Plan C: Molesworth

Road and off road tour over Labour Weekend

Julie, Thomas and Andrew 
Photo credits: good photos are most likely Julie or Thomas'

Rainbow Road; an enticing and slightly daunting stretch of road through some isolated South Island back country.  Having gazed at it on the map more than a few times I finally got around to planning a trip through a month or so back, however bad weather forced a change of plans.  Fortunately, a few weeks later Julie and Thomas are kind enough to invite me along for a stretched Labour weekend they have worked out.  

Their cunning plan is Thursday morning: ferry to Picton, Coastal Pacific train down past Kaikoura for a drop off at Mina Station and bike inland to Waiau for the night. Friday: head to Hanmer for supplies and on to the St James Cycleway making a supply drop on the way. Saturday: complete the St James and head over the Saddle to the Rainbow Valley and camp or stay at a hut.  Sunday: head down the Rainbow with a diversion up to the ski-field(!) and out to St Arnaud or Tophouse. Monday: down the Wairau Valley and back to Picton.  

It sounds fantastic and, although a bit daunted about tagging along with two such experienced bikers, I can't resist.  Besides there should be lots of tips to pick up and hopefully I won't jeopardise the trip by bringing the wrong gear or not being fit enough.  A pre-meet provides the opportunity to pick their brains and amend my packing list.

During the preceding week the weather forecast predicts a low to be pushing gale-force westerlies across the South Island with thunderstorms dumping rain on the West Coast and up into the central mountains where snow is promised. Our proposed route is into the middle of this, but tickets are booked so no backing out now.

Thursday 24 October

We rendezvous at the Bluebridge Ferry terminal for the 0800 sailing.  It's cold, grey and raining and the dire forecast for the next few days looks set to be born out.

The crossing is smooth and provides a chance to finesse the plan and contingency variants.  We have a little time in Picton, so get enough supplies to see us through to Hanmer and some second hand reading material before fronting up at the station.  There's a crowd of Christchurch school children returning from a 'camp' at the Wellington YHA; they are noisy but pretty well behaved and fortunately have a carriage to themselves.

A fine figure of a cyclist; Picton Station

Thomas turns out to have the same bike as me, but his is a little older and has seen a lot more service; sweat has eaten through the paint in places and started on the frame.  Few of the original parts seem to remain and it bears the signs of polished wear that are the hall marks of much used and cherished tools.  Mine has clearly not seen enough service.

The train arrives late and the announcer gives a number of good reasons including earthquake damage to tracks around Seddon, and someone putting something on the tracks near Blenheim.  The bikes go in the luggage van at the back and we head forward to carriage S passing X then U on the way: yes this train officially "SUX."  We wonder if this is an accident or if someone at the station has a warped sense of humour.

It's about 4 hours to Mina so we settle in with food, maps and the paper.

Cycle touring

The weather clears as we head south although the wind is strong.  The countryside is mostly bare farmland but there's a lot to look at that you don't see as well from the road; the saltpans at Grassmere, bird life around various ponds and an increasingly stunning day as we reach the coast to see seals basking in the sun.

The sea is a stunning green with the wind whipping spray off the surface.  We watch for the crossing over the Clarence River which we will be seeing more off in the next few days. When it finally comes in sight it is high, wide and turbid, promising grim weather in the mountains.

On the coast, but for the wind you would think the forecast was wrong.  However ... as the coastal hills open up around Kaikoura the view up to the mountains tells a different story.  Steely clouds are gathered around the peaks and promise harsh treatment of anyone foolish enough to want to travel west.

Clouds to the west promise high winds and foul weather

After the final tunnel, the tracks turn inland just south of the Hunderlee Hills which are bright with broom in flower.  I have never seen such a display; the colour is slightly lighter than gorse and it's dense and it's everywhere.  Each shrub is dripping with yellow blossoms so that you can barely see any green. Julie notes that the introduced broom is common around railways and wonders if it could be spread by trains.

