It was foggy when I started cycling, but that was soon burned away by the sun. I rode through mostly flat farmland and the occasional stretch of forest. The one spot where fog lingered was at Lake Ianthe. The lake blended with the fog which in turn blended in with the sky above, making it seem as though I looked out over nothingness.
I reached the sea – or near it – and cycled along a coastal plain, heading north to the town of Hokitika.
My saddle had acquired a tear which was making very quick progress to completely bisecting the saddle. Thankfully it lasted until I reached Hokitika’s bike shop. I wanted to try a saddle other than the Brooks B17 that I’ve mostly used so far. I’d researched one I wanted to try, but it wasn’t in stock here. I bought a random cheapish saddle, figuring I’d give it a go and, if it was uncomfortable, replace it.
I needed a lot of other stuff done and the shop owner, Gary, was obliging and so I got it done then and there. As well as the saddle, I replaced my rear derailleur, chain, cassette and two of my chainrings – he didn’t have one the size of my largest, but that was also the least worn so it wasn’t a big deal. I also replaced the headset, hopefully for the last time. He serviced my rear hub which was in a pretty poor state. There were still a couple of things I needed but it was getting late so I headed off.
I followed a road inland for half an hour or so before clambering into the forest to set up camp. Again it was difficult to find a good spot amidst the ferns.
In the morning I continued riding up to Lake Kaniere. There were just a few bits of fog remaining over it when I arrived.
From there I started to follow the West Coast Wilderness Trail, a 130km long bike route on a mixture of gravel roads and dedicated bike paths. I was only riding part of it, which began with a gravel road.
Soon I turned off onto a cycle trail which switchbacked at a very gentle gradient up the side of a valley. After a while I stopped for a break and was joined by a bird, clearly hoping to steal food. Until humans arrived 900 years ago, there were no land mammals in New Zealand, so birds haven’t learned to be fearful.
The bike trail continued up the valley, getting a bit steeper as it neared a pass. For a couple hours down the other side I followed the route along tracks and trails. There was no vehicular traffic and only a couple of other cyclists; the peace was pleasant.
After a time I rejoined the road. I was still adjusting to my new saddle and it seemed a bad idea to subject myself to a whole day of unpaved surfaces on my first day with it! This road brought me into the town of Graymouth. I visited a bike shop there, hoping to get my front hub serviced (which I hadn’t had time for in Hokitika). Unfortunately they had no mechanic there that day, nor did they have the 44 tooth chainring I was missing.
From there I rode inland along the river Gray. The main highway went south of the river; I followed a smaller road on the north bank. There was very little traffic.
In the evening I saw a track leading into the brush and made my way in to set up camp for the night.
The next morning was a particularly foggy one; I couldn’t see much at all for the first few hours.
After a short climb I rode into the village of Reefton. I was feeling unusually cold so I stopped at the supermarket and bought some hot food, which helped. I rode away from Reefton on a gradual descent. The fog cleared. I felt a lot better.
After a time I joined another road which followed a river upstream. It didn’t follow it all that closely though; there was lots of up and down.
It was a fairly uneventful day but I felt good nonetheless. The bike was running nice and smoothly after all the repairs and replacements. I was slowly becoming used to the new saddle, though I still couldn’t call it comfortable.
At sunset I reached Murchison, a small village. I made my way to the campsite and pitched up. After a hot shower I relaxed for a while in the lounge which was pleasantly warm thanks to a fire. It was very nice to be feeling warm when I got into the tent.
I set off early in the morning, before sunrise. I continued following the river upstream, initially at a very gentle gradient. The visibility was much better than the previous morning, though low clouds meant there wasn’t much of a view.
The gradual ascent shifted into some rolling hills before getting stuck into a proper climb. As I reached the 600m pass I also passed through the cloud.
On the other side the weather was much nicer. I dropped down several hundred metres and soon stopped to remove some layers of clothing thanks to the sun’s warmth.
Part way up the second climb of the day, I swapped to a bike trail. This led me to Spooners tunnel, a 1.4km long decommissioned rail tunnel.
I rejoined the main road on the descent, and made my way to the Richmond/Nelson urban area. I tried to find someone who could replace the zip on my frame bag; I’d been holding it closed with a couple of cable ties for the last few weeks. The first place I went to quoted me $165 NZD (£80)! I visited/called a few other places and they also had high prices, usually combined with saying it’d take 7-10 days. I soon decided my cable tie solution was working fine. Last time I had it replaced was in Nigeria and cost about £0.30. No wonder westerners just throw things away instead of repairing them!
Next up was a bike shop to get my front hub serviced, which I’d not had time to do last time I went to a bike shop. I had success at the second bike shop I tried, and they also replaced my brake cable for me. It feels so different; I’d honestly forgotten how brakes were supposed to feel!
From there I headed to a “hostel.” The quotation marks are because there was no signage at all; it was just an old couple who’d put a bunch of beds in their living room. It was fine by me. Most of the other people there were foreign workers.
I made a late start the next morning. My plan was to take a ferry the day after, and it was only about 100km away so I had time to spare. I rode east out of Nelson. Soon the road turned to gravel, following the course of a river.
After being relatively flat for a while, a short climb preceded my arrival at a viewpoint over a reservoir.
From here the road turned to a track, with a closed gate where a sign stated the track was open only to cyclists and walkers. It went around the reservoir, though it did not match the water level. Instead it went very steeply up and down, steep enough that I’d have had to push even if it wasn’t such a rough surface.
At the far side of the reservoir the real climb began, gaining 500m in 3.5km. The gradient was inconsistent – some sections were easily ridable, others were a challenge to walk. Initially the surface was jagged bedrock covered in loose fist-sized rocks. Thankfully it improved.
Eventually I reached the pass. Over the next 7km I descended from 750m to below 100m. The descent was generally ridable.
The track ended as it joined a gravel road which, after a couple of hills, settled into a gentle descent through a valley of farms.
Soon enough I rejoined the main road and continued on for another hour or so before reaching a campsite. The price for a dorm bed (with a room to myself) was little more than camping (28 NZD/£14) so I took that option. I’d timed my arrival well as it began to rain immediately afterwards.
It was still raining in the morning but I had a ferry to catch, so off I went. Despite the rain it was surprisingly warm, much warmer than recent days, and I was soon removing layers.
The rain subsided after an hour or so. As I made my way toward Picton, the town with the ferry, I realised my rear tyre was going flat. It seemed to be a slow leak so I just pumped it up and kept on going. I needed to stop and do so once more before reaching the port.
I went and got my boarding pass and, a little while later, boarded the ferry. There were two other cyclists, a couple. The man had a road bike and the woman a mountain bike. I commented on this and they said he’d been running while she rode. The trail was rough enough that he was going faster!
The crossing was smooth. About three hours later we arrived in Wellington just as it was getting dark. I pumped up my tyre once more and rode to a hostel. When I got there I repaired the puncture.
June 13: 85km
June 14: 106 km
June 15: 142 km
June 16: 129 km
June 17: 66 km
June 18: 62 km
Cycle Touring Sam 