Category: Daily post

So much for ‘resting’ – the last day and a half has been a full on burst of activity. Sorting, cleaning, mending and repairing.

After sorting and washing gear yesterday morning, in the afternoon I gave my bike a good clean and it became clear the pesky squeak of the past two days was coming from the bottom bracket. My never-used bottom bracket tool now proved its worth! After taking the bottom bracket off with Josh’s help, its crunchiness on one side made replacement the obvious solution. So I was at Capital Cycles at 8am today, picking up a new one, serendipitously from Pat who always gives me a good discount!

With some guidance from Josh, the new bottom bracket was on and the bike was happy again. As well as being much cleaner, it’s sporting new brake pads, a new chain, an improved phone cover and a (hopefully now waterproofed) resurrected cycle computer. My clothes smell nice again, rips have been sewn up, and supplies replenished. It’s awesome to have everything clean and functioning well, though I feel a bit exhausted sitting on the Bluebridge right now. Not much sitting down over the past day and a half.

I didn’t add any more gear/clothes (apart from a few plastic bags!) or get rid of any. My choices seem to be working well. I’ve worn everything I’ve got at various times, and was ok in that Martinborough frosty morning.

Josh also cleaned his bike (more meticulously I suspect!), swapped in a newer rear tyre, replaced the rear derailleur cable and fixed the gear indexing.

Richard patiently endured yet more TA-related conversation and it was great to be able to introduce him to this stranger I’ve been hanging out with. The cats didn’t get the desired level of attention and made their customary attempts to seek and destroy chewable/clawable items like thermarests and bite valves.

We just made it to the Bluebridge check-in on time – but sadly it’s now running an hour late. We’re hoping to ride to Pelorus Bridge tonight, will see how we go with the light. At some point I’m hoping to catch up on some sleep!

The trip so far

The good

• Feeling chilled, happy and more extroverted than normal! Endorphins rock. Hard to describe how awesome this is.
• Meeting lots of really interesting TAers – and lots of interested locals. The people side of things has been a real highlight so far.
• Riding with Josh – who is the same pace as me and great company (as well as being a mechanic!)
• Excellent weather luck
• Bike and gear all performing well, tent definitely waterproof

The bad

• Not much really. Haven’t had to start repeating my motivational mantra yet! The lack of good sleep is the biggest challenge in terms of mental focus.
• Body wise, I have numbness in one finger that I need to watch. Rest of body doing surprisingly well!
• The bike thefts in Whanganui and Masterton leave me feeling heartsick for those riders and even more protective of my bike than usual (and thankful I am carrying a high spec lock).

Thanks to my nephew Evan for the drawing

Today dawned very cold after an intensely annoying night’s sleep. The people in the site next door returned at midnight, talked loudly for some time then had some friends roll in at around 4am, talk loudly and execute a many-point turn with a trailer. At one point I though they were about to run my tent over but was too tired to care (my bike would be another story!).

We left Martinborough at 7.30am, biking through the freezing cold air towards a vision of breakfast in Featherston (or as my GPS app says, Fea-therston). It was a chilly hour of riding but beautiful in the early light. A big breakfast at Everest Cafe and a triple-shot coffee made the world seem much friendlier and warmer!

Then it was down what’s now a very familiar road to the Remutaka Incline turn off. We reduced our tyre pressures and headed up the singletrack, then up the steady but good-gradient climb to the summit. Compared to the wind and rain the last time I was there in January, it seemed like paradise. At the summit and beyond, there were lots of other cyclists out enjoying the day. We zoomed past a few on the downhill.

Down through Tunnel Gully, Jackson caught up with us – we’d last seen him on the Timber Trail some time ago but he’d had a couple of easy days since. He’d had an unfortunate off at the end of the Remutaka trail and was sporting a few steristrips on his face. We cruised down to Te Marua dairy and had lunch – a chocolate milk and an icecream for me. Then it was back through the familiar world of the Hutt River trail.

