Rome to Paris Ride for Alkira
I am writing this blog to inform you all that I , along with my NZ pal Chris Jones and Steve Seymour from Melbourne, will be riding from Rome to Paris to raise funds for fitting out a cafe for Alkira Disability Services.
I am hoping to raise $25,000 for this project which will be used by Alkira Participants to be trained as baristas and cafe staff for later employment.
The ride itself starts on June 10 when I fly out of Melbourne. After a bit of work to set up our bikes and a bit of sightseeing it is off through to the Dolomites and the Stelvio pass then through Austria, Switzerland, Germany and northern France with us arriving in Paris for the start of Olympic Games.
Over the journey we will cover about 3000 kms over about 45 days. We will be staying in cheap hotels, backpacking hotels and hostels along our journey.
A copy of our proposed route is shown below which shows us traveling further after the Games to Calais.
I want to thank everyone who has supported the ride so far and it is pleasing that in a 2 week period $4000 has been raised
I also include a photo of myself, Chris and Steve outside the proposed Cafe in Box Hill
Day 7- Wangaratta Hub & Spoke- Eldorado Loop
Today we transitioned from daylight saving to normal Eastern Standard Time so we put our clocks back by an hour or to put it more plainly we had an extra hour of sleep!
No matter we were still up at 6.00am for an 8.00 am start as we had to have breakfast, shower and pack up ahead of starting the ride…. Thank goodness for the extra time!
Anyway we were all ready to ride at the allotted time and even managed an early morning coffee before 8.00am!
The ride this morning was in good weather again with a cool start at about 12 degrees with cloud cover which cleared somewhat as the morning wore on.
The ride to Eldorado was through flat farming country initially but getting closer to Eldorado it developed into rolling hills.
Just before Eldorado we stopped at the Dredge which is a hudge digger which was used to dredge the lake to look for gold and tin. The machine is on a type of floating barge and digs up material from the bottom of the lake and sifts it for gold and tin. The machine operated from 1936 through to 1954 almost on a 24/7 basis until it became uneconomic.
After this it was off to the cafe in Eldorado for coffee and a break.
The ride after coffee back to Wangaratta was essentially downhill for the fist 10 or so kms flattening out after that.
All up we travelled about 50 kms for the morning in good time to be back at the cars by about 11.45 am.
Lunch was at a local cafe ahead of picking up Phil in the caravan park for the ride home.
The ride home from Wangaratta was about 3.5 hours after dropping off Frank and Phil.
It was rather sad to say goodbye to all the “boys “ after 7 days of magnificent riding in great weather conditions and congratulations needs to go to Steve Seymour for his excellent organisation.
The company of all on the rides made the whole experience a great one full of many wonderful memories.
There is no doubt about it, the Wheeliebinners make a wonderful group of friends and with our sister organisation in NZ now we are something quite special.
Looking forward to the next adventure!
Today’s pictures are as follows:
Today’s route
2 pictures of the Eldorado Dredge
Early morning coffee at the cafe
Final lunch at the same cafe
Day 6- Wangaratta Hub & Spoke Ride- Silo Art Ride
To begin with it is worth recounting the pizza dinner last night….. it was again at Rinaldo’s restaurant which is very good!
The dinner was included in our “package” so we could in a sense “lash out”. But sanity prevailed and after an entree feed of calamari and arantcini balls we were into the pizzas. Once again the banter was good with plenty of talk about the day of riding, politics and many other things.
We all went to bed with full stomachs and feeling quite tired!
This morning it was another early morning at 6.00 am with both Chris and I being ready after breakfast at about 7,00 am. The issue for us this morning was the steady rain which was falling. After consulting the radar we agreed to go ahead with the ride which was to take in some lovely country near Benalla following the silo art trail.
This meant we had to transport all of us plus bikes to Benalla which was the coffee stop. We left the motel at about 8.30 am after saying goodbye to Ric who was heading back to Melbourne.
Arriving at Benalla the rain was still falling but a few of us donned our wet weather gear and rode to look at the local buildings which are adorned with paintings…. Quite interesting really!
Those who did not ride due to the wet weather found a coffee shop which was the meeting place for us all.
The coffee and coffee scroll were perfect as a starter for the day ahead.
Returning back to the cars we then headed off by car ( with bikes on board) to Tungamah which was the starting point for the main ride. We left Ellio’s car back in Benalla to be used as the link up car for those with bike racks which were left at Tungamah… sounds complicated and it was!
We left the cars and made our way along quiet country roads to the lunch stop at Devenish. Along the way each of the towns adjoining the railway line had painted grain silos which reflect part of the history of the area. They are really quite impressive! The pictures really tell the story.
Lunch at the Devonish pub was quite good. I had a small fish and chips
After lunch we continued in to Benalla but the wind was blowing in our faces so we did drafting to make the ride easier. This worked for the most part but really requires constant practice to make it work well and for all riders to have confidence in riding close together.
We had a small section of the ride of about 2 kms was on a gravel road. In all of our riding this was the only unpaved surface which is quite remarkable.
After this it was in for the 10 km push to Benalla on the Murray-Valley Highway except Phil experienced a puncture which was a result of hitting a piece of plastic on the side of the road… sorry Phil.
Steve, Ellio, Mike, Chris and I pushed on to Ellio’s car in Benalla so we could make our way back to Tungamah to collect the cars with bike racks.
The trip to Tungamah and back was fairly uneventful and it was good to see the boys back in Benalla. After mounting the bikes on the cars we made our way back to the Motel in Wangaratta. Arriving back at about 6.00 pm it was the end of a long day of riding and shuffling but we enjoyed the artwork on the silos! This is certainly worth a visit when visiting Victoria.
From a weather perspective, after the early showers the day cleared to warm but overcast conditions with temperatures in the early 20’s.
After a well earned shower it was off the the local Indian restaurant for dinner. Ellio was a bit late after watching his team Carlton will against the Dokkers.
Dinner was very pleasant with good food and chatter and we said our thanks to Steve Seymour for his excellent organisation of this trip.
