TJs recovery ride -...
 

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TJs recovery ride - I'm off again!

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Lovely river tho

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Posted : 23/01/2025 6:10 am
ready, matt_outandabout, sandboy and 3 people reacted
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Found a wee corner to hide it wth an ok pitch.  Bit to visible as its nor allowed to camp here.

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Posted : 23/01/2025 6:39 am
matt_outandabout, sandboy, Tracey and 1 people reacted
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Venus i think

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Posted : 23/01/2025 8:21 am
slowol, drewd, Tracey and 1 people reacted
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Venus i think

Please don't post a pic of Uranus... 🙂

 
Posted : 23/01/2025 9:03 am
dc1988, milan b., andy4d and 1 people reacted
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Arse like rhino hide mate

 
Posted : 23/01/2025 9:16 am
dc1988 reacted
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Are you heading to Whanganui, TJ? But not doing the Timber Trail to the northwest of Taupo, which would pop you out at Ongarue? There's camping along the way.

 
Posted : 23/01/2025 12:56 pm
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This looks absolutely fantastic TJ!

 
Posted : 23/01/2025 2:31 pm
slowol reacted
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Basically yes corroded.

Im halfway down the western side of lake Taupo heading for the whanganui river trail

You are around here somewhere are you?

 
Posted : 23/01/2025 6:14 pm

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Sadly not! Am in UK but rode around the North Island in 2023 (and grew up in NZ). I did some of Mountains to the Sea to Whanganui and then Remutaka Loop from Wellington, which I loved but wouldn’t recommend to you on account of a couple of big hills! Just interested in your route.
Didn’t get to the South Island but have heard good things about the Molesworth Muster through some sheep stations. And Alps 2 Ocean is largely downhill. Have you considered taking the train to skip some of the roads?

 
Posted : 24/01/2025 1:11 am
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Another day of too many hills.  40 miles and nearly 3000ft of climbs.  I may have bitten off more than i can chew.

Fabulous scenery again today and at least i got a good descent.

Struggling to pick a route for tomorrow as the main road i am on looks very busy but the bikepacking route is much longer and plenty of climbing.

This is tough.

Pics courtesy of my blood swear and tears

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Posted : 24/01/2025 7:07 am
thestabiliser, towpathman, anorak and 5 people reacted
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Posted : 24/01/2025 7:09 am
thestabiliser, anorak, cinnamon_girl and 2 people reacted
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This is tough.

The pictures (which are superb, by the way) look like it's properly undulating; huge respect for doing the ride.

 
Posted : 24/01/2025 8:01 am
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Fair play TJ. Pics are great, you will be getting fitter and stronger, it will get easier, you just need to give it another couple of weeks...

 
Posted : 24/01/2025 8:07 am
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Anorher couple of weeks?  Ffs ill be totally broken

 
Posted : 24/01/2025 8:16 am
dc1988, cinnamon_girl, Tracey and 1 people reacted
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You may be broken but the views are amazing..... keep going

 
Posted : 24/01/2025 4:06 pm
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Todays eff up.  I decanted some toothpaste into a smaller tube.  Or at least I thought I did.  This morning I tried to clean my teeth with sunscreen.   Revolting.   Oops

 
Posted : 24/01/2025 6:55 pm
kimbers, ready, csb and 6 people reacted

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Hahahahahaha!

We have all been there. I knew a guy that did something similar and then tried to de-orderise with hairspray.

 
Posted : 24/01/2025 7:00 pm
pictonroad and dc1988 reacted
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More hills. More views and a big breakfast. 8 miles and an 800 ft climb

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Posted : 24/01/2025 8:50 pm
kimbers, Yak, matt_outandabout and 8 people reacted
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Guess what.  The after breakfast session had another 1500ft of climbing.   I am at the national park village at a weird campsite. Basically the corner of a carpark with showers paid for by an app with no view

Tomorrows ride is 3500ft of downhill and a mete 1000 ft of climbing

 
Posted : 25/01/2025 1:10 am
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Did you manage to do any fitness training before your adventure?Or are you getting fit as you plod on?

Some of those views would energise me.Stunning to say the least.

 
Posted : 25/01/2025 1:36 am
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Traning consisted of sitting at my computer eating chocolate cake and getting fat.  Hardly rode my bike for months.   A mistake methinks.

Recovered quickly from todays exertions but the main climb hurt.

Off to find beer and chocolate cake.  Im sure it will help

 
Posted : 25/01/2025 2:22 am
Keando, andy4d and J-R reacted
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Need a beer to decide routes.  I could go to the volcanic bit tomorrow and then get a train to Wellington or i could ride south.  Traffic will be too bad on the main road Monday I think.