Around Moonshine, a cyclist beside the road said my name and I quickly recognised Dirk, who’d kindly come to meet us and ride together down the river a way. It was great to chat about shared TA experiences (Dirk having completed TA16) and to see a familiar face. At one point, we found Jackson cycling back towards us, his day going from bad to worse – he’d realised he’d lost his phone. But after ringing it, he found a kind person had picked it up, and he was off to retrieve it from their house near by. Bikepacking being a small world, Dirk and Jackson knew each other.

Dirk peeled off home and Josh and I continued down the trail, with Jackson catching us again before long. We headed through the Hutt and towards Petone, where near the bridge some other familiar people were waiting to surprise us  – Dad and Lesley and my uncle John had come to offer homemade muffins and juice. It was lovely to have their support and congratulations for making it this far!

Soon the three of us set off again along the foreshore, dodging many pedestrians in the shared path, and down the terrible cycle path beside the Hutt road. Thorndon Quay continues to be a deathtrap even at weekends but we stayed alert. We waved good bye to Jackson, who was ending his TA journey in Wellington this time, and then turned right to head up past parliament. We stopped to turn off our spot trackers (although true to form, mine only got as far as Ngauranga), and then headed to Karori where Richard was waiting. While I’m used to my commute home, it was a slightly brutal last 6km uphill for Josh – notching up 106km for the day. We’re planning a day of rest and bike maintenance tomorrow, then heading south on the Bluebridge on Tuesday.

164km today! Definitely not the hardest day, even if was the longest so far. Powered by five separate cafe stops, comprising: triple flat white, eggs Benedict, hot chocolate, filled roll, muffin, hot chocolate, French toast, hot chocolate, brownie, muffin, pizza, ginger beer! Definitely making up for the overall calorie deficit today.

At 7am, we’d quietly slipped out of Anthony and Fiona’s, breakfasting at a local cafe. Then it was up over the Pahiatua track – a brisk and chilly climb. My dynamo was playing up (not charging my phone, which was quickly dropping towards zero, hampering navigation given that my cycle computer had died previously in the rain… luckily Josh’s GPS was functioning ok!) so that occupied my thoughts. Saturday was probably a good day to do this section, which others had described as the worst of the trip in terms of traffic and feeling at risk.

It was an awesome zoom down to Pahiatua (would have been good charging grr) and another cafe stop where we chatted with a whole lot of riders. I decided to test another cord in the dynamo – and it worked. Always good when the fault is the easiest part to fix!

We wended our way via back roads to Eketahuna and another (excellent!) cafe stop. On the way I saw the Tararuas, it felt like coming home. Then we wended our way, again very indirectly, to Masterton, via lots of sketchy fresh gravel.

After a cafe stop, we were back on very familiar turf, heading to Martinborough via Gladstone. I remembered all the other times I’d been through here lately, often with Ian, and was grateful for how strong I felt thanks to all that training.

It was a beautiful ride in the early evening light, powering up the small hills and swooping down the dips. We reached Martinborough quicker than expected, by 630pm, and headed straight for pizza on the square.

The morning dawned cold and still rainy. We packed up and were off by 740, not too bad. The first few kms to Rangiwahia were increasingly cold and bleak, as the rain continued and the southerly bit.

We pulled into the shelter of the hall, brewed a hot drink and ate lots of chocolate. I put on nearly all my layers, including hat and plastic bags in shoes… After the stop I felt much warmer and stronger.

We then did a fast hour or so to Apiti, where the pub was just opening for lunch (we were lucky it was a Friday!). Maybe a dozen TA riders gathered in the next hour and it was great to catch up with some familiar faces.

The rest of the afternoon continued hilly and cold, though the rain mostly went. It was a headwind, which was a challenge! We ran out of water in Pohangina and asked a guy in a mobility scooter if there was a tap around – he kindly guided us to his house.

Tonight we’re staying at the lovely Anthony and Fiona’s (fellow whio predator control volunteers), in the awesome replica DOC hut they’ve built to host Te Araroa trampers. We did over 130km today in that cold and I feel absolutely wasted!

About 3am it absolutely bucketed down. I thought briefly about the river but then the rain became more normal and I went back to sleep. At 6am we started getting ready, and the rain had abated. However, the river level was now only a metre or so below our tent side!