Today’s photos are as follows:
The silo art route from Tungamah to Benalla
The route we took on ride around Benalla
Last nights dinner
A celebration of Ric’s birthday
A photo of us all at Tungamah ahead of the ride
The lunch venue at Devinish
Several photos of the art silos
Day 5 -Wangaratta Hub & Spoke Ride- Beechworth to Myrtelford and Back
Last night Abdy organised dinner at the local pub. The food and ambience was good and after the flat ride to Rutherglen and back it was just the thing to restore the energy.
After dinner a few of us watched the AFL football between the Demons and Crow’s. Fortunately my team, the dees won which was the perfect end to the May.
This morning was another early morning wake up at 6.30 am. After breakfast we loaded the bikes on the cars ahead of driving to Beechworth where the ride was to start.
On the way to Beechworth we stopped at Tarrawingee for coffee at the coffee van. This seems to be the most popular meeting point for all of the locals as well as riders like ourselves.
After reaching Beechworth and unloading the bikes we were on our way to Stanley for another coffee break. To be honest I probably did not need another coffee!
The ride to Stanley was mostly uphill and to add to the slowness of the ride my Garmin was playing up which was a real pain! Thankfully I was able to use Strava to record the ride. I will need to get my Garmin checked ahead of future rides.
After coffee at Stanley the ride continued on undulating country roads through orchard country. It was very pretty with apple orchards and all sorts of other fruit trees. We managed to stop at an orchard shop where we purchased some delicious apples on an “honesty” system. It was a lovely break!
The next section of the ride was a “ big downhill “ and flat section into Myrtleford for lunch. Lunch was at the bakery which was just okay compared to other lunch stops earlier in the week.
After lunch we then joined the rail trail back to Beechworth. Along the way Ric, Jeff , Ellio and Mike took a shorter route back to Beechworth! The only issue was a steep section of road which proved to be a challenge!
The rest of us took the rail trail back which included a long steady climb which for me seemed to go on forever!
We all arrived safely back to the cars, although Jeff and Ellio took their time on the ride back to enjoy the views!
After an exhausting 78 km ride we decided to go to the Beechworth bakery to enjoys milkshake and cake which was just the right thing!
The day ended with the car ride back to Wangaratta and a recovery shower ahead of dinner.
I forgot to mention the wonderful weather we had again today. The day started a bit coolish ( 12 degrees) and warmed up to about 25 degrees. Although there was clouds for most of the day it was warm with no wind. Another interesting point to note is the constant smoke haze from planned burns being undertaken in the region!
As a final point for the blog today I want to mention the absolutely terrible state we are finding in some of the public toilets along the ride. Today at at Beechworth station and at Myrtleford the state of the toilets were terrible! This is certainly a shocking observation in our wonderful country and I am sure we can all do better in keeping public conveniences in better shape for all users.
The pictures today are as follows:
Today’s ride route…. Note the missing bit at the start from Beechworth courtesy of the Garmin!
Morning coffee at Tarrawingee
All of us lined up at the Beechworth station ahead of the ride
Morning coffee at the Stanley pub
Apples at the orchard
A view on the decent from Stanley…note the smoke haze
Jeff recovers after the short ride!
All of us arriving safely back at Beechworth
Day 4- Wangaratta Hub & Spoke- Rutherglen Loop
To begin with I should give you all the story of the dinner last night which was prepared by our head chef , Ellio Stocco and his souix chef , Jeff Jones. The venue for the dinner was in the car park at the motel which was set up ideally for all 11 of us for pre-dinner drinks and nibbles and a white table cloth dinner. It is amazing what you can do with a bit of creativity!
The main course was bbq steak, chicken and sausages with salads. The food was great and the ambience of the night was amazing…. Well done Ellio and Jeff!
This morning was another early wake up at 6.00 am to get ready for the drive to Springhurst where we were to leave our cars for the Rutherglen loop.
We started the ride at about 9.30 am and the initial part of the ride was beside the Hume Freeway. Chris , Ellio and I rode on the same roads about 18 months ago but in the reverse direction on the Sydney- Melbourne ride.
There were a couple of hills initially which were a bit of a challenge but Ric won the KOM title on these….well done Ric!
The first stop was at Chilton where we had coffee in the converted Masonic Hall. This was a venue we visited on the Sydney-Melbourne ride and the quality of the service was again excellent!
After coffee we said goodbye to Ric and Phil who were taking the shorter route to Rutherglen and the rest of us took the longer route via Barnawartha. Once again the route to Barnawartha was on roads which were familiar to Chris, Ellio and myself.
After reaching Barnawartha we turned off on the road to Howlong. The first 10 km approximately was on a quiet road but after crossing the Murray Valley Highway the road was a lot busier with many trucks, cars and farm equipment. The road had no shoulder and on several occasions I found myself heading on the the gravel beside the road to avoid semi-trailers! On 2 occasions they passed with less than a metre from my bike….quite scary!
Once we reached the Rutherglen turn off the traffic was very light and we made good progress along the 14 km ride into Rutherglen.
Along the way I received a phone call from Phil who was wondering where we were as they had arrived at the designated lunch cafe and the kitchen was potentially going to close! Luckily we arrived at 1.15 pm just prior to the 1.30 pm time limit…..whew….we didn’t want another missed lunch!
Phil and Ric advised that their ride was “delightful “ with virtually no traffic and a good riding surface. They arrived about an hour ahead of us.
Lunch was good with me having a chicken avocado sandwich and 2 soft drinks.
The weather was quite warm over lunch at about 28 degrees and we enjoyed the good food and a chat about many things! I must admit I enjoy the chats and banter the goes on at coffee and meal breaks.
After lunch the whole crew made their way back on the 14 km ride back to Springhurst. As the road was not busy and there was a small tailwind the speeds were around 30 km/ hr for most of the trip! It was most enjoyable!
Arriving back at the cars we packed the bikes and drove back to Wangaratta… arrived back at the motel at about 4.00 pm. To our surprise Ellio produced drumstick ice creams for us all the enjoy being left overs from the previous night’s dinner…. A perfect way to end the day of 72 kms of riding.
