NZToday-Collectors Edition Walks and Cycle Trails 2022

The NZ Transport Agency offers great advice on e-bikes. We quote them here along with a few Editor notes When out and about on your e-bike Safety on the roads new bicycle it is best to get used to how the You need to ensure your bike rack is up for the When riding an e-bike you’ll probably be bike handles before heading out on the road. challenge and can handle the extra weight and travelling at higher speeds than a regular It’s best to start somewhere where you have a bulk that comes with buying an e-bike. bike, so extra caution should be taken. Ensure bit of space and can have a go at:  There are many important variables to you scan well ahead, signal your movements • Adjusting the power settings consider when purchasing an e-bike-friendly and keep an eye out for cars turning in and out • Testing how the bike responds when bike rack for your car. Many e-bikes weigh of driveways and side roads. Be aware that at over 25–30kg and can also include features intersections drivers might not expect you to stopping and starting like fat wheels and even fenders. Ensuring the start off at speed, so it’s important to be in a • T urning, balancing and negotiating obstacles bike carrier has the features to accommodate prominent road position and make eye contact your bike’s specs is important for safely with drivers that may turn across your path. with different levels of power assist. transporting your precious new wheels.  The NZ Transport Agency suggest buying an   Power assist e-bike with a motor located in the middle or Other factors to consider include;  Because e-bikes are heavier, when taking off rear of the bike, rather than the front wheel, as • D o you have a hitch or towball on your car? at an intersection or uphill, ensure that you these generally handle much more like non- have changed down to a low gear. Pedal assist powered bikes. Ensure you know what kind of fit you need usually kicks in on the second rotation of the If the motor is in the front wheel and the bike for your car before your start your search as pedals, so if you have it in a high/faster gear has a throttle, remember to go gently when racks are hitch or towballspecific.  you’ll experience a surge in power and will cornering. • Total weight capacity of the rack: Just take off quickly – make sure you allow for this. Security – make sure you have a suitable because the trays can take 30kg each, Use advanced stop boxes where possible to locking system for use when parked up doesn’t necessarily mean you can carry 3 x give you a head start. outside cafés and elsewhere, and for when on 30kg bikes for example. The total capacity of the bike rack. Theft of e-bikes is on the rise. If a bike carrier might be only 60kg so always Passing cyclists you have a high-value bike consider installing check the rack’s total weight capacity.  You might find yourself passing other cyclists a GPS tracker or similar device. • Ease of use: Does it tilt away from the car on busy routes. When doing so, make sure Power-assisted cycle means a cycle to which when bikes are racked so you can access the you pass safely. Look behind you for traffic, is attached one or more auxiliary propulsion rear of the car? Are the arms and straps easy and signal before pulling out. Allow sufficient motors that have a combined maximum to access and use?  space when passing and let the other people power output not exceeding 300W. • R amp: Does it have a ramp for easy loading? know you are passing by calling out, e.g. ‘on E-bikes are heavy and after a long ride a your right’ or by ringing your bell. Important – Wattage ramp sure is a bonus to load them up.  The maximum possible wattage stated on • L ocking: E-bikes and bike racks are not Shared paths the electric motor is not necessarily the same cheap, so locking mechanisms are a bonus Shared paths are for slower more relaxed as the actual maximum power output of the for extra peace of mind.  travel. On a shared path you should put your e-bike. The rules say 300W is the maximum There are many factors that need to be e-bike in a low power setting and cycle at a for a rail trail, but you can buy e-bikes with considered when buying a bike carrier for speed consistent with other users so that it 500W or more motors that are legal and e-bikes. Ensure you do your research, know does not put others at risk or make them feel classed as a power-assisted bike. Here is the your bike’s specs and always read the uncomfortable when you pass. interpretation:“Maximum power output is instructions. Don’t run the risk of buying a On the footpath the user must: determined by multiplying the battery voltage rack that’s not suitable for e-bikes and having • Operate the device in a careful and by the controller’s maximum amperage your pride and joy end up on the road.  output. For example, a 600W motor driven Advice contributed by Yakima considerate manner by a 12V battery with a controller that has • O perate the device at a speed that does not a maximum output of 21 amperes has a Editor’s note: It is important to understand maximum power output of 252W – so 252W is the weight of your bike in relation to your car’s put other footpath users at risk the relevant figure, even though the motor has bike-rack weight rating. Make sure your bike • G ive way to both pedestrians and drivers of a potential output of 600W.” rack can handle 60kg minimum for two bikes ED: So the 300W argument between – talk with the bike retailer about this. The mobility devices. companies and outlets selling bikes is batteries are heavy, so if they are removable it complex, and unmeasurable in real terms is advisable to take them off and carry them Getting the most out of your battery for the lay person looking at a bike and its inside the car. If you have a motorhome you For long distances you can extend the battery motorisation. For example the 2020 model should confirm the weight capacity that can range by using lower power settings and e-bike Bruce got recently is 500W, but will be installed onto the body or chassis that pedalling more. produce less than 300W at the business end the carrier is fitted to. I recommend looking From the nzta.govt.nz website with all the factors in play, so is ‘legally’ trail at a carrier that winds down to easily load Here are some top tips to help make riding an friendly. the bikes on, or the electric ones that come e-bike fun and comfortable for everyone. right down, and to invest in a good quality Transporting your e-bike  waterproof cover. Getting used to your e-bike Not all bike racks are created equal, especially E-bikes are typically heavier than regular bikes when it comes to carrying heavier e-bikes. 99NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle trails Collector’s Edition 2022 which means they handle differently. Like any

E-BIKE GUIDE Your inner wheels Folding bikes for RVs and Urban dwellers Y ou’ve made it to your idyllic camp-over spot. By Alex Stone Photos by Lesley Stone and camping trailers to have an extra pair of A brook burbles through your new front way? It would be a shame to upend your fine wheels aboard. Or two. But where and how to yard. Or it could be the gentle susurration campsite just for that. stow them while on the road? Where to find of the waves on a soft sand beach. The sun is good models? angling over the yardarm. You and your beloved So often – as all motorised travellers know are relaxing on comfortable fold-out chairs – an additional pair of silent, convenient, Aluminium alloy folding bikes were around the picnic table outside. The awning short-distance wheels could come in handy. pioneered in the 1970s by a Japanese designer, is up. The first stars come out as the glow of Here’s where folding bikes enter the scene. Dr David Hon. Based in San Francisco, he evening fades in the pleasant slowed-down And now, there’s the option of folding, and his brother Henry started the Dahon time of the level of your glass descending. All electric-assisted bikes. What’s not to like? company with their breakthrough folding is right in the world. Sweet. bike which was the first small enough to fit Walking and exploring around your chosen under a commuter train seat. The necessity But, say, in the morning you needed to pop campsite is not as effortless as sitting at ease that mothered this invention was David’s along to the country Four Square you passed a in the driver’s seat of your RV. Perhaps daily trips to university to complete his PhD, wee ways back on your journey to this idyllic the walking problem is a result of cabin in the physics of ‘tactical lasers’ (not bicycles). spot? Or say you wanted to go check out that legs, unused to stretching. Perhaps, when interesting little museum up the road, or walking, it’s just the innate and age-old Folding bikes have long been a quite- that alluring trail? Or just wanted to case the human hankering after wheels kicking in. common part of well-equipped travellers’ joint a little wider, in a relaxed bucolic kind of Or at least something better than Shanks’s inventories. But they haven’t always been that Pony. Whatever the reason, it’s a good thing efficient or handy. For one thing, just about for mobile homes, campervans, caravans E-bike store and expert workshop - we are cycling experts! 96 Richmond Street, Thames 3500, New Zealand phone +64 (0)7 867 9026 | www.jollybikes.co.nz 100 NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle trails Collector’s Edition 2022

every folding bicycle I’ve previously seen was and may not be much of an advance anyway. matched camp-friendly ride. rusted. Badly. And rust dust and stains and Don’t hold your breath. Plus, there’s now the electric two-wheeler RV interiors, do not go well together. Also bikes in vehicles have tended to be tricky to So the rust thing is mostly taken care of, option – with or without pedals – for there’s unfold, or awkward to ride, with their small before you even begin your search for your the even-more-compact scooter option wheels providing less gyroscopic stability. too. Taking a stroll from your campsite has (But there is an upside to them – see later). suddenly been turned into a cornucopia They were quite wobbly, both to ride, and in of new options for adventure, and with a terms of frame- and folding hinge rigidity. far bigger exploring range thrown in. Most electric bike batteries will have a charge life The new generation of folding bikes appears of around three hours, while nearly all biking to have addressed these concerns. And what’s of this nature averages around 20km/hour in more there’s a surprisingly large range – and speed. As a result of this simple maths, you’re of course, attendant price tags – to choose looking at an at least 35km range there and from. You’re looking at anything from $500 back, for outings away from your base. And to $5000. Depending on just how much you obviously further if you’re happy to go by want to pedal, that is. pedal power alone. For a start, just about all folding bikes are There’s now an expansive range of now made with aluminium alloy frames, or folding bikes to choose from, including the with other non-rusting materials. This also specialised Marine D7, designed especially allows for lightness. for the bikes-on-boats market. It can fold into a handy cloth bag with dimensions of And they all now have stainless steel chains. 70 x 25 x 65cm – and so can almost all of The rubber drive belts sometimes seen on the bikes we looked at. You should be able to new-generation motor bikes, are apparently easily fit that within your RV – even, perhaps, problematic for use on people-powered in the shower cubicle while on the road. The bikes. An expected innovation is a carbon Marine D7 has an internal hub on the back belt drive, coming soon to the bike market. wheel – no derailleur needed (the hanging, This will probably add around $600 to $700 to changing-angle contraption for the chain to the average price of an e-bike. They may have go around, that almost all geared bikes have). a problem with salt accumulation, however, Masters Of The FoldiE Bike It's easy to be cheap. Quality and Longevity are our focus COLOURS VAST IMPROVERS: 25+ EBO UPGRADES (INDICATIVE) • Superior batteries • Superior, heavy duty 350W motor LIME • Superior, heavy duty transmission • Even the chain is upgraded CELESTE • Plush lux foam gel seat (the best) • Shimano gearsets ORANGE • Anti-vibration ergonomic hand-grips PEARL CHOOSE COLOUR AND FRAME SPECIFICATIONS SILVER • Ebo SupertTourer; The World’s First Super-Range Foldie. Ebo’s idea, Ebo’s invention. 350W HDuty motor with 100km PAS range (tested!)** • Ebo UpRated E-Z Tourer; 25+ upgrades on the elsewhere el-cheapos. Vastly superior 350W HD motor and battery. 55+ km PAS range; (tested!) • Ebo’s magical Villager Euro; full 300W, for climbing (not cheap 250W boosted), 50km range (PAS tested!) but tuned for easy cruising town’n’arounding. Quality at a price. **YES I toured Europe with my Ebo SuperTourer Prototype! We Ride Our Bikes. Nationwide sale and tech support network. WE BACK OUR WARRANTY! EBO Integrity; No BS gimmicks and claims. Ask us about “self charging bikes” (LOL) www.ebobikes.co.nz CONTACTS: NATIONAL - ALAN 021 980 511 AUCKLAND+NORTH NEVILLE 0274 951 611 HAWKES BAY TERRY 0274 327 206 101NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle trails Collector’s Edition 2022

