TA24, Day 11, Race for a Ferry

Despite being on the floor with a couple of couch cushions I have the best sleep of the ride. As I’m sleeping in the dining room I stand up, put the jug on and make a coffee then get started on breakfast. I’m on the road quickly and feeling fresher than the last couple of mornings.

The weather isn’t great and I’ve got my jacket on. It rains, then it stops, then it rains again. It isn’t cold but for some reason my bigger computer isn’t loading the navigation. This wouldn’t normally be a problem because the guide book is so easy to follow. Being a book it wouldn’t be great in the rain but I have the electronic version. This causes its own problems as my phone screen doesn’t respond when it is wet. It is wet because it is raining. Fortunately there are several kilometres between instructions.

I stop at an intersection and have my phone out and I’m trying to dry the screen so I can read what is next when two riders go past. They’re loaded up so I just follow them and explain my situation. We go up a hill and one of them drops behind. I mention that to the guy in front and he says, yep that is how it goes. I’ll wait soon and we keep going. He is moving and on a down, in the rain, on a gravel road we’re moving at 40km. Then he eases off and waits for his mate. I roll on by grateful I’ve been able to follow as the rain has stopped and I can use my phone again. It isn’t far to Masterton where I stop for a coffee.

I eat lunch on Featherston then press on. All the roads feel familiar as I’m close to home. I don’t ride out visit here often so it makes no sense. But I’m excited to be close to home.

A friend from work has been following my ride and caught the train to Featherston with his bike to ride into Wellington with me. I’ve been riding solo for several days now so it will be a different afternoon. He is good company and rides at my pace. The time flies by as I escort him through tracks he has never ridden. Then we’re riding into a headwind as it is a Southerly. He jumps in front to shelter me. Occasionally I yell for him to slow down. He doesn’t have over 1500km in his legs. I smile knowing I’m past halfway.

I head straight to the ferry terminal knowing there is an 8:30pm crossing. I’m worried about not making it in time but end up pulling in around 6:30 so go straight in to ask. The 8:30pm crossing is a Dangerous Goods crossing so has strictly limited passenger availability. I don’t quite understand how it is ok for 20 people, but not more. Dangerous goods are, well dangerous with or without people.

It works out well as I get to see Mum and Aunty Doff. Then Dad arrives with Nikki, Micah and Judah as he is taking them to the airport. We quickly hatch a plan and my bike is in the back of their car and I’m driving to the airport with Nikki and the boys while Mum & Dad are being driven home by Aunty Doff. This had the bonus of getting to see Ezra. After leaving them at the airport I’m home and putting everything in the washing machine and hanging the tent up to dry then asleep in my own bed.

TA24, Day 10, Accommodation Mix Up

I ride out from Rangawahia and my legs are feeling wobbly. They shouldn’t given they just need to go up and down! They feel like damp noodles that assist rigid but if you try and stab a marshmallow with them they just bend. It doesn’t last too long though and within 20 minutes my body remembers what we’re doing and starts doing its thing.

I remember riding in the drizzle in 2020 when first attempting TA. Descending didn’t a hill into the few houses that are Pohangina, someone on the side of the road was waving there arms calling out coffee and cake. We stopped and it was worth it. This time I’m hoping they will be there again. I’m disappointed that nobody is on the road waving but pull on because there was a sign. I startle the lady then spend 10 or 15 minutes eating cookies and enjoying an instant coffee while chatting about the cricket ground she is fundraising for. In 2020 it was just a paddock. Today it looks good and she tells me there was a cricket game there several weeks ago.

I set off again bouyed by the hot drink. It isn’t raining but it isn’t a hot day. I stop again in Ashurst for morning tea, then Palmerston North for lunch. The climb out of Palmy goes on for long enough I’m probably passed by a hundred cars and several dozen trucks. But when you go over the top cars and trucks get in my way.

