Saturday Para Para Golden Steel

Druv round across the inlet and parked up. Rode up the road and into the steep hot dirt, climbing up all the way to the seat view. Very hot and dripping. Bombed down to the singletrack and leaped in. Rutty to start which caught me out a little, resulting in a weird tip off unable to clip out just after catching my wrist on a branch. Rolling again, more carefully this time, cruising, rolling down and through. Lots of little explores and findings of interesting features and then out the exit and along the gravel back to the car. 

Fun fun, just under 9 kms, 250 m climbed

Couple days before this, I rode along the beach to the Excellent St walkway, carried the bike up the steps, steep as fuck, hot as fuck, and up onto Excellent St for the cruise down past the historic cemetery and into Gibbs and down this to town back round to the house... a short 4 kms with under 100 m climbed.

Odin's Day Redwood Mountain Master Beach Loop There and Back

Straight out of bed and onto the bikes, T and me rode into the wind down the beach to Milnthorpe Redwood track.  Parked the bikes and walked a loop nice loop, in the Redwood Trail, onto the Around the Mountain trail, left onto the Old Master trail, which took out through the middle of the swamp and out to the beach.  Walked up the beach back to the bikes and had a nice tail wind home.  

Nearly 7 kms, most of which was on the bikes.

Chooseday Fatster Beach Cruise

Good workout along the beach to Milnethorpe's redwood track. MMR only on for the return. (Forgot to turn it on till halfway along beach so thought better to record one-way (2.7 km, doubled to 5.42 km)

Sunday Peaches for Beaches

Fatty Arbuckle.  Semi-repeat, but in reverse, of Thursday's ride.

Parked same spot, fatbike and dog, poked our noses at the beach at the start but the wind was such that behind the dunes was gonna be nicer heading north.  So, up the track for a bit, Jet dragging the chain a bit, but eventually doing okay, and then decided to try the beach for a while, as I thought it might make him run a bit faster.  It did, and I could barely keep up with him into the wind...

At the point where the bottle lake mtb track climbs briefly to the top of the dunes, I climbed up the sanddune entrance (riding 93% of the way up), and we headed into the forest singletrack I'd found on Thursday, from the bottom.  Fun track, and some kid on a normal bike even passed through.  Back on the main drag, going was slower again, til we made the forest, then I did a bit of exploratory meandering.  I reckon with a bit of a tickle this zone could be a fatbike-only flow zone, a few sandy pine needle littered trails flowing and dipping around in there.

I eventually found the exit/entrance to my sand-dune-crest track, taking me along for a while til I saw the main bike track, then I backtracked slightly to a good sand exit to the beach...  Jet really wanted to continue north.  He also then waded in and promptly lay down in the water to cool...  (that meant the boot for him on the way home).  Tail(ish) wind as we headed south again.  Jet talking to every dog we met, finally back over the dune (before the carpark path) and back down to the car.  Good blast.

Measly 7.16 kms, and a massive 22m climbed.

Thursday, Beached as.

Long lunch break, drove out to North Beach and parked, fat bike and jet in the car.  Granny up the boarded sand-dune path, and dowwwn onto the beach, for a lovely clip to the north.  Gorgeous day, sea looked spectacular, and Jet was in speed-mode.  Full tilt sprint for the first km or so, followed by slowing down a bit and the odd dash for a sniff or a pee.  Not to mention the hellos to other dogs.

This is him in slightly-slowed-down-mode. Taken on the fly..

Looking back south...

I recognised the general lay of the land as we rolled, noticing the salt-burned trees behind the dunes, and calculated which exit point would take me to a precise point of the Bottle Lake trail, and we clambered up the dunes and onto an old Phatbike favourite of mine which leads south from that point (where the bike track runs up onto the top of the dunes briefly before ducking back down behind them in the trees).  So, along the dune-tops and then back down into the trees, and onto the track for a bit. 

Out of the trees, heading south, along the main drag, til I ducked onto a side track which lead up into and over into the trees (on the right as you head south), and found a cool wee track, perfect for fatties like me, cruisey cruise.  Eventually took a trail to the left and hit the main drag again, just where it mounts the top of the dune again.  Decided to hit the beach, rather than dragging jet along the bike track, and so we returned that bit we'd started on back to the car.
Nice. 7.2 kms ridden, with a whopping 31 m of altitude.

Previously, (yesterday?) Tra'y, Jet and me, meandered the meandering way to the Library for an outing.  5.8 kms.  There are some very nice houses in St Winifreds Place.

