St. Arnaud to Hanmer Springs - Rainbow Rage

Day 23 - Saturday 20 March 2010

Dist: 106 km. Av. Speed: 16.9 km/hr. Cal: 1498. Ride Time: 6 hours 16 min

Well Le Tour just keeps getting better! The Rainbow Rage was just fantastic. It was awesome to be in a field of over 500 riders all snaking up the stunning Rainbow Valley together heading for a hot swim at Hanmer.

It was another perfect day, cool but clear as we arrived at registration at 7.30am. Kim discovered I had a flat tyre overnight so that needed to be fixed before we got going but it wasn’t a drama.

Our team all assembled on the start line for the briefing at 8.45, ready for the 9am gun. Unfortunately some practical joker had decided to leave one gate locked on the road so the start was delayed while that got sorted out; but 1000 wheels finally rolled off the line at 9.30am.

The first 10km were single lane sealed road through sections beech forest and pasture and then we struck the gravel as we entered the valley proper and ventured deeper into the Rainbow Station. It’s a gradual climb with lots of sub-climbs onto various flood plains and back down to the river as you follow the line of power pylons south.

Pete disappeared soon after the rolling start, not to be seen again until the finish as he pushed for class placing. Joris, Frankie (in her first ever MTB event) and I pedalled at a more sedate ‘touring’ pace and took in the amazing scenery. We North Islanders awed at the massive scale of the landscape and I stopped often to try and capture ’that’ photograph.

Joris eventually pulled away as he got into a duel with some other riders and showed his climbing prowess on the hills. Meanwhile the ‘tourists’ stopped for lunch at around the 50km mark before heading into the saddle and the more serious climbs. The next 15km were tough and lots of people were really struggling as the head wind kicked in and the grade steepened. I was worried that we wouldn’t make the cut-off as our average speed dropped to around 7km/k for quite a long time. Then just when most riders were pretty toasted, Island Saddle appears with the sight of about 100 bikers all pushing their mounts up and over the steep hill before dropping into the next valley.

After the saddle, the breeze turned to a tail wind and the grade became a gradual descent so we happily blasted along at 25km/h again past Lake Tennyson and south toward Hanmer.

The final ascent over Jack’s Pass is short but a bit steep just to really finish you off before the super-steep gravel descent and the very welcome sight of the finish line at Hanmer Domain. 106km, 6 and a half hours on the bike and a well deserved bronze class medal for Frankie. A class bronze for Pete too in just over four hours and a very respectable time for Joris (remember he’s got 140km to do tomorrow too) and also a very handy time for ex-Waihi boy Mark Snalom, who we’d stayed with on Wednesday night in Renwick.

Well done everybody - what a fantastic day. And special thanks to Kim who did a wonderful job of support crew making sure everybody had what they needed, when they needed it - it makes a huge difference.

And of course the hot swim was perfect.

Rest Day in St. Arnaud

Day 22 - Friday 19 March 2010

Dist: 00 km. Av. Speed: 00 km/hr. Cal: 1000 (in). Ride Time: 0 hours 00 min

What an awesome sleep. I didn’t wake up until 8.30 which was brilliant. The lodge supplied us with a good hearty breakfast but Joris was suffering without a caffeine fix so we went in search of coffee at the café down the road before starting on the day’s chores.

The job list included washing clothes, changing road tyres to MTB tyres, fixing the broken spoke and lubing our chains. Exhausted after all that exertion we had to struggle back to the café for lunch (and more coffee for Joris) before the next big task which was getting the washing in! There was also quite a bit of prep work to do to sort out what we needed to carry for the Rainbow Rage tomorrow and how best to carry it and what we’d get the support vehicle to take around to Hanmer Springs for us.

For those who don’t know, the Rainbow Rage is a 105 km mountain bike race/adventure ride from St Arnaud to Hanmer Springs via the Rainbow Road which traverses the Rainbow Station and Molesworth Station. I decided to enter this event because it’s a great short cut to Canterbury from Marlborough and it’s one of New Zealand’s classic mountain bike events so it would be good to experience it and tick it off the list.

