Peakakariki – Picton – Blenheim – St Arnaud – Hammer Spring – Hununui - Christchurch
Distance: 458 km
Total distance: 1384 km
Pictures: https://goo.gl/photos/5eooVH5E2GRFA3D38
Pictures: https://goo.gl/photos/1nx9NwBCNsCPc2Ro7
Paekakariki to Picton (Dec 16th) 33km
The morning started with a 4 km climb (the Paekakariki hill) that led to a spectacular view of the coast. We then had a long and winding decent to Pimmerton where we caught the train to Wellington.
We may have spent 5 minutes in Wellington between train and ferry...here's why. We got to the ferry at 2:10 pm, the ferry leaves at 2:15 pm. As we rolled our bikes into the terminal, we were asked to get on but we hadn't even purchase our boarding pass yet...not much chance to make this ferry. The ground crew told us that we have 2 minutes...hurry up and get your boarding pass. Patti rushed to the counter, while, the crew held the ferry for us. Quick quick quick, no credit card or debit card accepted, the computers are down, Patti had enough cash to pay and we got on without a voucher or any proof of purchase, no time to wait for a receipt, the ground crew rushing us to the train deck, here we are on the 2:15 pm ferry on route for Picton...that was a close call! We'll spend time in Wellington wnen we return to the North Island.
Picton to Blenheim (Dec 17th) 41 km
A good back wind and mostly downhill all the way to Blenheim. We stopped at Annie's food factory to get some dried fruit. We then met Toni and chatted with her. After we informed her of the Christmas Cracker event happening in her own town that evening, within a couple minutes she then invited us to stay at her place. She is the owner of Fanny Adams Superior Underwear (http://www.fannyadams.co.nz/) . This evening, I got my Christmas present early, and played my new harp at the Cafe Cultura open mike night!
Blenheim - Wairau River (Dec 18) 42 km
Thanks to Dennis, we stopped in Renwick at Windsong Orchard where we met Jenny and Bob. After trying our hand at blueberry picking and then visiting over a great lunch, we had to battle a strong wind, gusting up to 100 km/h. We only got as far as the Wairau River Hotel, midway between Blenheim and St-Arnaud. After having dinner, I did not feel very good and I got sick, food poisoning, so I did not have a good night sleep...!
Wairau River to St Arnaud. (Dec19) 70 km
And easy ride, just a hill to climb about 12km before the turn off for the Rainbow road. For the rest, it was downhill all the way. At St Arnaud, we stayed at the Travers-Sabine Lodge. We stayed there an extra day, I took the next day off to recover, Patti went for a 25 km hike along Lake Rotoiti. There is only a general store if you want to get food at very high prices. We now learned that it is not the price anymore, it is more about if it is available...just like the Queen Charlottes Islands.
St Arnaud to Sedgemere Hut – Rainbow Road (Dec 21) 59 km
Sedgemere to Hanmer Springs (Dec 22) 62 km
According to our plan, we were supposed to keep riding toward Westport on the west coast but Patti read about an alpine route that crosses the Wairau Valley called the Rainbow Road.
The Rainbow Road is a 115 km gravel road that crosses private land between St Arnaud and Hanmer Springs. The road was built in the 1950s when the electricity pylons were built through this area to supply electricity to the Nelson and Buller regions. It is a spectacular road that takes you to the heart of the mountains and lonely landscape. The views are stunning while following the Wairau River. About half way, we stayed at a DOC hut for the night and finished the crossing the next day. The second half of the ride is mostly downhill but not before climbing to 1350 m to the Island Saddle pass. For the rest, it is a gently down hill all the way down to Jack Pass, just before Hanmer Springs. After climbing over Jack Pass, not that hard of a climb, there is a steep, very steep 6 km descent to town on gravel...be careful and hold on to your breaks, it is steep!
The road can be rough on the bike and equipment so be prepared and bring extra spare parts for potential breakdowns. Patti's rear rack brackets broke. Luckily enough, I had bought a spare one in Canada (can not find the same bracket in NZ...it doesn't exist). At Hanmer, we met Kevin, a Kiwi who used to live in LA. He works at the bike shop. We decided to go mountain bike the next day with him since he offered to take us to the trails.
Hanmer Springs to Hununui (Dec 24) 56 km
9:00 am, we hired MTB and took off with Kevin on the trails. Kevin is a former MTB racer in the states, who just moved back home to NZ two weeks ago.. We took off for a good 2 1/2 hours going up and down on single tracks. It wasn't great until we decided to interchange the break cable on the bikes. Yeap, in NZ, front break is right and back brake is left, the opposite of what we are use to on our North American bikes. ..can you imagine...we tried to adjust but going down on a steep hill at full speed, no time to thinks about which is front and back. We had a great time, great trail, it was a good rush!
We than decided to keep on going on our trip and cycled to Hununui, about 60 km out of Hanmer Springs toward Christchurch. We found a great campground, 5$ a night, not heavily use by tourists, mostly locals. Fully self-sufficient except for one major thing...toilet paper. I (Yves) had to ask a camper for TP. Shari, offered to give us a roll so we followed her to her camp site where the whole family (Mom and Pop, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces) gather for Christmas for the last 5 years. We ended up having a bubbly and a fuzzy and got invited to their Christmas Brunch on Dec 25th. Toast, bacon and egg, that was so good. Later that evening, we had pudding with the whole gang. On Dec 25th, I slept most of the day and Patti went for a soak in the river and exploring the area on foot.
Hununui to Christchurch (Dec 26) 95 km
Easy easy ride, a great 95 km downhill with a back wind, we flew all the way to Christchurch. After checking out all the downtown bike stores, we stopped and hung out at the Square for the evening. We finally booked a room at the Stonehurst Lodge , walking distance from the Square. We decided to stay another day and need to figure out if we will go to the West Coast or take the inland road (weather dependent). We also took the time to do a major bike clean up...chain, gears, etc.
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