Sunday's Undeniably Platitudinous, Denunciably Platonic Denizens of Denniston Plateau

Day two of the annual trip.  Checked out of Holiday Camp, so our departure was 10am, headed out of town via petrol pump, and up to Denniston Plateau. 

Nelson's gears weren't working so we waited around a little while he faffed.  Steve set off, with Robin and Pete, while Andy and me waited about a bit longer, but then Nelson said it was gonna take a while, so we set off in chase...  Up the road, fourth right, into Loopy, ex-bulldozed track, wide, but eroded and rocky, short climb followed by fast and rocky descent, with the boys in view across on the next climb.  Pete saw us, turned back to film us on the groveliest wee climb section, which I cleaned!  On up, and over, and met up with the other two.  This trail did this down and up thing a couple more times, then hung right onto Rocky, which dropped over and down.  Pete went ahead to film.  Then we all followed, me first.  Turned to look back and saw Steve have his tumble here.  Damn.  He picked himself up and we climbed over and down, and met Sullivan's Track.  Hung a left on this and climbed steeply, and technically, up and then across and around about the place, with Pete heading ahead to get the drone up for some filming of us.  Eventually back to the road, and Steve and Robin continued on to the car, while Pete, Andy and me checked out Lunar.  This was excellent.  Narrow, hard to follow, technical, and interesting.  Climbed out of that, back to the road, back to the car.  First lap, a smidge under 7 kms with a puny 126 m climbed.

Out with Nelson, without Steve or Robin, for the next lap.  Back up the road, and dropped into Lunar again, and sessioned a couple of sections, and tweaked a bit here and there.  Tidied up the markings too.  Then, climbed Miner's, up and down and up and over, then peeled off into S.O.B, which was techy as all fuck.  Pete flew his drone, tried to capture us riding it.  Got a bit of footage. Then down the rest of Miners, wet and sloppy, to Burnetts Face, and climbed back up the road.  Looked at Teapot, which we should have ridden, but didnt...  Second lap, tiny bit under 11 kms, and only 175 m climbed.  (certainly feels like more when you're doing it).

The Annual Trip, Westside - Denniston and Blacks Point

Woke up Thursday to drizzle and thought it'd be a crappy day up on Denniston, but figured we'd give it a go anyway. so. packed up and headed out of Westport and out of the cloud about 10 kms north. Pulled into Waimangaroa and followed an empty coal truck hauling ass up the road. Quite chilly breeze at the top, but a mix of blue skies and cloud around the place.

Headed off onto the same trails i'd ridden last time i was up here, ie, the Miners Track and the Drill Track. Vastly different conditions to then tho. Everyone enjoyed the blasts down, especially the tight single bit before the first Drill track climb. Got back round to Burnetts Face and headed up the road, with a bit of a play around the old School site. Then we headed out and did the Pig Route. this had some fun downhills but it all being semi-4wd track does not a singletrack make. at the road we started heading up, then realised only the two drivers needed to go up, so the rest of us coasted, at some awesome speeds, down til we got to the turn off for the walking track. imagine our disappointment when we saw on the mapboard how much of the old bridle track we'd missed... but, we can save that for next time, and we enjoyed the crap out of the fantastic, at times technical, downhill blast this trail is.

Back in the cars (after one of the best pies EVER (highly recommended, pies from the Waimangaroa Dairy)), and on the road for Reefton. Checked in to The Camp (run by The Old Nurses Hostel - highly recommended for our sized or bigger groups), then headed up the road to...

BLACKS POINT
Steep little start up Murray's Creek track, on a nice wide good surfaced track, steeps interspersed with easier grades, up to Energetic Junction and on up to Waitahu Saddle. then on round and on up up and up to a fast downhill to Inglewood Junction.