Dinner tonight is being orgyby Abdy at the pub and I will report on this in tomorrows blog
The pictures today are light on as I had a day off the camera… so apologies!
We have today’s route
Last night’s dinner
Coffee at Chilton
Day 3 - Wangaratta Hub & Spoke Ride- Warby Ranges
Before I get to today’s ride , I should mention the dinner last night. Ric organised for us all to go to an Italian restaurant for dinner. It was called Ronaldo’s Casa Cucina. The meal started with a couple of shared pizzas then pasta for everyone. The food was delicious and everyone enjoyed their meals. The conversation over dinner was bubbling from the adventures of the ride earlier.
This morning was an early start again for Chris and I in getting showered and dressed and having breakfast ahead of the start of the ride at 9.30 am.
All but Ric and Phil were on the Warby ride today. Ric and Phil did a shorter ride out to Milawa today which they said was delightful.
Before I get in to the ride, I should mention the weather which was great. Quite sunny with virtually no clouds and wind and temperatures in the low 20’s.
The ride started in Wangaratta and we made our way out of town in a westerly direction through some quite nice streets. Quite different from the areas we have travelled through before.
After reaching the outskirts of town the Warby ranges came into view! They looked quite imposing with quite high hills! I thought gosh we are in for a hard day today! Fortunately the route took us to a lower saddle to climb the mountains.
The climb was about 3 kms with some parts about 9% but it was through quite pretty countryside. Reaching the top of the climb we all exchanged our experiences on the climb which were largely very positive. Then it was off on the downhill!!!
A wonderful experience with speeds reached of about 50 km/ hour!
After this we rode on to our lunch venue at Thoona! Well to say that Thoona was dead would be an understatement!
The cafe was shut! The pub was shut! ….and there was no lunch!
Luckily most of us had muesli bars, bananas or other snacks to stave off the hunger! We sat outside the CLOSED cafe to eat and observed a couple of folk collecting their mail.
After lunch (????) we then rode on to the second climb for the day…once again crossing the Warby ranges at the Taminick saddle. This climb started with low grades but built towards the end to fades over 9%. Once again it was about 3 kms. Reaching the top we once again assembled to greet riders as they completed the climb.
After this it was another great decent for the final 20 kms back to Wangaratta.With the wind behind us the flat ride into town was quite fast and we arrived back at about 2.00 pm.
With an early finish the search went out to find a bakery for a spot of late lunch. Chris had researched this earlier and led us to a lovely bakery to get some well earned sustenance of pies, sandwiches cakes and teas coffee and drinks.
Today was a good day of riding for us all in delightful weather and lovely country.
Arriving back at the motel we were able to shower and clean up ahead of the Ellio inspired bbq dinner! I will report on this in tomorrow’s blog.
Several of us learned today how to use the group tracker function on our Garmins. This appears to be an effective way of determining where riders are who are in the group and have turned on the tracking function. To say that this has been a difficult process would be an understatement! Unfortunately what is a great function needs the combined intellect of about 4 Einsteins to get it to work! But today we seemed to have cracked the code. Well done to Chris and Ellio for their achievements!
Today’s pictures are as follows:
The ride route today
All of us enjoying last night’s dinner
The ride group assembled at the start of the ride
At the top of the first climb
Our failed lunch stop…. But we made do!
Ellio and I on the way down from the second climb…. A selfie!
A church converted to a house
Me on the road!
A view from near the top of the second climb looking east
Day 2 - Wangaratta Hub & Spoke- To Beechworth
Last night we had a great meal at the Wangaratta RSL which was quite popular with the locals. I had a Guinness and Steak pie and most of the others had either the roast lamb or barramundi. All good food for us to start the week of riding.
Overnight we had a fair bit of rain which could be heard on the roof. It is a wonderful soothing sound to hear rain after a period of hot weather I find. So we woke up in the morning to a fairly cool day with some wind from the north. The temperatures varied most of the day from mid teens to about 20 degrees depending on whether there was sun.
After breakfast in the room we had time to walk to a cafe in Wangaratta for a quick coffee ahead of heading out on the ride at 9.00 am.
The ride today was on roads until we reached the Beechworth Rail Trail. The roads were fairly busy probably due to school holidays and being the first day after Easter.
We had a break for coffee at Tarrawingee for coffee at a lovely coffee caravan which seemed very popular with the locals. After coffee again!….it was off to the Rail Trail which was a long 25 km ( approx) climb up the hill. The gradients were about 3% which was ok and the wind was coming from behind us thankfully.
We arrived at Beechworth at around midday and headed to the bakery for lunch. It was packed with families having lunch ! We managed to find a table to accommodate us all which was great.Lunch for me was a Beechworth pie and vanilla slice and a cool drink. Others had sandwiches and cakes of all kinds.
After lunch it was the trip down the hill back to Wangaratta. The wind was in our faces unfortunately but the downhill run was just what we needed to enjoy the ride back!
About halfway we turned off on the rail trail and enjoyed the ride on a smooth paved surface.
Mike and I enjoyed letting a few of the other riders in our group have a head start then do a hard ride to catch them!
All good fun on a longer ride.
We arrived back at Wangaratta at about 2.30 pm to find the hot water in the rooms were off due to repairs and to bide the time a few of us went for an ice cream and / or milk shake.
The ride today was about 80 kms with a climb of about 540 metres.
After showering and resting we are off to dinner tonight which is being organised by Ric…. Italian I think!
I will report the dinner in tomorrow’s blog.
Today’s pictures are the route we took, the group photo at the start of the ride,coffee at Tarrawingee,a couple of photos on the rail trail and the Beechworth Bakery where we had lunch
Wangaratta Hub & Spoke Day 1
Today was an early start at home at about 7.30 am with my mate from New Zealand, Chris Jones and I getting breakfast and then packing the ute.
We were ready to leave at about 9.00am which was great…. I was thinking we might take a couple more hours…. Amazing what a difference another pair of hands makes!
After dropping off a book at Rob Bakers home and having a quick coffee in Mont Albert we’re off to pick up Frank and make our way to Wangaratta!
