food bags at the Kaipara Cruising Club, so I had no milk powder, Parmesan, sugar or oatmeal.  Annoying, but very easily done.  We all stopped at the Countdown supermarket near Auckland Airport for food, then continued on together. Kay struggled once we hit the hills, but I think everyone was tired by then.

After riding through Totara Park, we left the city behind and finally headed into the countryside. Why we began to climb again, Neville suggested that Greg and I go on as Kay was still finding it hard and the hills were coming up.  There were some nasty hills heading into the Hunuas, and I quickly ran out of my remaining water. I should have refilled my bottles at the supermarket.

We reached the top of a major hill, with a trig right beside the road, when Greg noticed someone sitting nearby and asked for some water. We had a good chat with them, and I really enjoyed the water.

From there, it was only a few km down the hill and into Hunua Village. We stopped at the local store, and saw that, of all things they had an Indian restaurant next door!  We decided to eat dinner at the restaurant while we charged our devices and figured out where to stay for the night.

Kay, Neville and Louise turned up, as did Richard Harding, and Louise managed to arrange for us to stay at the nearby YMCA camp. It was perfect -- showers, toilets, cabin beds, and a kitchen.

 There was even cellphone reception so I could call Ruth. I also got to speak with Anneke, which was wonderful as I'd been missing her.

Towel drying

The best thing was that someone on the TA Facebook forum said they had dynamo equipment for sale. I asked, and it looks like he may be able to make me up a cable and lend me a new battery so I can use my hub to charge things up! The challenge was to figure out where to get him to send it to...because it's Friday today the mail will be slower and unfortunately there are no convenient towns. The best option is Wanganui, maybe five days away. But that's a lot better than nothing, and I feel very very lucky.

Making repairs with duct tape

We only rode about 115 km today, but still climbed 1,400 metres. It was slower going through the city with all the traffic, and it was still a solid day.  It looks like we've reached the end of the good weather, with rain predicted for tomorrow night, so we're going to have an early start to get as far along as possible. Bring it on!