 
Posted : 25/01/2025 2:27 am
Tracey reacted
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Well that was random.   Stped to take a pic of some old Holdens and was made to drink beer by a fine bunch of bams

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Posted : 25/01/2025 4:05 am
kimbers, AD, Yak and 11 people reacted
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Its started to rain but i can sit in my tent in my new chair all comfy20250125_175245

 
Posted : 25/01/2025 4:53 am
pisco, matt_outandabout, thestabiliser and 7 people reacted

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Chucked it down allnight and due to continue most of the next 24 hours.  Ho hum.  Think i might go find a hotel

 
Posted : 25/01/2025 6:52 pm
bruneep and Tracey reacted
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Treat yourself

 
Posted : 25/01/2025 7:27 pm
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Done booked for two nights.   Hide today.  Do the volcanic stuff tomorrow.

 
Posted : 25/01/2025 7:30 pm
Keando, anorak, J-R and 4 people reacted
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I feel the need to make a pun about this, but nothing comes to mind right now.

 
Posted : 25/01/2025 7:49 pm
tjagain reacted
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Recovered quickly from todays exertions but the main climb hurt.

You're getting fitter...

The bams look a fine pair to sink a beer with.

 
Posted : 25/01/2025 8:46 pm
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The bam on the right is me!

Just killing time today.  No point in riding up to the volcanoes todsy.  Its somewhere in this

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Posted : 25/01/2025 10:00 pm
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Definitely do the train to Welly. The highways are horrible.

 
Posted : 26/01/2025 12:22 am
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Weather better todsy but too wndy to do the classic crossing walk so a walk thru the bush to a waterfall instead

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Posted : 27/01/2025 4:17 am
roger_mellie, Yak, anorak and 5 people reacted

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Muscles in my legs tho better are still sore pedalling.   Tomorrow i am going to walk rhe classic Tongariro crossing..  Train south is not possible.  Bus might be.  Inthink I'll go with a couple more days cycle and see.   I am making slow progress .  I'd hoped to be in the soith island by now

 
Posted : 27/01/2025 4:22 am
graham_e, integra, matt_outandabout and 2 people reacted
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Ow my legs hurt.  Did the classic Tongariru cross but LOTR fans might see something else.

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Posted : 28/01/2025 5:26 am
ampthill, kimbers, ready and 13 people reacted
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Saw somw wild mountain thyme and as thats the song we sang for Julie it gave me a bit of a moment

 
Posted : 28/01/2025 5:28 am
ready, filks, AD and 16 people reacted
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Posted : 28/01/2025 5:29 am
slowol, Tracey, arrpee and 3 people reacted
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Very cool. You'd have made a fine hobbit.

 
Posted : 28/01/2025 7:03 am
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Posted : 28/01/2025 8:09 am
slackboy reacted
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I'm just catching up and all this and am still envious. Good for you, Teej. NZ looks great.

Don't overstretch yourself or overknacker yourself. Recovery days and the occasional comfy bed are important. Have a coffee. Go to the library and read a whole book in a day. Have a snooze. You're doing amazing things considering where you say you were pretrip. Goddammit, we need a long stream of these photos to get us through the winter!!!

 
Posted : 28/01/2025 8:49 am
tjagain reacted
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I had 2 days of doing very little before today.  I am way behind where i hoped to be by now.  Tomorrow back on thr bike 1100m od descent and 300m of climb.  Ill see how it goes.   Im not to proud to bail but im twitchy to ride the bike again.

My legs hurt.  Shut up legs 🙂

 
Posted : 28/01/2025 8:53 am

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I am way behind where i hoped to be by now

But still way, way ahead of most of us just reading it and dreaming.

Fair play.

 
Posted : 28/01/2025 9:03 am
MrOvershoot, t3ap0t, roger_mellie and 2 people reacted
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Cool and cloudy here this morning but a tailwind. Need to get moving again. Heading south on the road this morning aiming for the Whanganui river trails and for the coast. Should be a lot of downhill today.  1100m to be precise with a mere 300m of climbing.

 
Posted : 28/01/2025 6:38 pm
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Still loving this TJ. Awesome stuff.

 
Posted : 28/01/2025 9:20 pm
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Amazing what a difference downhill withthe wind makes.  Even the climbs didn't hirt toomuch all 1000ft of them.  7 miles to campsite with 1300ft of descent to do

 
Posted : 29/01/2025 12:50 am
tall_martin, matt_outandabout, Tracey and 4 people reacted
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Posted : 29/01/2025 4:46 am
roger_mellie, matt_outandabout, Tracey and 2 people reacted
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