Adventure way into the back blocks

Photo near top of hill coming from Blue Duck Cafe over long hill in wild country of wanganui national park down to bridge to no where
 Adventure : camping ⛺️ 

Typing this  4:40 in morning camped out 50 km up the wanganui river -8 km from the jet boat 🚤 pick up area near the bridge to no-where. This is remote. It dark, stars overhead and very damp with dew. Butt is on a wooden camp seat where had dinner alone last night as other riders had arrived a little earlier and had set up tents. I decided that I would set up my tent in dark but sleep in my emergency Bivy bag. A very light bag made of plastic with a shiny  silver lining . The type used as emergency  blankets. Set up between tents in dark and had my  sleeping bag inside with a lining to warm it up and my sleeping blow up Mattress on the ground. To be fair was a bad nights sleep in my cycling plants( well two due to b) and a change into warm merino clothing with my cycling jacket on. I was actually cosy but the ground a little hard despite the mattress. Stars over head and I suppose to sleep about 10 ish to the night sounds that were occasionally coming from the tents if my fellow campers. Snoring and the occasional other sound that nature has. Slept reasonably well waking a couple of times briefly but bladder called at 4:30. Dew over all my gear including my glasses 🤓. 

No water 💦 at site was a little tricky. I arrived hoping to really hydrate after a another big day over 12 hrs since starting off and so set of a little latter last night as needed to do some bike maintenance and plan was to do todays journey for a 1:30 jet boat 🚤 pickup. Always a little hopeful that may have some rest at pickup point before hand. 

We were staying at a camp ground about 4 km out of start point for the day so meandered into town and started for the hills. It was already getting warm and todays height was predicted about 28 degrees. Had a good breakfast and did a thorough bike clean of chain as was missing gears a bit yesterday. After a wash my Karate Monkey looked like new and gears worked well again. The fine dust of these gravely roads builds up. No time pressure and Kast thing before going wad b maintenance. Into a routine now and Lee -Anne reports that although skin a little tender from all the plasters, that the abrasions are infection free and clean. No change in size as constant riding they probably won’t heal until Tour over. So lucky to have her to help me, as my tour would be over with this daily replacement of pads with all the swabs and creams. Have a routine and it seems to be working although pads we have been using are like hens teeth to get and we’re trying another technical product solution today so see how that goes. Take first pain killer at 6 am and then every 4 hrs until last at 6 pm. It works and for last 4 or 5 days had discomfort but pain way down if I was being honest. So so lucky but can’t take that for granted.

Lee -Anne and I discussed an alternative plan where we would hire a very smaller camper in Nelson, the smallest and use for her to travel and us to over night in, so she could continue with me and be the B 👩‍⚕️.  Thank you love so much. Will definitely had to the adventure. Not much fun for her packing up each day and just moving to next stop. She texted me yesterday and is planning a jet boat journey with the same group that are doing the pick ups . She is over nightingale at Piririki and going up river to bridge to no where and we may see each other as I arrive. Because of cell phoneme coverage in remote area have to 📖 the trip a day in advance so booked mine last night. The lady who you contact is amazing. So friendly and helpful you feel very looked after. Made my plans but about 7 ? Pm last night I got mobile coverage near the top of a long ascent, as she told me would happen and I contacted her and said where I was and could I change  booking from 1:30 pm tomorrow ( now today) pickup to early one if she thought I had time to get down to pickup point. I outlined my biking plans which was to keep going to summit and then down I’ll suppose 25 km ahead. She said if I got to camp ( one back from here and got up early) then my plan would work. So that was the new plan but I decided along way to make for actual pickup point as once over summit was making really good time and kms were pedalling off quick. It was a steep decent and track was not too bad, few big holes and rocks and very small water crossings on part but overall good decent but brakes on often and a many little walks. 

Dinner last night was one of those prepared meals that you poor in hot water and leave for a bit. My first time and I had a cottage pie. Was really good. Inside was another pouch 👝 for the potato so luckily I had about 750 mls left if my three bottles I am carrying most of the time. Out with the Fokker boiled added water and left for 20 or so minutes and then volare, cottage pick. Others had gone to bed in there four tents so ate alone in dark with stars above and feasted 😀. Saved enough water for this morning breakfast which I best start to prepare first . Slow typing this on phone with one finger 😀.