E-BIKE GUIDE Electric scooters have become a ubiquitous part of the cityscape now, but they can be considered for use with campervans, too. Interestingly, the folding bike market the folding Avanti, a New Zealand-design, be considered for use with campervans, is only about half made up of boaties and Taiwan-made (with a Japanese motor) too. The have the advantage of being even motorhome owners. The rest are generally of e-bike that costs $5299. It weighs 24kg, has smaller when folded up, and lighter, and so a younger demographic who buy these bikes a 75km possible electric range, has hydraulic possibly way more useful. But consider these so that they can carry them up to their offices brakes, and all internal-routing of wiring, points: it’s easy to overlook that scooters or apartments. An average budget of around and no derailleur – which means it’s easier are generally designed for lighter riders of $2000 to $3000 will get you a good bike. to fold, and to lay down without damage. I’m around 65kg on average. Longer trips on a told the top-quality bikes are assembled in scooter (some will have a range of 40km) can But you can start way lower. The pedal- Taiwan, making up about 60 per cent of the become uncomfortable – their quick-bouncy powered (non-electric-assisted) folding output of quality e-bikes. motion, and the necessity of a standing bikes start at $595 for the Dahon and Ford stance, is unforgiving on the knees. Also, ranges, and go up to around $895. The more Bike trips from your base may involve there’s no space for luggage, unless you have expensive ones appear to have a greater some awkward luggage- or kid-carrying. a backpack. And, unexpectedly, scooters rigidity in the frame design. For this search out for the Tern HSD apparently have quite a problem with regular ‘Captains Chair’ design. This essentially punctures. I never thought of that. Electric Another popular folding e-bike is the has an extended pillion seat, capable of scooters start at a price of around $1300. Onya F19. It costs $3390, and will give you accommodating even three small children. It a 45km only-electric range at least. If you has a fold-down handle bar and costs $5499. But unlike an electric bike, which you can do have more space in your mobile home, still pedal, a scooter won’t get you back if the you could go for the (non-folding) EVinci, The thing to look for in terms of efficiency battery runs out. a German design e-bike that sells for $2240, for e-bikes, is a mid-drive motor. That is, with normal-sized wheels. one working directly through the pedals There are dozens of folding bikes and hub. This amounts to a superior ability to scooters to try out at good bike shops around Here’s where the decision about smaller climb hills. the country – too many to go into details of (for the folding bikes) or bigger wheels comes each in this short overview. Suffice to say that into play. The bigger-wheeled bikes are What about charging your bike from your alloy folding bikes are a worthwhile addition more stable, sure. But, the smaller-wheeled vehicle? Camping-style 12-volt chargers are to an RV’s complement to get around town folding bikes are more manoeuvrable in tight freely available. Putting out 150 watts, they and urban rides. These are not generally used situations – as many travellers find out when will typically charge an e-bike battery in on cycle trails though some may try a section navigating crowded pathways or boardwalks, about three hours and cost a little over $100. of a Grade 1 okay. Go check them out at a or going through gates. retailer near you. Electric scooters have become a ubiquitous At the other end of the price range there’s part of the cityscape now, but they can Your cycling adventure starts here – ergonomic + powerful ● Designed in NZ for NZ www.evinci.nz ● NZ wide retailers and support ● Easy to ride ● Suitable for all grade 2 tracks 102 NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle trails Collector’s Edition 2022

Take It Easy YAKIMA E-BIKE CARRIERS Going the distance with heavy e-bikes in tow has never been easier. Tow ball? Look at the JustClick or FoldClick. We have 2, 3 or 4 bike carrying options, compact, easy to use, and designed specifically for E-Bikes. Add the ClickRamp for easy loading and unloading. Got a hitch receiver? Check out the new OnRamp. Carry 2 bikes up to 30 kgs each and with the integrated ramp, no need for superhuman strength. Just roll on up.     Yakima.co.nz

New Zealand’s favourite RV Lifestyle & Travel magazine Walk & Cycle Trails rhome Reviews & Pro Destinations Moto fles Caspar’s Capers Road Trips Heartland stories Events Marketplace Available in all good bookstores or order your copy online www.rvmagazine.co.nz NZToday RV Lifestyle

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TASMAN Coast Track A Coastal Trickery Gary maps the Abel Tasman Coastal Track and loves how this gentle track explores the rocky headlands and sandy bays along the coastline. 1 Story Gary Patterson Photos Gary Patterson or as credited 2 106 NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle Trails Collector’s Edition 2022

3 take every side track, and with limited off- the highest part of the track. The carpark is season road and water taxi services I would empty, I put on my day pack and pass under I t looks easy in the brochure … a mild climate walk the length of the track twice. This is my the ornately carved entranceway to begin and a medium-length coastal walkway unconventional style of adventure on the climbing above the inlet. I’m enjoying the without mountain passes. For most trampers country’s most popular Great Walk. cool air as I puff away following the snaking on this journey, the track would include track into gullies and slivering around spurs. hot sunshine, swimming and sightseeing I start my trip near Takaka in Golden Bay. While it’s no mountain pass it is great to even- while walking through the forest of the Abel Many visitors never see the northern section tually drop down through the forest to reach Tasman National Park. However, it’s a different of the Abel Tasman because their kayak trip the Whariwharangi Hut. The appearance of proposition if you cast your eye over my brief; typically ends at Tōtaranui, and for hikers it’s this structure is more like that of a cute old to collect data for the new Great Hikes App the last beach north for pickups by most water cottage than a back-country hut and it’s one of so as to be ready to launch before Christmas. taxis. I reach the northern gateway of Wainui the most fascinating I have visited. The 1896 Thus, being short on time, I planned to walk on a fresh and clear morning ready to climb stockman’s homestead, while a little gloomy the track in winter, skip huts where I could, inside, would be a memorable overnight stay for any visitor. There are several small rooms with rough-sawn wall linings and rusting farming implements outside. It’s as if the drover has just stepped out to herd some cattle, leaving his home vacant for weary walkers. I do not hang up my boots here but continue along mapping my way as I go. 1. Overlooking the upper reaches of Tōtaranui estuary 2. A meandering stream feeds into Waiharakeke Bay 3. The trail coming off the highest track point into Wainui Bay 4. The beautiful stretch of sandy walking along Goat 4 Bay 107NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle Trails Collector’s Edition 2022

5 The track weaves in and out of bays, the eyes look north to the near-endless arc of dining room it is hard not to stare out for a largest being DOC’s popular Tōtaranui camp- Farewell Point with wildlife both natural and time through the largest of glass panels with site. This is a vast site, with large grass lawns artificial surrounding me. views of moored yachts. I eat dinner with the dotted with trees for shelter, on the edge of a daylight’s fading glow and a cooling lounge. mile-long beach of golden sands. It is easy to The next day I swap my day bag for a The few of us who reached the hut each take see why kiwis flock here in summer – it’s one tramping pack and I drive around to Mārahau a turn to start the fire with damp wood, and of the most quintessential holiday parks in – the southern gateway of the Abel Tasman on failing turn in early to each of our own the country. I head on a little further before Coast Track. Passing through another carved dorms – a winter’s blessing on this popular I backtrack. On returning, I take an excur- entrance I cross a boardwalk over an estuary summer track. sion to Separation Point, so named by French and enter the park from the opposite end to explorer Dumont d’Urville because of how the one I was at yesterday. The track starts The next day starts cold and clear, and the the headland divides Golden and Tasman by meandering along the forested shoreline slippery deck ice is the first obstacle to nego- Bays. The ridgeline track runs perilously close and it doesn’t take long before I reach the tiate on leaving the hut. I soon warm up as I to the cliff edge before I reach a small look- first campsite. Here I take a GPS waypoint, climb out of the bay and overlook the mud- out over the point. The sound of birdlife here note the range of facilities and photograph flats at dead low tide. Most hikers pick low is deafening. The raucous clamor is from a the shelter and grassed lawns. This is one of tide to cross the shallows of Torrent Bay Inlet colony of gannets far below. From my perch eight campsites that I will record today. The taking only minutes; however, I am here to up on the cliff I can see several sitting on their track continues to follow the coastline and map the entire track so walk the extra 3km nests. My camera snaps a series of photos through the leafy canopy offering glimpses taking an hour more around the edge of the of the colony which is majestic, noisy and of the sandy bays and next headland. It’s a estuary. One of the highlights of going the yet eerily still. I see a rough track down the big day of walking with a full pack. To visit long way is a visit to Cleopatra’s Pool. The bank so I scramble carefully to get a closer each campsite I drop off the main track for slot in the rock is a bit like a river spa bath. look. As the track flattens out I raise my head 100 vertical metres down to the shore and It’s winter – I didn’t get in. On leaving the and realise I have been fooled. These birds it soon starts taking a toll on my blistering waterhole I wonder whether Cleopatra would are in fact full-sized decoy gannets with a feet. Each campsite is unique, each with a approve of this forested rock bath compared loudspeaker – got me! Appropriately I have sandy retreat and each an idyllic spot to set to the open, dark waters of the Nile. As I reach been gulled. Later I read how this site is one up camp, whether one’s plodding or paddling. Torrent Bay I pass a community of holiday of the many Project Janszoon efforts aiming Soon I reach an exposed ridgeline that looks homes, some of which look more like a col- to bring in wildlife and restore the park. out to where I have come from and also to lection of forest lodges than simple coastal Feeling a little tricked I lay on a rock and where I am going … the Anchorage. The track shelters. It would be an incredible place to watch real fur seals also basking on rocks in immediately turns, drops down through the drop anchor from the city and retreat to one’s the weak warmth of winter’s sunshine. My scrub to a beach and along to the large and isolated home overlooking the bay. Leaving modern Anchorage Hut. On entering the the bay I head inland for a time before I pass 108 NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle Trails Collector’s Edition 2022

6 78 Medlands Beach and up an estuary to Bark Reserve is perfection. I arrive at the beach Morning breaks and my hut companions Bay Hut. While the hut is adequate, if I was campsite with a forest backdrop just as a are up early and about to start the largest of carrying a tent I would camp. The sites are German woman has set up camp. Her tent the track’s tidal crossings. That is, all except on the sandspit and I can only imagine the door opens to gently breaking waves and her me. Sitting in the hut I watch them follow the summer outlook from my vestibule, cool- couple of nights here would be camping bliss. markers set into the estuary for a 1km stretch; ing off in the sea, and sitting on the beach Saying auf wiedersehen I continue the walk there is no alternative high tide track option while enjoying the thirst-quenching juice along the golden sands back into the forest. here. Their shapes soon shrink to become squeezed from fruit off the two lemon trees After passing over a low saddle the trail mean- stickmen in the orange dawn light. Some at the campsite. ders down to Awaroa Inlet. It’s been a big day members pause for minutes trying to find a exploring and mapping but it is not over yet. shallower channel or less shelly way for their My time at the hut is sufficient to collect The sun starts to set, and as I reach the hut it exposed feet while others trod quickly, directly some data before taking lunch on the run to looks like I will have more company tonight and deeply across. Some time passes before reach the next bay. It seems that bays just get based on numerous boots stacked outside. I the last of the group reach the opposite bank more beautiful. If camping on the sandspit open the door and a couple of families wel- that leads to Tōtaranui that I mapped only at Bark Bay is appealing then the turquoise come me, the hut is toasty and the evening is days before. I need not cross though as I have sun-drenched waters and broad arc of Oneta- filled with lively chatter of today’s adventures. booked a mid-morning water taxi pickup at huti Bay that overlooks Tonga Island Marine 9 10 5. The view above Tōtaranui Beach, a mile-long golden crescent of sand 6. Whariwharangi Hut is a historic gem for overnighters 7. A sunbathing seal at Separation Point 8. Fooled by the decoy gannets at Separation Point 9. Winding through the forest to the next scenic bay 10. The Anchorage Hut has one of the best coastal views WHERE YOUR DESTINATION IS OUR PLEASURE • Airport & Luggage transfers • Motueka Taxis service • Personalised Wine/Beer & Scenic Tours • Event & group transport • Cycle & Hiker transport Phone Chrissy & Gary on 021 08767992 [email protected] | www.destinationtasman.co.nz 109NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle Trails Collector’s Edition 2022

