Sunday Lap of the Harbour: Summit, Bayview, Ferry, Bridle Path and Summit

Biiig ride today on the Troll.  Bit drizzly around the tops and so I wasn't wanting greasefest riding in Vic or elsewhere so I headed up on the Troll, not really sure how big or far I would go.  Up through Vic, walking the usual section and then tentatively negotiating the traction free Thompson #1.  

Onto road and rolling, through Dyers and upwards along the summit.  Drizzle at times quite heavy, so ended up pulling over and swapping out some clothing.  On around the ups and downs of the summit, eventually pulling over to the Living Springs seat, but there was a foul wind howling through the saddle so I bailed back up into the bush for a bite to eat.  Some walkers turned up from below.  Said our pleasantries and I got rolling again.  Nice cruise around over Omaha Bush, pulling into Ahuriri for a wee look.  Then back onto the descent, lovely long rolling fly down the 'bastard' to Gebbies, still undecided which direction I was heading.  At the pass, I could see Motukarara basking in sunshine, vs less so, but still some, in the harbour.  Got my maps out and worked it out.  Via Taitapu was going to be further distance, so I turned left.  

FAASSTT down Gebbies, so fast.  Then kept a good pace rolling across Teddington flats, turned right and headed towards Diamond Harbour.  The climb from Loudon over to Charteris was longer than I recalled, but was good to cruise down, and across Charteris around the water front, for some weird reason I decided to take Bayview Rd.  Steep bastard.  Up and up, stopped to commune with kereru, then finished the climb.  Nice drop down through the gully and then climb again.  Past Elaine's place, and the first turn off to the left, dropped into the next gully and took a walking track down, meandering very level gentle descent slightly greasy, thinking I was on the next one over and thinking I'd come out Whero Ave, I was suprised when I didn't recognise anything as I exited the trail.  Ngatea Rd it turned out to be, curved down and around onto the main road and onwards I progressed, dropping into the next valley and climbing past Whero Ave dropping down past the Mt Herbert track crossing and up to Waipapa Rd.  Flew down this and straight ahead into where Godley House used to be, down the pathway.  Filled up water at the loos, then took the sealed walktrack down to the steps, budump budump budump down to the wharf to wait for the boat.

Across the harbour and into Lyttelton, climbed up Oxford, across London, up Hawkhurst into Ticehurst acrosss, riding all of it ugh, and then into the Bridle Path, walking from here, all the way to the top.  Ugh.

Summit Rd, good climb to Castle, then the bomb.  Wind caught my helmet visor and slammed it down onto my face, briefly blinding me.  Tail wind and descending very nicely around under Witch Hill then climbing began from Rapaki around over Farm Track and up onto the singletrack - Traverse around, quite splecky from the earlier rain and drizzle, then down through Vic, greasy, and down the grunter, fast through Skidder, and out onto the road for the final speed blast down home.

Extensive 47 kms ridden, trod and bombed, with 1446 m vertical ascended  

Sunday Planton Bradley

Met for the 8.50am sailing to the Harbour of Diamonds.  I arrived to find the Bush team and Pete already on the wharf, then Nelson and Kirsty rolled up once we were on board.  

From DH we headed up and proceeded around the road.  At Whero St I said, "lets go up to the high road" (not knowing that Whero was a dead end, but then discovering at the top a nice singletrack that led all the way up.  Nelson and Kirsty disappeared.  She'd stopped to delaminate and when they got going again couldn't figure out where we'd gone...  ooops.  Never de-group guys.  Pete jetted down, couldn't see them, jetted back up and we proceeded around Bay View, steep down followed by bloody steep up that nearly killed me given my Troll gearing.  Up under Elaine's house and then it was mostly down from there, down into that nice Hunter Reserve valley, short climb then bombing down down down, Pete and me (J9 taking it easy and Steve sticking with her) to the main road and around to Andersons to regroup.  

Nelson and Kirsty turned up with the Bushes again and we all rode together up over Andersons', fast bomb down the last with Pete in the lead, onto the main road and into Orton Bradley.  The planting was just off the main route in after the tollbooth, off up to the left on a very muddy (to start with) track through oaky forest out to some farm country - a small gully being fenced around a creek.  Chucked a bunch of trees in the ground meeting some nice people, then back to the School Room and a cuppa then back on the road again.

Around the road and a steady pace, Pete and me out in the lead.  Above the yacht club we took the wee walk track drop down and up then steps and stopped for a regroup.  Then climb climb climb around and some nice downs back to DH, getting down to the cafe just before the 12 o'clock ferry was ready to leave, Bushes and Pete bombed and caught it while I waited for Nelson and Kirsty and we caught the half hour later one, 12.30.

Forgot to start the MMR til we were up top of the Whero singletrack, about 1km in and 120m alt, but the rest of it was 11.85 kms over 270m climbed (so, total 13 kms, 390 up). (mmr website playing up at this point)

Sunday Orton Plantley.

Early pick up of Pete for Lyttelton by 7.45am and 7.50 early ferry. Wazza, Wayno, Andy, Tony, and Steve and us, Steve the last one to show up.  Headed up the hill from Diamond Harbour, right up through and onto Bayview, which took us around and up and down, quite scenic-ly to Charteris Bay, then another non-main-road, another up and down over Anderson's Rd, whizzing down to Orton Bradley.

In here, caught up with Ian (manager there) and then headed up and did a loop of the bike trails up the valley.  Nice easy climbing on the walking track then diverting onto purpose build bike trail and then rejoining the walking track.  Across a bridge and back down, quite fun, then a bit of a wait in the sun (haaarrrdd frost this morning), and then planting Trees (from 10am) for Canterbury. Reasonable turn out to the planting so plants in ground reasonably quickly and down for a coffee at the school house, a sausage, and then back round the main road to miss the 12.30 ferry, thereby allowing Steve and me to have a beer at the Dark Star.  1pm Ferry back across and home in good time after that.

MMR struggling today (and i didnt start it til half way up the hill, nor turn it off til on the water).
20 odd kms, just over 400 m gained.