Here we turned left on Ajax Track or Machine Track, and up a more rugged track which went up and up and up, then peeled round into a narrow wee singletrack that kept going up and up with some wet bits and we wondered where the hell we were going. at a top (where they used to use horses walking in circles to haul stuff up the hill) there was what looked like a ridge track, but there were no tire marks on it, and it looked like it petered out, so we headed down towards the Ajax Mine and Stamper Battery. some wickedly tight techy forest downhill, followed by swampy boggy crappy bits round and up, to another small saddle (where the previous ridge track would have probably gotten us).

This is where the true downhill began, finally, and we hit the what is one of the most fantastic sections of singletrack i've ever ridden. it was absolutely incredible. bits where you could just let go the brakes and fly, rooster tail of leaves out behind, followed by tight steeps with your arse being buffed by your back tire. awesome. eventually it steeped down into pines, and then switchback city for a bit, before eventually coming across the slope, a couple more switchies and you're at the car. a damned good work out for the brakepads, hands and arms...

Saturday, Monday, Tuesday. Denniston and Hanmer

Family holiday away got me into the wilds of the west coast. allowed one opportunity to explore, saturday (25th) morning we drove up onto the Denniston plateau. It was a crisp frosty clear blueskied west coast morning. the museum was closed, but T said go for it anyway. i had chosen to do the Drill Track because it appeared to be short yet interesting enough, so off i treadled.

lots of ice around, with many of the techy descents made moreso by frozen streamwater glazing the rocks. trail was fun, climbs good and descents fun. singletrack bits were cool, and the landscape was super cool. got down to a bridge where Miner's Track peeled left, and started down it, but then decided to go for the Drill track instead. cruised up that and really enjoyed all the climbs and the descents were good too. less ice on that section. got to marker 4.3 and made a biiig mistake. because i'd left Drill Track map in the car, i had in my head that it was a little longer than i thought, so i turned right, when i should have turned left. Ended up riding Cedar Creek Road for about 5 kms til i got to a sign that said "No Admittance - Closed Area" and was a bit confused. txtd T and turned back, thinking all the way back that i'd missed a turn off, but not seeing it got all the way back and realised my mistake. so, last descent down to a bridge and there's our car, (thankfully T and the boys had driven down to Burnetts Face to meet me). so, what would have only been about a 40 minute ride had turned into 2 hours...

Next stop was Hanmer. more sun filled days, i got out Monday (27th) afternoon. left the bach we were staying at and headed up to Flax trail, cruised it through to where i climbed up and caught the lower C-Line, down to a muddy rutty Majuba. across to Timberlands, and up to Jolliffe saddle, where i climbed onto Red Rocks, enjoying it down into a mucky newly cleared bit (was being logged last time i was up) and out onto Pawsons, down to Camp Track, and then out onto the road to head for Threshold. through the Road Closed sign and up up up. hit Threshold, enjoyed the little blurb written at beginning, then struggled up the climb, granny all the way, it beat me and i walked maybe 10 metres... on past the lower entrance, and on up to top. looks like people have been riding down to there, but i didnt explore cos the sun was getting really low in the sky.

Threshold downhill, niiiiiice. weavy cruisy steep corners and flowy groovy singletrack through dark forest. sun set behind the peaks while i was descending. went on for ages. one corner beat me, and i nearly toppled when i bailed at the top of it. cleaned all the rest. contemplated riding back up and taking just the low line but decided i was pretty beat, so headed down. into a little single track i spotted off the road which took me into the back of the Forest Camp, where i found another track and rode up it (normally a downhill), then i grabbed Mack 1 up through, nice trail, onto McIntyre Rd, rode up that to bottom of Detox, but crossed Dog Stream and bombed down to Jolliffe Saddle Rd again, up to the saddle and down Timberlands and back through into town.

Next day, took O for a ride, him on his bike, through some of the flat forest trails. was fun, but not enough, so took off on another hilly ride, up Chatterton's Valley up the new (-to me) Link Track, down the Tank track (nice new top corners off Pawsons) and then down (for the first time in that direction) Flax trail. all good.