The train manager swings by, he is quite a smooth operator and works the carriage to make sure everyone feels at home and are fully aware of the services available in the cafe car.  He assures us the train will not only slow down at Mina but will in fact stop to let us off.  Thomas has the inspired idea of a cheese board which nicely sees off the time until disembarking.

A bit before 6, the train stops carefully at Mina as the 'platform' is so short it is easily missed.  We clamber down, pass the bikes out and watch as the train rumbles away with school children waving through the windows.  A minute later we are on our own next to a small fibrelight shed listening to the westerly whistling through the trees and contemplating what the next 50km are going to be like.

Where!?

The first four kms are with the wind into Cheviot so pass easily.

Heading for Cheviot

Dust storms up the Waiau

The next 16 km up SH 1 (crossing the Waiau en-route) has a fierce cross wind, then the dreaded moment arrives when we turn west up Leader Road East for about 30km travel into the teeth of the wind.  Despite this, the farm valley itself is quiet and orderly; the narrow road meanders up and down to a low saddle (260m) where it morphs into Leader Road West but not before I have to stop to repair a puncture. My brand new tyres are Armadillos and supposedly highly puncture resistant, however I suspect the very old inner tube is at fault, no problem though I am carrying two spares.  Thomas does some sort of slight of hand which sees the tyre mysteriously removed in a split second and we are soon back on the road.

The first casualty

Where East meets West

It's 20:30 and on dark as we roll down the delightful final swoop into Waiau.  The motor camp is easy to find and looks very presentable with deep white gravel around tidy looking cabins.  Checked in, we find the rooms a little rougher inside but perfectly serviceable.  Once we have dined and washed we decide to skip a trip to the pub or watching a large selection of VHS videos on the small screen TV.  Not for the first time in this area (Cheviot too) there is a boil water notice on so we take a bit of time to do so to allow it time to cool before topping up our bottles in the morning.

Waiau Motor Camp

At this point, a word about food.  One of the things that I am interested in discovering is what type of victuals seasoned light-weight bikers stretch to. Dinner tonight is casserole from a tin with precooked rice; pretty good so far but there wont be a microwave for the next few days and we aren't carrying a stove ...

Friday

One of the permanent  residents starts shambling around noisily before 0600, so we are up before the alarm. The chap is a well retired wool sorter and doesn't say much but looks like he's lived a pretty hard life.  There is also a slightly younger Maori women who is chatty and seems to do most of the cleaning.  A third chap has distinguished himself by passing out drunk in the lounge last night to the slight bemusement of two young European women. 

The map shows a choice of the main road or an interesting back road (Leslie Hills Road) to SH 7 so there's no real decision required.  We follow Leslie Hills Road towards the grey hills with the rising sun at our backs throwing up rainbows ahead.  There's little traffic and before too long the road turns to well formed gravel.  The wind is generally helpful so we skip along.

Crossing the Mason River

Leslie Hills Road

Our route crosses the Waiau River just before reaching SH 7, we are startled to find the middle of the bridge is sagging alarmingly such that you roll down into a dip (ignoring the rebar sticking out of the shattered concrete on the sides) and up the other side. You have to admire the confidence of the engineer that said Broke-Back-Bridge is still usable by vehicles of up to 4 tonnes.  Below, the river is swollen, fast and the grey of pulverised rock.

As we travel carefully up the busy Lewis Pass Road towards Hanmer, Thomas and Julie introduce me to the delight of Bumper Bars.  Until now I have sworn by OSMs as the fuel for heroic feats but the Bumper Bar has oaty goodness as well as enough white chocolate to stick it all together and tastes much better.  They may have forever tainted my enjoyment of the humble OSM.

It's raining heavily as we cruise the last 9km from the highway into Hanmer a little after 1000.  Fortunately the cafe that catches our eye is Mumbles, it turns out to have a good selection of very good food and everything seems to come in one size: 'as big as your head.'  Julie, being the consummate Wellingtonian orders two buckets of coffee and a head sized date scone.  Thomas is probably still talked about in awe struck tones around Hanmer; he puts away a Herculean slice of cheesecake, a slice of carrot cake (as big as your head), a cold meat pie from the supermarket, a large slice of bacon and egg pie and a pastry with cream from a bakery up the road.

