Varied trails...Outrageous Wind and a Mountain to Climb

Tuesday 6th February With a threat of a nasty big hill early in today’s ride, Kerry and Wendy on the “torture bikes” headed out early. What a delight to be on a sealed road and at the top of the hill they certainly enjoyed a rest waiting for the others who had taken a side trip to the rowing club facilities on Lake Ruataniwha.

It was only later that the consequences of this decision on the remainder of the group, was known. Kerry, who had self-allocated dishwasher duty, had left before giving instructions on its start function to the remaining cyclists. However, this glitch was soon resolved. Another consequence of leaving before the other cyclists was that messages around subtle ride direction became somewhat diluted. Having achieved the major climb for the day, Wendy and Kerry waited at the top of the hill. Wendy was keen to have photographs of the cyclists jubilantly cresting the hill. However, in the valley, as the cyclists rounded the bend, they continued straight ahead. “Oh My Gosh!” Feverish shouting and waving of arms atop the rise was ineffective in alerting them to the presence of Wendy and Kerry. And, not unlike a stranded sailor flagging down a distant flotilla of ships, desperate measures were called for. Whilst Wendy went for the technological solution, Kerry removed her jersey (base layer remained underneath, as she has standards) and waved this garment about wildly. This finally caught the eye of the cyclists, and coupled with Wendys persistence on the phone, a happy reunion at the top of the rise was achieved.

The locals, fishing from a bridge over the canal feeding the power station, were on for a chat, explaining that a diatom Didymo “Rock Snot” grows in the canals, creating a bloom that clogs up the canal. Fortunately, it doesn’t stop the salmon being edible. As part of the contract to farm salmon, the operators have to release some into the canal, a boon for local fisherpeople.

Ducks seemed to enjoy being drawn by the current to the metal grills in front of the inlet. No ducks seemed sucked in between the barrier bars. A large gantry was over the inlet area, with railway tracks on both sides. Leaving this, we cruised along beside the canal on bitumen; the wind steadily increased making it all a bit difficult. This was regardless of the downhill gradient. Upstream, we passed the Salmon Farm, which was reflective of best practise, utilising the fast flowing water to enable the fish to live their best lives before they were plated up.

A pause at the end of this “black top” road provided an opportunity for greater understanding of the local botanicals. Wendy crushed some manuka/kanuka which released an evocative aroma. Leaving the sealed road behind us, we rode along a narrow winding gravel path which was actually preferable, as we were protected somewhat from the blustery conditions. This path had brief moments when the surface was reminiscent of Day One, with larger rocks under wheels. The path was mostly well maintained and followed the edge of Lake Ohau, offering great views of the water and mountains beyond. The trackside vegetation was hardy, with bright yellow flowers, reminiscent of Hollyhocks, and shorter purple flowers in abundance. The track crossed a floodway, with the large pipes encased in timber. This is something many have not seen before. From here, the track briefly rose sharply, with larger rocks making traction difficult. Further along the way, we were surprised to come across what seemed a fisherperson shack. Although rustic, it seemed functional. The shack offered amazing views of the mountains.

Later we came upon a Maori totem with signage indicating the importance of the teachings of Te Maiharoa, Ariki Tohuka and the last Waitaha Prophet of Te Walpounama and also the importance of the sacred mountain of Waitaha. There was a description of the eviction in 1879, by European settlers, of Maori people from their settlement at Te Ao Marama. A situation which is, sadly, reflective of what First Nations People experienced in Australia. SORRY ABOUT THE SIDEWAYS PICTURES...CAN'T CONTROL THEM!!

Soon after this, we arrived at a sealed road again, but which time the wind had evolved from a “stiff headwind” to “horrendous”. Energy levels had dropped in both e bike batteries and cyclists legs. Roadside signage suggested 60 km/hr as travel speed, but for weary cyclists, the 60 was more likely to indicate the wind speed in knots. After 38km, we climbed the final rise into Lake Ohau Lodge, arriving exhausted and relieved. What a delight it was to lounge in comfy couches, have a coffee/tea, homemade chocolate chip biscuits and a view over the lake…and to be finally out of the wind.

Any of the earlier plans to continue riding some 4 km or so to a lunch spot on the lake were quickly extinguished, with a clear consensus that no one was going anywhere on a bike for the remainder of the day. Robin, from bike hire, and the mechanic, arrived to address some mechanical issues. Having arranged to store our bikes at Lake Ohau Lodge, we bundled in to the van to find a lunch place. From the back of the van, we enjoyed another exquisite repast of wraps and fillings, followed by fruit and muesli bars.

Surrounded by Beech trees which provided fabulous shelter, we ate lakeside. Kiwi Adaptive Engineering was evident in the hand crafted picnic table, but less so with the unstable toilet door which, literally, hung by one hinge. Following lunch, and embracing the notion Carpe Diem, we took the opportunity to follow Wendy’s plans, and explored a shorter walking track which touched briefly on the A2O track, and provided photographic opportunities at a creek crossing. Signage gave a grim forecast should more than 10 people be on the bridge at once.

