Monday, Rameka Projections, Phat Packing Klicky Expectations

Early start from Totaranui to drop H and Summer in Takaka for the bus.  Did a wee shop and then headed up Rameka valley to park for the ride up around and back in the Rameka Project. 

Before I left the car a woman came flying through, GSP in bounding tow.  "Gudday."  Climbed up the 'Historic' track, zigging and zagging up, similar to last time I was up here last year.  Chatted to a couple of local dads on their way down who'd been enjoying the view from a bench near one of the corners.  Up top of Great Expectations and up the road, around, grinding into the grovelly climb.  I stupidly took the "Start of Pack Track" signposted what I thought was most of the way up and bombed down this to the track, only to find I was miles down it, so, I proceeded to ride up it, steep as fuck, to the top (ie, the end of the Rameka-proper).  Rest and snack, then in...  funtimes!  bomb bomb bomb, sketch from rain overnight, dropping and popping down and crossing the road then up around and down, cross again and into Great Expectations,

which delivered an excellent blast, downhill forever, back and forth, around and down.  Lovely views, fun trail.  finally in the bottom and left into the Klicks, lots of fun, road for a bit and Klicks to the bottom and back to the car.  Not long after a dad and son arrived behind me, having just been up the zigs and down Odyssey and Klicks.  They must have been climbing up to Klick 1 when I was on my way down...

Funtime 13 kms and 500 meterage points

Monday Rameka Pack Expectation Klicks

Great ride yesterday with Tony, father of H's gf Holly. We parked at the bottom of Rameka valley and rode up the Historic Pack Track (one I'd only ever ridden down once before). Great climb, out the top of the Project and up the gravel road to bottom end of the Rameka proper. Into the Packtrack, me on Tony's tail for a start, thinking I might be slower on the fatty, but no.  Asked if maybe I could take the lead and then took off, hauling. Great hoon down, then over into Great Expectations for a switchback city wunder-ride. Loads of fun. At the bottom, into the Klicks for some good times and eventually back to the car.

Hot stuff, 13kms with 526m clambered

Rameka Tumeke

T and Phee dropped H and me at the high point (~5km in) on the Canaan Rd and we rode downhill from there, thru the Gathering site and onto Rollercoaster. He was a wreck because of a bad night's sleep in Mot and so hated any climbing. I enjoyed the chuff and grunt tho, through the groovy forest to the Harwood's Hole carpark and then the real climb began which he also hated.  We were overtaken by a young fella we'd seen who's parents had dropped him at Harwood's carpark, he was krankin'.  Then while we had a break at the entrance of the forest a couple of guys we'd passed in the car on the way in got to us.

Into the forest and lovely rooty trail that is the Rameka. Nice and dry (as it gets) with cornflakes all the way.  Was the driest I've ever seen it, but still had wet bits.  Creek crossings were all a bit more rideable than in the past.  Roots weren't slippery, which was good.  Fatty behaved wickedly, and Hugo certainly enjoyed it a lot more once we got to where it started heading down more.  

Speed hit here and we bombed.  A couple of new lines zigs and zags where it used to be the rutted guts.  We took another new easy one in the forest too, which was pretty cool.  Avoided where Wayno got the Dozer moniker.  Also seemed different in the gully before the rocky ledge, which also seemed more rideable with less walk on the worst rocky section.  The view from there.  

From here it was much longer than I remembered, bombing through to the official end of the trail.  Then into the Packtrack, which had more in it that I remembered too.  This was super fun.  And the tomo was further than I remembered too.  Missed the lowest section of the packtrack, taking the connector over the hill.  this has fast swoopy switchbacks and a couple of overhanging thistles were interesting.  One we both ducked for, it was at head height and would have really hurt.  The second got me good, right on the nipple.  Felt like it'd ripped it off.

Into Great Expectations, and we had a blast rolling down this, all the way.  Amazing where the water has sluiced one of the streams, cleared he vege completely.  Lot of fun back and forthing in here, into the conifer, into the regen, into the conifer, then regen the rest of the way.  Nice new bridge over the Rameka Stream and then into the Klicks.  These were fun.  both sections, then we popped out on the road lower down and there was T and Phee.  The went up the road to turn around and we got to do a couple more sectoins lower down, before meeting them again.