The river was brown, massive and carrying whole trees – a spectacular site as we made our way down the Whanganui river road. It had been a pretty spartan breakfast (1 OSM) so we were looking forward to the promised cafe after 25km or so. One big hill was in the way but made easier by chatting all the way up.

Before I started TA, I though of it in the singular. But now I realise that everyone has their own TA. People just half a day behind us are having radically different experiences because of the weather (some stuck in the middle of the Kaiwhakauka track!). Whether you stay in hotels or camp makes a big difference to your experience, as does who and how you choose to ride. Riding alone would be a very different experience to the sense of being part of a team, which I’m really enjoying, in the same way I enjoy tramping more when I have companions.

Josh and I have noticed in the past few days, as we’ve been passed by the fast riders from wave 6, how they share a general intensity of focus and perhaps lack some of the joy of us mid-pack riders. They don’t have time to engage with the locals or sit for two hours on a beautiful lake shore eating burgers! But there are always exceptions, like Captain underpants aka Greg and his wingman Mark who I enjoyed chatting to at the Arapuni bowling green campsite – and the wave six riders we shared the jet boat with yesterday.

When we reached the cafe, we had the twin joys of hot chocolates and mobile contact with partners and the world, after what seemed a long time in the wilderness. I had the best ever French toast (but i was starving). We learned that the weather was causing havoc in a number of places and for a number of riders.

After the refuel, the remaining kms to Whanganui slipped away. We picked up some more food, some extra gas and BCCs, and some supplies from Ronnie’s bike shop where they were also kindly offering use of their toilet and track pump, plus water refills.

Then it was up the elevator and out if town. We even stopped to put on sunscreen – just before it started to pour down, which continued the rest of the afternoon. The southerly change meant it was a lot colder, so it was a struggle to keep up core temperature and my feet slowly became very chilled. It was a focused afternoon, with only one break to cower in a bus shelter. I also got my first tubeless puncture, which I was able to repair with my plugging tool, which was pretty satisfying!

It seemed like an eternity but eventually we were in Hunterville. The kind proprietor of Cranks cafe let us bring our bikes inside and we had a hot chocolate and some early dinner – fish and chips for me plus a toasted sandwich. We chatted to the proprietor, and also a woman who was trying to meet up with her TAing daughter and was a bit stressed out. After picking up a few extra supplies, we left town on SH2, heading for Vinegar hill. The traffic was pretty good and we completed the short section quickly, pulling into the campground in light drizzle.

As we set up our wet tents, a neighbouring camper came to offer us a sit down under his awning, next to his nice fire – and then extended this to a hot shower! This was too good to pass up and we appreciated John’s kindness and hospitality as we attempted to dry ourselves and our wet clothes. We could have tried to find (indoor) accomodation at hunterville but instead we had one of those unexpected encounters that is making the trip so awesome.

Today started early. At first I thought someone’s spot tracker was misbehaving (they flash sporadically) but then I realised it was lightning. From my vantage point inside our three-sided (and very spacious) shelter I could see the flashes on the horizon coming closer.

It was about 4am but I wasn’t sleeping well anyway, sore legs and probably dehydration. Soon it started to rain, then pour, then the thunder started. The decision not to camp had been an excellent one! When the alarm went, we packed up and had breakfast in our nice dry space, and we could also bring the bikes inside to load them.

We’d meant to leave at 630 but it was still pitch, so we waited till 7. It was still pretty dark so we walked the bikes for the first 30 mins, when some others who’d set off early from blue duck lodge caught us.

Then we started to ride. I was relieved to find it was much easier than last night, with more friendly mud despite the rain, which continued to pour. My granny gear sounded like a concrete mixer but I persevered and we wound our way up to the summit.

It felt pretty surreal riding in these hideous conditions – but though wet, we were lucky that it remained relatively warm. We started the descent, which was long, muddy, watery and at times sketchy. I was running very low pressure in my rear tyre and I felt very thankful for its relatively aggressive tread.

Generally I followed Josh, who rides his bike like it’s an extension of his body, following his lines apart from when they didn’t work! Some puddles were so deep you lost all momentum and risked coming off. Some of the stream crossings were growing serious and we worked together to get the bikes across.