The road trip to Wangaratta is about 250 kms on the Hume Freeway and the traffic was pretty good even though it was the end of the Easter break!
We made a lunch stop in Euroa and enjoyed a coffee and pie/ pastie.
After this it was off to Wangaratta. We arrived at about 1.00pm with most of the others in our group arriving around the same time.
After settling in to our room we changed into our riding gear for the shortish 34 km to Milawa and back. The weather was quite hot, high 20’s , with some cloud cover and virtually no wind.
The traffic on the road to Milawa was very heavy with holiday makers.
We enjoys lovely iced coffee at Brown Brothers in the shade which was very pleasant. It was great to catch up with all I the group and to introduce Chris to the boys!
The ride back to “Wang” was delightful with virtually no traffic.
Arriving back it was good to have a shower and change into casual gear ahead of dinner at the RSL.
Today was a great start to the trip and the smoothness of it is largely due to Steve Seymour’s planning…. Well done Steve!
Only one picture today other than the route map.
It is of us all , except Jeff enjoying coffee at Brown Brothers in Milawa
Day 27- Travel back home
There was an early morning wake up at 3.15 am to get ready to catch the plan home…, this was the equivalent of 1.15 am Melbourne time!
After breakfast at Chris’s house it was off to the airport. Chris kindly provided the transportation for the short trip…..
We said our goodbyes to Chris and Steve and I made our way through check in, security and customs to the Qantas lounge ahead of boarding the flight home
The flight home was uneventful and gave me an opportunity to reflect on the trip as I watched the last half of Oppenheimer the movie.The reflection is later in the blog….
Arriving in Melbourne, it was chaotic with several early morning flights arriving at the same time!
The issue was getting through the e-gates at border control. There is just not enough of them and the border control officials just had no communication to help with the situation! Very third world and in sharp contrast to that in New Zealand.
Fortunately my son Chris had agreed to pick Steve and I up to drive us home….. thanks CC for this.
So ends almost 4 weeks of riding in New Zealand. By my calculations we travelled 1375 kms and climbed 14,285 metres over this period. We traversed the North Island from Auckland to Wellington then caught the ferry across to Picton and then headed south west to Reefton near Greymouth. After this we had several other rides from Westport and Greymouth after staying a few days at Chris’s Bach.
We travelled through some lovely countryside, met several interesting people along the journey and had some great rides. Some days were more challenging than others but all the challenges were met with our usual enthusiasm and endeavour.
The best thing was the renewal of the friends which were so integral to the success of the trip. To my riding buddies Chris Jones and Steve Seymour who rode with me on the whole journey, I say thanks. To John Aldis and Ian Hollebon, who joined us at Picton, it was great to be with you both again. John, your energy and enthusiasm as a fellow rider and Ian, your support as our driver in the support vehicle.
I want to single Chris out for organising and hosting the ride for a very special thanks. Chris, over the years we have ridden in many countries together and I must admit I have learned a lot from you about many things riding and about life! The rides in your country have been very special to me and most enjoyable.
Thanks to all and hope to see you again on another Wheelieharro adventure.
The final picture is of the whole team at the end of our ride.
Day 26- Ride around Christchurch, pack up and have a surprise guest!
Thank god…..we had a sleep in finally today being awake at about 7.00am. After showering and having breakfast, the plan was to meet at the coffee shop to get the daily fix ahead of Chris leading Steve and I on a tour of Christchurch and John and Ian heading back home to Dunedin.
So we arrived at the coffee shop, ordered our coffees and sat down for a chat and a group of men dressed in suits plus a well dressed lady. I thought nothing of it as they all said hello as they went in to order their coffee. Chris and Ian immediately recognised the leader of the group being the NZ Prime Minister! Wow here we are in a coffee shop and the PM comes in to get his coffee!
Anyway after he and his team got their coffee they came out again and had a chat with us all. The PM was incredibly interested in our journey and the fact that Steve and I were from Australia! He mentioned he was travelling to Melbourne soon fit an ASEAN meeting and to see his daughter who is studying at Melbourne University.
He was very kind and agreed to have a photo with us as below
After coming down from this unique experience we said goodbye to John and Ian and were on our way on the ride through Christchurch. It was a 24 km ride which was delightful in good weather at about 22 degrees.
We stopped for lunch and a lovely National Trust type house which is the former home of one of the early European settlers at Christchurch.
The tour included see several of the sites where there were fatalities as a result of the earthquake.
We arrived back at Chris’s home at about 2.30 pm and it was time to clean our bikes and pack them in boxes for the trip home. The cleaning exercise needs to be thorough as the border force check in Australia can be difficult if there is dirt or soil on any of our bikes or gear.
The bike cleaning took about 2 hours !
After this it was shower time ahead of Chris and Steve doing the financial reconciliation of the trip.
The day was uplifting in a way to see the special guest at coffee but sad in another way as we say goodbye tomorrow.
I will do a summary of the ride tomorrow
Today’s pictures are:
Our team with the NZ Prime Minister Christopher Luzon… really down to earth bloke. He was Ian’s boss when he was CEO at Air New Zealand
The route today
Memorial at the site of one of the building that collapsed in the earthquake killing 18 people
Cafe and punting boats on the Avon River
Lunch venue
Dinner last night at Thai Restaurant
Great food as we ate it all up!!!
Day 25- Greymouth to Lake Coleridge
Today was our last day of riding and the boys from NZ had cooked up a cracker of a ride for us!
There was no mention of “ladies in wheelchairs” but I am sure it went through their minds as they devised the route.
Anyway it was up at 6.00am again with breakfast in the community kitchen at the campground.
After packing the car it was off by car through to Arthur’s Pass for coffee and morning tea. It was interesting to do the trip by car this time to see the country in a different way than by train as we did last year. Some of the photos will attest!
The coffee was good and I had a sausage roll and muffin…. You wouldn’t believe it the butter was to be a $1.50 for a small serve! Given the cost I gave it a miss!
The temperature at Arthur’s Pass was a cool 4 degrees with some wind chill made it very cool indeed!
After coffee it was off to the start point of the final ride for the trip…. How sad?