Julie and fat tyred bike at Mumbles

Lunch; part two

As we finish, the rain stops mucking around and starts in earnest.  It's touch and go for a bit with some dissident talk of an afternoon in the hot pools and seeing what it's like in the morning.  Just in time (1230) the rain eases and we head off as the sun breaks through.

Hot pools or hours of wet biking ...

It's worth having a look at the topo map for the area as there are some large rivers that have their sources in these rugged mountains and flow to the East Coast at Blenheim (Wairau River), Clarence (Clarence River) and Cheviot (Waiau River).  Despite the head waters being within 5kms of each other at one point, it is over 190km by road between where SH 1 crosses the Wairau and the Waiau.

Just north of Hanmer, the Clarence forms a rough 'U' with Mt Isobel in the Hanmer Range between the bottom of the U and the township.  You can cross over via Jack's Pass (west flank of Mt Isobel) or Jollie's Pass (east flank).  Once at the bottom of the U you can turn left and travel north towards the headwaters of the Clarence (Lake Tennyson) passing the St James Range (and the cycle way) on your left, and eventually over Island Saddle to the Rainbow Road and on to the Wairau. Or ... you can turn right and travel north east down river to where the Acheron River (and access to Blenheim) joins.  In other words, the Clarence flows south towards Mt Isobel (bottom of the U), turns east where first the road from Jack's Pass then the road from Jollie's Pass meet it before it turns north east away from Hanmer.

We are taking Jack's Pass and the road up is steepish in places; a bit of a haul but not too bad. A handful of cars pass so we are pretty much free to zigzag our way up undisturbed.  The flats around Hanmer catch the sun behind us as we head towards the clouds.  Julie zips ahead and is a little unsympathetic towards Thomas' more sedate pace as she catalogues the food he is carrying internally.

Almost there

Top of Jack's pass, Hanmer behind to the left

With the wind whipping through the pass, we pause only briefly for a few record shots before the short descent to the Clarence River, passing onto the largest farm in NZ; the Molesworth Station, shortly before reaching the bottom.  The Molesworth is owned by the Government (Dept of Conversation) and farmed under lease by Landcorp so there is pretty good public access. We turn left and follow the wide gravel road up beside the grey and swollen Clarence River.

By the numbers - bottom of Jacks Pass

The St James Cycleway is located in a conservation area to the west of Molesworth Station.  It starts about 26km north of here, near Island Saddle, and travels first west over Maling Pass into the Waiau catchment then south down the Waiau River, before leaving it to travel east up the Edward River and over a low pass to rejoin the Clarence River a few kilometres from the Jack's Pass Road.  Got that?  Never mind - what it means is that the southern end of the St James is not far from where we meet the Clarence and the northern end is much further up the valley.

Originally the plan was to travel up the Clarence to the north end of the St James and come south (the normal route).  However the one possibly dicey river crossing is near the south end of the route so we have decided to do it in reverse (i.e. if the crossing is impassable we don't have to back track quite so far).

As we travel up the valley it becomes clear that the demarcation between the rugged weather in the west and the merely windy weather in the east seems to be about the line of the road we are on. The line keeps shifting east and west, so whilst on the road we see a lot of sun, but once we turn west onto the St James, things deteriorate.

Sometimes the going is good

St James - 4WD entry; southern end

There are two ways into the Edward River and the southern section of the St James.  We take the northern 4WD track which should be quicker travel. It is easy to find and the climb is mild, but in places the mud is just too much for Thomas' and my roadcross tyres.  Julie with her knobblies has no problems and steams ahead.

Heading into the St James

When we regroup it is to discover that Thomas has a puncture so we hunker under a bank to do the repairs.