We had booked the 11am boat – thanks to Ian we knew it had taken him about 4 hours on his cross bike, so we were hopeful our more mtb-like mounts could manage the same time even in these conditions. We didn’t feel rushed but we only had very short snack breaks.

It was a very focused four hours. The rain was continual and towards the ends there were some serious slips, one newly grown where Wayne, who had passed us, had nearly taken a serious tumble down. As we approached he was just clambering up with his bags, and warned us to be very careful.

Eventually we made it to the bridge to nowhere, and we knew the pick up point was only 15 mins away. We rolled into the shelter at 1102, and Ash, who we hadn’t seen since the climb, was two mins behind us!

The boat soon cane and our assembled group of seven helped load the bikes. The river was massive, brown and full of debris. And unfortunately something quickly snagged in the intake and wouldn’t clear. We had to beach the boat and take all the bikes off so the driver could get at the engine… eventually we got to Pipiriki, about two hours after we got in the boat, and I was pretty chilled.

We cleaned our bikes and I had a quick shower, both free thanks to the support the company’s giving to TA riders. They cooked us a burger and we considered what to do next. By now it was nearly three but the weather had improved. Josh and I decided to head on but agreed Whanganui was too far, we wouldn’t have got there till 8 or 9 and it had been a long day already!

We pulled into a very basic DOC campsite at 6, finding two tent sites down the bank in the trees. This proved smart as a massive wind soon came up. We were grateful for our excessive food purchasing in Taumarunui and shared cheese, tuna and a BCC for dinner, plus chocolate.

An extremely talkative Canadian cycle tourist showed up and we walked for a bit. He tried to entice us into further chat by offering red wine, but we told him we were over-serious cyclists with an early start planned. We were both feeling pretty wiped out by the day’s adventures and it was great to get to bed a bit early for once on this trip!

I’m not normally one for a cooked breakfast, but wolfed down the eggs, bacon, hash browns and beans prepared for us this morning. It was a quick, flowy mostly gravel ride to Taumarunui, the biggest town we’d seen for some time, though it’s definitely seen better days.

I picked up the parcel I’d posted myself from Wellington – toiletry refills and a few good things – and then we had a stock up at New World. Always hard to judge what to buy when you are hungry and catering for two days! Took a while to stuff it all into my various already full bags.

Both Josh and I bought and drank 750ml bottles of chocolate milk on the spot – something I would have previously said was impossible! I felt really good for quite a while after that.

The afternoon seemed to go really quickly as we wound our way up and down gravel hills, deeper into the country. Highlights included another bit of repair work on Josh’s tubeless tyre (after a puncture sustained and successfully plugged last week). Always good to lend a mechanic a tool! A few vehicles passed, but always at opportune times rather than when we were screaming down a hill. We had a few showers but nothing torrential.

Today we were aiming to get as far as we could down the river – ideally the first shelter on the Kaiwhakauka track proper. Ian had emailed me his times for each section, which was super useful for planning. I’d phoned ahead to the Blue Duck cafe to make sure we could get some dinner there, with the idea that we’d be there at 5, and then push on for another couple of hours.

It was great to arrive at the cafe – around 4.30 – eat our lasagne and have a break before tacking the next, difficult section. It started with a 4wd track that was insanely muddy. The kind of mud that coats your tyres, gums up your derailleur and fills your pedals with glue-like clay. Some walking occurred, and some cleaning of bikes with sticks. We had to remind ourselves not to keep trying to clean them as there was plenty more to come. But you felt bad when your drivetrain sounds like a concrete mixer.

Then it morphed into a single track with more rideable sections. Still plenty of mud but better than I expected. Towards the end, Josh bumped his rear cluster on a bridge and it seemed like the gear cable had snapped. Not good as neither of us was carrying a spare.

We walked the last km and were pleased to see an awesome shelter that removed the need to pitch tents. And Josh’s cable was just pulled out of the pinch bolt, not snapped. Which was very happy news.

An hour or so later Ash joined us and after a bit of bike washing and chat, we all agreed on a 515 start tomorrow to try and get the 11am boat.

