TJs recovery ride - I'm off again!

I have just realised that TJ apparently never decided on a suitable haircut for a man of his age. Enviable locks there!

I spent a few weeks in the North Island in 2023 doing various routes. I wouldn't rule out going north of Auckland for a bit: the Heart of the Octopus (250-ish miles) takes in the Bay of Islands and the kauri forest on the west coast and is a pretty easygoing introduction:

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/36144316

I'd second the comment about NZ drivers being terrible - all the advice I had from experience riders was to watch out. The further you get from civilisation, the more redneck the attitudes. I find the driving standards much better in Australia.

Re the Queen Charlotte Track and other popular offroad routes, such as Old Ghost Rd, I think you will have needed to book a spot in a hut months ago. The official routes in national parks are very popular and tightly managed. But I don't know for sure.

NZ Great Rides website has loads of excellent routes of varying degrees of difficulty. Gravel routes like the Molesworth Muster look doable on TJ's new bike. And of course there are the Kennett Brothers books.

Thats just the pose I expected!

Jezza in a helmet.... is hell about to freeze over ?

That's me all set. Bike fully set up.  Food bought.  Maps downloaded and first night's camping booked at the Upper Mangatawhiri Campsite halfway across the Hunua traverse.   50 ish km and a ferry ride away but loads of flipping hills.  Thank goodness I got a granny gear sorted.  It's gonna hurt.

Last night in Auckland tonight.  Might be a beer or two in my future.

Auckland is a lovely city.  I'm well impressed but its time to get out into the hill and find some scenery

Ta corroded

The problem with going north is I will then struggle to have enough time to get down to the south and explore at my pootling pace.  I have a tent so not reliant on huts but even campsites need to be booked

Plenty of room for bigger tyres on the bike but I'll keep the 38s on for now and see how I get on

I've got the various websites and a downloaded OS type map and two phones for navigation.

First few days I will be finding out a lot I guess.

Sounds exciting. Enjoy.

Im in a hipster craft beer bar.   Had to put my hair in a man bun to be allowed in

I have a tent so not reliant on huts but even campsites need to be booked

Whether this applies to all the trails you are looking at I’m not sure. But when hiking in NZ there were trails where we were told you couldn’t wild camp as there was no where to put a tent. This seemed unlikely to me but there were places where it was true. It seems less likely on a cycle route but ask around

Wild camping is not allowed in NZ.  There are basic dept. Of conservation campsites around.  You might get away with a late arrive early leave in temote spots but i am not relying on it.

Had to put my hair in a man bun to be allowed in

I read that as "man's bum" but I've heard that about NZ

The nerves arrive.  Im awake at 6am despite my ferry being at 11.15 and 10 mins away.   However I think i will repack as I  didnt pack in a logical way last night.

Just sat at laptop...6pm here awaiting FA cup game on TV...you'll be fine, steady away on the hills....and away....

Loving this TJ!

You will be awesome and laugh at the hills

Now that i doubt very much ?

Plenty of time for a haircut, marginal gains and all that.

First mishap.   While loading up the bike a car reversed into it!  I was going to give him hell then realised that it was completely hidden in a bush.  Broke a pedal but no other damage..

Went to the bike shop for new pedals which was fine but left my card in their machine.

Now waiting for my ferry to pine harbour.

Don't panic !   Arrggghhhhhh.

Brutal climb this afternoon on forest roads into th Hunua park.  I think ill lose signal as i drop into the valley where the campsite is.   3 or 4 miles to the campsite.  Bloody pannier mounts broke.   Thats what i get for buying halfords not ortlieb.  Easilybodged tho

Top of the climb.  Best part of 2000ft.  Took 3 hours ingranny gear

Nice. Love the updates. Enjoy

Flipping freezing here this morning.Mucho jealous.

The envy meter is reading high this morning, just back from walking the dogs and I can confirm it’s fairly frosty!

Keep the pictures coming TJ, if only to warm us up a little.

That sounds fantastic.

I was there about 20 years ago, so it’s probably different now. One thing thst won’t have changed is the ferocity of the ocean at the southern end of the eastern side of the north island. Absolutely awesome, in the literal meaning

Have a good time.

Have a bloody good time!

Lovely campsite last night but it got rather cold in the night.

Took my bike for a lovely walk up a sodding great hill this morning but now heading to the coast again hopefully getting a cold beer

Disaster.   The pubs shut

Time to join the dry January thread?

Pfftpt

Ah flax and hills... kia ora! Following along from Wellington. Shout if you need anything when you pass through.

The TA route has some nice singletrack eventually. The Timber Trail and Bridge to Nowhere are both pretty special.

Ta

I might just do that

Pub closed?

Now that is a disaster.