The second casualty

It's much better weather looking the other way
Horrible stream somewhere in the background

Ahead to the west the hills are grey with rain and the wind pushes it into our faces.  It looks pretty grim but we decide to push on as the river in the valley below doesn't seem too large.  At the top of the pass the track takes a steep descent and turns into a farm track; muddy, rutty and with scattered Matagouri (mind the thorns).

There are three significant stream crossings marked on our map.  The first crossing of the Edwards River is not too bad; knee high, swift and turbid but we link up and carry the bikes over one by one without any problems. 

First crossing - so far so good

The second (Sadds Stream) is narrower and also swift but easily navigated.  The last crossing however gives us pause.  Edward River is now wide and fast flowing. We review the situation: The hut is not far from here (<3km); the hardest crossing is past the hut; the weather is likely to get worse so we could get stuck between the two crossings.  We turn back.

Third crossing; Yeah? - Nah!

The wind chases us back up the valley with a double rainbow ahead.  Predictably the weather wins the race and the promising blue sky ahead disappears. What was a down hill ride from the pass is a trudge back up beside the bikes.

Top of the trudge

At the top we turn right to take the alternate route back to the Clarence River via the new formed track. It's a beautiful ride albeit a bit soft with all the rain. The wind is now helping us along at a great rate and we almost outpace the rain.

Sweet new single track - the rain catches up soon after this shot

At the southern end of the St James is the Homestead.  Here there is a car park, a cluster of buildings and a DoC toilet. As we pull in a young women is hopping out of her car and getting onto her bike.  She is planning to head up the valley and come down through the St James.  After our warning about the rivers she decides to go in the same way as us to take a look. She has little gear and no jacket. We don't see her again but her car is gone by morning so she clearly made it.

After the strategic retreat from the St James we agree it is sensible to assume that the road through the Rainbow is likely to be dicey with snow on the pass, swollen river crossings and the possibility of slips.  Molesworth it will have to be.  Although we know we can make Hanmer tonight, that would mean climbing back over one of the passes tomorrow.  There is an empty concrete block hut which doesn't actually have a sign saying no camping so we take that as an invitation and appropriate it for the evening.

Home for the night

Inside is warm from what sun has come through during the day and someone has left some old carpets in one room.  The bikes go in the other and we get organised into our sleeping bags to warm up.

Dinner is cold baked beans, pita bread and cold precooked rice.  OK, it may not sound particularly appetising but it goes down just fine.  My breakfast the next morning is worse; cold New World pick-and-mix porridge which tastes worse than it sounds, despite the occasional bit of dried fruit.

With the cold, rain and mucking about in rivers we have only travelled 93km today and everyone is tired.  Conversation soon tails off into sleep and the night is disturbed only by the wind in the trees and chimney and the odd car (god knows what they are doing out here).  We are mildly paranoid that someone is going to turn up and demand to know what we are think we are doing, but figure they can't kick us out now.

Saturday

Another grey day. We now have neighbours in the nearby hut who turn out to be a DoC worker with family and friends up for the weekend.  The kids are wandering around wearing buggerall in the cold wind and despite the fresh dusting of snow on the hills.  We chat briefly before heading off on plan C; down the Clarence to the Acheron and north to Blenheim.

Note the obscured tike in shorts

Although the clouds keep threatening to spill over us from the west, once we leave the St James behind the rain fades away.

The wind is finally friendly; pushing us down valley.  We pass the road to Jack's Pass (4km) then a while later the road to Jollies Pass (nearly 10 km).  There's a bit of rain but nothing to worry about.  A van passes; inside the driver has a microphone and is clearly regaling his passengers with facts about the countryside.  We leap frog them down the valley as they stop to look at various landmarks.

By the numbers - bottom of Jollies

A DoC worker stops for a chat and notes that he will be coming back through later and will keep an eye out for us.  He's an older chap and quite happy to talk.  As he pulls away we remember that we should have given him our coffee orders.