nearby Awaroa Beach. I make my way to the 11 11. Medlands Beach looks pickup. It’s a scenic white sand bay that was of walking abilities, as my hut-mates proved. like a tropical oasis recently famed by the crowdfunding ‘Givealit- Despite walking the length of the track twice 12. Overlooking the tle’ campaign; it gained huge public interest which meant twice the number of blisters, Anchorage – an idyllic retreat and is now publicly secured for perpetuity. It’s I had an enjoyable time and if I return in 13. Trampers crossing the an incredible spot now available to all. Well summer I will leave my down jacket at home Torrent Bay Inlet at low tide done New Zealand! and bathe like royalty in Cleopatra’s Pool. I arrive early at the pickup point, keen to get back to civilisation. Looking across the waters, I reflect on the last few days of great walking. It’s a Great Walk like no other. As its name sug- gests it is a coastal experience and has plenty of overnighting opportunities. Which other track can boast 18 campsites and four huts scattered along a corrugated coastline? If DOC Huts or camping are not for you the Wilson family have Lodge based ‘civilised’ adventures of 3 and 5 days - walking and or sea kayaking along this unique coastline. The track offers plenty of options of how to experience it too, with vehicle access to a few trail sections, water taxi access to many bays and of course the ability to mix in kayaking as part of the journey. The ability to walk the track all year is a real bonus compared to some that I have been trying to walk that are currently hazardous due to ava- lanche conditions. Just as the Otago Central Rail Trail is suitable for families of cyclists, the Abel Tasman is suitable for a wide range 12 110 NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle Trails Collector’s Edition 2022

13 111NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle Trails Collector’s Edition 2022

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TASMAN, Heaphy Track tRhiedDinogwunps An epic back-country cycling adventure Story + Photos Gary Patterson 1 113NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle Trails Collector’s Edition 2022

2 3 bed a hut warden lets us know of the possibil- to collect data for the Great Rides App, that ity of a takahē sighting on the track tomorrow. The Heaphy Track has been on my riding regular readers of this column will know I I couldn’t wait to wake up … wondering about bucket list since its winter-only reopening have created to assist bike riders all over New the slim chance I might have of seeing these for bikers a few years back – it’s the only Zealand. Flicking on the GPS units and set- rare birds on the Downs. Great Walk you can cycle! My plan to ting the tracking to one-second intervals, I ride the track a week earlier had been waypoint the carpark and start cranking the It’s a cold night with a hard morning frost. I quashed while camping up at the western pedals to begin the ride up to the Gouland hop out from the warmth of my sleeping bag, trailhead, thanks to a localised weather bomb. Downs. That’s right, up to the Downs. bare feet tiptoeing on the freezing wooden During my first early-morning start, it was even floor like a clumsy ballerina wannabe as I a challenge to avoid the wash of debris on the However, the climb is not immediate – in struggle to put on layers of clothing. Sipping track, well before I encountered an impassable fact some trickery is at work – the first hun- on a warm brew and munching on muesli, slip. I was the first to reach this near-vertical dred metres are actually a descent to a hut I survey a map of today’s ride to the West wall of sloppy mud with torrents of chocolate- before the hard work of the climb begins. Coast. I delay my start until the sun rises, coloured water that thwarted my riding plan. The gradient of the ascent is ideal. I pick a keen to avoid clashing with giant nocturnal I returned to the car safely but disappointed. low gear and start the meandering elevation snails that make their own slithering trails at gain under a lush green canopy. After ford- night before retreating with the light of day to On my second attempt a week later, I elect ing a couple of creeks the views improve as I dark and damp recesses. With winter riding to begin at the opposite end of the track – reach the highest point of the track. Flanagan’s kit on, I head west through the stunted forest some 463 kilometres by road on the eastern Corner is 915 metres above Golden Bay and before reaching the expanse of the Gouland side. The weather forecast looks perfect, being from here it’s an easy traverse to my home Downs. I brush past bowing red tussocks’ cool and frosty, and a detour is now in place away from home, Perry Saddle Hut. Already icicle-clad fronds that glisten in the ear- around that formidable slip. So, not far from settled in at this modern hut are a couple of ly-morning light and at Picnic Table Corner Collingwood at the top of the South Island, local trampers, a young walker from France I stop and look. Wow! From here I can see I reach the trailhead carpark and once again and another rider. We riders nip out under much of the 3,000 hectares of moorland. unpack my gear for the two-day adventure. torchlight to view kiwi along the trail, having It is unusual land cover thanks to the acid I load my bike with overnight essentials as heard some calls in the early evening. Before soils, resulting in one of the few unforested well as work cameras and GPS equipment areas below the normal tree line in the Kahu- rangi National Park. In geological times past, 4 it was once a shallow sea then tectonically 114 NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle Trails Collector’s Edition 2022 lifted 700 metres above the Tasman. Today some of the limestone marine deposits appear like scattered island outcrops, shored up with beech trees and circled with waves of red tussock. I had reached the tableland and I coasted on. The next feature I pass is the boot pole. It’s a quirky totem-like post dressed in boots and other types of footwear left behind by trampers. Although Māori, explorers, and gold miners searched the interior centuries earlier, recre- ational hiking has now taken a foothold. In the past a road was mooted along the track’s alignment linking east to west, and with ‘progress’ on the horizon trampers flocked to the track. The road proposal was eventually

given the boot. Getting off my bike, I read a 5 transmitter. Resembling giant pūkeko, takahē description on one pair of tired looking boots. bicycles were classed as vehicles, and like the are the largest of the rail family. They were demise of the proposed road, cycling too was liberated in the Downs in 2017–18 – it’s one “If Boots Could Talk – Owner James Feld- lost for a while. In time and with political of the few places to see these rare flightless kamp – Purchased 1988 – Last Service 2018 pressure, bicycling (with rules) has once again birds in the wild. How rare? Well they were on Heaphy. returned to the track; what a great privilege it thought extinct until 70 years ago when they These boots faithfully served their owner for is for us riders. It’s a sweet nod to the recent were rediscovered in the Murchison moun- 30+ years and have seen and experienced a cycling revolution. As my wheels turn again I tains. In October of 2017 the official takahē bit over the years: wonder how long it will be before a bike tyre population was 347 – in the entire world. • w alked on six continents (all except is pinned to the boot pole monument given So… you know, RARE! In November of the soaring popularity of mountain biking on 2018 DOC reported that one of the Gou- Antarctica) this track. land Downs nests had three eggs in it. I am • jumped from an aeroplane delighted, blessed and enriched. Regrettably, • more than once came face-to-face with a After I cross a ravine on a pretty arched I need to keep moving and farewell my feath- timber bridge I reach Gouland Downs Hut, ery friends, and hope I will see them when black panther in the Malaysian rainforest a more rustic and traditional refuge than last I return next. • saw lions in Zimbabwe as well as the presi- night’s stay. What I see ahead I can barely believe; five takahē greet me before scatter- 1. The spans over pristine waters into the wilderness dent’s elephants ing into the undergrowth away from either 2. Boot Pole – there is no mistaking it • h iked through 10 countries in Europe, friend or foe. I almost shout ‘friend!’ before 3. A beautiful span over Cave Brook sitting quietly at a picnic table to observe 4. Takahē in the wild, a rare sight to behold including climbing through a whiteout every moment of their movement in the 5. The otherworld of the enchanted forest blizzard on the Schilthorn in August tussock. One by one they reappear, stoop 6. One of the several grand caves near the trail • h iked thru a hail storm on the continental over and intently feed on the grasses. I gaze 7. One of the advantages of riding in winter divide in Colorado at their busy beaks and marvel at the mark- • w atched a bald eagle flying through the ings on their iridescent coats. I notice they canyons are wearing some modern bling – a tracking The boots’ last adventure was in the summer of 2018 on the Heaphy Track in Feb- ruary 19–20. After hiking up from Brown Hut to Perry Saddle with Cyclone Gita closing, the boots set out in pre-dawn where they saw two large kiwis on the trail before the soul gave up and they were attached to the pole.” So, the soles of the boots gave up, but perhaps the writer was also referring to the footprint that one’s soul may leave. They may be well travelled and entering a slower pace of life … to join others’ weary boots … their ‘souls’ living on to watch new treads or tyres like mine negotiate the curve of the memorial Either way, it is a good read, I’m sure you’ll agree. I am also reminded that there have been some big strides taken in opening up the track to pedal power in recent years. Formerly the forest park track was considered a Mil- ford Track of cycling, but when the Kahurangi National Park was created in the mid-1990s 67 115NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle Trails Collector’s Edition 2022

8 On leaving the hut I am swiftly into seat I head west and pass James Mackay on by its jockey. This is real riding delight. another close encounter – this one of the Hut, named after the first-recorded person Slowly the canopy changes to a podocarp botanical kind having entered the other- to traverse the approximate route of the hardwood forest, bush that hugs the Heaphy world of the enchanted forest. I momentarily Heaphy Track. From the hut it’s all down- Hut beside the river mouth giving the large leave the tussock glade for a gloomy finger hill. The hours of pedal labour are rewarded dwelling a snug appearance. I take a break of cloud forest, cloaked with hanging wispy by glorious freewheeling. I tighten my grip here and rehydrate, but not for too long as threads, a forest floor of lush mossy carpet to restrain my silver steed as we hurtle down I’m keen to keep my presence secret from and the trail that weaves through this surreal from the mountain top, its pace spurred buzzing sandfly scouts. Upon reaching the green living space. It’s like a world from a Dr Seuss book, and just like a child, I am 9 in awe. At a chasm, I spot sinkholes, caves and a remarkable arch that the trail crosses. I decide to go subterranean and look for cave wētā. Not far away are a hut and a waterfall cave, the latter having frozen shards hanging out of its limestone entrance like teeth from some kind of gnashing phantom jaws. My senses are alive. Within metres, I have been on rare avian, botanical and geological field trips – a wonderland of natural attractions with free entry to all. I leave the forest … enchanted. Back in a glade, I ride over pretty creeks and past another hut before climbing out of the weathered peneplain to pretty ponds. I then take a seat divided by a yellow paint line indicating the boundary line between east and west. From the track it is my first glimpse of the Tasman Sea – just a blur of deep blue against the backdrop of lighter sky. Not far from the seat lies a mile marker, a tramper’s guide before the days of GPS. After entering a waypoint for the boundary 116 NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle Trails Collector’s Edition 2022