Before I get in to the final ride it is worth commenting on the country we passed through today. On the west side of Arthur’s Pass the country was green and covered with forest however on the east side the country is very dry with very little trees. I hope the pictures below give a good representation of this.
The ride today started near Lake Lyndon and it was a 24 km ride on gravel roads to the end point at Lake Coleridge.
The temperatures rose during the ride to about 24 degrees which was very pleasant riding. Much of the ride was downhill so the ascent for the day was only 187 metres.
During the ride we met a couple of hikers from Holland who were travelling from south to north on the South Island. We also witnessed a cavalcade of Second World War jeeps and cars on the road. There were 19 of these which was a great sight for us to see as they passed us.
At the end of the ride we took the final ride pictures to witness our ride adventure from Auckland Airport to Lake Coleridge …. This we believe is the first and only ride of this route ever!
After this it was time to load the bikes on the trailer and head by car to Christchurch. Along the way we had a coffee stop at Hororata which was timely for me as I had a bit of a snooze in the car.
We arrived at Chris’s home at about 3.30 pm and unpacked the car and trailer and gave the bikes a quick clean.
Showers were a delight to get refreshed and do the blog of the day’s events.
I will do a reflection on the trip tomorrow after having a night of sleep but I will say this……
This trip covered about 1400 kms of riding and we climbed over 14000 metres. We travelled through wonderful country and had some really memorable experiences. The route chosen by Chris gave us some great insight into various parts of this magical country and though there were some challenging times, we met the challenges with the strength and determination required….and with some humour!
Chris and his fellow New Zealanders were great hosts and we were incredibly fortunate to have them as our guides and mentors….. so thanks.
Also I should not forget my Aussie mate Steve Seymour who was a great companion on the trip. Well done to you Steve for being a great friend.
As I said I will do a full reflective on the trip tomorrow after we clean and pack the bikes.
The pictures today are:
Today’s route
The viaduct near Arthur’s Pass… great engineering!
Chris on the ride today
A view of the distant hills with glaciers atop
John on the ride today
My bike at the end of the trip. It was magnificent in most respects except for the mechanical failure at Masterton. I had no punctures which was pleasing given the country we travelled through
I couldn’t resist the last picture of John asleep last evening with his cap and hoodie on! Happy sleeping John!
Day 24- Westport to Greymouth
Today we had an adventure!
We were up at about 6.15 am and ready for breakfast by about 6.45am… all “bright eyed and bushy tailed” as they say.
At the allotted time of 7.30am we were on the road to the start point of the Old Ghost Road trail…..
The car trip was uneventful but we had to stop for a coffee! Well we found the most delightful coffee/cafe at Granity for a last minute refresher before the trail ride.
As I said earlier, there was anticipation of a real adventure brewing particularly after the lady serving coffee said the Old Ghost Road trail was so easy that it catered for “little old ladies in wheelchairs “. A quote that will live in infamy!
After unloading the bikes and putting on some warm gear, as the temperature was about 11 degrees, we had our photo taken by Ian and it was off!
The first 20 metres were walked by me which was not a good sign of the trail ahead… the quote from the lady at the coffee shop was ringing in my head!
A little later the trail eased a bit but there was still a lot of walking with me and my bike! Further on we climbed a hill with steep sections and there was real trouble if you veered off the trail…. Down into the abyss to the river. Quite rightly for me, I was taking a low risk approach to this which meant walking many parts.
During this time there was several times we all met to regroup ahead of moving further down the trail.
On one section where we all stopped was particularly wooden over the side of the trail. As Steve mounted his bike to restart the journey he lost his balance in the loose gravel on the track and next he was over the side!
I was immediately behind him and saw this unfold to my horror! I yelled out for help and we all retrieved Steve and his bike. We then checked if he was okay and fortunately apart from a few bruises and being a bit dirty from the soil. His bike had lost its chain so it needed an adjustment to correct it. After settling Steve we then proceeded further!
I guess after proceeding about 300 metres we stopped again as Steve’s bike chain was sticking and dislodging from the gears! At this point we noticed that the wheel was not turning coywith a slight buckle. After regrouping it was decided that we should return beck to the car to see what the problem was. Fortunately Steve could ride the bike but the real concern was a full blown mechanical failure on the trail out in the middle of nowhere!.
Returning to the car was pleasing for us all and it was decided that we should not ride further. To be frank I was rather pleased that we did not go further on the trail…. The little old ladies on wheelchairs comment could not be further froM the truth!
After packing the bikes on the trailer it was off to Greymouth along the scenic road along the coast. We had quite a few stops along the way including a reunion with the lady on the cafe at Granity! We did not “pay her out” on her earlier comment about the state of the trail as the homemade pies and coffee were just heavenly.
There are quite a few pictures that probably don’t really reflect the beauty of the drive today. I hope you get a sense of this when you look at them below.
We arrived at Greymouth at around 4.30 pm and unpacked and showered.As I write this blog it is a delightful evening with a sunny 22 degrees.
Steve seems to have recovered well from his fall which is good.
I have finally found some ointment which helps cure the terrible itching caused by the sandflies which have taken a particular delight at feeding on my ankles and wrists!
It was a short ride today of about 10 kms which packed in some interesting tales of our journey !
Today’s pictures are as follows:
Todays route
The intrepid explorers at the start of the trail
Me pointing to where Steve had his fall
It was near this sign
The girls at the cafe who were bragging about the quality of the trail… little old ladies on wheelchair !
2 photos of the views along the road to Greymouth
Our home tonight
Day 23- Westport
Before I do today’s blog I need to finish off the previous day’s post…
After leaving Reefton we returned to the Bach and had roast lambs sandwiches courtesy of a leg of lamb that had been roasting in the pizza oven while we were on our ride. The lamb sandwiches really hit the spot for lunch. I have a photo below of the lamb being taken from the oven.
The rest of the afternoon was spent resting apart from the tradition of planting a small tree to celebrate our trip to the Bach. I also took a photo of the tree we planted last year on the NZ trip…. It really has not grown much at all!
After dinner which was a lamb salad, it was off to bed at 9.30pm as we had another early start next morning.