A muchly enjoyable 19.5 kms travelled, only 207 m gained, but a total of 950 descended.

Saturday 2nd Trip Ride - Rameka

A bunch of vehicle shuffling resulted in us dropping off the boys at the cafe at the start of Canaan Rd and Nelson and me driving down to Takaka and back up, then chasing them in the Canaan Rd. They'd stopped for a while at the cafe before heading in and so were waiting (patiently) for us at the Roller Coaster and we proceeded from there. Fun downs, sucky ups, and wet as hell through the last bit tot he Harwoods Hole carpark.  Then into the climb up to the Rameka.

Quite a splecky and messy but fun trail through the forest, with the final downhills an absolute blast.  Nice break just after the rocky ledge climb near the end.  Then into the Pack Track, for a much funnerer downward blast, and over the hill into Great Expectations, which was also as fun as a fun thing on a fun day.  At the bottom of this, over the nice new bridge, and missing the Klicks, we headed up onto the road, and back up it to the top of Great Hexpectations again. Ugh what a dastardly climb that was.  Back into the top of Great Exp's, and then left into the new one, the mighty Historic Rameka Track.  It was nice.  Bit of climbing at the start, but nothing major, and once you start down it's all down, very high up, amazing views out over the valley, you seem to ride for ages and the valley is still miles below you.  Then suddenly you look out and it's looming nearer.  Great blast down, tho there's another (Odyssey) that we're yet to try.  If we'd had more legs we might have ridden it, then back up, and down this, but no.  Next time.  anyway.  ... Nice.

Anyway, a worthy 36 kms, with a mere 572 m climbed, plus the 680 or so we started from making for a whopping 1300 or so descended.

Totes and the Rameka Projection Fatstas, Wednesday 4th

Fat bike on holiday...

One ride from Totaranui, up the road and over towards Awaroa, down to the car we'd left at the top of the Waiharakeke Track. 200m up in 4kms, down a hundred if I's lucky, in about 1.5kms...

Wednesday 4th, O and me headed out of the bay, brief detour thru Takaka, then up the Rameka Valley. Parked at the bottom of the Klicks and rode up the road to the top of Great Expectations. The last km I pushed both bikes as he just couldn't keep up the climbing.

I let him lead down. Awesome ride, such a great trail and he really enjoyed it, as did I. Across the creek at the bottom and into the Klicks, taking in all of them, no broken ribs this time, fat bike handling nicely thank you.

9.4 kms, only 270 m climbed

Saturday Rameka

So, Nelson and me headed in Canaan Rd, leaving his car in the carpark up there (locked at night) and my car being driven down by Jo.  The family (and Jo) had driven in to walk Harwoods Hole, so we saw the car (and canoe) there while they were in the bush.  We hit the Canaan Loop Rollercoaster section, with it's tidied new climb and rolled and whooped through there with the bush section being really nice down to the carpark.  Bit of cleaning and tweaking of drivetrains and off we set, up the climb to the entrance.  One rider, at least, ahead of us.
Into the Rameka proper and it was wet from the torrential rain overnight.  Roots were pretty greasy and some of the puddles mucky but mostly pretty good riding.  Stopped a few times for photos, and once we were out of the National Park (2/3rds way along this section?) we found a few large tracts of windthrow from the Easter 2014 storms.  Some massive trees down, but the trail is clear to ride.  Finally into the couple of corners before dropping down into the Dozer section, in the tight left hand section the roots were treacherous, and I caught my shorts on my seat and ripped the arse out of them.  Took them off and a lone woman rider turned up.  Down from here and out of the forest and down into the marble cut climb, marble slick as a slick thing. 