Stats 78km Advanced Trail (Grade 4) Official Links: www.doc.govt.nz/heaphytrack Great Rides App: Download the app free from the App Stores coastline the surf break is deafening, and spray fills the air with a fine mist coupled with that familiar salty scent. My senses are refreshed and I regain my energy. The track then turns south weaving around the smooth trunks of nīkau and skipping between rocky headlands and sandy bays. Once over a final steep bluff the track terminates at the road of Kohaihai Shelter – journey’s end for most riders before heading down the road to Karamea. With my travel up to the Downs over and my bucket list emptier, I sit in my office with a smile on my face. The GPS tracks I down- load snake along the map, offering memories of tough climbs, sweet descents and the explorative meanderings from east to west. The way- points dot the slivering line, identifying my numerous highlights along our country’s longest Great Walk. The sights I saw flicking through photos of flora, fauna and forest are magic; being there was even better. These tracks, waypoints and snaps will linger in my mind map forever. My experience of the Heaphy Track is one of a genuine back-country ride, a favourite overnight crossing, and one I consider all adventurous Kiwi riders should experience before kicking the bucket. 8. A cascading infinity river 9. Descending down to the Heaphy River 117NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle Trails Collector’s Edition 2022

CANTERBURY St James Cycling with James Looking for a remote and challenging cycling adventure like no other? How about an overnighter in a basic backcountry hut? Like a dip in a natural hot spring all on your own? Well if that ticks all your boxes for making a great ride, then the St James Cycle Trail is for you. Story + Photos Gary Patterson 1 118 NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle Trails Collector’s Edition 2022

I had been looking forward to this trip for 2 some time – a true ‘out of the way’ ride with stunning backcountry scenery – although I summit of Maling Pass I see a weathered-look- admit I had some apprehension. While the ing fence with tightly woven netting. During trail is near to Hanmer Springs, I would be our drive to the carpark, I remember Andrew cycling alone at altitude, away from roads, with mentioning a historic rabbit-proof fence. This no mobile coverage, rivers to ford and a storm must be it as there are no other structures due to hit the following day; it was not a ride around. Rabbits were introduced as a game to take lightly. You get my apprehension, right? animal into this locality in the 1860s and ram- So along with my GPS units to map the trail pantly turned into a pest species. Cats, stoats for the Great Rides App, I took my Personal and weasels were subsequently introduced Locator Beacon (PLB). The PLB I had yet to to try to control the rabbits – all of which use. Well … I should say that I had not even became pests themselves. Finally, this rab- taken it out of its packaging! I hoped I would bit-proof fence was constructed in 1889 and not have to unpack this tiny yellow device, spanned 125 kilometres from the main divide appropriately named ‘Rescue Me’, on this ride. to the Pacific Ocean; this too failed. As I con- tinue to rise above the failings of yesteryear It’s a cool morning, the weather is prefron- on my way to the pass, the song I Know An tal. While really wishing to stay overnight on Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly is humming the trail, I elect to complete the trail in a day in my mind. as the rest of the week’s forecast is for heavy persistent rain. I am dropped at the start of The last few hundred metres rounding the the ride by Andrew of St James Journeys; his hill is like an orchestral crescendo with a rising Land Rover Defender seems like the perfect pitch, accompanied with the cinematography vehicle in this tough environment. I wave of a scene straight out of the Sound of Music goodbye to him, and in a few short moments film. Here it’s the Southern, not the Swiss, I enter the wilderness pedalling along a 4WD Alps coming alive. Slow is the reveal of the track towards a pass on the St James Range. unfolding grandeur as I reach the summit… Beside me winds a clear babbling brook. dramatic scenery lives here at Maling Pass. My eyes follow its curves upstream towards its source near the skyline. Off to the side, 1. The river cutting through the Waiau Valley behind a patch of beech forest, I spot a grand 2. The river gorge fortunately has a swinging waterfall that cascades off a rocky terrace that suspension bridge is fed from the idyllic sounding tarn called 3. Freewheeling off the pass down to the river the ‘Princess Bath’. It seems odd to have such a regal name for a backcountry lake. I don’t think there have been many princesses lazing about in those freezing waters. The track finds its way around the edge of the hillside, each curve revealing a little more of the landscape. Adventure lies ahead as I ride deeper into the backcountry. Just as the trail starts to climb towards the 3 119NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle Trails Collector’s Edition 2022

5 46 I stop. I am short of breath from the climb that frame both sides of my shoulders. my own backcountry memories of such huts coupled with the cool mountain air at 1308 Soon I reach a trail junction; the sign says and adventures in other remote corners. I take metres. The view west to the Spenser Moun- it’s a short detour to Lake Guyon Hut, so I a couple of photos and a waypoint to add it tains with their snowy basins must have been go. Over a low brow, I ride down to a narrow later as a ‘stop’ in the app. just as epic and the climb even more ener- lake. It’s in open country with a scattering of gy-sapping for early explorers Heaphy and native forest along its shoreline. I ride beside Back on the main trail, I continue down- Maling as they passed this way long ago. It’s the waters before reaching a cute backcountry stream to a place where the river squeezes a top spot. This really has a wow-factor with hut. It’s a classic 1960s-style Forest Service S81 through a tight gut in the bedrock. Here I alpine crags, green forested valleys and the four-bunk hut (as opposed to the six-bunk cross a suspension bridge to the opposite bank blue waters of the Waiau River sparkling far SF70) complete with a fireplace, mattresses and climb a small hill before whizzing back below. I might have said it out loud to no one and heaps of charm. Over a matter of 15 years, to the valley floor. The trail here is fast, and – wow! I might have said it backwards – wow! New Zealand government foresters built a driving wind blows me south to Pool Hut I don’t linger long though as my body starts to more than 600 of these little quarters for deer where I stop for a snack. ‘Pool’ may imply that chill and it is only the opening scene for the cullers. Most, like this one at Lake Guyon, still is it is next to a river pool; however, this hut is next stage of the trail ahead. remain and are now managed by the Depart- high up on a grassy river terrace and far from ment of Conservation, dotted throughout the Waiau River. The hut is known locally as Freewheeling, I smoke down to the bottom New Zealand’s remoter locations. They are a ‘Poolies Hut’ after its original owner Brian of the valley where the trail becomes single simple, non-flashy, home away from home. Pool, who along with several other locals, track and warm air blows through mead- This is a unique hut network like no other, transported the hut to the site using an old ows of daisies. They reach out, clipping and one which is firmly entrenched in Kiwi St James Station army quad truck. Today this my pedals as I glide past. This is where culture. I take a look inside. Yes, it’s standard four-bunk hut, along with the cycle trail, is the trail starts to follow the river down- layout all right, and it instantly brings back managed by the Department of Conservation. stream, sourced from the hanging valleys Down off the river terrace I ride and over 7 the McArthur Bridge where the Waiau River 120 NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle Trails Collector’s Edition 2022 is now deep and swift. The trail continues downstream and as I climb up onto a river terrace I get a glimpse of the rapids below and then bid farewell to its flow as I turn east- ward. After later crossing another suspension bridge, this time over the Edwards River, I reach the cute and cosy historic Scotties Hut. Formerly a musterers’ hut, I soon discover it has been modernised with internal ply- wood wall linings, giving it a fresh look and welcoming appeal. I meet a couple of other visitors who are spending the night here; older Kiwi folk who are undertaking the alternative clockwise loop of the St James. They have a bit of gear too, with a rod and rifle; it soon becomes apparent from our conversation they are keen to make the most of the rivers and natural bounty of the area. Their bicycles are parked up outside and their rugged person- alities fit into this place as if they themselves have been shaped by the surrounding land- scape. Being two-thirds of the way in, if it

Stats 59km Easy to Expert Trail (Grade 2–5) Official Links: www.doc.govt.nz/stjamescycletrail Great Rides App: Use App logo and QR Code together wasn’t for the poor weather forecast, I would surface improves, becom- experience. It’s old-school single-track, and stay as the hut seems complete with a river to ing smooth and well like the backcountry huts I passed and the wash in and good company. Instead, I shelter formed. The easy trail blokes I met, it’s a bit rough and rugged but briefly in the hut from the gusty winds while takes me quickly down also genuine and true. There’s no fanciness having a late lunch before I say my goodbyes to the historic St James on the St James but it will deliver a real back- and head off. Homestead where I finish country ride if you so fancy. my ride and complete the Cycling again, the wind is now my friend partial loop. As I reach 4. The Edwards River Bridge with Scotties Hut and the jacket is my kite. After a river ford the carpark I pass some in the background I take out my map and I see that a kilome- rustic buildings and the 5. The McArthur Bridge crossing tre up a side stream there’s a little red cross remains of the homestead. 6. Cow Stream hot spring, perfect soak near the where ‘x’ marks the spot. I decide to explore The St James Station dates end of the ride the creek for geothermal water paying close back to 1862 and was 7. Scotties Hut – a home away from home attention for any sign of a path where others one of the largest sheep 8 8. The last part of the trail is easy and enjoyable may have dropped down the steep bank. and cattle stations in the Soon the river terrace closes in and I see a country. Today farming here has come to an 121NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle Trails Collector’s Edition 2022 small rock pool beside the creek. I test the end. Just over a decade ago the 78,000 hectare water – it is hot and appealing. I strip off and station was purchased by the government and enter the shallow pool which is sufficient to secured in public hands for perpetuity. fully immerse and leave as little skin as pos- sible for the hovering sandflies. At peace in I secure my bike on the rack in the carpark the high country, I soak and enjoy the puls- and enjoy a break to consider the trip. The ing plumes of heat at my side that come from ride is a long one if done in a day. If weather a submerged rocky ledge. This is a treat and permitted I would have liked to have taken true backcountry escape. My skin starts to things slower, to savour the surroundings, wrinkle and my muscles relax. and overnighted in old Scotties Hut. I found the trail surface variable as were the huts. I Back on my bike, wrinkly and rested, I start particularly liked the Forest Service hut at the last section of trail. It is a gentle climb Lake Guyon for its lakeside setting, but old up the Edwards with the next river crossing Scotties is equally fantastic if you like rivers. shallow as I near the head of its catchment. My day on the St James was a unique riding Once I reach the low Peters Pass the track

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CANTERBURY Mt Cook Camping with Kea Stunning day hikes in the foothills of New Zealand’s Southern Alps, at Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park. Words + Photos Jane Dove Juneau Scan to watch the video on our Youtube channel… NZTODAY RV Lifestyle 1 124 NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle Trails Collector’s Edition 2022