Tuesday Phat Nugget Kaka return

Family holiday in the Catlins, staying at the Nugget Point Lighthouse-keeper's house -very exclusive, you have to drive up the walking track for a start to get up to it. Primo views. Had the fatty with me so after days of driving around sightseeing and going for walks places I finally jumped on the steed and bombed down the hill for bit of a beach cruise. 20kms there and back. Mostly on the beaches but a few little pop overs on the road when the sand ran out. Finished with a big climb back up to the house. Nice times.

Mill Rd, Parapara trails, Tuesday 10th

Staying at Collingwood, rode along the beach 4kms to Milnethorpe for a bit of a leg stretch.  Whilst there, I bumped into one of the Ground Effectors, who has a bach at Milnethorpe, brief chat and then I rode a couple of slightly dodgy (but sweet) tracks back to the beach, and then back the 4kms along the sand to the house.  Later in the day him and family popped in and visited for a bit.  He knows his way around these parts, and so told me about the local riding: built and maintained mostly by Martin who runs the Takaka bike shop.

So, on his advice, later on, I drove round and parked at corner of Parapara Valley Rd, then headed up the highway a km or so then up a DOC access track. Climbed to the seat at pretty near the top,

somewhere around 300m.  Had spotted about 3 different options off the climbing track on way up, so hooned back to the last one, chasing a falcon spectacularly on the way, and dropped in (bars unable to fit one of the entrance options). Tight rough single track meandering quite steeply down thru the regenerating scrub, manuka trunks trying their darnedest to snag my bars. Eventually down into valley bottoms and flats across, a couple creek crossings, then opening up and out to a quad bike sized trail.

Headed upwards and found my way onto what turned out to be one of the earlier tracks off the climb; zigged and zagged my up it back to the DOC track, up this a little way then back down to and down that which I'd just climbed.  Fun descent back to where I'd come out earlier.  (Spotted an exit here right next to where I'd come out earlier - filed for future reference). On from here down fast descending on quite open trail, regen bush, flying, one other option to explore next time, then more valley bottom rolling, out to a groovy gate and a driveway down to the road and then back along a km or so of gravel road to the car.

11kms, 340m climbed

 

Overgrown Aorere goldfields with the boy

Other than riding about on the beach with the kids, one long ride from the bach to the Para Para inlet, a little bit of Milnethorpe walking tracks and back has been about it for the past few days here in Collingwood.  But today, O and me headed out to the Devil's Boots, parked up and headed along to the Aorere Goldfields.  Couldn't drive to the usual parking spot cos of a tree down across the road in.  HOT day, we went up the 4wd track, with O struggling on the climbs, tho managing many of them really really well.  I pushed both bikes at times, but in the second half he seemed to rally.  We met people exiting the trail from the Dam but we continued up and then took the fast and majorly rutted out trail into Bedstead Gully.  It all looked unfamiliar, including the camp at the bottom, to the degree I even thought we were in a different location.

I found the trail I used to take towards the main tracks and it was UTTERLY OVERGROWN.  Gorse, manuka, and later cutty grass and lawyer all blocking our way, having to push through them all and just take the scratches.  There were tears.  O really didn't handle it well.  I had to keep going back and wheeling his bike through, and he was wincing at most gorse prickles.  But we persevered and eventually made it to the track the couple we saw had come out of.

Climbing up a quad type trail to the highest point overlooking the valley and the dam below, and then it was all downhill.  O's spirits increased.  Stopped in the shade on the dam and had a snack and then got riding again.  Surprisingly technical around the water-race when you've got an 11 year old behind you.  Eventually made the caves, and then the fun run began, with a swooping and woot filling descent down down down.  Overtook a man and two women half way down and we rocketed on through to the bottom, then back along the road to the car...

Surprisingly only 13kms and just over 300m, sure felt like a lot more with the heat and the bushwhacking

Bottled up Saturday

Fatty on the back of the Brava and Jet in the back, out to Bottle Lake and a bit of a spin of a Saturday morning.  Nice temperature, we headed out to the right, and out to the beach.  At the top of the dune where the sand always blows out, we skidoodled down the washy sand onto the beach.  Sea, spectacular; so inviting, with crystal clear peeling breakers, and wave faces all backed up behind.  Jet was already hot so he was straight in, relishing it.  I moseyed my way about the beach trying to find the best sand to ride on.  None of it was particularly good; definitely struck it better in the past.  Even riding in the compressed tire tracks of a some vehicle wasn't firm enough.  Less air in the tires may have helped, but I just couldn't be arsed stopping and having to pump them up again later, so I persevered and we travelled the whole next section along the coast down on the beach, with no opportunities back into the dunes til the one at the start of the trees again.

