Great blast of the Pap in inclement conditions with Paul. Druv to Moana on Friday night, grabbed a feed at the pub and then went and enjoyed the hospitality of Mary-Anne and Wazza. A very pleasant evening ensued chatting over a couple of drinks.
Up very early to make Blackball by 8am. Loaded up, handing the keys to the driver of the shuttle, and shuttled up to Smoke-Ho ready to ride. 4 hikers and 2 other bikers departing with us. Weather started out just cloudy, with the occasional glimmering of sunshine attempting to break through, but as we climbed the moisture consolidated into eventually a very light rain, only slightly more robust than a drizzle. We stopped for quite a long break at the 'pub' site (2nd??) and then again to watch a kaka in the canopy in a couple of the switchbacks. Paul walked a bit here or there, but I struggled onwards on the fatty, tire pressure possibly a little hard, but rolling really well. We stopped at the Garden Gully turn off and our fellow riders arrived in short shrift - we didnt have the lead we'd thought we might've, and it turned out Paul knew one of them (another Richard). Then the first walkers hove into view. Paul and I got riding and the 'rain' got heavier, foliage dripping a lot. Out of the trees, and into nothing but persisting mist, walking a bunch of the super annoying serious rocks. The walkers were catching us! Stopped to check out the old hut and the walkers walked by and we met them at the Ces mere metres above. Most of the altitude done with, conditions not clement.
Munched some kai and I brewed a weak coffee. The walkers went ahead, and then the other two bikers a little ahead of us. More climbing begun, into the mist, and eventually caught the other bikers. Riding riding, walking, riding, depending on the up or the rough of it. I was amazed how fast we seemed to make the Barrytown turn off. Then further along we caught the walkers about where I'd stopped when Hugo had the broken derailleur last time. From there, there were some flowy downs and when I stopped Paul was no where to be seen. I started riding back for a bit, and met the walkers, then him - his seatpost had decided to stop working! dropped, so he'd put it as high as it could be. Not far then and we were on the last descent and the flowy fun blast around through the Dracophyllum truffula trees and then down to the hut, first ones in. Grabbed the best bunks and got the fire going, and changed to dry and warm. It was like not even 2 pm. Fun!, Day One done.
Rain showers got heavier through the night, and what a lot of night there was - probably got 8 hours sleep of the 11 hours spent in the sack. Only 7 in the hut, with the original 6 of us, plus a walking woman solo who'd come to Smoke-ho on a later shuttle. All her compatriots had gone to Ces Clarke. No one else had turned up. In the morning, no luck on Paul's seatpost, so he rode it as is, lowering it slightly for the main descent later. We left the hut after the two biker boys and the solo woman, but the couple waited for us to go ahead. Didn't see them again. Overtook the boys on the first descent, then the woman not long after. Climb, descent, climb descend, climb and finally descend, down the escarpment, only imagining what was out there. Brief stop at the shelter for a look and quick snack then on down, spectacular waterfalls and boulder fields, fun trails, wet to the skin. Eventually we got to Pororari and had, some hot and some not, food. The boys turned up maybe half an hour behind. We all got ready to go about the same time and we got away first. Best riding from here onwards, some lovely descending, flow and groove. Hardly any climb. Lovely. Stopped at some point and the other Richard turned up, so, not that far behind. We rolled on, bridges, and nearly done, then horrid final climb. Ugh. Then gloriously fun final descent and flowy flow, swoosh swoosh, weaving back and forth, then flat, and final bridge and out to the shelter and unoccupied Waikori carpark. Paul had a very long 'rest stop' and the other two guys arrived just after he'd finished. They rode on, we rode and eventually caught them on the rise over Punakaiki and I guided them down to where theirs and our cars were parked. Phew, day Two, through.
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