P iercing birdcalls break the silence in our 2 campground, powered campervan sites, tent, deep in the night under the Milky mountains, with 19 peaks over 3000 metres, motels, cabins and backpacker dormitories. Way. Sleepily I recognise the kea’s call including Aoraki/Mt Cook our tallest moun- There are also outdoor adventures such as as I roll over on our tussock bed. The tain. Large glaciers cover 40 per cent of the helicopter flights with snow landings, gla- sounds of nature are harmonious when park; the Tasman Glacier is 27 kilometres cier trips, heli-skiing and hiking, mountain compared to the noisy campers who arrive at long and is slowly carving the valley sides. biking, fishing, hunting and ice climbing. 2.30am, opening and shutting their van doors Milky lakes and rivers are a feature of the as they set up their tent. park, filled with suspended glacier-ground Back at the campsite, we are settling in after rock sediment that makes the water opaque. carrying many loads from the car across to Our tent palace sits among a series of smaller the tent. After pitching the tent we are both domes scattered in a grassy meadow beneath Mountaineers regard the area as the best hot. It’s 25°C, and one of us is a little cranky. Mt Sefton at White Horse Campground at climbing region in Australasia, but you don’t I look up at the brilliant blue sky and think Aoraki/Mt Cook. The DOC (Department have to be a climber to enjoy Aoraki/Mt Cook this will be a perfect evening for photographs. of Conservation) campground is bursting as there are plenty of mountain walks to alpine Who knows whether the next few days will with cars, vans and campers while a constant tarns, herb fields, and swing-bridges leading be this clear and I am anxious to capture stream of people hike up the Hooker Valley up the Hooker Valley to spectacular glacier some fresh photos of Aoraki/Mt Cook after Track from the trailhead nearby. My partner and mountain views. At Aoraki/Mt Cook seeing some great images on Instagram. Yes, Rick is unimpressed with all the cars parked Village where the historic Hermitage Hotel I have fallen for the Instagram bug and have for a kilometre or so down the road. sits, there is a range of accommodation from seen the potential for great photographs of backpacker lodges to luxury hotel rooms. icebergs floating in milky lakes surrounded “It’s great to see so many people out walking A couple of kilometres across the meadows by high peaks. and enjoying the dramatic scenery,” I say. Rick is White Horse Campground where we are mutters about staying in a quiet spot away staying for $15 a night per adult as compared The Hooker Valley is the recommended from all the people. to $300–$600 at the Hermitage, depending hike (10km return) if you only have a day at on your taste. Down the road 18km is Glen- Aoraki/Mt Cook, and judging by the number “It’s not going to happen right now,” I reply, tanner Park Centre with a fully equipped of people we saw heading up the trail it must entranced by the craggy face of Mt Sefton be worthwhile. We decide to take a late-af- towering over the southern end of the camp- ternoon hike up the trail, but not necessarily ground. I camped in this place as a kid and intending to hike all the way up to the gla- want to stay here again, as the trailheads for a cier lake. The light is warming in the late number of walks are nearby. Although there afternoon and I am excited to get on the are a lot of cars and people around, it is easy trail. As we head up the valley through the to find an open piece of ground to pitch a tent. tussock-covered ridges we visit the viewing Sites are not allocated at White Horse, and as point for the Mueller Glacier. From here the with most DOC campgrounds the only facil- trail drops down to the first swing-bridge ities are toilets and a large shelter to cook in across the thundering Hooker River. Cross- – there is no power or showers. We check in ing the river is dramatic as the grey glacier for three nights with plans to tackle a number water plunges down through the maze of river of day hikes as well as visiting the Sir Edmund boulders. How did they build swing-bridges Hillary Alpine Centre at the Hermitage and across the wild river, I wonder? the DOC Visitor Centre. Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park sits in the Southern Alps near the source of Lake Pūkākī in the centre of the South Island. New Zea- land’s greatest alpine park has the highest 1. The thundering sound of avalanches falling down Mt Sefton can be heard at White Horse Campground 2. Who needs an alarm clock when screeching kea pierce the morning silence 3. One of the three 3 suspension bridges on the Hooker Track 125NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle Trails Collector’s Edition 2022

As we travel further up the valley it opens 4 kea are endemic to the Southern Alps and up to a stunning view of the distinct peak home. I notice two more in the meadows are the world’s only mountain parrot. They shape of Aoraki/Mt Cook. The trail wanders area foraging, while a ranger watches their are considered by scientists to be one of the up an open tussock valley, across two more antics. The kea burrow their beaks deep into most intelligent birds and it is this intelligence dramatic swing-bridges to the Hooker Lake the stony ground to find insects, gleefully and curiosity that makes them vulnerable. at the end of the trail. The afternoon light is hopping around enjoying their morning A kea flies onto the roof of a camper and just leaving the lake as we arrive, with Aoraki/ feed. According to the ranger, kea have only the ranger gently shoos the bird away. It is a Mt Cook and the Southern Alps bathed in recently returned to visit the campground pleasure to spend time watching these curi- late-afternoon light. I see a few icebergs after a number of years away. ous birds, and easy to fall for their cheeky floating in the lake as I race around the rocky ways. After half an hour they soar up in sky lakeshore to capture the last shafts of sunlight Kea are a nationally endangered species, calling to each other as they circle higher, on the brown milky lake. with only a few thousand birds remaining. Named by Māori for the sound of their call, The day cools down as we trek back down the trail, arriving at camp at sunset. The long twilight in the South Island is helpful as we make dinner, noticing it’s after 9pm. Kea are circling the sky and I hear the thunderous sound of avalanches tumbling down the face of Mt Sefton. The first stars appear in the night sky as I wash our plates. The sounds of kea circling over our tent wake me in the morning. The screeches are so close it sounds like they are sitting on our tent. I peer outside to investigate. The kea are perched high up in a tree a short distance away. I get my camera and wander across to the bathroom where a kea is balanced pre- cariously on the peak of the roof, yet dancing along and chattering noisily as if quite at Rachel Gillespie Experience the spectacular 5 Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail Cycle from our highest mountains, past great lakes and rivers, and down to the ocean enjoying the local hospitality along the way. What better way to reconnect with friends and family, or just a great escape. Find out more at www.alps2ocean.com 126 NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle Trails Collector’s Edition 2022

disappearing into the hills. High above Kea Point track, tiny figures 6 It is important to keep the campsites clean step up the mountainside on the way to Sealy Tarns (3–4 hours return) and on to the Muel- fine days in early February so we could see so no food is left for kea to scavenge, and all ler Hut. On my last visit to Aoraki I hiked up the high mountaintops of Southern Alps. The rubbish is locked in an enclosed area in bins to the tarns. The steep track is quite a work- scenery is awe-inspiring and the night sky is so naughty kea can’t feed on campers left- out but the view at the Sealy Tarns is worth full of stars. With international visitor num- overs. After all we have encroached into the the effort. On a clear still day Mt Sefton and bers down, it is a perfect time to explore our kea’s natural habitat and it is our responsibil- Aoraki/Mt Cook are reflected in the small New Zealand treasures. ity to make sure we both coexist together in lakes. I also saw a kārearea or New Zealand harmony. falcon and a wide range of alpine plants. 4. The Sealy Tarns with Mt Sefton and Mt Cook With kea in mind we hike to Kea Point – a Later in the day we drive over to the Blue 5. Rick returns on the Kea Point track short hike, about an hour return walk from Lake carpark, the trailhead for Blue Lake and 6. Giant speargrass/taramea or wild the campground or two hours from Mt Cook Tasman Glacier view track. We walk around Spaniard are very spikey Village. The track wanders through subalpine the Tasman Lake Track (50 minutes return) grasslands to a viewing deck with views of Mt and scramble up onto the moraine to get a Sefton, Hooker Valley, Mueller Glacier Lake view of the Tasman Glacier terminal lake. We and Aoraki/Mt Cook. My peaceful moment are near the outlet, the source of the Tasman is soon engulfed by a throng of Korean ladies River, where milky water races over rocks and all posing with perfect smiles for photos on down to Lake Pūkākī. the viewing deck. I watch the show unfold amid excited chatter. Rick is given a handful Our visit to Aoraki/Mt Cook was not com- of Korean sweets to sample. plete until we had visited the Sir Edmund Hillary Centre at the Hermitage and the DOC “Where are mine?” I ask as he quickly Visitor Centre and read the remarkable his- stashes them in his pocket. tory of the area. (This is covered in a separate feature.) We look for avalanches on the face of Mt Sefton. Sometimes I see what looks like a If you haven’t been to Aoraki/Mt Cook, waterfall but is actually snow falling off a part of the ‘wild, dramatic and breathtak- cornice, and this is verified by the delayed ing’ Te Wāhipounamu World Heritage Site, thundering sound of an avalanche as it echoes I’d highly recommend a visit. We had lovely down the valley. Nature’s Finest Tasting Salmon Stop & relax at our Pukaki store Visit our shop on SH8 at the Pukaki Information Open 7 days a week. Ph: 03 435 0427 Centre (between Tekapo and Twizel), on Section 2 of the Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail®. 127NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle Trails Collector’s Edition 2022

WHY YOU ARE ALWAYS WELCOME FIND OUT MORE AT: ENQUIRE WITH: Kaiapoi i-SITE 10 kms of pure New Zealand beaches, 2 conservation areas visitwaimakariri.co.nz [email protected] in the foothills, 2 regional parks, 1 coastal park, wetlands, and lakes all with cycling and walking opportunities. 2 braided rivers perfect for fishing, boating or just having fun. 5 golf courses, 3 farmers markets, 4 art galleries. 2 urban centres, 6 smaller towns, villages, and beach settlements. 70 cafes and dining options. 30 boutique shops.

CENTRAL OTAGO Lake Dunstan Trail LaUknewDraupnpstinagntThraeil Gary maps the Lake Dunstan Trail, a scenic undulating track following the Central Otago lake’s shore that is sure to be popular, with its elaborate bridging making it unique in the cycle trail network. Words + Photos Gary Patterson 1 129NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle Trails Collector’s Edition 2022

2 3 first lecture of a remote-sensing geography Wanaka. So we begin our trip heading south course, I met my wife-to-be which blessed L ike a child eagerly waiting for Christmas, where the track starts smooth, spacious and my personal life … it seems geography has I too am like a big kid counting down the scenic. On our left sparkles Lake Dunstan and shaped my world. days until the Lake Dunstan Trail opens. to our right the rooflines of dwellings of the It’s like being given a new bike, but having Pisa Moorings subdivision seem to match After following the edge of Lake Dunstan to wait years before unwrapping it for a the ridgeline backdrop of the Pisa Range. we reach Cromwell, and old Cromwell which ride and try out all the bells and whistles. Yet The trail weaves in and out of the waterways is part of the heritage precinct. The old town is for me, Christmas came early. A few strings where willow trees line the inlet banks and a fascinating place, with buildings dating back pulled saw me get a sneak peek, pre-opening, to green reserves make the estate appear like to the 1860s when the Otago goldfields were map the trail! The riding day arrives and I am a desert paradise. We soon reach a pretty rich and horses trod where we now ride. We bubbling with anticipation and questions. I am curved bridge over an inlet which is a great stop here for lunch at one of the many cafés wondering how the trail designer and builders photo spot and we stop to view the moorings scattered along the waterfront. While eating could make the impossible … possible. One of this townhouse development – it’s quite a we watch children at play in the shallows while only has to drive the highway on the opposite juxtaposition; boat moorings so far inland. boats come and go and cyclists whiz past on side of the lake between Cromwell and Clyde their way to Bannockburn. It’s a vibrant and to know this is not a hillside for easy cycling. Onwards past Pisa Moorings we cross an changing place. A generation ago, the outlook How was it possible to mark up and construct invisible line which is recorded on the screen here was of the raging Kawarau River meet- a gentle grade cycle trail on the sheer sides of of my GPS unit. We have arrived at the 45th ing the pumping and swirling Clutha River. a gorge? It was safe to say my companion and parallel. Cutting right through the track this The outlook has now been transformed into I were keen to put our wheels on the freshly cartographic map line shows the 45th degree Lake Dunstan. I came here as a child, when laid gravels and see how they fared. of southern latitude from the Earth’s equator. the Clyde dam was under construction, and Here the trail sits halfway between the equator the commercial heart of Cromwell was then We start riding at the northern trailhead at and the South Pole. I linger as I’m fascinated on the lower river terraces now several metres a place called Smiths Way. Starting at Smiths by all things geographical whether physical below in the murky water. Thanks to a resi- is a bit of an anticlimax as it’s a dusty road or theoretical. It seems mapping has shaped dents’ group, some of the historic buildings end at present, but it has a promising future. my life. Firstly, taking geography as a major at on those terraces were relocated higher up the Here, where a few rabbits make their home in university led me to become a cartographer. bank and were saved from the flooding that tussocky pastures, in a few years will be the Secondly, while waiting in the hallway for the second northern stage linking Cromwell to 4 5 130 NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle Trails Collector’s Edition 2022

