Sleeping on the Job - Tour Aotearoa

Wednesday 2 March -- day 9

We woke at 5:30am, packed up our damp gear and set off as soon as it was light enough to ride. We had some amazing views from the top, and could even see Mount Egmont in the distance.

The track down the hill was 23 km long, and still very muddy. We wanted to get to the Mangapurua Landing in time to catch the first jet boat at 9:30am.

There were several sections where the track went along a steep bluff and we had to get off and walk, as well as far too many swing bridges where the sides were too close together for my handlebars to fit -- Greg and Katie could just wheel their bikes across, while I had to lift mine up onto the rear wheel and wheel it across.

That's tough going with a fully-loaded bike, and my upper arms were hurting by the time we reached the end.

There were many historic signposts indicating where the settlers had used to live. Apparently the government gave each soldier returning from World War One a block of land to farm, but this area was so rough that they ended up just walking off the land.

I slipped over once in the mud, and Katie fell over as well. By the time we were about 5 km from the Landing, we only had half an hour before the boat left. I decided to push on and see if I couldn't get to the boat, and tell them about the others coming up behind. I pushed the pace as much as I could, but was limited by the track.

By the time I reached the Bridge to Nowhere we only had about 15 minutes left to get to the boat. I stopped for about 15 seconds to take the compulsory photo, and dashed on.

The track was wider, and I really pushed myself to get there on time. I was in all-out racing mode, and couldn't go any faster without crashing. It was great fun.

I reached the landing six minutes after 9:30, but fortunately the boat hadn't arrived.

Anka and her husband were there, as well as Daniel and two other people I recognised but couldn't name. Greg and Katie turned up a few minutes before the jet boat, and we all managed to get on board, bikes and all.

The trip downriver was spectacular. Huge rock cliffs, dense forest with nikau ferns, and the occasional person paddling in a canoe.

Bikes on Board

 Near the end, another jet boat came nearby, and a small dog jumped across into our boat!

At Pipiriki, we paid for our trip, washed our bikes and grabbed some food. I had a container of Up & Go and two microwaved pies. They weren't very nice, but at least it was breakfast.

We then headed off down the road to Wanganui. At Matahiwi we stopped for some real food (I had a milkshake and an egg sandwich). They had the boat used in the movie River Queen sitting outside the cafe. The lady wanted to take some photos of me for her Facebook page.

We headed on. The road was sealed except for the numerous roadworks. While you might think that a ride downriver would be easy, there were constant hills to deal with, as well as a steady headwind.

Suddenly, Greg said he was getting sleepy and wanted to take a nap, and that I should head on. I thought this was a bit weird, but I wanted to get to the bike shop before it closed to pick up the cable and battery for my Dynamo, so j kept going. About 20 minutes later I got sleepy too, and almost fell asleep riding on my aero bars! I had to fight to stay awake, as my eyes just wanted to close. After a while I ate some more food and began to feel more awake again.

Finally, I reached the Gentle Annie, a massive hill between me and Wanganui. It was a tough climb, but at the top I finally had cellphone reception and could call Velo Ronnies to make sure I could pick up my parcel. By this time it was 20 past 4, and they said they would be shutting at 5 -- and I still had about 15 km to go! They said they'd wait for me.

I took off, not waiting for Greg to catch up, and really pushed the pace into the headwind as I raced into Wanganui. I found the shop quickly, and got my bike serviced while I bought some tools to replace the ones I had lost. I also decided to get a new saddle, as my old one was getting cracked.

Keeping the old one, "just in case"

Unfortunately the parcel with the Dynamo cable and battery hadn't arrived! Gee, thanks NZ Post. Three days and the parcel still hasn't arrived. Now I can't use my Dynamo hub at all. I'm not impressed...

Greg had gone off to another bike shop, and his phone wasn't working so he couldn't text me. In the end they phoned, and we met up. I showed the guy at the other shop my front light, and managed to leave it behind! Now I don't have a light at all.

We decided to stay at a backpackers with wifi, so I could get cleaned up, upload all my photos (over 300 of them), and get my bike sorted out before we continue on the route tomorrow.