I was hoping to make Masterton today but headwinds from Pohangina mean I give up as I roll into Eketahuna. I know there is a campground so ring hoping for a cabin as the tent is wet. They say no so I look up the main street wondering if there is a hotel. I’m outside the tavern and notice a sign that says Rooms $50. I lean my bike on a table outside and walk in with my helmet on and ask for a room. I’m in luck but have to wait 30 mins while they make it up.

The barman suggests I order dinner while I wait. I ask if I can shower and he agrees but warns me if I leave after the shower he will charge me. I won’t be going anywhere and enjoy cleaning off the dirt and grime from the days riding. I then order dinner and probably end up with too much food. It doesn’t matter and I just eat it knowing I need the calories.

I’m told my room is ready and get a different number to the first one I was told. I head done the hallway and find the dirt locked so return to report the situation. The barman suggests I try again while he goes to check the number. I’m halfway back when he calls to me. He has double booked and that room isn’t available. I question the number as the original was empty and open. He says that is taken and tells me I can sleep on the floor in the dining room. Another rider has the same predicament and is sleeping in the lounge. We laugh and accept the $10 he offers, still grateful we’re inside. Then the owner comes and talks to us. She is so embarrassed she gives us another $20 back.

I’m ready for sleep so pull the cushions off the couch and make my bed. Ready to sleep there is suddenly a couple of riders in the dining room making a bedtime cup of tea. They chat and chat keeping me up past my expiry date.

TA24, Day 9, More Climbing

I’m woken suddenly by stomping. A little disorientated it takes me a moment to realize it is someone on my deck. Then it takes another for me to remember where I am and what I’m doing. I relax as I remember the deck is shared with another cabin with 2 other riders. I look at my watch and see it is 5:50 and the drinking continues as a rider prepares to leave. In fairness, they’re probably not stomping at all, it is just quiet aside from their rustling of bags and walking back and forth.

I take my time and it is daylight when I pedal away from Pipiriki at 7am. There is the misty fog again so my lights are blinking away like my eyes a couple of hours earlier. The road winds besides the river and I’m trusting and turning gently as I weave my way to Whanganui. Unlike the river, which only flows downwards, I’m going up and down as the road isn’t at river level.

It is beautiful, incredibly beautiful and it is easy to see why it was when riding this road in 2017 I decided I wanted to ride TA. It is also easy to know why when I did first attempt TA in 2020 this was the most difficult section. There is a lot of climbing.

I compare this to 90 mile beach, another stunning place you can ride a bike. That is flat, this is not. However both share a trait of incredible beauty that you marvel at as you ride through. A rock with water cascading gently over it like a toddler playfully tumbles down their grandparents legs giggling gleefully. I round a bend and a hawk takes flight in front of me. It seems labored and lumbering at first but within 5 or 6 wing flaps it is soaring and looking back to check in not eating it’s breakfast.

And for 20 or 30 minutes it is just the best, then it drags on, and on. Too much of a good thing.

There is a strange camaraderie between TA riders. We have an immediate familiarity as we check each other’s bikes and compliment each other’s gear selections. We talk distances, track highlights, lowlights, and plans for completing. There is never a discouraging word (except maybe when awoken early) irrespective of whether you’re taking 50 days or 10.

We see each other several times a day, for several days in a row, but never introduce ourselves!

TA24, Day 8, Alone

As I set off I see Keith heading to McDonald’s for breakfast. We chat briefly because he is hungry and I’m ready to get moving. Alastair is 15 minutes away so I start riding out of town. There is a blanket of mist the town has pulled up over itself which is very serene. It is still and quiet with the quiet whir of my pedals and freshly lubed chain punctuated by the occasional car or crunch of loose gravel under my tyre.

This doesn’t last long though because I’m out of town and into some gentle hills. They too have a blanket of mist that the trees clutch the edges of. Perhaps they’re morning the death of darkness as they last in bed contemplating the day without darkness.