formed the lake. Today this spot is a trail gem 6 1. High above the lake in the gorge where one can hire bikes, browse art studios once called Cornishtown as one-third of the 2. Riding over Pisa Mooring’s curvy bridge and enjoy the coffee culture nestled within the gold miners in the gold-rush years were born 3. Riding up to the moorings with their heritage buildings. in England; many of them came across the pitched skyline roofs globe from Cornwall. Below this point, now 4-5. Entering Cromwell’s Heritage Precinct After our lunch, the trail takes us along the under the lake, was the site of the ‘Cornish- 6. A perfect day to enter the Cromwell Gorge lakeside towards Bannockburn. At the Ban- town Chair’. Now long gone, it was used by 7. It’s an incredibly dramatic landscape nockburn Bridge, the trail crosses the lake individuals to cross the river to Cromwell. and reaches a junction. To the right a side trail Installed in 1869, the ‘Chair’ was a wooden leads to a historic gold-mining settlement box attached to a pulley and suspended and past vineyards near the Kawarau Gorge. below a 90m wire rope stretching across the This is where the future Kawarau Gorge Trail Kawarau River. A hemp rope was fixed from will run to link to the Queenstown Trail net- the chair to each shore enabling the person in work – that will be another celebration in due the chair to pull themselves up after reaching course. We elect to keep to the main trail and turn east towards the prettiest of inlets with weeping willows, reeds and a small switch- back that climbs to the Carrick vineyard and café. It seems cycle trails and vineyards are a good fit as demonstrated by other vineyard tracks in the Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa, Marl- borough and Waipara regions. What’s not to like about sampling, sightseeing and cycling? We weave between the rows and soon reach an elevated terrace overlooking the lake. Taking in the view we see the café on the opposite bank where we had lunch. It looks as though we have just ridden around a big panhandle and are now entering the rim of the Cromwell Gorge. At the former confluence of the Kawarau and Clutha Rivers, near an old stone dwell- ing, we reach Cornish Point. The point was 7 131NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle Trails Collector’s Edition 2022

Tips for a great ride • P re-book all shuttles, bike hire and accommodation • Make sure your bike is well serviced • This trail is for competent riders not novices • K eep left at all times, two-way narrow sections • Spark mobile reception for whole trail 8 “Flawless organisation and a Fantastic holiday” 2022N&O2W0BF2O3OORK Otago Central Rail, Roxburgh Gorge, Clutha Gold & Lake Dunstan Trails BIKE HIRE | TRANSPORT | ITINERARY PLANNING • One Day Wonders tours [email protected] • Top Quality Merida E-Bikes & ph 0800 245 366 Trek Roscoe hire bikes 25 Holloway Street Clyde • Electric bike retail specialists • Full retail & Workshop 2E the Mall Cromwell www.bikeitnow.co.nz 132 NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle Trails Collector’s Edition 2022

9 10 the sagging lower mid-point of the wire. The looks like an authentic tool from the gold- of prospecting dug out two tonnes (70,000 chair was popular with the mining residents rush days. It’s tens of metres above the former ounces) of gold worth about $162 million as well as the 23 school children who crossed riverbed and was likely to have been used to today. Like most goldfields, it started with a each day. I think it’s fair to say that Cromwell break the rock to wash through sluice boxes. boom and ended in a bust. in those days would have pipped Queen- I only have to glance across the lake to see stown as New Zealand’s adventure capital. Brewery Creek; this is where gold was first It is onwards and upwards for us bikers as The thrill of the Kawarau River wire swing found in the Dunstan goldfield by Hartley we reach the base of the Cairnmuir Ladder. must have been something in its time. I and Reilly. Their discovery is legendary. In the Fortunately, the ‘ladder’ is not literal; it is a wonder whether the Cornishtown kids each winter of 1862, they struck gold and worked ramped climb heading up a gully that steps morning cheered for it or dreaded it? secretly for days recovering up to 40 ounces high above the lake. The track here is wide, (1.1kg) of gold in a week … about $89,000 in and it’s a steady climb with views worth every I mark a waypoint as I gather data for the today’s terms. After recovering 1000 ounces pant of effort. We reach the top and talk to Great Rides App and continue into the valley of gold (39.5kg worth $3.2 million today) they some folks installing a massive trig marker. where the walls tighten at the beginning of took their hoard to the Treasury in Dune- The trig marks a point that is 140 metres the Cromwell Gorge. After climbing over a din where they gobsmacked prospectors above the lake and 324 metres in altitude … closure barrier (it’s okay, we had permission and officials with their haul. They claimed a to do this!) and heaving our bikes over, we finder’s fee, which revealed the find and in 8. Descending back to the lake reach a vertical cliff where the trail seems to turn led to 15,000 miners arriving here  … 9. The many curves of the Cromwell Gorge terminate. It looks like the trail designer has and the famous Dunstan gold rush began. 10. The suspended boardwalk is just magic given up and walked away after discovering a Those thousands of miners in the first year 11. Crossing the Hugo Bridge dead-end at a vertical bluff. Wait! We discover 11 that this is not the case; it is here where tra- 133NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle Trails Collector’s Edition 2022 ditional trail building stops and engineering begins. In front of us is a suspended board- walk clinging to the cliff and hanging over Lake Dunstan. This engineering marvel is one of eight, bolt-on bridges that make up 450 metres of ‘trail’. Trail designer Tim Dennis (who got me access onto the near-complete track) said it was a massive staged task to build. Firstly abseilers removed any loose rock, then scaffolding was erected over and in the water to provide a safe and accessible worksite and then anchor holes were drilled for steel plates that supported the props that the decking sits on. It seems like Tim’s team has bridged the impossible. As I pick my way along the boardwalk I remember Tim telling me to look out for a random pickaxe along here somewhere, and just before leaving the boardwalk, I spy in the sheer rock wall below, a pick wedged into ver- tical schist only a few metres above the lake. The pick was recently found by engineers and

Stats 55km, Easy (Grade 1–3) Great Rides App: App Store or Play Store we have reached the highest point on the after waving goodbye to the surveyors we most abundant of Earth’s minerals. It’s often track! The views are of a dry and barren land- zoom downhill and back to the lake edge. grey, but when it begins to rust it takes on scape of craggy ranges, the valleys of which Our next ‘wow’ moment occurs when we red, orange and brown hues which along with are filled to their depths with calm waters. reach Hugo Bridge. This is an 85.5-metre sus- schist make up the rock colour palette of the Some riders, if they do not stop here and pension bridge that spans 28.6 metres above Central Otago canvas. look around, may miss a view of the Cairn- Specularite Creek. The bridge itself is spectac- muir Slide. The features we encounter along ular. The posts that make up the bridge towers After leaving Hugo bridge we continue to the trail involve ladders, slides and crossing are so huge my arms are not long enough to follow the lakeside trail which traverses past suspended boards … it is as if we are playing a wrap around them, and the structure is a historic ruins of the gold-mining era. I look game of snakes and ladders. Yet the structure work of art. The bridge was named after Hugh down into the water-filled valley and can still of the Cairnmuir Slide is definitely not a game Green (known as Hugo), an Irish philanthro- remember as a child visiting orchards beside but a seriously huge engineered terrace that pist and businessman who migrated to NZ the river; the trees that bore the region’s juici- stabilises the hillside to prevent an earthquake and was involved in civil engineering in the est apricots are now drowned by 40 metres of from triggering a mammoth slide that could region. His charitable trust helped fund this water for hydroelectric generation. We reach cause a wave that would overcome the Clyde bridge which is an incredible gift. Crossing a reserve and pass the dam before a bridge dam just downstream. I take some photos, the span is a celebration of engineering that takes us over to Clyde township – the end of and the shots of the paved terrace high on seems to fit comfortably into the rocky, grey our ride and the start of the Otago Central the hillside look more like a grandstand for and rust-coloured landscape. The colour of Rail Trail. Here we stop, put our bikes on the giants who may overlook us riders passing by. the rocks here is partly due to specularite (a vehicle’s rack and save the GPS tracking data type of hematite) an ore of iron and one of the for the app. Once home I map up the track With a GPS waypoint marked for the trig, for the Great Rides App, just in time to make it live for free downloading before the trail’s 12 grand opening. The big public opening day 134 NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle Trails Collector’s Edition 2022 has arrived. It’s a celebration for hundreds of riders and a new gift added to the Central Otago cycle trail network. At dusk the riding community returns home delighted with the new trail and happy in the knowledge that the following years will make way for the next two stages of the trail to join Queenstown and Wanaka. Once complete this epic network of rides will link five existing Great Rides creating a connection of 700km of off-road cycling. With the opening of this track and with more soon to come, it looks like Cen- tral Otago might need to be renamed as … Cycling Central. 12. The Cromwell Gorge is a rocky gem

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Advertorial Explore Otago’s network of trails W ith more than 300km of off-road cycle Clutha Gold Trail. James Jubb/Tourism Central Otago and walking trails, including 3 of the New Zealand’s Great Rides, Otago CLUTHA GOLD TRAIL Otago Central Rail Trail. has a trail for everyone - add in incredible 73KM, GRADE 1–2 (1–3 DAYS) Hayden Parsons / Central Otago Touring Route scenery, stunning wineries and cellar doors, spectacular heritage sites, art galleries, boutique Winding along the Clutha Mata-au River Lake Dunstan Trail. accommodation and great restaurants, and between Roxburgh and Lawrence, this easy Ross Mackay/ Tourism Central Otago you’ll wish you were staying longer. trail is the perfect way explore the stunning Roxburgh Gorge Trail. rural and riverside scenes of Central Otago’s Will Nelson/Tourism Central Otago Otago is a fantastic year-round cycling Teviot Valley. No matter which end you start, destination, with juicy fruit a summer high- this trail offers a real rural heartland experi- 137NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle trails Collector’s Edition 2022 light, in spring cycle alongside lambs, marvel ence combined with a wealth of gold mining at the colourful autumnal trees, and delight history. in the winter snow-dust. Dress for all the seasons, layers a must. ROXBURGH GORGE TRAIL 21 KM RIDE + 13KM BOAT The Central Otago community celebrated RIDE, GRADE 2–3 (1 DAY) the opening of the Lake Dunstan Trail in May 2021, adding another 55km of trails to The Roxburgh Gorge Trail is one of New the region. Zealand’s most visually spectacular day rides. Stretching between Alexandra and Lake Add in some non-cycle days to explore Roxburgh Hydro Dam the trail follows the more of the region offerings including wine Clutha Mata-au River past eroded bluffs and tours, mountain walks, helicopter rides, golf, old gold workings set amidst willows, native speeding on a river or racetrack. shrubs and fragrant thyme. The trail includes a highly memorable boat transfer and tour The new Central Otago Touring route in the middle (between Shingle Creek and complements the trails, adding a self drive Doctor Point), where you’ll be entranced by journey to explore the lower South by both the mining history of the trail – remember to trails and road. book the transfer before your ride. All trail details www.centralotagonz.com/tracks-and-trails/ LAKE DUNSTAN TRAIL 55KM, GRADE 1–3 (1–2 DAYS) NEW Otago Central Rail Trail. Miles Holden / Tourism New Zealand Traversing between Cromwell and Clyde, the 42 km trail winds along Lake Dunstan, OTAGO TRAILS Kawarau River and Clutha River Mata-au, , OTAGO CENTRAL RAIL TRAIL Bannockburn’s beautiful vineyards, and over 152KM, GRADE 1 (1–5 DAYS) breathtaking swing bridges. The region’s rich modern, pioneering and Maori historical New Zealand’s Original Great Ride offers stories are integrated along the way, some some of the best cycling in New Zealand. of which are brought to life in the Clyde and Open all year round- ride without traffic, Cromwell Historical Precinct. under Central Otago’s big skies surrounded by amazing landscapes and steeped in “South- ern Hospitality”. The Rail Trail offers you the chance to immerse yourself in the history and romance of the railway and the Otago gold rush, visiting many interesting townships along the way.