Into the Packtrack, Nelson blasting down ahead, me not so much, and I couldn't believe the near carnage he was getting, pinging and flicking all over the place in the greasy marble rocky sections.  Just about crashed a couple times, but somehow he kept it together.  A couple times we stopped, and the woman was never that far behind, but we'd leave her behind each time we took off again.  Into Rameka Project.  Awesome blast down here, forest was pretty slick, but once out of it the traverses back and forth across the hill were dry enough, if a little over grown.  Finally down to the creek crossing, in seemingly no time, and straight through it and a well earned rest.  Heard the woman up the hill away, again a little surprised by how close behind she was, and she walked through the ford and then headed off down the first Klick.  Good roll down this, neat new boardwalk/raised 'bridge' skirting around a rock, floating above the rocky creek bed, past the woman again who was struggling on the riverbed boulders.  And we rode up off the trail onto the road and bombed down this.

Into 2Klicks and I took Do while Nelson took Die.  I had to slow where they rejoined each other or we'd have collided and I followed him down the blasty section towards the wooden jumpies.  The one that has a backside to it he flew over catching mad high air and I did something dumb here, not sure what, baulked at the wrong moment or something, but launched into the air, badly positioned or did something stupid in the air, and landed with my arse out the back of the bike badly balanced and *I think* my left inside thigh hit the tire and my left ribs hit the back of my seat, and I kinda ragdoll-bounced off the bike and flew through the air and landed in the scrub on the right hand side of the trail, a spike impaling my stomach for good measure.  Ugh.  Picked up my bike, nothing broken on it so got chasing again, before I'd had a chance to worry about all the pain I was in.  Caught up to Nelson at the road, him having heard my yelp.  Couple of last sections of trail off the side of the road, with me taking Jazz and Nelson taking Rock'n'Roll.

Then it was gravel road blast to the seal and out to the main road.  Stopped here to cover my indecent bike-undies  with my ripped shorts and the woman rode past on her way to Takaka.  We headed for Pohara, taking turns at slipstreaming, and being passed by my family at Clifton.  Well earned swim and beers in Pohara.  Until I was in the water, my ribs weren't really giving me any gyp, but then it felt like a weird twinge and the pain increased to a level that hasn't changed much since.

D'oh!

Wednesday 15th Jan, Rameka-isation

On our way to Pohara and Totaranui, I was dropped at the turn off to Canaan Downs, pedalled hard for a start, til the heat started getting to me, then just knuckled in for the duration.  Sweet thing was, first vehicle met was when i'd hit the first shade and had already decided to stop.  Dust cleared and i continued on, meeting two more (one each direction) just before the saddle.  Rested in the shade at the top, allowing the inward bound car to get ahead, and then hit the descent.  Two more vehicles before the cattle stop, and a bump in the road nearly knocked my hands off the handlebars just there too.  Easy cruising through the Gathering site and left onto the Rollercoaster.

Grunt of a wee climb then up and down and through, getting the eye in once in the forest and had a nice wee blast through to Harwood's carpark.  Rode on through this, hello to the tourists, signed in the book, and on up to Rameka start.  Big rest here.  Lay in the shade and just chilled a good 10 minutes.

Into the bush, the shade providing much needed relief.  Easy going start, mostly on the level, not pushing like i did last time with Nelson on my tail.  Obviously a fair bit of traffic had been through recently.  Where possible, when their treads had pushed up a mound of dirt on the trail, i rode on top of that to push it down - maintenance on the fly.  Eventually got to the hairpin corner and into the true down, instantly interupted by a recent tree fall over which the bike had to be lifted.  Flow reinstated I started to bomb it.  Into Dozer's section, i took the usual left twisty trail, cleaning it without dabbing the corner that's always caught me in the past, across the Dozer track and across and back round and onto it, the bottom corner newly bermed, railed, flying down and round into the the clearing.  Then down down down the rutty ex-4wd trail, popping, pumping and jumping into the gully.

Clambering up the marble face,off for a second, then back on, finish the climb then the descent began again, rocky, flowy fun, this bit always longer than i remember it, through to the start of the Packhorse Track.  Awesomeness ensued, with me ripping down this, finding it for some reason different, like more hard work, than memory would have had it.  Not far before the road crossing, at high speed, I heard the familiar fish fish fish fish of a pinch flat, (nearly the same spot as on the PFMTBC trip, and it took me a good 30 metres to scrub off all my speed.  Found a spot on the outside of a corner with enough room to swap out tubes (in case someone showed up (at speed)), swapped, pumped and got going again.  Across the road and with more confidence over the jumpy bit before the next road crossing (on account of not having a slow leak like last time) and into the lead in to Great Expectations. 