Riding by yourself is different to riding with others in both good and bad ways. It is good for me because I can just go my pace. It might be slow but I don’t know because there is nobody getting further away ahead of me. It could be fast and I’m pulling away which would mean I need to upset my rhythm or take a break when I’m not ready.

It is bad because you’re alone and unsupported. A flat tyre is relatively easy to fix and almost easier without others standing helpless while offering advice. But if it were a more serious mechanical matter or an accident others are good. They also notice if things are loose or fall off your bike (especially stuff behind you). Today I simply give my kit a periodic pat down. It is the reverse of an airport security pat down as I’m checking for things (jandals attached, jersey still tied down) as opposed to ensuring there is nothing.

I take the winter alternate route which cuts out 50km of mostly descent. Instead it is 76km with a lot of additional climbing and several good downhill sections. It will take me through Raetihi and I’m looking good to be there for dinner. There is a lot of wildlife on this route and I surprise a deer as well as what seems like dozens of goats. There is almost nothing out here and I don’t see another rider, less than a handful of vehicles (even when I get to the road) and a similar number of farmers working with their dogs.

Raetihi is disappointing. No takeaways and the 4 Square is without hot food also. I eat a Cookie Time cookie with a bottle of Foxton Fizz then pedal the 27km to Pipiriki. There I find a bed, a hot shower, and sleep. I’m swollen by stomping at 5:10am (an early to ride neighbor on the shared deck). There is a great kitchen though so I make my breakfast and coffee then sit in a comfy armchair eating, sipping and connected to the wifi as I write about yesterday.

I’m not as far through as I hoped I would be, but yesterday was a pretty neat day riding somewhere of never been, and will have no reason to ever go again. That is something special about these adventures. You go some place you wouldn’t ever go and wonder why you chose never to come. Then you leave it there, away from the rest of your life, hidden like treasure knowing there is an X marks the spot written in your memory for those clumps of trees leaving over a winding ride in the middle of somewhere not many have been.

TA24, Day 7, Frustrating

It is raining but not cold as we head out into the greyness. The body is feeling like it has been doing a little too much of something, but I know today will be good because I’m on the Timber Trail. I’ve mastered the art of packing everything quickly on the bike and having it strapped tight so it doesn’t wave around awkwardly like a drunk Santa at a Christmas parade.

There is 100km between where we are and Taumaranui. If the weather were better, or perhaps if the track was dry, we should be able to get there for a late lunch or maybe an early afternoon tea. Despite the extra weight of tents, sleeping bags, cookers, and lots of food we’re keeping on moving up and down the terrain of Aotearoa.

Taumaranui is potentially where I say goodbye to Alastair and Keith and ride into the sunset. Literally! That all depends on getting to Taumaranui and them deciding what they will do. I said I would ride with them for a week, then start doing my own thing as I intend going the whole way to Bluff and they’re doing in Wellington. Their plan is 12 days but I want to try to be a little quicker so I’m home in 3 weeks. With the flights I’ve booked that means I’ve only got 19 days. I’m a third done in 7 days so only have 12 for the remaining 2000km.

We’re not even 10km into the day when the frustrations start. Alastair (not his fault) is having trouble with his tube. He fixed it last night, but managed to get another puncture. It is raining and we’re on the track trying to patch his tube (neither mine or Keith’s are the right size). He even adds duct tape which is helpful.

Unfortunately, it is the wrong size tube and it just isn’t working. This means we ride for 15 or 20 minutes, then he does some more pumping. We repeat this 3 or 4 times, then we need to repair the tube. The situation is even more frustrating for Alastair as it means he has to be extraordinarily cautious on the downhills.

Lunch is at the halfway mark and the big climb is over so I start thinking about options beyond Taumaranui. I figure at this pace I can restock there, then ride another 27km to Owhonga. But first, we have to get to Taumaranui and it isn’t going well.