Today we had a 5.30am wake up to the wonderful smell of bacon and eggs being prepared by Chris…. He really is a wonderful host!
After a great breakfast, it was pack up time for us all ahead of a car trip to Westport. The day was cloudy and cool and as we travelled to Westport the weather turned cool and drizzly. The trip by car was about an hour and a half on a good road.
Arriving at Westport it was into a coffee shop to have a cappuccino and cake. Given the weather we made a decision to do a shorter coastal ride called the Kawatiri Coastal Trail. It was about 35 kms along a good surface. Initially the weather was grim so we dressed accordingly but as the day wore on the weather improved to be sunny and in the low 20’s so the warm weather gear came off!
The trail was incredibly interesting with grey sandy surf beaches which looked quite inviting.
Along the route there were many quite nice homes on the beach with good views.
We stopped at an interesting seal colony and saw many seals responding the rocks while younger seals played in the water.
The trail ended at Westport at the mould the Buller River where there is quite a large port for fishing vessels. It also has the remains of a bigger port facility which was used to ship coal.
The days ride ended with a late lunch of a pie and sauce in a cafe.
Tonight we are staying in cabins at a caravan park which are very comfortable. The weather has turned quite cool again after the earlier warmth
Today’s ride was a pleasant trail ride on a good surface and I am feeling that my trail skills on the bike have improved somewhat. Tomorrow we do a section of the Old Ghost Trail which will be a test for me I am sure!
The pictures are a mixture of yesterday and today and I hope that you can understand them.
They are as follows:
Roasted lamb cooked in the pizza oven
Evening at the Bach
2 pictures celebrating the tree planting
Last year’s tree we planted… it is okay I think!
At the start of the trail today…. All rugged up!
Beach views at various locations along the route … 3 pictures
View of the fishing port and wharves at the mouth of the Buller River
Beacon on the groyne at the entrance to the Buller River with the Tasman Sea in the background
We riding on the trail
Today’s route
Day 22- Ride from Bach to Reefton
We had an early start today rising at about 6.00 am with Chris working hard making cheese scones for breakfast and lighting the pizza oven to ready it for roasting a leg of lamb for dinner.
The cheesy scones hit the spot ahead of our 44 km ride back to Reefton for another round of coffee, hot cross buns and peppermint slice.
The ride into Reefton was very pleasant indeed with an initial climb of 250 metres to the highest point then it was a steady downhill to Reefton!
The weather was ideal with a temperature of 9 degrees at the start of the ride, rising to 21 by the time we arrived at Reefton.
The day looks like being a car ride back to the Bach then lunch and a rest for the day ahead of a roast lamb dinner.
I am doing this blog at about midday so so I can post it before getting out of internet range
I will post any other information relating to the rest of the day on the next blog
Today’s pics are:
Early morning at the Bach
The route to Reefton
Waterfall on the side of the road
A view of the swing bridge
A view of the river beside the road
Day 21 - Rest Day at the Bach
Yes finally a rest day after a few biggish days of riding. The day started with a sleep in until about 7.30am.
At breakfast we said goodbye to Graham at about 8.00 am as he was to make his way further on his journey towards Bluff.
After breakfast it was on to Reefton by car to enjoy coffee at the cafe…. Great coffee and hot cross buns and peppermint slices. Wow what a treat!
After reconnecting with the internet and making a few calls back home it was back to the Bach for the rest of the day… and when I say rest, it was that for me!
I had a sleep and watched Chris going about some mowing of the area around the house. It looks great!
Steve went for a short ride …. I stayed inside resting!
The only work I did during the day was a clean on my bike and preparing the meat for dinner!
After dinner I was in bed by 9.00 pm after a good day of rest.
Today’s pictures are:
Peppermint slice at coffee
Memories of the Big River Waiuta ride…..a horror story for me last year
Farmer Jones mowing the grass
Ian’s wonder cream that helped my sandfly bites!
Day 20- Rotoroa to The Bach ( Springs Junction)
Today was another early start with us waking at 5.30 am and having breakfast at the house and being Lon the road for a long day of riding by 7.00am.
We started the ride by having a short detour to see lake Rotoroa which was delightful as you can see from the picture.
After this it was on to a long and difficult climb on a gravel road. The difficulty with this was the loose gravel which made for slow travel. I ended up walking for some extended periods of time.
After this we were on a sealed road through to Murchison which was delightful after the start!
Arrived at Murchison it was a bit like “ old home week” as we were able to reunite with the lovely cafe e visited last year on our NZ ride. It was still as busy as before and the coffee and muffins were a welcome sight!
After coffee Chris left the ride to travel by car to the Bach to attend a board meeting by zoom… so John was in charge of getting us through the remaining part of the ride!
John did a great job of looking after us !
After purchasing our lunch to have on the road it was off to tackle the Maruia Saddle. The first 20 kms was on sealed road which was great as we travelled through a lovely valley. The sealed road gave way to a gravel road which was quite flat and undulating until the climb started. We reached the start of the climb at 1.15 and had lunch being sandwiches purchased at Murchison. Then it was on to the climb up to the top of Muruia which tops out at 580 metres above sea level. We checked out Chris’s sign he erected at the peak and it was in fine shape as you can see from the pictures!
The climb up was quite good and only required me to stop to cross a couple of river ford crossings. My feet got wet at a couple of these crossings unfortunately…. All part of the ups and downs of the journey!
The climb from the base to the top took us about an hour which I thought was quite acceptable.
The ride down the hill was quite good but steep in places. I took it rather slowly as the twists and turns were frequent.
Then the gravel road was reasonably undulating until we reached the main road at the 73 km point.
I digress slightly here as I am reminded we did the ride from this turnoff to Murtchison on our NZ ride last year. To be frank the way we did it this year was better and perhaps less challenging as the climb had better grades in the Murchison side…… worth remembering if I do this again.
The ride along the main highway SH65 was to be done as quickly as possible as there was a lot of traffic. It was largely downhill which was pleasing so traveling was okay. There were instances where cars and trucks passed us with minimal room which was a little scary! The road shoulder was also quite narrow.
