The Trip, Part 1. Friday

Friday 12th Oct. 
Picked up by Nelson, drove to Pete's to leave Nelson's car, picked up Matt and met everybody at Cookie Time nearly ontime around 7.30.

In attendance, Drivers:  Steve, Warren, Andrew, Alister, and Pete.
Passengers (respectively): Mark and Marie, Wayne and Robin, Tony and Hubby, Nico, Matt and Nelson and me.

Drove to Raincliff Forest, Middle Valley Rd (between Geraldine and Fairlie, turned off a km or so after the Opuha River Bridge).  Very newly made (Hoare) track on the lower (north east) reaches which was boggy, soft and muddy.  Once on the more 4wd type tracks it was better going, but after a bit of a climb the climb got moreso and mucky as all get up.  Then a final quite steep 4wd up to the road and on up to the top of the forest for the lead in to the Mackay Track down.  This is tight and twisty with lots of roots and because it was so wet reasonably dodgy in places, with 2 wheel squirrels abounding.  The potential of the place is very good, and in the dry would be very fun.  But, it's a bit of a detour off the main drag for less than an hour's riding.

Drove on to Wanaka, bought some beer supplies from Wanaka Beerworks, then off over the Crown Range (a first time for me) to Q.Town, where we found ourselves in some very good (cheep cheep) accommodation (graciously organised by Steve).


On Saturday it rained, a fair amount, so we did no riding.