After 21 km the road crosses the Clarence River just above (south of) the confluence with the Acheron River.  Here the historic Acheron Accommodation House (1862) sits beside a gate which has been locked for the winter, until today.  Our van load of people are wandering through while the tour leader pours tea from a thermos so we leave them to it and climb the terrace to follow the Acheron River up towards its head waters.  The wind is no longer friendly and gets steadily stronger, once or twice bringing us to a standstill. Cattle run ahead of us and there are a surprising number of vehicles.

Acheron Accommodation House and normally locked gate

As we travel north the grass on the hillsides becomes more sparse.  Apparently the weed Heracium (Hawksweed) has taken over the hills, after over-grazing by sheep in the past.  There is a tinge of green on some of the slopes that suggests there is some grass coming back but mostly its grey and bare looking.  They don't run any sheep now, just 10,000 head of cattle which stick to the flats therefore leaving the slopes to recover (I suspect it will take generations).

Crossing the Yarra on the way up the Acheron

The DoC worker turns up again and stops for a chat.  He points to a Paradise duck by the river trying to lure us away from her nest and answers a few questions (apparently there are 10,000 cattle and 14 goats on the Station, but I may have misheard or he could have been pulling our legs).  Shortly after we come across a well built shelter at the top of a rise looking north towards Isolation Flat; neatly coinciding with lunch time.  We gather our supplies and have a good repast looking over the stunning view.  Although described as a shelter it is completely open to the cold wind that cuts through it like a knife.  It is sunny but I'm shivering by the time we remount to travel the short distance down to the confluence of the Severn and Acheron Rivers.

Lunch time 'shelter'

From the map it looks like you can follow the Severn then Alma Rivers to reach the Wairau River and Rainbow Road via a low pass, however that might be the subject for another adventure.  Today we follow the road across the Severn and up a short climb to Isolation Pass which looks north-east up the expanse of Isolation Flat.  The downhill is followed by the wind pushing the bikes hard across the plain and the easiest riding of the whole day.

Isolation pass, Isolation Flat behind

To infinity and beyond - Isolation Flat

At the top end of the flats the road crosses the Saxton then Acheron Rivers before a steep grunt up Ward Pass.  We leave behind the barren mountains circling sparsely vegetated flats and enter the upper Awatere Valley.  Although the mountains in the distance are still snow-flecked and grim, the valley itself is civilised and green.  The valley bottom however is hilly; dead hilly.

Sweating it up Ward Pass.  Acheron R and Isolation Flats behind

Slightly sped up ...

Another pass bites the dust

The road wanders up and down and up.  A herd of horses mill about as we pass, looking on with some interest but not coming too close; they seem to behave as a social unit and I wonder if they are pretty much left to their own devices, although they do look very well looked after.

The green, hilly and horsey Awatere Valley

Eventually we pass through a gate that marks the end of the Molesworth and shortly after, the cob cottage and camp area.  The cob cottage has been restored after suffering indignities such as being licked to death by cattle after the salt in the white wash.

Cob Cottage

A flock of motorcyclists are just gearing up to head into the Molesworth and start roaring off one by one soon after we arrive.  They have come down from Wellington and are heading through to Hamner, no doubt for a few beers, a soak and some good yarns about the day's riding.  Thomas wanders over and strikes up a conversation with them, he's good that way, whereas some of us are a little more reticent.

One thing I have definitely been reticent about is taking water from local streams so have been sucking air for a while (mental note; get some 1L water bottles and an additional sub-frame bottle cage).  The DoC supply is a chance to soak it up and replenish empty bottles (carefully ignoring any thought that the supply might just be coming from a local creek).

There's still plenty of daylight so we push on down the valley.  As noted earlier, the valley bottom is very hilly so the road engineers have taken the habit of following a side stream up for a bit then nipping over the ridge to drop to the main river again.  And when following the main river they pop up and down off river terraces apparently at random.  The result is slow going at the end of the day but nevertheless some impressive countryside with deep rocky gorges.