Another awesome blast down here, hairy outside off camber corners, into the trees, swoopy swoopy, around the outside, biiiig view (and drop) off the side, back into the trees and darkness and pine needles and speed sweet speed.  in and out, back and forth, more times than I remembered, then into the re-gen, bombastic haulin' ass, back and forth, back and forth, lower and lower til finally splashing through the creek at the bottom and stalling...

Into 2Klicks, drops, clambering, tight, popping, Do or Die - took the Die this time, river bed section, and finally onto the road again, speeeeed and squirrelly negotiation into the entry to 1Klick, fanging into here, and remembering the first wooden feature had a back to it, so flew into it, and it nearly faceplanted me, kicked my rear wheel so high i thought i was a goner.  Kept it under control and adrenalin thickening up my blood, i continued on down and out, taking every little bit of trail i could find, before hitting the gravel and powering on down.

Road, all the way to Pohara and a waiting family for 2 nights at the camp ground in our new tent (which has served us very well so far...), before heading into Totaranui (which is another story).

Top of the South, Day 2: Canaan Rameka'd

Early departure from camp at Marahau, Saturday 19th, and we convoyed up KaWhaka Hill, with a small issue with Alistair's car, that Pete took over the driving off to test and was actually fine.  At Canaan turn off we pulled up and found Norm, Keith (and i think that other guy who's name i didn't catch).  Then 4 vehicles, driven by Nelson, Pete, Andrew and myself, hooned down the other side into Takaka to meet the shuttle.  Introductions made and bikes loaded, a few locals filling up the seats, and up we headed, and in the Canaan Rd to the saddle and onwards down the hill, over the cattlestop and parked up where the grasslands begin.  The four of us were chasing so we left our hosts and headed onwards, staying on the road right through to Harwoods, i think about 30-45 mins behind the gang.  Met Alistair and Nico here at the carpark - they were just going to do the short loop, and they told us the others were doing half the long loop, back via the 2nd half of the short.  So, off we climbed.

Ground up to the Rameka turn off and onwards, not really remembering this from '09 when we did it on the soaking Golden Bay trip.  Climb got really grindy, for a bit, but all pinches were cleaned before the descent (which had held onto Steve's front wheel earlier), which at times was interesting to say the least.  Just prior to a wee creek crossing I heard a clicky clicky from my drive train and didnt think too much of it, but as i put the power on out of the creek >SNAP<...   bah.  Chain tool jobby couldnt fix it so Pete donated a quicklink which got me going again, albeit, from here on out not giving my chain quite so much torque.  About 5 minutes later Nelson flatted so we stopped for that too.  Then the chase was on, as we hit the saddle we could see some of our group ahead.  Reeled them in, on some fun trails, one or two sections across this face were the best bits there was, neat wee gnarl swooping through forest, into a few wee creek crossings, so well made.  One or two of the climbs out of some of the creeks along here i missed, but cleaned all the creeks themselves.  Just before the detour to the log drop jump I reeled in Keith, and immediately before the 'rock-gap' we caught the others lounging, waiting.

From here, tight trail up to the rock gap which most of our handlebars failed to negotiate, and then a sweet chute down to a sheep/cattle-stop then it was out across open lands, weaving in and out of the boneyards of past forest, and across a long slope the raised trail where they've lain logs together and filled the gaps with trail material.  a couple of places the trail material has eroded out, making you ride on the log itself.  Along here Steve had an off.  Nelson and me caught Marie not long after this and we all hung a right, down to a gate, then down to the first crossing of Gold Creek.  Along a whiles and another crossing and then the nice climb on chipped marble/quartz gravel, now stained brown where forest tannin water runs over it, up through a goblin forest, a fun descent then out into the open again for more swoopy descending across and into another forest section with a small climb then blast out and back to the car park.  Found Alistair and Nico here again, and the others all rolled in in dribs and drabs and we all settled for some snackage with the robins.