Today was my favourite ride so far. Me and Josh did the full length of the timber trail – 80km to Ongarue, nearly all single track. I felt very glad to have a solid, stable front-suspension bike with relatively wide tyres!

After a slow start given last nights 11pm lights out, we started the gentle climb up. The first 10km took a while as we climbed to the trail’s high point, with a couple of mechanical adjustment stops along the way. Josh is a mechanic so I’m learning some useful stuff!

There was mobile coverage briefly at the top – nice to check into the world again and make sure dinner would await us.

The rest of the day was lots and lots of mountain biking downhill. I was pretty pleased with how I did, given where my skill level was six months ago. It was exhilarating to confidently zoom down, picking a line and avoiding obstacles. As the day wore on, back, shoulders and hands got increasingly sore. It was a physical day even if not draining in terms of climbing/cardio. And amazingly beautiful weather, though nice to be in the trees where it wasn’t too hot.

We made it to Ongarue at 630pm – this tiny town has embraced TA, with special meals at the bowling club, where we’re also camping, and solar showers.

Looks like the weather might be on the turn so tomorrow it’s to Taumarunui then as far as we can get along the river trail…

The next section of the trail was closed due to logging, so it was an easy cruise along quiet Sunday morning roads. We passed a trail bike event where I scored a cookie and muffin for $2 each (today definitely represents a nutritional downturn).

After a rest at Waipapa dam, where Russ and Barbara caught up with us for a chat it was on to an ‘advanced’ section of the trail. I was grateful for my bike choice and its forgiving nature in this kind of terrain – and relieved the mtb skills I hadn’t practised since Christmas weren’t lost. I managed some tricky switchbacks and a very rocky, steep down hill that made me very proud!

It took a while to do this section and it was pretty intense energy wise. When we approached Mangakino, food was number one priority. We headed down to the awesome bus stop cafe by the lake, where I inhaled a smoothie and a fish burger, and took the chance to dry my tent. We sat here for a while, it was so beautiful and people kept coming up to chat about the event. And I had another burger. After heading to the shop to restock for the next two days, we finally headed out of town around 230.

The next hour was a bit grim with all that digesting food, though the trail was easier. Then we were back on rural roads, trending uphill, and it was super hot. My lower back was getting sore due to tight hamstrings so many mini stretch breaks were needed.

Then we headed into even more sketchy dirt roads, and a very tight swing bridge where I was grateful to have a riding companion as we worked together to get the bikes across. Then it got pretty tough – a narrow, rutted dirt road that reminded me of that difficult walkway in the Gravel Grind.

Time was ticking on but we were confident we would reach the campsite at Pureora before 8, even with our slow pace. There was a lot of climbing and the ks seemed endless. But finally we reached the centre of the north (bit anticlimactic) and then the top of the climb!

The last 10km were awesome mostly down hill in the dying light. Many beautiful majestic trees and finally a decent surface. We touched base with the valley girls (aka Russ and Barb – I only figured that out today!) and then set up camp. Definitely the toughest day so far – only 105km but nearly 8 hours actual riding. Planning a little sleep in before we tackle the whole Timber Trail to Ongarue in one day tomorrow.

Sharon our host made me nice poached eggs for breakfast (I won’t mention the instant) and then we headed off along the rail trail again. Pretty samey with lots of cows. It was a novelty to see other non TA cyclists going for a Saturday ride.

I spotted a cafe from the trail as we headed out of Paeroa and was hopeful of better quality caffeine. One flat white and one date scone later, life was good.

The trail continued, a bit cross windy, and then we were on a relatively busy road where the winds were even less friendly. After a while I spotted another cafe at the side of the road and we had a break. I had a massive vegetable stack in an effort to inject some more nutrients. And an awesome piece of fudge. The proprietor was very friendly and knew someone who had done TA previously. We had quite a long chat and she offered to fill our water. It’s amazing how helpful people will be if you take the time to engage with them.

Josh got some chips to eat while he rode but confessed ten mins later that they were all gone! More roads, though quieter, and more unfriendly cross winds – and then we were at Matamata. Home of the hobbit hole shaped isite.

