Friday Towards Menzies and Back, on the Fatty

As per the title, climbed out of Little Ak, daydreaming away and enjoying the view, up to Brockworth then bombing gravel down into Decanter, across the bridge and climbing again, up and around and on up the downs all the way to Rehutai where I took a nice pic

(combo of Godley and Scarborough Heads in the distance there).
and then turned around and rolled and coasted and bombed back down, stopping for views - this one in particular:

(Long Lookout in the distance, The Decanters in front).

And also not stopping...  Down through Decanter again and climbing back up the other side, back over and then bombing again on the noise of angry bees down down down and fast, through the hairpin and down to the bach, then up the road to the house where I got into my togs, grabbed T and we went for a swim - her riding the fatty down and me on the old globecruiser.   

Minus the swim, 17 odd kms, and a juicy 670 m upwardly mobile

Fat Sunday Little Menzies

At the bach for the weekend and had taken the fatty over,  Saturday I spun Jet to the wharf and back, and then on Sunday morning headed out for a ride on my own...  Went down to the beach and headed up the Decanter Bay road hill... Steep grind up here, nearing the top I spotted Tra'y (who had Jet) across the valley on the Chorlton Rd, tiny moving dot on the landscape.  Over the top and a very fun descent, fat tires gripping and steering beautifully.  Through the valley bottom, and into the climb, stopping to check out the stinging nettle treat, then stopping a little further up and layering off, then again, stopping to check out the view (and message T to say I could see Chorlton again).  View Hill was also in view, in snow covered glory - woulda been mucky up there).  Around the corner and climbing for a good while, some young cattle very interested in my progress.  Climbed around the first catchment into the next and up a little getting to a high point before the road started flatly dropping for a while.  Figured I'd done enough and turned back.  

Nice rolling coast, slowly faster around and down.  Tires gripping like crazy and muchly enjoyable rolling.  Stopped just over the cattlestop into Decanter and took in the view, spotting a Hector's Dolphin toodling around below.  Back into the ride, coasting faster and faster, til I was flying, but still cautious around each bend, gravel pretty loose but tires coping oh so well.  Major speed on the final cruise through the bottom and then back down through the gears and clambering again, grinding ftw.  Up up up and eventually making the top ready for a chip-seal bombfest.  Slowly increasing speed built to crescendo magnitude by the final hairpin where I scrubbed all the speed down, for the final coasting roll to speed through the bottom of the valley again, and slow cruise back up to the house.

Well nigh 15 kms and a good 660 m surmounted.

Sunday Little Fat-aloa Gravelling.

From the bach on the fatty, headed up the road and down the gravel into Decanter, then the long climb up towards Menzies, to high point Rehutai gate, and turned around and rode back down again. Muggy and warm. Jumped off the wharf into 15 degree coolness afterwards.

I gleaned satan's elevation gain (666m) in 17.7kms

Muggy Menzies Thursday a.m.

From the bach, only remembering to turn on the MMR once I was a little way up Decanter Bay Road. Mail Van passed me on the way up, and I caught it up on the way down into Decanter Bay.  Passed it at the bottom and headed on up towards Menzies.  Nice steady climbing, into low cloud/fog as I got higher, eventually all the way around to then descend on down to Menzies Bay. Said gudday to the people in the first house (seemed to be packing up their holiday times) then turned around and rode back up again.  Up to Rehutai homestead and then the descending cruise began.  As I rounded towards Decanter I met some horses(7?) and 3 women.  I got off my bike and walked through and they were very thankful and pleased.  They liked the fat bike too.  After them came the fun descent, speeding gravel road, into Decanter and finally the last climb, sun having burned off all the cloud, so it was hot and bothersome.  Final descent into Little Ak on the seal, speeding down into the bay, ready for a swim off the wharf.

It was hot and muggy. Surprisingly 905 m climbed, over 22kms

Labour Weekend, Little Akafatty

At the bach, and my fatty was over here left from last time I didn't get out, so this morning got out.  Headed up over to Decanter, bombed down the hill into there and continued on the long climb to the high point below Rehutai and the bomb down into Menzies Bay.  Stopped short at their closed gate and headed back up the hill, high point and bomb back down to Decanter, then back up and over from there.  863 m altitude, 24 kms, 1 hour 50 mins riding.

First ride for 2014, Menziesii

2nd of Jan, 2014, Tom and me headed off on the bikes.  Hup Decanter Bay Rd, waiting at the top for a couple stock trucks through and bombed the gravel down into the valley and then climbed and climbed, nice hot morning, round past Rehutai and down the steep into Menzies.  Past a bull and met a woman on a bike heading back up.  Rested a bit and she came back to us, freaked by the bull...  Turned out she was from the bach below ours!  Rode past the bull with her then Tom proceeded to get away from me at the same rate i was getting away from her, spacing us out for the climb up.

Past Rehutai again, stock truck up there and getting moving, so Tom and me pedalled hard over the last rise to stay ahead of it, and then bombed on down round into Decanter, awesome views to along all the heads to behold.  Down into the valley and started on the climb, about half way to the first hairpin the truck turned up and we stopped to let it's dust settle, and he stopped to comment on how fast we were...  "You guys were flying!"