Clambered off up to Rameka turn off again, another quick regroup, camera transferred from Warren's to Nelson's bike, and I led off with Nelson tight on my tail.  Pushing hard, this trail section is actually quite hard work.  There's not a lot of downwardsness to it, it sticking with the 800m contour for the first couple of kms, then only losing the next 100m over the next couple, so you're really pumping it to keep any interesting speed on.  Conditions were awesome, very little moisture about.  Some of the creek crossings have tricky exits, making for dabbage and occasional dismounting.  Wended our way through the forest, pushing, ever pushing.  Finally, you turn that right hander down to the left hander hairpin and the real descending begins, crossing the 700 contour you're propelled into a techy rocky fun time.  I actually just about dropped Nelson through here, then you're through the Dozer zone, peeling left into the really tight twisty section, across to the otherside of the Dozer trail and back out for the final clay rutsville corner before heading out in the open gorse country and blazing through some erosion features and finally down to an intersection of trails.  We waited here for a while, and then a bit longer, then the others turned up (apparently having regrouped just up the trail a smidge...)

Next section is a blast hurtling down into a gully then climbing that rocky ledge, of which i dabbed the smallest bit i've ever dabbed through here, then rocky rocky and back into a wee bit of bush descent down to top of Pack Track.  Another regroup and speed set in.  This is possibly the best of all trails, near the top of my list.  The speed, the flow, the ease of which it comes at you.  Some insane piles of rocks getting thrown at your frame by your tires, the Tomo - we paused and dropped a rock down it... - then a couple of big bermy wall ridey things and then across the road and whoooah, my rear tire is feeling all washy, gotta take it easy, slowing up those on my tail through the jumpy swoopy bermy end before the road.  Another regroup and tube replaced.

Into Great Expectations and the grin-factor is just dripping.  Flying down here, careful on the off camber outside edge corners but railing the right handers.  Into the forest across and around and oh my that IS a long way down (still to descend!) and back into the forest and back and forth and in and out of the edge of the forest and then out into the regenerating bush and absolutely flying.  Super careful not to lose front wheels off bridges and scrubbing off speed for some of the corners.  Somewhere up here Pete got onto my tail and i was having trouble shaking him, and finally, down to the creek crossing and sploosh through, dropped my back wheel into a hole and stopped...  clamber clamber out and Nelson comes barrelling through cleaning it.  Then Pete, small dab, but mostly cleaning it.  I think everyone else walked it.

2 Klicks next.  The fun continued.  I led Nelson through the Do section, Pete and Alistair took the Die.  I think i like the Do, you stay higher and there's cool features near the end, whereas the Die (i rode a couple years back) you drop straight in then you're grovelling along he bottom.  Then into the river bed section, pinging across the tops of the rocks and out up to the road.  Regroup.  Blast.  into 1 Klick.  Again, lots of fun. cool jumps, not game for the first even tho it had a ramp on the back side of it - next time.  Awesome tight blast down through here, more riverbeddy type stuff, and then eventually a couple of interludes on the road and back into singletrack and finally out and down gravel, seal, mainroad, back to Takaka.

Drove to Nelson.

Total drive train replacement for me in this afternoon.  Chain, cluster, front (36t) ring.  One of the chainring bolts was made of cheese, so i had to use a ziptie to hold the retainer in place.  

Rameka, tumeke...15th December, Saturday, 2012.

(written a couple days later, from Totaranui) After driving up from Chch through a hot hot day, stopped at the Canaan Downs Rd turn off and changed into my bike gear and hit the gravel road in, Jo taking over the driving of the Brava, carrying a sleeping H. 

5.27pm it was, hot as.  A couple of descents and climbs before the true climb, views for africa out over Tasman Bay back round Motueka through to Nelson.  Passed by a couple of dreaded hippies and their van parked up next to a heap of busy beehives, and then was passed by one car going in, met one coming out on my descent from the Canaan Saddle.  Through the Gathering site and when i got to the field we camped in that wet wet festival (G2000), i saw the sign,  "Rollercoaster (Canaan Loop)".  rode across the field and hit the steep wee climb, sheep scattering from my path, their excrement thankfully not sticking to my tires too much.  Rollercoaster it was, up, down, up, down, swoopy fun.  big ring the whole way with only one dab, round and into some bush and fantastic rolling flowing trail in absolutely ideal condition, eventually spitting me out, grinning, in the Harwood's Hole carpark.