At the 92 km point we made the turnoff to Springs Junction. The 15 km ride to Springs Junction was Steve’s time to “let it fly” and he was off into the distance!
John and I had a great time chatting along what was a flatish gravel road which was good for me as my legs were getting tired after 90 plus kms!
At Springs Junction Steve and I had a soft drink purchased from the petrol station to get some refresh for the 7 km ride to the Bach.
We arrived at the Bach at 5.30 pm after travelling 113 kms and climbing over 1200 metres.
Although it was pleasing to finish the ride I was genuinely satisfied that a significant challenge had been met in what had been achieved.
At the Bach we met Ian and Graham Allen who were in the process of cooking up a “storm” of spaghetti bolognaise for dinner! Just the ticket after the day!
After dinner it was off to bed at 8.30 pm. Despite the itching from many sandfly bites I managed a good night of sleep knowing that tomorrow would be a day of rest!
Today’s pictures are:
Today’s route
A lovely picture of Lake Rotoroa in the early morning…. Great to see ahead of the climb ahead!
2 pictures of the scenery and road surface on the way to Murchison
At the cafe in Murchison…. Familiar territory as we have been here before!
2 pictures on the gallop the the Muruia climb and having lunch at the base of the climb
…. At the top! Inspection of Chris’s sign completed!
A photo of Steve and I after completing 1000 kms!!!! Significant milestone achieved!
Day 19- Wakefield to Rotoroa
We had another early start this morning being awake at 5.30 am with an aim of having breakfast and being on our way by 7.00am.
We had a big day ahead with 98 km of riding and a total of about 1000 metres of climbing.
The early part of the ride was a continuation of the Taste Trail which was good riding on a great surface and on an old railway line. Although we were climbing for most of this part of the ride it was gentle gradients. This combined with better fitness as a result of the accumulation of riding really made the ride for most of the day quite enjoyable.
An interesting part of the ride today was navigating Spooners Tunnel which is 1.35km tunnel. We all walked the tunnel as it was pitch black inside.
The railway was started in the 1880’s and completed in the 1930’ s and was part of a planned broader railway network in the South Island. Unfortunately it was never fully developed as it became uneconomical as road transport became the norm.
All this makes for great riding on the rail trail!
After navigating Spooners Tunnel our next stop was Tapawera for morning coffee. We had travelled about 35 kms at this stage and a coffee and muffin was certainly appreciated! The coffee was purchased from a coffee van parked on the side of the road and muffins and sandwiches from the cafe…. We had been warned not to buy coffee from the sandwich shop!
After this break it was on to it next stop for lunch at Kawatiri at the 80 km mark.Most of this ride was on a quiet road with about 50% surfaced and 50% on gravel.
During this part of our ride Steve and I passed the 1000 km mark on this ride…. Worth celebrating!
Just before lunch we were back on the state highway which was quite busy and you guessed it….. we had a head wind!
Lunch was great timing and the sandwiches were delicious together with a slice of “lollie slice”. Sounds awful but it was just the ticket for me for the 20 km push to our final destination at Rotoroa.
I really enjoyed the last 20 kms of riding where we had a slight tailwind which climbing at a steady 3-4% for most of the way. We arrived at our destination at about 3.15 pm which is great riding doing 98 kms and climbing nearly 1050 metres.
Accomodation tonight is is a house which is the height of luxury compared to a lot of the earlier accommodations we have had on this trip.Chris is to be congratulated on his choice here!
The weather today was ideal for riding with a cool start of 6 degrees rising to about 22 degrees during the day. Apart from a 10 km piece on the main highway the wind was not an issue.
The photos today are:
Today’s route
2 photos of Spooners Tunnel showing the information board and the tunnel entrance
A view of the valley we travelled through on the Taste Trail. Lots of hops grown here!
A lovely church alongside the road
Lunch at Kawatiri
The last rail bridge built on the old railway line..
Our luxurious home for the night Rotora
Day 18- Canvastown to Wakefield
Last evening I had a look at the proposed route for the day on the Maungatapu trail and looked at the gradients including one huge ascent and descent and said I would go by car with Ian on the road. Steve agreed with me!
The lady who owned the pub also was saying the trail was very difficult which also put me off.
On this basis as Chris and John were to do the trail they were to leave early at around 7.00 am and Steve and I could have a welcome “sleep in “.
So we were up and about at 7.30 am and after some mucking around with the bikes we were on the road to Nelson.
The road into Nelson was quite busy with trucks and cars but we made good time getting there by around 11.00 am.
We had coffee and muffins at the River View cafe which is a road bikers meeting place for coffee. I reckon there might have been 50 or so cyclists there having coffee and something to eat.
After coffee we had to search for an optometry shop for Steve to undertake some running repairs on his glasses. This was done at Spec Savers in no time at all.
Steve and I then unpacked the bikes from the trailer and proceeded up the road to meet Chris and John after their epic ride on the trail. We met them after travelling about 11 kms and they seemed ok despite the real challenges on the trail, particularly the steep downhill!
Good to see that they were all okay after this big effort!
We all then proceeded back to Nelson along the same route we had taken to meet them. The downhill was delightful!
Along the way Chris met up with a friend, Marsh who joined us on the ride back to the River View and to have lunch.
Marsh was an interesting guy, who was born in Australia and moved to New Zealand. He now lives in Nelson and rides regularly. In earlier days he competed in the cross island challenge with Chris and produced the bib of the Challenge to prove his credentials. He and Chris competed in the same year and trained together.
After a lovely lunch we then left Nelson for the 30 plus km ride to Wakefield. Most of this ride was on the Taste Trail which goes through the wine growing and fruit bowl areas near Nelson. Certainly very pretty country although it looks pretty dry!
The tempo in the afternoon was around 25 degrees and for most of the run into Wakefield we had a tail wind….. hooray!
We arrived at the hotel at about 4.30 pm after doing about 55 kms… feeling ok. I am sure Chris and John were feeling the effects of the big 80 plus ride and after climbing in excess of 1000 metres! A great effort!
The hotel we are staying at at Wakefield is very comfortable and the shower was delightful.