We were a bit wasted by now and dithered around about what/where to eat, settling on expensive but large smoothies from Tank, continuing the day’s nutrition theme. At the same time, we had a look at the rest of the day and the next day, as soon we’d be entering a more sparsely settled part of the route and would have to carry more food. But we could get dinner at a cafe tonight in Arapuni, which I texted ahead to confirm.

We had a little stock up at countdown then headed out of town, on roads but finally with a tailwind! There were a couple of busy sections, and we got close passed by an Intercity – thankfully the shoulder was wide.

I ate the salad sandwich I had stashed from one of the morning cafes, suddenly feeling starving. We arrived at the start of the Waikato river trail (I ate a banana and a peacherine) and it was great to be away from traffic again.

The trail was more interesting and flowy than the rail trail, with a few ups and downs, including some brutal ones near the end! We arrived at Arapuni around 530 and went to see if we could camp at the backpackers. The owner wasn’t keen on that but he did agree we could have a shower for $5, which was awesome. I wanted to start camping again given all the energy I’m spending transporting my camping gear around, Josh likewise, so we decided we’d pitch our tents at the bowling club where we knew TA riders were welcome.

Before that though, we set off for dinner at the cafe, which has had rave reviews from other riders. We met up with Barbara and Russ, who were staying at the backpackers, having come from Te Aroha today. We all enjoyed awesome burgers (a vege one for me, continuing the theme) and I had a Magnum for dessert.

While we were there, two speedy riders from Wave 6 arrived, and they’ve now camping at the bowling club too (after copying our shower idea!). Captain underpants and wingman, aka Greg and Mark. They’ve promised they won’t get up at 430!

So today was 120km, 6.5 hours of actual riding – interesting to think whether all the food items listed were sufficient! Maybe not but hard to eat more. At least I tried to drink more today so will hopefully sleep better. We’ve decided to head for Pureora forest tomorrow, so we’ll need to do a big food stock up Mangakino mid morning.

It was probably good thing I was too wired to go to bed early as someone was doing burnouts in the hotel car park right outside my room at 1030pm…

Thankfully it wasn’t another 430 wake up. I was pretty pleased to be woken by traffic noise and see it was already 630! Took me a while to pack up in my still tired state and by 8 I was sitting outside a nearby cafe having a filled roll (it wasn’t the world’s greatest cafe) and a triple shot.

I looked at the trackers and saw Josh wasn’t that far away, despite having stayed last night in Auckland! So I had a leisurely first hour or so, keen for some company again. He’d started at 530 and made really good time.

We rode around the coast, it was a bit windy but not a direct headwind. At one point we bought a giant bag of grapes for $3, then had a nice stop in Kaiaua eating them. I also had an ice cream. Not exactly a well balanced lunch but what I felt like at the time! I did stash a toasted sandwich for later.

We saw the massive damage the recent storm had done to the shoreline – lots of sand and shells everywhere, road eroded down to single line in one place. A local told us she watched the devastation from her house up the hill, and it had happened in a single surge.

We reached the start of the hauraki rail trail and had a think about where to go that night. We’d passed Miranda at only 130 – too early to stop! Someone had posted to the TA fb group about a nice pub/hotel in Puriri, and with camping options nonexistent for the next 60km that seemed like a good bet so I rung up and booked some beds.

The next section along the trail was a test of endurance – a headwind, a poorly done gravel surface and extremely mundane views. In fact I hardly took any photos today!

Finally we turned a bit of a corner and the wind became a bit less heady. We made it to Kopu and ducked into a service station to buy some dinner supplies, as we weren’t sure what awaited us.

The last 8km was better surface, views and tailwind, though we were pretty jaded and counting down the kms. Thankfully it was easy to find the hotel, where we were welcomed warmly and told to bring our bikes inside (always a good sign!). And it looked like they served food, even better.

My room was half the price of last nights and much much nicer… as was the ambience in the pub. We were offered laundry facilities and I was able to hang my tent out to dry (after two days rolled up wet from dew). We managed to ingest a few vegetables at dinner along with the carbs and protein – it’s always a challenge managing nutrition in events like this.

It was also good to chat with David who arrived about then and joined us in the pub. Like Josh he’d come from Auckland today (150km!) while my day was a more moderate 100km. Today I was trying harder to eat and drink more but it’s a real challenge getting enough fluid and calories. Something to work on tomorrow!