Up over the access path and back onto the main track, into the trees, cruising a few bends til I found my usual dune-top trail entrance, emerging out onto the crest of the dune and the foot-slope of the tops of the salt burned pines, a km or so along this.  Back onto the track and down the hill into the back-dunes, following along for a bit then using a small rise to spin back to a sandy back track I saw, onto it which led me to the singletrack.  Around onto it and back into the main forest park.

Usual trails through the forest, taking the 'alternative' lines wherever I could, all very obviously seldom traversed.  Toyed with the idea of heading norther into Spencer country, but back onto the descending trail to Muddy Rd and onwards back, for Jet's sake, it being hot and there not be a hell of a lot of water around.  Into the forest trails again, riding all the completely unridden alternative lines, and through into the next lovely tall forest, open between the trunks, up the risers and down the breezeblocked descents, all the while looking for off piste lines, seeing so much potential but not taking any of it for some reason.  Hung a left on the next main road before the short tree'd section, heading for the 'lake' or ponds, for Jet to have a cool off.  Just cruised along no-hands at Jet's pace, taking in the day.

Caught up with a man and dog, Jet having his usual sniff and play, the humans merely acknowledging each other's existences.  Jet had a slurp at the ponds and we continued our way along a fenceline (behind which was all sorts of mystery - I assume quake wreckage? or forest ops).  Down to where was once some of my favourite bits over the years, now a cleared wasteland with brand new pines.  A ranger passed here in a big cloud of dust, and I headed back onto the worst-made section out there, bumpy hard shitty slow section, on the tail Mr 'Form', youngish dude on some Specialized of somesort, weaving his way ahead.  Kinda stayed on him or caught him, but then had to hold back for the dog.  Nice excuse, anywho.  Past some dudes as we entered the open broomy section, across this, back into the trees, first west then around southwards, and then hung a weird right into the forest, no trail, just riding, curving around as the ground allowed, and finding some weird remnants of an old track, wracking my memory for it, wondering maybe circa mid-late 90's?  Held back to let a horse and 'lady' and her small poodle past, then onto the gravel road and westward, finding a horse track and golfcourse, and then following the gravel more til the last tall stand of trees next to the open spaces of the carpark, bmx etc.  Cruised across the paddock and back to the car.

52minutes riding, 13.7 kms, sweet F.A altitude.

Haha, what a lot of words for such a non-event...  10 oclock on a Saturday night, Hardtail Henry my favourite beer of the moment.  Probably explains it.

Thursday Birthday Fat Jet Beach Explorations

Bit of a weird one yesterday.  Skipped off work early, on account of it being my birthday, and took the Fat bike and Jet out to Pines Beach.  Parked out at the end of Reid Memorial Drive and headed back into the forest, vaguely north, on a nice wee track, then through trees for a bit then hung a right and out towards the beach when my left crank started feeling weird.  Damn thing was loose and I didn't have the right tool, so jimmy-fixed it up a bit, but not perfect, got going again out to the beach, found certain sand better than other bits and eventually back to the car.  Drove through to Kaiapoi, stopped a the Bikes and  Mowers shop and bought the 8mm hex tool I needed, then drove to Spencerville where I well and truly tightened up the crank.

Parked out the end of the main drag, beach access, and tootled around a nice wee track to the Surf Club, then found the beach a bit small, big pumping sea, high(ish) tide and lots of detritus making for no where to ride, so, turned back and headed back to the car then out onto the beach there, and avoided wave action along the narrow strip of driftwood and the dunes.  It all got a bit much, so I pushed up the dunes and over through to the quad track behind, and proceeded to follow this north, eventually all the way to the mouth of the Waimak about 4.35pm.  Really nice out here, then rode all the way back along this track back to the car and headed home, getting there at 5.30pm.  Jet had a nice run, and I enjoyed my nature explorations and riding the fatty on the sand.

Saturday evening, beached

Quick fatty ride this evening.  left home well after 5 and ended up parking out top end of North Beach, rode in and up the trails, exploring non-bike trails and the beach and the dunes and all over the place.  Was interesting.  Found some quite cool wee gems of trails, perfect for fat tires, that would be useless on regular tires.  Meandered along the beach, into the dunes, along trails, back onto the beach.  Ended up right up at Spencer Park, and then rode various trails back near the beach again, til eventually took the wrongway trail back in round the back of the Closed area, then along a road for a while, then into a walk track that ended up crossing the southern trail before the Gazebo Hill.  Here, took a trail along the fenceline and climbed back up onto the hill and down chasing a couple.  Then it was through the last section of trail before cutting out and back to the car.

Brief stop at Parklands for a couple of brews I've not had before, and then a dvd from Shirley and I was home just after 7.