OTAGO Clutha Gold Trail TheofGSouldmemn Derays A caravan trip with a gentle cycle ride between Roxburgh and Millers Flat Story Gary Patterson Photos Gary Patterson or as credited 1 138 NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle Trails Collector’s Edition 2022

F or us, summer down in the far south only lasted a fortnight. While others around the country were facing droughts with their lawns becoming dustbowls, at the bottom of the country we were still mowing our lush green lawns and dealing with flooding. The high-pressure weather systems that seemed to overstay their welcome up north pushed wet weather systems along our southern flanks. So when our late ‘summer’ finally gave us some more settled weather, we, the Waka Wagoneers (it’s a name a few of us who live around Lake Wakatipu and enjoy camping together have coined for ourselves) sounded the bugle and charged our way into Otago’s interior. Our caravan leads out. It is Friday after- noon as we drive down a hot road with our little Anglo Imp caravan in tow. We pass Lakes Wakatipu, Dunstan and Roxburgh and park up at a much smaller pond known as Pinders, ironically located below the Umbrella Range. With an ideal camp spot found and caravan stays down, crackers and cheese come out as we wait in the sun for the other Wagoneers to join us. Next to arrive is our Imp twin, complete with kayaks and bikes, before the others of our party join us – all with bicycles and kayaks on board. What a find – this rec- reational reserve is literally a goldmine, but also a golden spot for campers. This scenic oasis is also popular with Teviot Valley locals who enjoy it for a weekend BBQ and swim. Pinders Pond’s dark waters are warm, being only a few hundred metres long and a hun- dred across. This is in contrast to its cooler cousin – the Clutha River – which rushes by in a swirling chill just metres away. The 30-metre deep pit that forms the pond is the result of gold-mining sluicing more than a hundred years ago; water from Lake Onslow far above was used to hydraulically sluice the gold-bearing gravels here. The venture lasted a few years fluctuating constantly between sinking or swimming, but eventually sank and the pond filled with groundwater, and now swimmers bob in its tepid waters. The evening is peaceful; the quiet broken only by rhythmic music strummed by some talented younger campers, the chatter of older motor- home folk, and our middle-aged clan talking late into the evening, not wanting to leave the welcome balmy evening air. 1. Riding along the trail beside the Clutha River 139NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle Trails Collector’s Edition 2022

2 Morning delivers a layer of low cloud half- their day. We have another coffee. way down the Umbrellas, although it is thin Eventually, our group is ready to ride. We 3 enough to see the outcrops high on the tops of the range. Our start is slow and we gather head off downstream beside the swift river 2. The Teviot stone woolshed ruins are massive for breakfast before getting our bike gear current which I suspect is flowing along 3. Summer harvest by the trail together. The campsite is in a prime position faster than our gentle pedalling propels us. 4. Millers Flat Bakery Museum is a treat on the trail, and as we sit eating breakfast The Clutha River is not only the swiftest river 5. The longest baker’s peel I have ever seen beside our caravans we can hear the crunch in the country, but also carries the greatest 6. The oven cranking and ready to go of tyres on gravel a couple of metres away as volume of water and is the second longest. 140 NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle Trails Collector’s Edition 2022 several cyclists pedal past making the most of After travelling 330 kilometres, the river dis- charges 300 cubic metres of water per second into the Pacific Ocean – an Olympic-sized swimming pool of water every four seconds! Our group spreads out into clusters of cou- ples, chatting and cycling as we catch up with each other after several months since our last ‘waka wagoneering’ trip at the start of spring. Occasionally we all meet up to wait for others and enjoy trailside fruit treats. One of these spots is particularly fruitful as we all park up beside a plum tree with branches dripping in yellow ripe fruit hanging over the track. This is my sort of foraging! I do not even have to hop off my seat to enjoy this bounty. We pick a couple of extra plums each for the jour- ney and continue on our way. Further downstream, with juices still drip- ping from the corners of our mouths, we start to pass buildings and reach the outskirts of Millers Flat. Millers Flat is a pleasant village on the opposite bank of the Clutha River from the highway and connected by a historic blue bridge. We all park up next to the tiny museum in the 100-year-old bakery building.

4 56 This is where history and yeast come to life This shovel-shaped device is called a ‘baker’s artefacts from the old store days displayed out in the town formally known as Oven Hill. peel’ – derived from the French word ‘pelle’ or the back of the café which is worth exploring. We expect just a collection of local relics and shovel. This one is several metres long … so black-and-white photos inside; however, the that’s one super deep oven. We peer through After a lunch that ticked all the boxes, we museum has two parts. Beyond the stone the small holes of the oven door; its roaring head back to our campsite and on the way wall covered with pictures of gold dredges furnace emits a deep orange glow and dry hot make a small detour to see the Teviot stone and steam trains is a working bakery. We air. This place is fascinating and we revel in woolshed ruins. We ride across the farmland are drawn in by the smell and warmth ema- every new detail we discover. The museum’s until we see parts of the stone walls rising out nating from the hot oven in this rear room. historian talks to us about the way the bakery of the green pasture on private land. It would This place is authentic, heritage hangs here. is still in use occasionally and tonight’s bread have been a massive structure in the 1870s, On our left are large loaves of dough proving is for a large tour group coming to visit. and at 137 x 47 metres it is the largest stone on trays, the centre wall has a cranking-hot ruins in New Zealand. By now it is mid-after- wood-fired oven, while hanging overhead is With tummies rumbling from the smell of noon, the day has warmed up and feels very a long oar. This is no place for paddling, and fresh bread, we head next door for lunch at summery. We arrive back at camp and change on closer inspection the implement turns out Fagan’s café and store – this store is even older into our swimwear for a dip in the pond – the to be the longest oven paddle I have ever seen. than the bakery. The original building was water is unbelievably warm. Normally I can constructed decades earlier. They also have only last seconds in our southern lakes but 141NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle Trails Collector’s Edition 2022

Stats 20km (Section 2), Easy (Grade 2) Official Links: cluthagold.co.nz Great Rides App: Use App logo and QR Code together here I float about for ages with the others, and we wander down to the pond edge to check camp to read and walk in solitude. It is mid-af- enjoying the sensation of summer as it washes the eel trap. A smallish eel has been lured in ternoon and we are loving the summer heat. over me, before retiring to the shore for a overnight by the smell of raw meat. After some In the late afternoon, we regroup, swim with refreshing drink and nibbles. Inevitably the oohs and aahs from our small group, and final our new friend Neil the Eel, and sit around to topic of eels comes up, and after some spec- confirmation that there are indeed eels in our share our day’s varied adventures. ulation on the presence of eels in the pond, swimming pool, the eel is released and we one of our group produces an eel trap … evi- return to our morning preparations. As the weekend draws to a close it becomes dently this is essential holidaying equipment increasingly difficult to find the motivation to for some. As evening falls the trap is set and Today we decide to split up for activities. leave Pinders Pond. For me, it seems that if we the campsite ambience is perfect – a couple Some drive the gravel road up to the tops and leave here, we would be leaving our preciously of dozen vehicles parked up together for the to Lake Onslow to spend the morning kayak- short summer, the only summer weekend we night – a peaceful Pinders Pond. ing, fishing and exploring. Others ride along have had all ‘summer’. After procrastinating as the trail towards Roxburgh Dam to forage for long as possible, we decide to enjoy another The next morning dawns warm and bright trailside apricots, while another remains at evening in this special spot and depart early in the morning to make it back in time for work. So we spend another balmy warm eve- ning chatting with friends under a starry sky. It is sweet. Monday morning, before sun up, our party breaks camp and the cavalcade trundles west from Pinders Pond to return home totally refreshed. The extra night makes it feel as though we have been away a week. The time we’ve spent, just minutes from the town of Roxburgh, was like a true summer retreat. It was our short break in our short summer. Now, as we hunker down at home during the Covid-19 threat, there’s fresh snow on the tops, rain on the lake and we reflect grate- fully on our one summer getaway and make plans to return to this truly golden spot. 7 7. Relaxing after riding beside Pinders Pond 142 NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle Trails Collector’s Edition 2022

Advertorial Millers Flat to Lawrence (44.1km cycle or walk) JMILLERS FLAT TO BEAUMONT (24.7KM CYCLE OR WALK) current 73km track to a total of 136km, from Lawrence to Waihola, ourney on through pastoral farmland, and onto the remote and via Milton. beautiful Beaumont Gorge, meeting up with the State Highway 8 at the Beaumont Bridge. En route, visit the historic Horseshoe Bend Some of the highlights of the extension include riding through the suspension bridge which was constructed in 1913. Once a popular gold Manuka Gorge along State Highway 8, and through the two historic mining area, one of the miner’s children needed to cross the river to get railway tunnels. Cyclists will follow the old railway line for quite a bit of to the school who originally crossed the Clutha River in a wire cage. the way, and then riders will go across the three-storey railway viaduct over Falla Burn Road which will soon have a new bridge constructed on For added intrigue, a short detour from the suspension bridge it, before descending to the Mt Stuart reserve. The Mt Stuart Reserve, reveals the site of the famed ‘Lonely Graves’. Located beside the trail an area that’s been a real highlight to many people in this area and two graves lie. Gold miner William Rigney found the body of a young now it will be a place for families to came and park up and take short man in the Clutha River, which he buried here with the headstone rides on the trail. marked ‘Somebody’s Darling lies buried here’ memorialising all those who died lonely deaths on the goldfields. In 1912, William died and was buried next to ‘Somebody’s Darling’. BEAUMONT TO LAWRENCE (19.4KM CYCLE OR WALK) From Beaumont, the trail begins its climb towards the highest point of the trail and on through Big Hill Tunnel. Sheer hard work and deter- mination saw up to 100 men form a tunnel 22 chains or 434 metres in length. Rumour has it that gold was found in the quartz. Beyond the tunnel descend into lush green farmland, crossing the highway several times. Along the way, see reminders of the area’s history: the discovery of gold, the milling of flax fibre for rope making (Evans Flat). As you approach Lawrence, you will find the historic Chinese Gold Camp. Established during the gold rush of the 1860’s, the camp was occupied by Chinese goldminers and their families. Today the restoration of the camp has begun in earnest. When you arrive into the Lawrence township, head out to Gabriel’s Gully (3km) where Gabriel Read first discovered gold in May 1861 which was the start of the Otago gold rush. Walk the Interpretative Track, an easy to moderate 80-minute walk. Ride past the turn off to Gabriels Gully and you will arrive at Greys Dam, providing a great backdrop for picnics. Lawrence is where the Clutha Gold Trail currently begins (travelling north) or ends (travelling south). Otago’s first gold-rush town, Law- rence at the height of its gold fever had a population of 11,500, double Dunedin’s population at the time; it was one of the largest communities in the country. Nestled in the rolling hills of Clutha District, with a range of eateries, it’s a great place to stop for a refreshment stop with a number of cafes. A number of restored heritage accommodation options cater for all budgets and tastes. EXTENSION OF THE TRAIL The extension of the Clutha Gold Trail from Lawrence to Waihola is well underway. The new section of the Great Ride will expand the