Another good day of riding with fine weather and a tail wind!
Today’s pictures:
The route for Steve and I took…. The shorter version!
Nelson has a lot of hanging baskets in the street… they look great!
These bike racks are incredible… we should do this in Melbourne
Meeting John ( on the right) and Chris on the trail…. Pleased to see they are okay!
At lunch at the River View…. Great food and coffee
Arvo tea with an ice cream
Steve at the Wakefield hotel
Day 17 -Wellington to Canvasstown
Today was another early start so we could catch the ferry across Cook Strait to Picton.
So we were up at about 5.30am. I had an interrupted night of sleep firstly due to a guy in the room we had at the Youth Hostel who said insisted on reorganising his luggage for a couple of hours whilst we were trying to sleep….also I was probably a bit over tired which somehow makes sleeping difficult for me.
The weather in Wellington was cool but clear with temperatures around 14 degrees.
After breakfast at the Youth Hostel we made our way to the ferry as we had to be there by 7.15 am .
We boarded with our bikes and they were in the car storage areas on the ship. I guess there were about 20 bikes and riders including ourselves. Interesting that most were international riders from places like the UK and we even met a guy from Brazil.
The sailing time on the ferry was about 8.30 am and it took about 3 hours. The ferry was quite comfortable and we managed to get coffee and snacks .
The scenery of the coast line and the Cook Strait was quite stunning and we were reminded regularly that “we got a good day “to do the crossing.
Anyway we arrived at Picton at around 11.00 am and getting off was quite easy.
The plan was to meet John and Ian our 2 mates from last years NZ trip in Picton for lunch. They had driven from Christchurch to meet us but were delayed due to roadworks along the route.
We ordered lunch just as Ian and John arrived which was great timing and after a hello and bite of lunch we sorted out bikes for the trip ahead.Traveling on the South Island is going to be somewhat easier with Ian driving a car as our support vehicle which means no bags on the bike!!!!
What a relief!!!!
So after sorting all this out we began our 40 + km ride to Canvastown.
The ride started on sealed road then went on a track. I was not comfortable on the track so Steve and I did most of the ride on the road whilst Chris and John did most of the ride on the track. It worked well for us all this way.
The scenery along the route was quite stunning really and I took a number of pictures which hopefully gives some idea of what we saw. Steve and I arrived at the meeting point at Havelock to wait for Chris and John. Fortunately the ice cream shop was open for us to enjoy a delicious ice cream whilst waiting for the others.
It is interesting that Havelock has produced 2 quite outstanding NZ scientists. One was Ernest Rutherford and William Pickering. Rutherford was famous in the field of atomic and nuclear physics whilst Pickering was famous as an aerospace engineer helping with the development of rocket engines.
The ride from Havelock through to Canvastown was quite pleasant and we got into our Houston about 6.00 pm.
It was a good day for us all in what is very striking scenery.
The hotel we are staying at tonight is a traditional old style pub with a great host who has gone out of her way to help us enjoy the stay. They organised our washing, provided a lovely meal and breakfast…. All great for us to enjoy the trip.
I want to say at this juncture that although you may read my blog and believe that I am not entirely enjoying the ride… you are wrong in believing this!
I am having a great time seeing a lovely country and doing it in the company of some great mates. For me the most important part of this is the way you respond the daily challenges that are presented to you and the exhilaration to get when you meet and exceed the challenges presented.
Today’s pictures are as follows:
Route maps in Wellington and from Picton to Canvastown
Several shots of the scenery along the ride including the timber loading facility
Our pub for the night
Day 16- Masterton to Wellington
Today was essentially a non bike day as we needed to make up a day as a result of the muck up earlier in the trip where we had problems with the transport to the start of a bike trail at Taumarunui.
So the plan was set for an early morning wake at 5.00 am to catch the 6.20 am train from Masterton to Wellington.
The issue for us we thought was getting our bikes on the train as there were limited spaces. No worry for us as we had plenty of room thankfully.
The trip on the train was delightful. In the early part of the trip we were able to observe the sunrise over the snow capped hills. The train stopped at various stations along the way to pickup commuters going to Wellington.
The trip was about an hour and a half.
Arriving at Wellington we then rode to the bike shop so a could get my bike fixed. The issue was a stretched gear cable!
The guys in the bike shop (EVO) were very good to fit me in as they had a big backlog of repairs.
After dropping off the bike we then undertook a tour of Wellington courtesy of Chris who in his early career spent a lot of time living in the city.
Yes…. You guessed it… our first stop was a coffee shop for Steve and I. We took the opportunity to have a morning tea with scones for me.
Then it was off to the Museum which is located on the harbour…. Lovely site really!
The tour through the museum was quite interesting with many excellent exhibits depicting the history of New Zealand from many aspects such as the volcanic origins, the Māori origins, European settlements etc. We did this for about 4 hours including a break for lunch. Then we made a trip on the cable car to the lookout and walked down through the Botanical Gardens. Quite enjoyable to walk instead of riding!
As it was about 3.30 pm it was time to pick up my bike from the repair shop so to get there we caught a public transport bus which was very clean and efficient.
The bike was ready so after having a chat with the technician it seems the problem I had was with the cable as thought and this was replaced… I feel a bit disappointed in Andy back in Melbourne who said he replaced the gear cables! Anyway I will talk to him about this when I get home.
After picking up the bike it was off to our accommodation at the Wellington Youth Hostel which is quite comfortable and quite near the harbour which makes an easy get away tomorrow to catch the ferry to Picton.
We have just finished an entree of prawns and salad ahead of dinner later this evening.
Today was a good day for me after the events of yesterday and I feel comforted that my bike is now fixed for the days ahead….my only question mark is whether I can manage any and all of the more difficult trail rides.
The pictures today are as follows:
Today’s ride from the station in Wellington to the bike shop
Early morning at Masterton station
My bike at the Wellington Station at the end of the train trip
A view of the harbour
Graffitied treaty of Waitangi in the Museum
The view from the top of the cable car
3 photos outside the house of Parliament….note the “Beehive “ is an administrative office. The older grey building is the House of Parliament