For the race Joris and I will be joined by two Cantabrians, an old friend of mine - Frankie (a first timer) plus her work mate Pete who is a Rainbow Rage veteran and MTB legend. Frankie’s husband, Kim will drive the support vehicle, transporting us to the start line then taking all our gear to the finish at Hanmer.

Renwick to St. Arnaud

Day 21 - Thursday 18 March 2010

Dist: 98.5 km. Av. Speed: 16.2 km/hr. Cal: 1075. Ride Time: 6 hours 04 min

Well it had to happen eventually!!!! Nearly 100km to cover - over 6 hours in the saddle and battling a head wind for 5 of those! The day started really well; crisp and calm and the ladies in the superette were talking about frost on their tomatoes.

So Joris and I cruised away from Renwick fully stocked with food about nine, not in too much of a rush, just enjoying the sun. We’d been pedalling through the grape vines at a nice touring pace for just over an hour and making OK progress when all of a sudden out of the south came the wind! It went from dead calm to about 12 knots in a matter of seconds and our speed dropped from 25km/h to 15, then to 10 within about a minute.

We’d been told that this wind was expected but probably not until mid afternoon - it had arrived early! I quickly did the maths on distance to destination vs. likely average speed. It wasn’t good news. The 100km of highway from Renwick to St. Arnaud up the Wairau Valley climbs about 700m over its length so it’s not a steep grade, but it’s steady and definitely noticeable on a bike.

So it was just a day to knuckle down and get it done, nothing fancy, just slog it out. There aren’t even any cafes or shops on this trip to break the journey and the road is dead straight with just slight bends every 5 or so km. Rest stops were frequent and the distances between them not very impressive.

Our lunch stop was just out of the wind, on the side of the road. Not long after lunch we came across a young Swiss lady cyclist ‘enjoying’ her picnic on the roadside too so we stopped for a chat. She’d come from Blenheim so had an even longer day ahead of her than we did. She compounded her ‘degree of difficulty’ by carrying about 25kg of gear! She was only about 5’ 5”, on a mountain bike without cleats and had two very full panniers on the back plus a full size tramping pack layed across them. And then to top it off she had a 75 litre pack on her back. A tough rig to haul up the Wairau Valley on a windy day.

So we offered her a ‘tow’ which she gladly accepted and for the remaining 60km Joris and I drafted each other for five minutes at a time with our new Swiss friend tucked in as close as she could behind us. We still had to take a break about every 20 minutes and it was a bit depressing to find that we’d only covered around five km between rests. It did help pass the time though and eventually we arrived at the Tophouse saddle that leads into St Arnaud.

We checked in to the Travers - Sabine Lodge at 5.30 and headed directly for the spa to soak the weary muscles. Food was the next priority so we wandered over to the lodge next door for dinner where I polished off a massive plate of lamb shanks and veges. Our Swiss cycling mate was in the restaurant too so she joined us and we discovered that all that gear she was carrying was just for three days! She’s heading up to Nelson tomorrow.

Wellington to Renwick

Day 20 - Wednesday 17 March 2010

Dist: 44 km. Av. Speed: 22.7 km/hr. Cal: 635. Ride Time: 2 hours 08 min

John kindly dropped me at the Ferry terminal where Joris was already checked in and waiting. We then waited until the very end and were last ones on the ferry.

It was quite a rough crossing with maximum wave height of 7.5m. They were handing out sick bags but we were all good.

We met another cycle tourist called Ramon who had just returned from two months cycling around Iceland.

I had my first crash today - making a clown of myself in front of a lot of people in Picton - damn sticky cleats!

It was a gusty pedal to Renwick and we arrived at Mark & Glenda Snalom’s (old school mate) place just after 5. They looked after us really well with a lovely meal, wine and good conversation. Mark is doing the Rainbow Rage on Saturday too so we picked his brain and got some good information.

Thanks Mark and Glenda, we really appreciate you taking the time to track us down and offer us your home for the night.

Featherston to Wellington

Day 19 - Tuesday 16 March 2010

Dist: 83 km. Av. Speed: 21.2 km/hr. Cal: 1630. Ride Time: 3 hrs 54 min

The sound of hoof beats just managed to drown out the ’dawn chorus’ (of heavies on the highway in the distance) as my alarm woke me at 6:30am. It was a clear, crisp morning with fog hanging over the race track as the trainers put their horses through their early morning workouts.