There are 2 climbs after lunch and on the first we catch some other riders. One of them has the right tube and generously gives it to Alastair. We ride on with that ready for them next time we need to pump. It doesn’t take long and we’re on the track with a wheel off the bike and the tube with duct tape and patches discarded (don’t worry, we are tidy kiwis and took it with us).

We’re all a little apprehensive for the next few kilometres not wanting anything else for us to get to the top of this final climb. It arrives and there are no surprises or frustrations as we descend effortlessly down the side of the mountain. The trail flows like a full river with no white water bustling around corners. It is smooth and fast even fully loaded. And then there is a section of whitewater and we bounce between rocks, grabbing at our brakes while looking ahead for more smooth sailing.

With ask the frustration we don’t roll into Taumaranui until 7pm. I call a hotel, eat Chinese takeaways, shower, and lay on the bed. Tomorrow I will be solo.

TA24, Day 6, Coming Right

The wind in the trees sounds like a cheering crowd as I’m riding up this hill. They can’t be cheering for me because I’m slow and this isn’t a bike race. The trees are tall and more golden than green. They’re like men retiring, aged, but not old. Still strong and full of possibilities.

Lunch is in Mangakino and another restocking point. This time it has to get us through to dinner tomorrow afternoon in Taumaranui. There is a takeaway shop and I get a $10 deal with fish, a sausage, 3 potato fritters and half a scoop of chips. It is probably too much but I eat it knowing I need it.

At first it makes me slow but I get a break as Alastair gets a flat tyre. Later it seems to be doing what it is supposed to and I manage to climb a hill without feeling like I’m suffering like a bear with one paw in a trap. There are lots of hills today and when we get to the top of the penultimate one I’m feeling pretty good. I feel even better after the descent and we cross a swing bridge to start the final climb of the day.

Before we start we take 5, eat some food, and refill our drink bottles. Then we’re off to climb 600m on rough track and 4WD paths. I don’t feel 100% but I’m much better than before. The gorilla is still on my chest but had been taking weight watchers pretty seriously.

Alastair had the wrong inner tube (it is too small) and it’s having trouble with his rear wheel. We have fairly regular stops to pump it further not because it won’t hold air but because the tube is just too small and the tyre is squirming underneath his loaded bike. We get to within 3km of the cabins we’re staying in and it goes flat. He borrows a tube to sort it out and I keep moving to the cabin.

I arrive to find food waiting for us! It is glorious and doubles the size of my planned dinner leaving me with additional food for tomorrow. Now all I need is a half decent sleep and I should be close to right again.

TA24, Day 5, Struggling

After a better but still not great sleep I’m up and moving. I get ready, load up the bike and head off. I’ve popped some Panadol but still not feeling great as I start moving. I can ride, but I just don’t have any power in my legs. When my heart rate starts to elevate it feels like there is a gorilla sitting on my chest.

So long as there aren’t any hills I should be ok and today there aren’t supposed to be today as we are rolling through the Waikato on their rail trail. The guide book says there is a detour due to work on the trail but the sign suggests we can get through. Alastair is keen to ride it as the sign suggests we can get through albeit with some sections being rough and bumpy. We stick together and within 400m I’m regretting it. I should have stuck with the detour in the book which would have meandered and smooth back country roads. It is too late now though so I keep moving, just at a slower space than the other 2.

We get to the end, well we get as far as we can and raise we can’t get through. So we back track on the road to get back on the course. This takes us to Ngatea where we have a break. I head straight to the 4 Square and buy some more Panadol, then take another couple. We’re progressing but it isn’t fast.

We have another break at Paeroa for a drink and something to eat that isn’t lunch. Then head for Te Aroha 20k down the track for lunch. Even at my pace it should only be an hour, and it is. We all choose different lunch options and are all pleased with our choices, then we head on towards Matamata. It will be too early for dinner but we need supplies to get us through to lunch tomorrow.