Signed the book and clambered my way up to the Rameka track start.  Sat down for a well earned rest and chucked out a couple of txts, then into the trail, about an hour from when i entered the road.  And oh, what fun.  The driest i've ever seen it (in all the 3 or 4 times i've ridden it), supreme conditions.  Flowed, rode, wended, hopped, popped, shimmied my way around.  Loving the one or two wet sections for their back end squirrelling.  taking it carefully on one or two of the stream crossings, including the one i crashed on when the pfmtbc trip rode through.  Bombed down the steeps in the gorsey open section, with new detour, towards the end, then into the climb to the end. 

the Pack Track beckoned me with a nice sign and oh, my!  What a trail.  What a trail!!!  Fast, good visibility, tight in places, excellent grade, fantastic surface.  A new favourite, methinks.  Tempted to ride up just to ride down it again.  Took a couple of pics on the way through, had to stop, the view was so spectacular.  Then the Tomo, dropped a pebble down it just to see how deep.  Onwards, across the road, round over the ridge and down a couple switchbacks to cross over again and into Great Expectations. 

A bit overgrown with grass from above, blocking some of the view ahead and forcing a rather unique riding position.  Once in the forest, however, all was good.  Swoopy swoopy flowy flowy round the outer ridge and back in, views down into the valley of the devastation of last year's storm.  Back and forth across the regen slope, crossing over one or two little brooks a couple times, one of which had become a 2 metre deep 1 metre wide gut from the storm.  All the way down to the bottom of the valley, stepped across the creek and lead through to 2 Klick. 

down the Do option (left, steeper) of "Do or Die" then cleaning the riverbed section and eventually up onto the road to ride round to 1 klick which led me down to the bottom. 

Finally, gravel road top gear cruising out to the seal then down to the main(ish) road where i stopped and txted out to Steve at 7.38, basically having just had one hour of blissful descending singletrack all the way.

Hit the road and made Pohara at 8pm, in time for a burger and fries and a couple of well earned beers.  AWESOME.

 

Rameka, Jan 16th

16th Jan, 2011. Installed new rear pads at Riwaka Resurgence prior to ascent of the hill, and with sleeping boys in back, T dropped me on Takaka Hill Canaan turn-off, figuring with those few ups and downs on the road i’d bed the new pads in nicely before hitting any serious singletrack.

Reasonably uneventful ride in, passing a worn out cycletourist woman and a little further up her partner before the saddle, and being plagued with a clunk on every pedal rotation in certain conditions, ie, not all the time. Snapped a shot of the bike and the road where i lost a maglite next to our brokendown audi on the way into our campsite G2000.

At Harwoods, figured i’d try out the new Gold Creek circuit, surprised to see it was classed as an Easy... hitting it, first wee climb, realised why. Still, should never let simplicity dampen a ride. Some cool country to see.


















Seemed up and up and up across various paddocks, through various gates, a not particularly pleasant surface, kinda energy sapping grass scattergunned with plenty sheep shit too (which i think cant be great, dissolving down into the karst and on down through the cave networks beneath...), also stinking up a tire now and then.

It all finally started getting interesting, riding wise, once you got to a creek. Some sort of juncture with the outer circuit – twice you cross the creek, nice clear fresh looking water, tidily crossed, rideable or not, then this zany ascent begins, with beautifully constructed, near-wheelchair grade
build trail,

with a zigzag up a hill into almost alpine dracophyllum assemblage rocky wee top and on along for a bit through lovely bush. Bit of a descent across a paddock with some whoopdedoos and back into another clump of forest with more lovingly constructed singletrack, with velocity controlling off(or weird)-cambering, finally spitting you out for a last blat down to the Harwood’s Carpark.