SOUTHLAND Garston 1 Welcome Rock Trails AWelcome Return Stunning mountain vistas on the ride to Welcome Rock Story + Photos Gary Patterson or as credited 2 144 NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle Trails Collector’s Edition 2022

I was welcomed to Welcome Rock long 3 4 before the trail of the same name appeared was thinking. His persistence in the days, the the track itself so much, but lasting memories on the high-country hills behind Garston. winters, and the years ahead to bring life to can reside with a good setting, great charac- It just so happened several years ago that the Roaring Lion trail is legendary. ters and well-crafted storytelling. Like any our neighbour was the sister of the station good story, the start of this ride immediately owner, and she invited me to their farm after The build was both tough and rewarding grips one’s attention with a small hillclimb to I returned from overseas cycling adventures. work with plenty of laughs along the way. reach the highest point of the trail at Welcome I soon learnt from meeting Tom and Katie Early on I remember using a clinometer to Rock. The Rock is a prominent schist outcrop O’Brien (the owners) that his father Des had the measure the trail gradients. We had agreed at 1000 metres altitude on top of the range. vision to destock a thousand hectares of their the trail slopes would be no more than five Regular stopping points (or breathing points high-country land for a conservation reserve degrees (1:11) but soon realised that Tom for for some) like the one at the Rock are like over 30 years ago. Their family had a dream that the past few weeks had been looking through the introduction of a new chapter with the one day they could share their scenic highlands the device at the percentage indicator – in narrator, in the form of interpretation panels with others. After brief introductions, I was parts the track is slacker than planned. Mis- telling us of the characters that once passed by driven up the hill in a trusty old Landrover to haps like these offered comic relief during the here. The trail winds around the Rock’s base assess the recreational potential of the area … hard yakka of pick swinging. Readers may be and you can clamber up to a rock turret to and potential it had in droves. wondering why we slaved away manually overlook three river catchments. The outcrop without the use of an excavator. We decided was once a known trading post for prospec- Initially, I was almost literally blown away early on that handcrafting would give more tors and travellers and if you look closely you by the gales on the top, as well as figuratively time to determine the line, reduce the impact can read the words of Clement Davis who by the grand views west over the Eyre Moun- of the benching on the land, and offer respect- said that: tains. Then, upon cresting the Slate Range, ful care to the historic water-race berm. Like I became even more excited by the snaking generations before us, we worked and walked arcs of the historic water race, the original in the footsteps of the original race builders. raceman’s sod hut, and the potential of con- We wielded pick and shovel as they did 120 necting these features with a grand loop track. years ago, while way below us the Around the In Queenstown, downhill bike trails are more Mountains Cycle Trail was taking shape; they numerous than my digits, yet I could not too, hard at work but with wheels, tracks and point to a nearby purpose-built cross-country roller machines. ride. I was hooked by the cycling potential of the O’Brien’s vast highlands. My head reeled Whatever way a trail is built, it should late at night with the amazing possibilities of convey a story. Whether you are on foot or this tussocky clean slate. pedalling the journey, the tale should reveal itself as it might unfold from the pages of a I was not alone in my late-night ponder- good book. In time one may not remember ing, and within a few months the O’Briens committed their all to the project. After work- ing through the necessary consents, the pipe dreams of a couple of lads were unbelievably becoming a reality. So on one autumnal day Seven years ago Tom parked up the trusty tractor, gathered hand tools from the shed and headed for the hills. We were really start- ing! Looking back now it seems a ludicrous plan; a farmer with no trail-building experi- ence deciding to use a shovel for two years to form a private 21-kilometre walking and cycling trail. What were we thinking? Sure, I could help out every week or so, but the real- ity of the enormous job was in the hands of my mate and a few willing workers. On day one of the build, after managing to grub out just 40 metres of a 20,960-metre half-mara- thon mission, I seriously wondered what Tom 1. Riding down toward the Mataura Valley (Ben Arthur, Artistic Photography) 2. Taking in the views while walking the trail (Ben Arthur, Artistic Photography) 3. A natural gateway on the water race before trail construction 4. The first ride of a small section of trail during construction 5. There were some cold days up on the hill 5 6 6. We had a few helpers in building the trail 145NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle Trails Collector’s Edition 2022

78 “it took me one hour and a half from the gold in 1862. With limited tools, the pros- This is an ideal spot for lunch or optionally Saddle to the Welcome Rock, so-called because pectors improvised by hollowing out a river overnighting, but I pedal onwards to unearth of a small spring of water that issues from it. On log to sluice the wet gravels, and extracted more of the plot. either side, the ranges rose above and below me. the coarse nuggety loot. During the ensuing I arrived at the Rock and was forced to have a alluvial gold rush, water races were built to After a small climb the trail curves back spell, but the lovely scenery well repaid me for service the sluicing guns to open up the valley above a vast basin of beech forest into the area my exertions. On my left hand was the East and floor. More recently, opencast methods have known as ‘The Flumings’. Here there are mas- Centre Dome; to the South, I recognised several been employed. sive broken steel flume pipes flung around the old friends in the Mts Hamilton and Brown uneven terrain like pickup sticks on the floor of the Takitimos; the West Dome also showed There is no more of a lasting legacy in of a child’s bedroom. There is no more obvi- its top while the base was enshrouded with a the landscape of these mining endeavours ous place to witness the past struggles of men nasty vapour. Turning westward I counted six than that of the Roaring Lion water race shovelling along 47 kilometres of tough high distinct ranges towering skywards, one above just around the corner from this hollowed country to build the water race. In 1898, 30 the other, their bold rocky peaks clearly defined tree trunk. Here the trail is on the water race men painstakingly took three years to cut this against the blue sky; at the same time the set- itself and traverses the folds of the landscape deep trench that eventually allowed water to ting sun adding to their beauty by bathing them often disappearing into small guts in the slope flow at 800 litres/second to the sluicing guns. in many different colours. Below, in the valley before reappearing ahead. Cycling the curves At the time there were reports of the impos- of the Mataura, were many homesteads sur- of the race has a precious allure – there are no sibility of taming the Roaring Lion Creek, to rounded with golden grain. Everything was so straight lines here as mirrored in my widening bring it over the Nevis Saddle to the lower peaceful and quiet that not a sound was to be smile. I ride along on the high and dry berm Nokomai goldfield. In this exact spot, workers heard” (Clement Davis, 1886). wall. It’s as if the race builders had cycling made several attempts to stabilise the water in mind. My tyres weave between tussocks race but were hampered by subsiding grav- History, like gathering clouds, blankets the – this is riding bliss. After about a couple of els. Finally, the water was funnelled across the tops here. Legend has it that a bottle of whisky kilometres, the soddy form of the Mud Hut landslip in the same large and now rusting was placed under the Rock to warm those is reached; it’s a restored raceman’s hut and pipes which the Welcome Rock trail passes traders that were left out in the elements; we it’s as authentic as the day the racemen left. over and under. I stop for a moment to get have kept this tradition alive for trail users who can scavenge for the bottle for a wee 9 dram before descending. Back to the present. Riding the trail, I drop from the top of the range and my wheels pick up pace. The ride just gets better as I squeeze between the nat- ural rock gateways, tussock turns and past a hut aptly fitted with an outdoor bath from which to enjoy the intimate glow of dim- ming sunsets. At the end of the range, the trail gradient eases and turns east toward the Nokomai; here I stop at the next chapter of this classic. A hollowed out log lies long- ways. It is accompanied by a pick, shovel, tin bucket and the narration of the mining heritage of the Nokomai. It was one of the country’s longest-running gold fields and it is all laid out before me. I cast my eye down the valley and pick out a dark shadow cast by Victoria Gully, where three prospectors from the Victoria Australia goldfields discovered 146 NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle Trails Collector’s Edition 2022

Stats 27km Intermediate Trail (Grade 3) Official Links: www.welcomerock.co.nz Great Rides App: Download the app free from the App Stores down and open a chest of relics on the side sarking for the hut ceiling. Lee Lum lived in monument of sorts for those that enjoyed the of the trail. As I look up 30 heads are staring this hut until 1925 and every second day he first recreational pursuit on the Slate Range. back at me. These are the heads of shovels, would meet up with fellow raceman Jimmy Finishing the ride and coming full circle upturned with their handles in the ground, Long from the hut we know as the Mud Hut. I reflect on the time we spent creating our the row of them weaving along the berm of One day Lee failed to meet with Jimmy, so dreams. For me, it was a time of building both one of these abandoned races – it’s an arty Jimmy strolled along the race wall to Lee’s a friendship and a track. For trail users our way to represent the toil of the 30 men, who hut to investigate. He opened the hut door efforts allow them to delve between the wrin- made a living in the ditch, all sweaty and dirty. to find Lee sitting in a corner on his bed. The kles of landscape and time. It’s an opportunity next thing Jimmy knew he was six or seven for walkers and wheelers to hear yesteryear’s The trail leads north along the water race, miles away reporting to the mine manager the whispers in the deepest recesses of the water ducking under bluffs, and rising high along following: race bends, to glory in the scenery and escape stone stacked revetments that bind together to another time. Those that share in this story, keeping the race as one. After I pass a cascad- “Me look at him, he look dead, me speak create their own narrative path. It’s a welcom- ing waterfall I arrive at the former residence to him, he no answer, me shake him – one ing journey not taken at pace, but gently like of Lee Lum – the remains of a raceman’s shack eye open, me get fright me run all the way to the flow of distant waters reaching riches in still visible amongst the scrub. Four racemen’s Nokomai.” the fullness of time. huts were located along the Roaring Lion water race at ideal intervals for maintenance The police and a local farmer gathered a 7. The rock garden is a challenge to negotiate works. The racemen constantly made repairs horse and cart to bring the dead man out for 8. Looking down from the trail into the to the waterway to maximise the flow to the an inquest and burial. They got him outside Mataura Valley and Eyre Mountains (Ben sluicing guns far below. Life as a raceman on the hut door and looked up at the impossi- Arthur, Artistic Photography) the Roaring Lion was a solitary existence for ble task of getting him up the very steep and 9. Riding to the historic Mud Hut (Ben Arthur, the Chinese men. Far from their homeland untracked hillside. Only one way they reck- Artistic Photography) of the Canton Delta of southern China, they oned. They got a horse and rope and proceed lived alone in the high country for months to drag the dead man up the hillside to the 147NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle Trails Collector’s Edition 2022 on end hoping to improve the lives of their cart waiting on the Nevis Road! families upon return to their homeland. I leave poor Lee Lum’s ruined quarters and The racemen’s quarters were small and continue the circuit to the Nevis Road and dark, most had gardens to grow fresh pro- then back to the start of the trail at the historic duce during the warmer months. In winter, Southland Ski Club hut perched just below wood for cooking and heating was delivered the welcoming rock. Legend has it that the ski by floating it down the race. Sacks of rice hut was located at this site some distance from were painstakingly carried in, rice cooked the ski field because that is where the truck with fowl, and the hessian sacks reused as dragging it up here broke down. It’s one of the oldest surviving ski huts in the country, a

Advertorial Walk & Cycleway, Otago Peninsula 148 NZToday RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle trails Collector’s Edition 2022