Just before a particularly memorable little climb (Upcot Saddle) we come across our first fellow cyclist.  This is such an event that it requires a stop and chat.  He has come up to Blenheim from Dunedin, and is travelling back south to Hamner to meet a friend.  He's had enough for the day, after the last uphill, and is looking for a place to camp.

Comparing notes

A little later we reach the scenic bridge over the Hodder Stream.  It is tempting to pitch the tents there and then, as there is a toilet and some mighty comfortable looking grass, although a bit of a hike for water.  We push on.

Hodder Bridge

Halfway up the latest of innumerable climbs onto numberless river terraces, another cyclists appears.  Nicholas turns out to be a stupendously laden Frenchman, who is friends with a good friend of Thomas and Julie's(!).  This requires a prolonged stop and chat and promises of catching up for a drink when he comes back through Wellington.  I have not been exposed to the world of international cycle touring but it is apparently not so large and has internet connections whereby such coincidences are not so unheard of.  Nicholas has a cycle computer and can tell us it is 68km to Blenheim.  He is also looking for a spot for the night with somewhere he can wash.

We travel on until the sun has gone and the evening is gathering, when Thomas very sensibly suggests that this gully might be a good spot for the night.  He's right.  Cow Creek has a flat grassy area out of sight of the road, unmolested by cattle and with easy access to the water for washing bodies and clothes.  We set up for a comfortable (albeit noisy from the wind) night.  For those with an interest ... dinner consists of cold baked beans and precooked rice, a can of tuna with chilly and H&P crackers.

Cow Creek (in the morning) our camp at 60% along 30% up

We have covered 143km today, mostly on gravel with some passes and hills, and lots of spectacular countryside.  That's what it's all about!

I have discovered that Thomas is very organised and particular about some things.  Whilst I am inclined to wear merino (lasts longer before stinking), and generally travel solo, so don't need to be as concerned about the olfactory concerns of any companions; he wears polypro which dries quickly so can be washed each evening.  He washes all critical items of clothes and body every night (even after a short day) and has all the supplies needed to do so; including pegs (I hasten to add that I do carry deodorant which ameliorates things somewhat).  You can get away with it on your own for weekends but I suspect with more mult-day touring I will move more towards Thomas' way of thinking.

Sunday

There is no dew in the morning so the tents are easily stowed.  I use body heat to warm the pick-and-mix porridge which improves it a little before we hit the road with a rising sun.  It's shaping up to be sunny although still windy. 

The first thing is drinking-water.  Julie recalls a creek where riders filled up on the Kiwi Breve (an awesome event which I aspire to do one day).  She concurs with my assessment; check carefully and don't touch it if it looks like there's any stock in the catchment.  I spot Fuchsia Creek which seems to fit the bill and Julie recognises it from the Breve so we top up and drink our fill (no attributable after-effects subsequently identified).  Soon after, the road turns from gravel to seal.

Cryptosporidiosis anyone?

The wind is now mostly helpful so we are able to scoot along pretty quickly with a big drop from the last of the hilly terraces to pass through vineyards.  There's a brief pause to check out Blairich Creek Campsite with plenty of camping sites amongst the willows and a toilet, but no supplied water.  On either side the valley sides are lower and gentler and ahead the hills open towards the sea.

If we continue down the valley another 10km or so we would reach SH 1 just north of Seddon and before Redwood Pass to Blenheim.  Today though we are turning left (northish) and travelling over the hills between the Awatere and Wairau Valleys via Taylor's pass.  The pass road starts with a short steep sealed section then turns abruptly nor-norwest and into the teeth of the wind to climb gently at first and then more steeply up through the hills to the pass. We pause once on the way to say hello to a playfully skittish young horse that is keen for a bit of social interaction.

The pass itself doesn't have any view but we take some photos for the record and with the smell of coffee in Julie's nostrils (I'm thinking more of maple pancakes), we head down through pines and increasingly tidy pasture to eventually reach the vineyards of Marlborough.

Taylor Pass - Arriving ...