Here, quick chat with the cycletourists who were gonna stay at canaan for a few days, so would explore the trails (i highly recommended they hit down the Rameka), i signed the book and headed up the short climb to the Rameka turnoff.

Scoffed a OneSquare and found i had cell reception so shot out a few txts to the world and treadled in at 16:10 according to one, with very slightly lowered seat. Blissful. Sublime benched native forest singletrack -- my favourite thing. Kept a nice pace, thinking the singlespeed wouldn’t have been so bad, 'cept for its rigidity, riding or not riding the creek crossings, depending – certainly cleaning a lot more of them than any time in the past (reminiscing on the one i crashed at), the track was so dry, tho still had a few surprising wet bits. One photo stop,
cool big fractured rocks the track rides through. Recognised the the area where pete got lynched by the lawyer too. At what turned out to be right near the Abel Tasman National Park boundary i was jetting along, flying over everything, roots, dips, rocks, and rounded a bend and spotted another cyclist, a guy it turned out was riding from Takaka to Mot.

From here the ride is not for much longer. In Dozer’s bit, instead of dozering, i took all the little jungletrack bits off the sides, then into the gorse for some super fast mad loose descending to the cool cut marble techy rock climb out to the ending speedy section to the roadend. Finally onto the road ((not really-) admiring the mad castle), more chip than last time and somewhat scary (but still fast) as a result.

Into the Rameka Project, kinda stupidly F A S T to the pines, spotted a guy grubbing a new track. “I’d like to shake your hand! Congratulations on being part of building such awesome trails!” I prattled. quick yarn and off on down through Great Expectations, loving every metre of this handcrafted goodness.

Onto the road, down, barely in control, into the ford and straight into 2 Clicks.
F a n t a s t i c.
This and 1 Click are damned fine examples of the kinds of trails that need to be thrown into similar areas (alongside roads, alongside rivers) all over the country where there’s connections between other trails (or road-ends etc). Its inspiration for getting something similar in a few places i can think of at home.

Then off down the road a little and into OneClick, taking in the low line first, then walking back to ride the high line (rockgarden said closed) and lower down, the riverbed section (cool!). When the singletrack ended, back onto the gravel road, blatting it down to the seal. From here, a hard 15 minutes into the wind to Pohara where the family was bunked up in a cabin. Lovely swim in the sea to replace one salt on the skin with another.

The Golden Bay Trip... PFMTBC Inc, annual pilgrimage

Well. Weather-wise, this was the worst of our trips yet. Couldn’t have picked a worse weekend to ride in Golden bay. but cant do much about it.

Started off with torrential rain as Nelson and me drove into blenheim around 11.30-midnight Thursday in the Bongo. Rain didn’t let up all night, and we woke up to it too. Figured, lets go look at Rarangi and see (grabbing some Renaissance beers on the way). It ‘appeared’ to be lightening-up out at sea, so we headed off up the track anyway. An hour later, we’re drenched, pushing our bikes up through the clouds and the bush was saturating us further drip drip dripping down. I'd conveniently forgotten how much uphill there was on this ride. However, the sketchy-as downhill made up for it all - steep slick(ish) rooty rocky technical (made doubly so by the wet) trail down down down through the bush. FANTASTIC. That is what mtnbiking is all about. Pushing your limits, challenging your skills.

Changed into dry clothes and hit the road. Drove over and through towards Marahau to meet up with the boys. Ending up connecting with them in Kaiteriteri to ride the new trails there. Taking in halfpipe up, sidewinder, swampmonster, gladerunner, then up Shady lady (losing tony, steve and wayne somehow), to gladerunner and back through swampmonster and sidewinder, chainsuck starting to bite us all, then round Salivater back down. That was fun. Hosed down bikes at boatwash, and headed through to Marahau beach camp to our cabins. Weather held off a bit over beers and bbq.

Next morning, drove over the hill into rain rain rain. Decided we wouldn’t ride anywhere that day (tho, had we known what was instore for us, we *should* have done Canaan Downs then...). Checked into the Nook, and then drove through torrential rain (the westcoast kind where you nearly have to pull over cos the wipers cant keep up (tho, the Bongo wipers can handle anything!)) to the Mussel Inn for some beers and kai, then back to the Nook for dinner and lots more beer, and maybe some bourbons.