I packed up quite efficiently this morning and was on the road by eight, making my way back to Featherston for breakfast at Sass Café. The friendly staff whisked up wonderful bacon and eggs and even took the time to ask “would I like my cup of tea during or after the meal”, the first time this has happened on this trip - well done Sass Café.

After filling my water bottles at their cooler I headed toward the Rimutakas, but swung left toward Ferry Landing at the western end of town toward Cross Creek Road and Lake Wairarapa. Cross Creek Road is the eastern access point for the Rimutaka Rail Trail which is the historic rail link between Wellington and the Wairarapa via the Rimutaka Ranges. The track begins with an impossible ‘chicane’ that forced me to take all the bags off the bike - lift it over and around like a Rubik’s Cube - then put all the bits back on again! It didn’t get much easier for the next two km which was all tight gravel single track with some rough gnarly bits and steep drops. It would have been a blast with no gear but was marginal (but still good fun) fully loaded and with slicks. This is just a connector track that takes riders through to the beginning of the 18km Rimutaka Incline Rail Trail proper. Once on the trail it widens to 4WD track standard and the consistent grade soon has you winding deep into the ranges. There’s very effective interpretation signage telling the story of the Fell Engines that once hauled heavy trains up to the summit for the ’normal’ locos to hook up and pull them in to Wellington.

There was one steep-sided creek crossing and three tunnels to negotiate. My bike light is a bit random so luckily the unlit tunnels weren’t too long.

After battling the cold south westerly head wind up the 1 in 15 incline for nearly an hour, I was glad to reach the summit and start making my way downhill to the Hutt Valley.

On the way down I bumped in to a young bloke who’d just finished a Reinga to Bluff trip- it only took him 22 days though but he’d free-camped the whole way!

Headwinds slowed progress into the Hutt Valley a bit but after 54km I eventually found a lunch spot in Upper Hutt to re-fuel and rejuvenate.

By this time the wind was abating and had swung to be more on my back so I abandoned the idea of taking the Hutt River Trails in to town and instead went for the ‘ wind-assisted’ highway option straight down SH 2. There was obviously more traffic but it has a huge shoulder, smooth bitumen and a bike lane in some places so you can go really fast. I’d no sooner pulled out on to the main road and got up to speed when my old friend John F (who’s place I stayed at) pulled on to the road as well, having come from the opposite direction. Small world.

I shot into the city at excellent speed and arrived at Wellington Station at 2:15 - buzzing - realising I’d just ridden a damn bike and paddled a canoe 1200km from Cape Reinga for goodness sake!

John was there to pick me up from platform 9 ¾ then we made our way around to Breaker Bay to catch up with Joris and sort a few things for the ferry crossing and ride to Renwick tomorrow.

John, Jan and I enjoyed a great evening with a cracker dinner, cold beer and good wine, and John was able to show me heaps of good photographs and give me some good insights into the South Island gravel passes I’ll be tackling over the next 10 days.

Thanks heaps J & J for your wonderful hospitality and taxi service - it is very much appreciated and was great to catch up with you guys. Rainbow Rage 2011 John J

Eketahuna to Featherston

Day 18 - Monday 15 March 2010

Dist: 85.5 km. Av. Speed: 25.3 km/hr. Cal: 1708. Ride Time: 3 hrs 22 min

What a great day - again! It started off pretty cold but at least the wind was on my back yet again. I started a new eating regime today too - eat less! So breakfast was a small can of creamed rice, a banana, an orange and an ‘Up ’n’ Go. It seemed to work OK and I didn’t feel hungry for the 40km pedal to Masterton.

After listening to trucks roar up and over the rise that is Eketahuna all night I decided to avoid SH 2 for the morning and take the back road via Mauriceville to Masterton. It turned out to be a good plan because I got to see a wonderful section of Wairarapa countryside and only came across eight other vehicles over the whole stretch. The first 15km was gravel and reasonably easy at first but then there was a section of newly spread stuff which was like riding on ball bearings. Once I hit the seal the riding was fantastic and even when I met up with SH 2 the traffic was light and I made good time into Masterton for an early lunch.