... and leaving

Julie has a cunning plan to get us into town via a riverside trail but we find that the Wither Hills Mountain Bike Park will also do the job and demands some investigation.  It appears to be a great wee set up with graded trails all over the hillside and drinking fountains at strategic spots.  We see many bikers and walkers as we traverse the edge before dropping down Redwood Street to the centre of town.

And that's how it should be!

In town, it's nearly midday and we part company briefly: Thomas to find something green to eat, Julie and I to find coffee and pancakes at 'Watery Mouth Cafe'.  With the change in plans we now have a day up our sleeves.  The options are quickly sorted: Whakamarina Track (tempting but not after this weather and too rough for our current bike configurations); Havelock and Grove Track (tedious headwind road section to Havelock); main road to Picton (direct but uninteresting) or Port Underwood (hilly and touch and go to reach the last ferry today but option of staying at the nice DoC camp ground at Whatamango Bay).

I'm keen to do a few more hills for the sake of training and Thomas very kindly agrees to accompany me around Port Underwood. Julie takes the main road option and we arrange to meet at the DoC camp to regroup.  Thomas and I head off a little before 1pm.

Although somewhat fitter than last time I came through here, Port Underwood is still a hilly ride.  The gravel road gets cut up into corrugations and the southern end has a lot of traffic.  Some climbs are also on the steep side.  Recalling that there is little in the way of public water (aside from streams) I fill up at the Rarangi DoC camp.

Cruising the hills of Port Underwood

The first climb is on seal so is not so bad, there after it's a question of ticking off the bays after each climb and descent.  White's Bay, Robin Hood Bay, Ocean Bay, Kakapo Bay, Tom Canes, Coles, Oyster (not counting the ones the road doesn't drop into).  One of the cars that passes us (the one that slowed so as to reduce the dust) is stopped on a corner with the bonnet up.  His temperature gauge has gone off the chart and he's wondering what to do as there doesn't seem to be any water leak.  The cyclists pool their knowledge but beat a strategic retreat when another car turns up with someone that professes to know something about engines.

At the top of the hill out of Robin Hood Bay we stop and I offer Thomas an OSM bar but he suggests that the pesto bread, Camembert and kiwifruit that he is carrying might be a little more appetising.  I'm somewhat stunned as to how he has pulled off this loaves and fishes miracle but agree that it most certainly would be.  We eat our fill looking south over Cloudy Bay to Cape Campbell.  Clouds scud in from the west occasionally providing a welcome break from the sun.

Finally we reach the seal and the last climb to 390m, the sign at the bottom says 19km to Picton.  For the purpose of training I push the pace up the hill and am rewarded with a pounding chest and head but just manage to keep it going to the top where I am not at all surprised to see Julie waiting. She has checked out the DoC site and decided to potter up the 5km climb to meet us.

There's a conference at the top with me keen to see if we can make the 7pm Bluebridge sailing with the option of having dinner and getting accommodation in Picton if we don't.  Option B being a leisurely cruise down to Whatamango Bay and a final night under canvas before catching the morning ferry home.

Once again Thomas and Julie are kind enough to humour my preference so we skim down the hill and around the bays to Picton. Julie has the fresher legs and takes the lead to allow Thomas and I to draft.  The Bluebridge staff are quite good natured about our late arrival and we quickly have tickets before following the passenger bus to the Straitsman.  It's been a 123km day with a good break in Blenheim but with a fair amount of gravel and hills.

We're all pretty hungry by now so commandeer a strategic table in the cafe.  In the corner a large group are eyeing us up in a pointed way and it takes a while to click that it is the bikers we saw on the Molesworth.  They spent the night in Hanmer then headed up past the St James towards Island Saddle and the Rainbow Road but turned back when it started snowing.  One of them also thought the road might have been closed due to slips - so it sounds like it was lucky we didn't stick to plan A.