I thought today would be easy, especially compared to the last two. Like a rest day, kind of.

But it was pretty soul sapping. Maybe because I though it was about 85km to Clevedon when it is 105km – or maybe because spending nearly a whole day crossing a busy city is tiring and mentally draining.

Unfortunately it was another 430am start – I knew some speedy people were going to get up and leave the hall we were sleeping in early, but when we’d arrived in Parakai it was late, and raining, and another night tenting lacked appeal. The hall was the simplest option – and the pizza next door and the shower was awesome. The snoring less so.

Even though I was awake, I didn’t bother to get up till 7, since it seemed smart to avoid the rush hour into Auckland. I had a nice cafe breakfast with Taylor, and we caught up with Alan and Ray, two super inspiring brothers who aren’t exactly spring chickens. Ray’s a sponsored athlete and the NZo van dropped by to give him some new gear!

So it was over the rolling hills towards Auckland. Yet again I managed to (briefly!) go the wrong way. But then navigation into the city from the north was pretty simple thanks to the signposted northwestern cycleway. There was a pesky headwind though, and many more little climbs than I expected.

Eventually I ended up in Mt Eden, where I caught up with Russ and Barbara. We pushed our bikes for a bit to stretch our legs while we chatted. They’d gone on the shuttle instead of the boat over the Kaipara harbour – and their stories of bikes in a heap and pedals stuck in spokes made me doubly glad I’d opted for the ferry. After that bus ride north I am even more paranoid than usual about potential bike damage and it was certainly a factor in my choice!

One of the most exciting moments of my day was walking into Mt Eden Cycles and buying their last bottle of Rocknroll Holy Cow. It’s not always easy to get hold of – especially in Wellington – and I had very low expectations of being able to get more, though it had become glaringly obvious my little bottle was way insufficient. I’m officially a bike lube snob – Finishline green no longer cuts it.

When we got up to the top of Mt Eden, it was cool to see Josh had beaten us there! Taylor also turned up, and the lovely German couple. All the tourist looked a little puzzled at our loaded bikes and our guzzling of food.

After lunch, Taylor and I decided to team up and take on the maze that was the route south. This turned out to be an excellent idea, with my app’s verbal cues and Taylor’s reading of the cue book working well together. But it still took ages! The rain came and went, and when it rains I need to put my phone away, which makes it harder to hear my deadpan Australian woman voicing the cues…

Taylor was doing the Hunua route, and at about 515 we finally reached the route split and parted ways, grateful for the teamwork especially in the heavy traffic. Turning towards the coastal route, I only had 7km to go to Clevedon – yay! – where I’d booked a room at the pub. My second happy moment of the day was successfully influencing the duty manager to let me take my bike into my room, where it can rest under my beady eye.

I was awake at 430 so didn’t need the alarm I’d set for 445! It was a speedy pack up then along to the camp cafe for the promised 530 breakfast – and we were off by 6 as planned.

The first hour of riding was in the dark, through the forest, mostly in silence, climbing gently. Then a cool, twisting gravel descent just as the sun rose. I was riding with Josh and we knew we needed to keep a good pace all day to make the boat.

About half an hour before Dargaville, we came across three lovely young trail angels who were handing out sliced melon and icy water, and super keen to chat. Everyone was stopping and very appreciative. Heart warming stuff 🙂

A lot of us caught up together in Dargaville for a quick food restock and a phone confirmation that the ferry would run at 4pm. It was hot; it’s continually hard to drink enough and stay properly hydrated.

Pushing on – after a few stretches to the amusement of a friendly local – we headed down the peninsula, having joined up with Lance who is doing a very cool vlog everyday for NZ Mountain Biker mag. While we were having a water stop, Ellen caught up and the four of us diced with the logging trucks and cross winds together for a few hours.

It was a great afternoon, I was feeling good and appreciating how much of a privilege it was to have this epic adventure in the company of like-minded people. Apart from the last hour or so, that is, when it started to rain, the gravel got really rough and there was always another hill around the corner that we’d thought marked the top.