As always, Rick met us at the end of our wanderings, being our ever reliable and helpful Support Crew. On our return to Twizel, there was lively discussions around cyclists other favourite pastime – planning the next meal. This resulted in a brief stop at the Salmon farm, where fillets were purchased for the evening meal. And before arriving back at our holiday home, Wendy gave directions to The Best View from Twizel of Aoraki/Mt Cook. With the summit clear of cloud, this location provided an ideal opportunity to take yet another photo of the iconic mountain.

Sue and Chris took over the dinner preparations with stunning results. Salmon, scallop potatoes, steamed vegetables, accompanied by free flowing wine. Later, the kettle went on, and cuppas were enjoyed on the deck, along with chocolate. Card games followed, with considerable interest in each other’s Smartie count. Rick ended up as king.

Wednesday 7th February What a Slick Team! All were on task with the brief being that we leave earlier than usual. Serious breakfasts and pack before we were on the road. And it wasn’t even 8am. 40mins later we had returned to Lake Ohau Lodge, extracted our bikes from a shed and were ready to roll. Wendy and Kerry took off quickly. With an understanding of the track ahead, they wanted a head start as there was a steep 11km ride ahead. Tim and Catherine had a coffee in the restaurant before departure and everyone else headed off in a delightfully relaxed mode. The ascent was pretty torturous…rocky, narrow and steep. Coupled with the technically challenging aspects of the trail, cyclists were kept focused. Traversing thick Beech trees and crossing over bridges brought whoops of joy. To the left, the views were stunning. Ancient Glacial valleys were at the base of towering mountain ranges. Clouds encased the summits. The experience was both Ethereal and Humbling.

Stopping for photos combined beautifully with much needed rests! And this also provided an opportunity to marvel at the hardy alpine foliage and the distant horizons. The A2O map had mentioned the summit was at 10 km, but reality was a little different, with 11 km clocking over and heading more towards 12 km. This was a mental challenge, with the Summit Sign providing sweet relief from the grinding uphill. By the time we reached the high point of the trail we were all together. It was an amazing effort from Tim, who had started later than others, and had no electric assist.

From here, the topography of the map mirrored the experience. It was down, down, down. There were mixed responses from the riders…From fantastic & exhilarating, to mind blowing … right through to challenging, manageable, and a relief. From tight switchbacks to rolling tracks straight through tussock grass, the downhill was Epic. It is well understood that the measure of how Epic a track is can be marked against the number of mechanical issues encountered. This trail had a chain come off 3 times, and the axel pins on 3 bikes either significantly loosen or come adrift totally from the bike frame. However, despite this, no injuries occurred. Distance markers gave some perspective to our ride, and before long, we were well on to the lower reaches of the valley. We found Rick at an old woolshed. He brought CAKE. We needed it! And a rest on the grass.

The old Woolshed was built in the 1920’s, from local timbers, and had long ceased its function. However, there was intrinsic beauty in its crumbling walls, gaps in the roofing and broken windows.

With our glucose levels improved we were off again. This time it was on a pretty good gravel road, despite some patches of loose stone. However, this surface turned into a beautifully sealed one, almost all downhill. What a hoot it was for the gravel riders…others, wisely, took it a bit more cautiously. We had planned to ride to the “Clay Cliffs”, a 14km side trip, but Rick scoped it out before our arrival, and found the road was hideously corrugated. So after a quick conference we all decided to forget the side trip and rode to our end point of the day, Omarama. Arriving at the comfortable and modern accommodation, we took over some tables and umbrellas on the grassed area, and had a picnic lunch. Wraps, sandwiches and healthy fillings were complemented by a selection of fruits. After doing some brief domestic chores, showering and resting up, Sandy put out a “Anyone want to go out for a coffee or ice-cream?” That was an easy way to round up most of us! We strolled the small central business district of Omarama, and after being thwarted by one café in the throes of closing, we ventured further afield, finding ourselves at a giftshop/café which had hot drinks, muffins, icecream and free wifi. Using this, cyclists were able to download a handy App, Emergency Plus, which provides all the info needed for identifying ones location in the event of an emergency. However, the Clay Cliffs were still calling us, so Denise volunteered to drive us out to have a look. A very, very dusty and lumpy road led, via an honesty pay point ($5 per vehicle), shaped like a square pipe, to the carpark. Whilst some may have initially considered this landmark as potentially underwhelming, they were pleasantly surprised. The long, tall, eroded cliffs rose up from the riverside area, with stratums of clay and conglomerate stone and was the habitat of circling birds, with buzzing Bumble Bees drinking the nectar in from Lupins and other flowers. This geological feature runs quite some distance towards Twizel, and further South East. Aerial images of the wider area, with superimposed written information, proved helpful in understanding the extent of the geographical feature.

Upon returning to home base for tonight, postcards (free from Reception) and pre dinner drinks were next. Then, the Alarm sounded, and we were in for quite a different experience - a meal cooked in a restaurant. Whilst the experience paled in to insignificance compared to the home based feastings to date, having someone provide a meal and take drinks order from the table was quite novel. Lamb shanks were popular, with the buffet and foosh and chips enjoyed by others. Afterwards, card games were considered. However, there was a small glitch – no cards! They had been inadvertently been left at Twizel. Reception for the hotel didn’t have any, neither did the Petrol station … and the supermarket was closed. So, it was Trivia and Dad Jokes.