Yesterday was a 70 km ? Ride, mist on gravel over a long ascent winding ascent thru hills to end up at the blue duck cafe. This farming family have a station called blue duck and a few years ago added a tourist business to it. A cafe and accommodation set up in the middle of nowhere at end of road that caters for tourists who bike and more I think for the river over nighters who travel by jet boat up. Do various mountain bike rides, get treated to lovely food and then go thru or back on jet boats. A lot of my fellow riders were going to over night there. The place was full as a large commercial group were arriving to play and then go back on jet boats, presumably to piririki but may be even wanganui but that over 100 plus kms away. 

Had after tea with lee who replaced my “ pads” in toilet before setting off again. Refuelled with third break for day. Two iced chocolates, one bottle of lemonade, and two large biscuits this time and off I went at about 3:40 to go over the hill to where I am now. After setting off alone as often do meet up with others along the way, and biked from about noon with Alistair and Andy on and off until about 2 pm. They were good company. Both around similar ages. Alistair a retired GP of Scottish decent and came to NZ I think about 7 years ago and Andy who son was a top triathlete back in the mud 1990’s. Both from wellington and dry senses of humour, both good company. Andy a good sportsman obviously as had calves that meant he could just keep on going. Alistair a bit like me . Andy’s two sons were going to be with them but pandemic meant one based in Australia ( the good triathlete) could not get home in time and the other sun started with them but had to withdraw as had same issues as me but much worse and was after a major infection their last year that went on for months. Very sad that they as a family could not do this. He was resigned to this and didn’t mention it , but I can imagine his disappointment .

Have found loads of father and son duos and a few sisters, or two good friend together as Alistair and Andy were . Passed to older ladies yesterday, wow I need to be careful, they may be younger than me 👍. They started same day as us. Gritty wow , slower than me and have seen them come in late in a few nights where we may been staying, but in the one relentlessly. Really admire them, big smiles and super friendly. One was another nurse like the two sisters were meet way back  at Dargaville . She was super helpful and Lee -Anne and her swapped notes when they meet up at blue duck when U was departing.

The ride from blue duck to here did all by myself, which always is a bike nervous as never sure you are on right course or track and despite gos the rides markers are not perfect and shirt on brain power at times easy to get lost as I have done many times. Worst was leaving pariki an heading into Henderson and then down to Auckland and ended up on wrong side biking north again. Added a lot to that morning but such is the tour Aotearoa.

The push from Blue duck across is notorious for some back accidents, briken backs and I think a death. So I took super cautiously m, although relatively dry it was wet underfoot and muddy a lot in first 8 to 19 km and very rock. Like walking the great walk at waikaremoana except trying to bike it with a fully laden bike. Mountain bikers do it in a race but heavy laden bikes are recommended to take an road alternative. Well as I moved along I found that getting on and off every 2 minutes was too hard and actually became unsafe as big falls off into bush on  left hand side. So I walked, and pushed and pulled and lift my bike thru the trail for at least 1.5 hrs and 8 km? Not sure but was safe and good decision. Could not imagine doing that in wet as would be so slippery and dangerous. Out of no where came thru a more open area and thru a gate to a two wheel mountain track for about a 6 km ride ascent to top. Much better scenting, slow but very but better and able to bike. As we got higher gradiant reduced and wad good riding and as I said even got cell coverage near top. Better prepare breakie and decamp for final 8 km ride to finish. Still very dark and coming up to 6 am. Will transfer this to blogg when I can and add some photos

Arrived here about 8:30 as dark was fast falling and knew I would be on a track in dark. Spotted a few other and tent ⛺️ site had a long drop but sadly no water. That was at any other camp back up the track. Was hoping to get to the river pick up point and camp there, but alas this part of the cycle was slow with three or four walking point where signs instructed us to get off bike and walk, very high cliffs on one side, like really really high almost vertical and site of previous-rock slides. On one side was the land and the other a river, I think the wanganui deep deep below. Very pretty. Also came across three creek crossings where had to lift bike on back wheel and walk with bike beneath legs and front wheel way in the air, these very narrow bridges. By the time I got to the third of these that came in relatively quick succession it was fair to say an expletive was heard. Not in bad place, just a quick expression of annoyance as was had head in the place to get to the river pick up point for mornings pick up. 

Postscript- there were 3 or 4 further bridges to go in last 8 km and with compulsory stop and walk for dangerous areas with over hanging cliffs ,  took over an hour to get to boat pick point.