The plan is to get to Little Waipa which is a DOC campsite on the Waikato River and we arrive in good time to find hot showers! We freshen up, setup our tents, then make our dinner sitting at a picnic table. I turn in early, but not before I’ve taken a few more Panadol. I didn’t get worse through the day which is promising, but I’m still 80% at best.

TA24, Day 4, Something is Wrong

I felt a little sniffy and scratchy yesterday but had a terrible sleep and my throat feels like I’m trying to swallow a porcupine. I should have sleep well because we stayed at Alastair’s nephews, in a proper bed, after an incredible shower! We leave a little later again not because of a ferry, but because we chatting happily with family. Well, Alastair’s family. I’m eating Vogels toasted with lashings of peanut butter and Tristam even makes us excellent barista coffee from his machine. Every morning should be like this, except for how I’m feeling.

We head off and begin the commute into Auckland. Traffic is pretty good but the hills just keep coming. We’re either going up like little caterpillars shuffling along a stem, or careering downwards like an eagle about to strike her prey. Truth be told I probably prefer this kind of riding to the flat which is relentless. On the hills you get regular little breaks.

The cycle paths of Auckland are great and we whizz along with very few breaks. Then we are in the CBD, heading up Mt Eden, then making our way out to the airport. It feels like we have 100 stops before we escape the grasp of the city and our normal lives. We are back on the open road and I’m feeling average! I can’t breathe quite right, and my throat has gone from a little scratchy to an overgrown gorse bush.

We pull into Clevedon and unusually I want a break. I’m feeling weak and I’m not sure why. I have an ice block, and a powerade, and some food while sitting in the shade. I don’t recover much but it is time to go. We head to fill up our water bottles and have a chance encounter with Aaron Gates. He chats away happily with us, asking about our trip, and plans. I ask to swap bikes given his is both lightweight and without luggage. Unsurprisingly he declines and truth be told I’m happy about that. His tyres were just 28mm so have nothing like the comfort of my 45mm armchairs.

There are another could of hills before the Firth of Thames and I’m already slowing down. They’re hard and I’m slow, so slow Keith passes me and rides away. He comments about this later as we wind our way arrive the coast on a lovely evening. We pull into Miranda Hot Springs and strike the jackpot with a cabin AND a courtesy shuttle to a pub and a dinner that was almost too big for us (which would be quite an achievement)!

TA24, Day 3, No Drama For Us

It was always going to be a late and lazy start today. It begins when the alarm of the person in the tent beside me sounds around 6am. My guess is he couldn’t find his phone because the alarm rang for a couple of minutes. I say he couldn’t find it because I would occasionally hear rustling as if he was searching under whatever was spread around him in there. Eventually he manages to stop it and his day starts as I listen to the news.

It was a terrible sleep for some reason so I don’t bother trying to doze. Instead I head to the kitchen and make coffee. It is a pleasant morning and I sip my coffee as others hustle and bustle to pack down their tents, eat breakfast, load their bikes and leave. I’m surprised people are leaving so early given it is less than 70km to Poutu Point and the ferry that leaves at 4pm. I suppose they might be riding the road instead, or perhaps they’re nervous about timings. One of them should be … more about that later.

Alastair and Keith get moving and I start packing down, with a 2nd coffee, around 7am. They’re making breakfast but my plan is to head into town. I haven’t decided on whether I’ll choose a supermarket or cafe breakfast. I decide to stop at a cafe because I can sit inside and keep eyes on my bike. I’m not nervous but have heard stories of people having their bikes and all their kit pinched. It would suck if that happened, especially in a small town like Dargaville that is so far from anywhere.

Next it is off to the bike shop. They’ve opened an hour earlier than usual at 8am to help riders with drama like us. Keith gets his first tyre converted to tubeless, I get my gears tuned as they’re haven’t been running particularly well since we rode through the Te Paki stream and along 90 mile beach. Alastair is at a hardware store getting bolts to secure his carrier. We then hit the supermarket, Subway, before getting started on the ride.