After Masterton there was really no alternative than the highway but the traffic was still light and well behaved and there was a really wide shoulder as well. Carterton and Greytown came along pretty fast as the sun started to shine and the wind dropped off. I rested in Greytown for a short time then decided to push on to Featherston because there was a camp ground shown on the map. Unfortunately the map was out of date and there’s nothing, not even a motel in Featherston!

So I made some enquiries at the library (because the Information Centre was closed) and chased a couple of leads, ending up at the Tauherenikau race course camped in the bush behind the grandstand. It was a great spot but there weren’t any showers - just a toilet - so it was a cold splash under the outside tap.

Dinner options were limited on a Monday night so I ended at a local pizza place enjoying the local special with a cold Mac’s.

Tomorrow is the final North Island leg, 60km into Wellington City via the Rimutaka Rail Trail and Hutt River Trails. Should be a nice ride. It’s hard to believe the North Island is almost complete - what a hoot!

Feilding to Eketahuna

Day 17 - Sunday 14 March 2010

Dist: 85 km. Av. Speed: 22.7 km/hr. Cal: 1508. Ride Time: 3 hrs 44 min

Luxury! Today I was upgraded to Business Class… before I left the (interesting) Feilding camp ground I had a play with my seat position because I just haven’t been able to get totally comfortable. I moved it forward 10mm, tilted it down about 5 degrees and dropped it about 10mm… instant luxury! It was like moving from Cattle to Business; brilliant!

I celebrated with breakfast in downtown Feilding at Sage Café, the same place I had dinner last night. I’ve decided to end the cooked breakfasts and go for the low GI muesli and fruit option. Today’s version was fantastic.

To get out of Feilding via the back roads I briefly had to head north, then swing east which put the wind on my back again. The road was reasonably flat and I made good time to my first stop in Ashhurst. This is obviously the route of choice for Sunday morning cycle training out of Feilding because I passed (going the opposite way) lots and lots of groups out on the road. It was amazing to see Mt Ruapehu from one of the high points on the road which makes you realise just how small this country is. Another highlight was the ghostly wind farm ‘sculptures’ on the Ruahine and Tararua Ranges overlooking Ashhurst and Palmerston North. Very cool.

The Manawatu country towns all seem really well looked after - there’s no sign of graffiti and the streets are very clean - and Ashhurst’s Fusion Café has wonderful apple and rhubarb pies.

The next leg was a mad dash through the Manawatu Gorge to Woodville and in to the Wairarapa. I had a strong tail wind through the Gorge which pushed me through at around 30km/h so the seven km ‘high accident’ stretch was over in a very short time and without incident.

At Woodville I needed to turn south so unfortunately the tail wind was now a cross wind so I slowed a bit but still cruised along OK. I was looking for a scenic reserve to stop for lunch but must have missed it and ended up at the Tui Brewery in Mangatainoka - oops! It turned out that the Brewery was the start/finish for the annual Bush Cycle Tour today so I pulled in and made myself at home amongst all the roadies. It was a beautiful afternoon and they had a band playing on the lawn and food and of course, beer. But no Tui girls! I spent a couple of hours lounging about on the grass but didn’t win a spot prize so carried on to Eketahuna - or Eke (Eckie) as the locals call it.

The wind - and the road - had swung a bit since I stopped so the last 30km dropped my average speed for the day considerably but I still got to Eke about 4:15.

The camp ground here is just a field by the river with a cook house, two cabins and three power outlets. It’s only $5 for a tent but there’s no manager on site so I’ll just have to leave the money with somebody else if nobody shows up by the time I leave tomorrow. It has the best hot showers yet though!!

I walked in to town to see what was available for dinner with very low expectations after observing the main street as I arrived. It seems that Eke missed out when all the other towns around the region were being spruced up for some reason. However I was pleasantly surprised to find the rough looking café/craft shop (from 1978) with the creaky floor did a wonderful sausages, eggs and chips, with a salad and the lettuce was diced in strips - not broken and tossed… superb!

I’m going to change the plan slightly tomorrow and ride on through to Featherston instead of stopping at Greytown. This’ll make Tuesday a shorter day which will give me two short days in a row so that will be my taper for the Rainbow Rage on Saturday. I might also take a different route that uses more back roads to get me off SH2 as much as possible.