Snoozing on the Interislander
(Well, on the Bluebridge)

It's a mercifully smooth sailing and we're coming through the heads before we know it.  After disembarking Julie and Thomas head south for the climb home and I head home on the flat.  Tomorrow is a holiday so time to clean and lube the bike, do the washing and maybe check out that 40% off everything Macpac sale ...

Gear notes

Bikes and luggage

Thomas and I are both ride Giant XTCs (26" hard tails).  His has been all over the world and we're both quite happy with them, but ... for lighter, faster travel I'm starting to cast longing eyes towards a cyclocross bike.  Julie is very happy with her much newer 29er (not sure of the brand) and as Thomas is a similar height they are able to swap during the trip. Thomas clearly saw some advantages for this sort of travel (smoother ride, a little more stable in the steering and easier handling on the up hills) as he buys one for himself straight after the trip (the faithful XTC maintains its niche though and will not be retired yet). 

I'm still sold on aero bars which provide another riding position (rests the back), easier travel into the wind and somewhere to sling the tent. It's worth noting that Julie's bar extensions although making it look like she was driving a bus were the most stable in the wind and also provided varied riding positions.

Specialized Crossroad tyres were a conscious compromise; fine on road and gravel but Julie's knobblies were superior in mud. Would use again but in drier conditions and without the rougher surface of St James would likely opt for something faster.

My seat post mounted carrier means the bag sits a little high but is fine on the road. The mounting is starting to show some wear and is not so good on rougher surfaces (it wags the bike's tail).  Julie's frameless seat bag, although smaller looks like a better option for rougher touring but I would need somewhere else to stash kit (I can see a frame bag coming). 

Thomas had a tonne of gear stashed around his bike with dry bags on front and back carriers and a large handle bar bag (very handy for stuff you need quickly).  I had a largish back pack which I am used to but should be able to get rid of at least for summer touring.

Nutrition and Hydration

I got by OK fine two 750ml bottles but if it had been any hotter would have had to resort to local streams more. At least one 1L bottle and an additional drink bottle mounting is in order before long haul summer riding.  If I'm going to cut water capacity fine in order to reduce weight it will be important to carefully pre-plan water stops and maybe consider water purification options.

I learnt some good lessons about what works cold (baked beans, fish, cheese) and what is not so great (cheap pick and mix porridge; I think I'll stick with my pre-mix muesli & milk powder). Precooked rice was ok and comes in a lot of flavours but is a little chewy. This trip we took food that didn't need water as we were replenishing every day or two, for longer stints something drier and lighter might be worth considering. OSMs and Bumper bars are great but there is a boost from eating real food like bread and cheese.

Sleeping

Compared to my companions, my current arrangements are positively luxurious. The Macpac Explorer bag is more than warm enough and the thermo rest very comfy.  They had very light weight bags (500g) and thin, foam and foil mats (like those one you put in your car windows on hot days). I can definitely trim some weight here.

Repairs

I need to put some thought to this.  It's a question of balancing weight against the probability of something breaking e.g. if you break back spokes it may require cluster removal.  I have broken very few spokes so don't carry a cluster removal tool.  Travelling as a couple means J&T can carry quite a bit between them.

Clothes

The polypro vs marino debate is interesting.  I'm still in the marino camp despite it not drying as quickly, expensive, less wear resistant ... However, it does smell less readily and is more comfortable.

I used everything except my over mitts and didn't feel like the margins were too fine.  Have subsequently picked up a more robust rain jacket though as the ultra light weight Outdoor Research jacket just feels a bit too light in rough conditions, is less tough and has a little leakage through the zip.

Some other stuff

I forgot two critical elements; on extended gravel travel chain lube may be needed more than once a day.  I normally carry some but clean forgot and even though Julie had the foresight to bring enough to help me out I still experienced some problems changing gears later in the day.  The second (and sort of related!) was chafe cream, I have got out of the habit of carrying any but wearing two layers in wet conditions resulted in a situation we wont dwell upon.  Again Julie and Thomas had a spare sample tube that meant not having to resort to applying  sunscreen in places the sun don't shine.