Well, we think we’re started but stop every 5km for the first 15 or 20km. We’re doing little things like a visit to the tiniest church in NZ. Or slapping on sunblock. Then we stop at the last shop of the day for a drink. If we carry on like this we might have some time pressure.

We start catching riders, passing them, then stopping for food or a rest only to have them pass us. Then we set off, catch them, and a few new riders, then stop again. This method of riding doesn’t work well for me. I seem to do better, feel better, and ride further when I just keep going for a couple of hours. I snack and drink on the bike until it is time for a meal. Today it doesn’t matter given we don’t have any time pressure.

It is a head wind that is hard and along with the stop start riding we’re doing today I’m feeling worn like my aged brake pads. We arrive a little after 2 and I’m pleased to purchase a cold can of L&P but disappointed we’re not allowed to shower. They’re pay showers but the area has been so dry only people camping at the site are allowed.

The boat arrives early and we help loading the bikes. It doesn’t take too long, but it is an unexpected delay. Well, it isn’t because we leave pretty much bang on 4pm. The gangplank is still down and a lone rider comes over the beach. He comes right to the boat and it’s talking with the crew. As he talks the gangplank is raised. He won’t be on the boat and perhaps should have worried a little more about time.

I’ve still got to get dinner in Hellensville (5km from where the boat drops is) and ride 20km to our accommodation with Alastair’s nephew. It is going to be a late night and I hope a proper bed means I’ll sleep well. I need it.

TA24, Day 2, More Drama

The morning is cool but quickly warms up as we make our way towards the first ferry crossing of the trip across the Hokianga Harbour. We’re relaxed and riding at a comfortable place as we climb up a dirt road before descending at speed to the tarmac and an easy 5km to the ferry. When I was here in 2020 we were pedaling like we were possessed to ensure we made the ferry (we did, albeit just). This time we arrive and find another 4 riders waiting. We eat some food, have a drink, and chat about plans as we watch the ferry pull in and unload.

There is plenty of climbing today (over 2000m) and one of the climbs is over 6km long. Mercifully there is a breeze that periodically blows on us hinting at the coolness available if we would speed up. Prior to this long climb it had been more lumpy and we would climb a little, drop a little, climb some more, then drop some more.

During this I discover a correlation which isn’t particularly surprising. When choosing downhill, often at 50-60km an hour your body temperature is rather pleasant. Inversely (no surprise) when pedaling up hill you’re rather hot, almost overheating at times. However, my discover is that there is a correlation between now quickly you get up to speed on the downs and how quickly your temperature drops. Once I double my speed my body temperature feels to halve. It is rather pleasant.

After that long climb we were rewarded with a long descent to Tane Mahuta. Weaving through the forest on the snaking tarmac with the cool breeze singing a song in our ears. We swoop downwards like a bird hunting leaning over in the corners so we start focused on our prey running from us. It feels like a shame to pull on our brakes and stop when we get to the almighty Kauri that is Tane Mahuta.

Then there was more drama. Keith and I took a little longer than Alastair to be ready to leave so Alastair rose off early. This is normal that one of us gets underway. We ride slowly, enjoying ourselves at a pedestrian pace waiting for the others to catch us.

As Alastair disappeared around the bend Keith and I unlocked our bikes and started applying sunscreen. After a couple of minutes we were ready to roll, then Keith exclaimed, Oh no my tyre is flat. A hurried conversation had me riding off to catch Alastair and let him know the situation.

The tyre wasn’t fixed properly and we had another couple of stops to get more air in the tyre. Eventually we have it to our planned destination of Dargaville at 7:30pm. We were pretty dirty and tired so ordered pizza because it was the only place in town that delivered! Then our tents were pulled out, still wet from the previous night. Fortunately it was a warm summer evening so it dried, hanging in a tree, while I sat, clean and fresh from my shower shoveling pizza into my mouth like a farmer shovels food off a trailer to his livestock.