Sunday, joined by Norm from Nelson (who'd ridden with us in Nelson a few years ago), we drove up to Wharariki / Puponga (Farewellspit). Lovely day up there, barely a breath of wind, best I’ve ever seen it at Wharariki. Parked at Pillar Pt Lighthouse track start, sort of the top of the road. cruised down road to farm track along behind the beach, popped out to rock bridge and then GreenHill beach, and back up road and up track up to the Pillar Point Lighthouse and along the ridge a bit, chatting up some horses on the way. Then bombed it back down, track like a river bed - fast flowing, steep, rocky as hell, babyhead rocks abounding, and fun fun fun.

Drove down to Collingwood, had lunch as the rain started, then up to the Devils Boots, from whence we rode into the Aorere goldfields. Rode up grindy slurpy steep and rutty singletrack to Druggans Dam, a bit further, then 3 of us (Nelson Pete and me) back down the way we'd come up, while the rest 'piked' choosing to ride out via the 4wd track instead (this proved, by all accounts, to be everybit as challenging and enjoyable as our way (and longer too)).

Norm stayed over night, it rained all night, and Monday morning was still wet, so taking it easy getting started, we all took our 3 vehicles (leaving his behind) up Takaka hill, and half way out the Canaan Downs Rd where it was clearing a bit. Parked at the saddle. Rode down to Harwoods Hole carpark, and then out the Rameka track. Jungle riding at its best in these conditions... Very mucky, but VERY fun. I had a nasty crash, misnegotiating a rock entry to a streamcrossing, over the bars, into the creekbed, landing on a rock with my chest. Pounded the wind out of me, hurt like hell for a bit. But kept riding. Rex went over the bars at various times too, and Pete got stung good by a Lawyer of the bush variety on the cheek. Fun descent in the lower sections, the one bit i thought would be the worst. then a wicked struggle up the marbley cliff-ledge final climb. finally a fun bomb down the gravel access road to the Rameka Project that has extended markedly since i rode it back in March, and was a joy to behold. sidling singletrack through pine forest and hacked, nay, carved lovingly, through gorse and scrub. eminently turnable switchbacks throughout and even a kea screeching overhead in the pines. followed by a bomb down to the ford, and onwards down the rameka road. Once we finally got out to the road, rode back down towards the Nook, via a small detour into The Grove. sweet smooth walkingsingletrack up to a look out and back through spectacular limestone formations with rata trees and jungle bush. Three drivers and Norm went up to get the vehicles, with Norm continuing on home. (they were gone nearly an hour and a half, bloody long drive). Big celebratory night that night with three of us staying up til waaaay past our bedtimes.

Tuesday, still wet, so figured we’d head back up hill and do Canaan Downs trails. So, UP the hill once again, out to the saddle, and rode down the road again, and then into the start of the Rameka, only instead of turning left to go down, we continued up to Wainui Saddle. From here, locals (and DOC (see Mtbiking on this page) ) have made a trail that meanders across almost all of the Canaan Downs farm. Its really great. Awesome terrain, scenery, landscape. Lambs everywhere. Weather came and went, sometimes we could see the whole valley, other times we could only see about 10 feet. And one stage it hosed down for a good half hour. Luckily, biking keeps you warm. Plodded back up to the vehicles with sunshine trying to get through, and hail piled up around the sides of the road!!!!! Nelson rode down the road and I drove the rally-Bongo. I picked him up at the main road, then as we headed into the rain at the top, dropped him off again, and followed him all the way down the main hill retrieving him in Upper Takaka. Out to dinner at the Penguin in Pohara (just round the corner), then we all had like one drink each and crashed very early.

Awesome trail surfaces ridden, all drain well, none seemed particularly bothered by having 9 or 10 sets of tires over them at all. good times had by all. no major injuries nor major bike mechanicals. lots of chainsuck tho. and all our brake pads will have worn heaps more than usual.

Bring on next year. as well as trips to Hanmer, Kirwans, Croesus, Marlborough in between... not to mention Craigieburn and Wharfdale...