I took a fall on one particularly rough corner but unclipped in time to avoid real injury. Later we learned others weren’t so lucky, with Nick and Ian now sporting some pretty serious wounds from a high speed wheel touch.

We got to Pouto at 315 – me, Ellen and Josh were the last to make it! And then it was the tricky task of loading the boat in a rough sea. We joined about 40 people, some from wave 4 and some fellow wave 5s we hadn’t seen since the start! Now we’re sitting on the ferry and get into Parakai around 730. Priorities for me will be dinner and shower!

I’ll probably take it a bit easier tomorrow, after two hard days and not much quality sleep. It’s great having plenty of time up my sleeve. Feeling pretty good though. Had a chat with Simon Kennett just now who is travelling with his daughter Miro on a tandem – inspiring stuff!

Today was awesome. I didn’t exactly take off early, leaving Ahipara around 745. There were lots of gentle ups and down and pastoral scenery, before a gravel road section. My bike’s good on gravel and my climbing legs were feeling sprightly. It was a nice zoom to the where the vehicle ferry goes across the harbour. I was on my own all morning though did a bit of leapfrogging of Sam and his riding companion.

After Rawene, where there was a nice spontaneous regroup at the public toilet, I headed off alone but quite soon started riding with Josh, for the rest of the day our paces were pretty well matched and it was good to have someone to chat with up the (now big!) hills. We climbed 300m up into the kauri forest

Eventually after a few stops (and an emergency gel) we were at Tane Manuta. I loved the kauri forest but it was sad to see dead and dying trees every now and then – the creeping tragedy of dieback.

Then there was a mindblowing downhill, weaving through the forest. And we arrived at Waipoua forest camp, where the lovely (and enterprising) owner is catering dinners and breakfasts for TAers. Lasagne and salad and ice cream!

And I’ll be there for the 530 breakfast tomorrow – going to try and make the 4pm boat, if it’s running. This morning I’d entertained the idea of going past Waipoua today to make tomorrow easier, but by the time I got here at 530 that had ceased to be an option! Will have to post this in the morning – the cafe has coverage but the campsite doesn’t.

I spent quite a lot of last night trying not to think about my tyre and the damage inflicted by the bike trailer yesterday. Of course in my mind during the course of the night, this damage grew substantially in size and scope. These thoughts were interspersed with the realisation I had no idea where the bag with my lights was. Not in the tent with my other stuff…

Finally morning came and I could get ready for the final stretch of our bus journey, 30 minutes more to the Cape. Just before I finished packing up, I found my lights, in the special pocket where I had put them for safe keeping the previous day… A happy moment.

Finally we were there and everything now needed to be on the bike and ready! Just when I was nearly sorted, I noticed a guy standing near me, and following my resolution on this trip to be more open to talking to strangers, had a chat. The talk turned to my tyre concerns. I said, maybe I’ll get the mechanic in Dargaville to have a look at it. He said, I’m a mechanic. So it was awesome to have some reassurance that it’s just rubber rubbed off the sidewall and the casing doesn’t seem to be damaged, which is the key component. Visions of exploding rear tyre receded.

So we went, it was fast down sealed hills to start with, then very crunchy sandy stream bed. Crunchy in that that was the noise from the bike! Thankfully Ian had warned me not to ruin my brake pads by braking too much.

Then 80 km of long flat sandy beach. Luckily conditions were good and you could average 20kph. A bit of the time I rode alone, sometime had chats with others, then for the afternoon rode with Nigel (who I had met at the Gravel Grind) and Catherine, who we had both just met, and chatting definitely helped the time pass by.

The last hour was a headwind and tougher! But we got here to Ahipara pretty early, time enough to give the bike a good clean, swap in a new chain, wash clothes, have takeaways and do stretches.

I feel so much better now than last night, when my mind was filled with what could go wrong and why was I doing this actually. Turns out most other people slept badly too.

I’m on a bus with nearly 40 other TAers heading from Auckland to the Cape. Hoping my bike is surviving the travel well!

There’s heaps of variations in bikes, experience and time expectation but everyone seems enthusiastic about the challenge ahead. And probably happy to have stopped organising and preparing, and be about to ride.