This is great news, I look forward to the pics and reports to get us all through the gloomy weather here. Enjoy the ride

Enjoy.

Just don't talk to any strange women.

9 hrs sleep.  2 cups of coffee.   Bowl of porage.  I feel like a new man.

Not a cloud in the sky.  A flat days ride ahead

Yipeeeeeeer

Awesome!  Loving this thread and the pics*

*except the one of you with a lid on - stuff of nightmares!

Second breakfast

Just as i was thinking its time for a break I found a random chair nailed to a tree right beside the trail

Crisis averted.   When I enquired hopefully about beer on arrival on the campsite this lovely lady gave me one

Result!

40 miles today thru coastal flays with mangroves then an old railway thru farmland.  No hills.  The railway route has sun shelters every few miles and each one has a bit of local history on borads and a route map and milage chart.   At least one more day on it

Looks and sounds incredible!

Thanks for the updates; it's a lovely diversion to dark & dreary old blighty.

*looks outside at snow

*looks at TJ's pictures

*consults credit card for trip to NZ...

*consults credit card for trip to NZ…

*Weeps quietly.

*Applies for new credit card...

Have a couple more pics

Ohhh that last pic is pretty inviting....

If it all goes to plan. This time next year for us to visit daughter.

Have a couple more pics

What's the plan for when the flat bit turns into that lumpy bit in the distance?

The purist.

Ride over or round it?

I havent really made detailed plans yet

Looking amazing this TJ....I have left the house once in 4 days FFS....really not getting the work/life balance thing very well so far in 2025. These pictures are going to make me redress that!

Every picture brings back amazing memories of the times I’ve traveled around NZ. Thanks TJ, I really wish you a great adventure!

T.j - Have you seen any interesting birds/wildlife?

The purple ice cream - what flavour please?

looks cracking Teej.   what mapping thing are you using for routes.

and not jealous in the slightest.

Bunnyhoo

Strawberry.   As for wildlife yes but no idea what any of it is called.  Waders.  LBJs and a couple of big Raptors

Ton.  Various nz sites.   There is a good one of the bikepacking rotes.  Nz cycle trails

Speaking of wildlife, I hope you manage to avoid the sandflies.

Godless, bitey, winged bastards.

Bunnyhop.  I saw some of these

Really not feeling it today.  Slogged another 40 miles to thd end of thevrail tral at Matamata.  Same scenery as yesterday afternoon continued all day.  Humph

The hobbiton film set is just a few miles from here but guided tours only

Carb loading and rehydration

Moonsaballon.  You have a pm

Hi TJ

Just replied to the PM . I'm up for a ride on Saturday or Sunday if you're keen . Trip looks great so far ?

Trip looks great so far ?

Apart from no motivation today.  Lovely people.   Makes Canadians seem surly and unhelpful.   Last night i was wandering around the town looking at google maps and a nice lady came out of a shop to ask me what i was looking for then directed me to where i could get food and beer.

Drivers are awful tho.  Not agressive but dont give ypu any room on the road particularly old folk in little cars.  Rednecks in utes give you more room.

Looks like waikato river trails the next couple of days

Same scenery as yesterday afternoon continued all day.

Sounds like a trip i once planned (but never did). The blogs i could find of people who had done it basically said over the first 6-10 days (it's a 3-4 week route) was just a day or day and a half of rocky lumps and moorland then a week of trees to your right, the sea to your left... And to add insult to injury, it's not even interesting trees or sea.

I once rode a .motorcycle the length of Finland.   A week of pine forests

I once rode a .motorcycle the length of Finland.   A week of pine forests

Yeah we did that on the tandem. Barely any hills or junctions. Like riding in the Fens with bonus trees. 🙂

So that’s where Shergar went!

Great pics of Hobbiton. I'd like to pluck up the courage to go back to NZ one day....spent a lot of time there but the last visit was 14 years ago for my Brother's funeral, not sure I could go back.

Hope you have a great time though TJ the scenery and the people are generally brilliant.

Im only about ten miles from the town i stayed in last night.  Teady for some miles tomorrow hopefully.

AA.  Its tough when places have memories like that.   These trips i am doing are not the ones I planned with Julie.   The countries we planned to go to are off limits for now.

Next section is gonna be hilly I think.   Pray to the god of the granny ring.  Waikito river trails.

TJ your hair is a thing of beauty (no grey). Pls tell me that’s not a mullet :0)

Loving the pictures teej, keep them coming, much better than the winter gloom back here

Bunnyhoo.  Nope it's all long but there is loads of grey.  It just the top is still darkish.  Underneath its grea to white.

I once rode a .motorcycle the length of Finland.   A week of pine forests

😀 It was the end to end of Sweden that was being planned... So very similar!