Onwards upwards, checking on the Cape Gooseberry, should be ripe in a month.  and then over the top and down the seal chip to Little Ak.  Back up to the house and into togs and straight back down for a good swim.

Little

Ak.

Yesterday i fitted a new handlebar and some grips.  750 wide, wiiiide... 

This afternoon i got out for a spin.  Rain due for Monday (day off for the Queen) so figured i had to ride.  Just me and the bike, no bag, not intending on going far.  Headed up Decanter Bay Rd, not a bad wee grind, minimal granny used (unlike this time when i just stood and pushed harder), then nice gravel road descent into Decanter, and then onwards up the road towards Menzies.  Climbed and climbed til there was a respite, whereupon i took in the view, enjoyed the blustery breeze and turned around and headed back the way i'd come.  This time tho i took as much off piste as possible, riding cattle trails mostly, just above above the road, til i rounded over the cattlestop entering Decanter and it was road the rest of the way.  Faaast descent into there, then clamber clamber out of there, stopping to check out the (past it) Cape Gooseberries (was hoping for some wicked anti-oxidants), onwards back up and over, jetting up to warp-speed for the latter half of the road back into the bay.  All up maybe an hour out and 600 odd metres of climb on.

Meanwhile, found and rather enjoyed this vid, Steve Peat mongering Santa Cruz's newest thoroughbred...

December-twentyseventh menziesii.

Blogspot for 27th December, 2011
Christmas hols at Little Akalalaland, scorching hot day, hit the road to Menzies Bay in an attempt to exude some of the excess christmas cheer. Hefty wee climb to the top of the -over to Decanter, everytime i was tempted to go to a lower gear, i'd instead drop it down to a taller gear and stand up, a nice practice i figured might do me some good. From the top, hit the gravel down, with a shit-eating-grin dodging a farmer on his way up, i'da been over his bonnet if he'd not pulled to his left, yikes!, then through the bottom of Decanter and on up round and up and round and up and round-up, cooking, in the heat, talking to the cattle and watching a plane flying low and practising engine cut-outs, powering off, then revving up, repeat ad nauseum. At Rehutai's gates, just before the descent to Menzies, i stopped, checked out any messages, then turned back.

Nice long descent with no detours to any potential interestingnesses, tho there be many - little strips of animal singletrack meandering close-to or above the road... Rounding into Decanter Bay, dreaming about rockfalls and gravel-loss-of-controllers off heinous tumblings to rocks and sea below, and avoiding stray sheep doing's. Over the cattle stop near the bottom and i stopped for some reason. Adjusted something or other, and thought that if someone had been watching my progress they might have thought i'd crashed abruptly at the cattle stop, cos prior to disappearing behind their viewed trees i was flying, then would have failed to appear on the other side. Got going again avoiding leg-reaching onga-onga and rolled through the valleybottom hitting the climb back out. met an advertisingclad car suddenly but no others. Little sign of previous year's cape gooseberries, plants still in early growth stages. lots of lovely wild roses flowering and that smell-of-hops plant. it is resiny like hops too... tho prickly. I wonder how it'd flavour a beer. What is it, first? and, is it poisonous? (or any more poisonous than hops??).

Top of hill, into a tuck and down down down, so fast, whooshing down, standing up for air-brakes, then into a tuck for the acceleration out of a corner, finally massive airbrakes and disc brakes scrubbing enough speed off into the final hairpin and back into a tuck for the last leg down to the cattlestop.

L. Ak Meanderings to Menzies.

glorious weather, headed up the Decanter Bay Rd, steep wee grovel in places, but not too high (just under 200m), then good gravel bomb down to Decanter, then up road towards Menzies Bay, pulling off to let a sheep truck down, then onwards, forgetting how far it was, peaking at [airstrip] about 260m and careening down towards Menzies Bay. Didnt bother going all the way down, stopping in the pines (around 10km mark), taking in the view, and heading back up. weather was looking threatening on the tops the whole ride, with a few spots of rain getting me but nothing to dampen the dust.

then turned around and rode all the way back, meeting the sheep truck again just as it was pulling up into Rehutai (by the airstrip). nice bomb all the way down and round back to Decanter, then the clamber back out of there and fast sealed descent back into Little Ak. all up 20 kms, total of 750m of climbing and the same descending.

Nu Yeah's and back

So, following boxing day, got three rides in over at Little Akaloa. First one to top of View Hill, spectacular up there.
Second one with a couple of visitors, over to Raupo and back.
and number three, all the way round to Menzies Bay, cos i hadnt been there for years. nice bay, but cant say much about the 'friendliness' of the natives... nothing but glowers.

Then, yesterday, the usual sunday slog with the boys. took the singlespeed. we drove out to sumner, up Capt Thomas, then up summit road to top of Richmond Hill track, down to Evans, ragged edge material, me keeping my own the whole way, then out Godley, walked only the first bit, and one other little bit on the first climb, cleaned the rest. more ragged edge. followed Steve on last descent, then Pete on Anaconda. helluva climb out of Taylors, but rode it all.
who needs gears???