Our plan leaving Christchurch was to head to the West Coast as quickly as possible, but a funny turn of events led us back to the East Coast just a week later, to a cool little town called Oamaru. The road out of Christchurch was fairly easy to find and there was a nice wide cycleway that let us avoid the motorway. We headed down a road that paralleled SH 1, but after a while it turned to gravel so we jumped back on the main road. In Rakaia we had planned to follow Pauline's advice and jump on the Thompson Track inland scenic route to stay off the highway and bypass Ashburton, but the road was closed with no feasible detour.
Lucky for us we found ourselves in Ashburton 6 hours and 105 kilometers after leaving Christchurch, and we stopped at the supermarket to get dinner supplies at just the right time. As we were packing our purchases outside the store I noticed a guy with the Alps2Ocean Tshirt on, and on a whim I decided to ask him about it. I had heard a bit about the trail from various information centers along our route, but we had ultimately dismissed it because it would have taken us in the wrong direction. Jason isn't in charge of marketing for the trail for no reason though, and he soon had us convinced to give it a go, especially after he offered us a ride to the Alternate Start in Tekapo. So in an hour and a half of driving he saved us 2-3 days of biking and by the time he dropped us off we were really excited about our new plans.
Stuck! DAY 1: TEKAPO to TWIZEL (82k)
We left around 8 in the morning and rode into town for dinner supplies. We had the vague idea that we might ride up to the proper start near Mt. Cook, but the clouds were so low we would have missed out on all the scenery anyway so we decided to stick with the alternate start from Tekapo. It was a fairly easy ride along the canal road, flat with just a windy section and some deep gravel to slow us down. We did have some trouble fitting through the squeeze gates with all of our baggage, but it was more comical than frustrating and with a few good shoves we managed to get through. At the Tekapo Power Station we met up with the road for a brief downhill, then the trail turned onto a gravel track along the bottom of Lake Pukaki. We stopped for lunch at a picnic table with a beautiful view of the lake and mountains, and met up with a group of 7 friends riding on holiday together. We ran into them several more times on the trail, so they invited us to their hotel room for a few beers when we arrived in Twizel. We had some great conversation and stayed long enough to wait out a passing rainstorm, then biked a further 17k to Jason's house to stay the night. He has 10 acres of NZ paradise right at the base of a mountain, and he offered us a real bed in his music studio he built inside a shipping container. We spent the night hanging out, listening to music and I even managed to stay awake through a whole movie..
We left around 8 in the morning and rode into town for dinner supplies. We had the vague idea that we might ride up to the proper start near Mt. Cook, but the clouds were so low we would have missed out on all the scenery anyway so we decided to stick with the alternate start from Tekapo. It was a fairly easy ride along the canal road, flat with just a windy section and some deep gravel to slow us down. We did have some trouble fitting through the squeeze gates with all of our baggage, but it was more comical than frustrating and with a few good shoves we managed to get through. At the Tekapo Power Station we met up with the road for a brief downhill, then the trail turned onto a gravel track along the bottom of Lake Pukaki. We stopped for lunch at a picnic table with a beautiful view of the lake and mountains, and met up with a group of 7 friends riding on holiday together. We ran into them several more times on the trail, so they invited us to their hotel room for a few beers when we arrived in Twizel. We had some great conversation and stayed long enough to wait out a passing rainstorm, then biked a further 17k to Jason's house to stay the night. He has 10 acres of NZ paradise right at the base of a mountain, and he offered us a real bed in his music studio he built inside a shipping container. We spent the night hanging out, listening to music and I even managed to stay awake through a whole movie..
Earning the view DAY 2: TWIZEL to OAMARAMA (65k)
We got a later start from Jason's in the morning so we didn't leave until around 11:30, and just as we rejoined the trail we ran into our friends from the day before! The track around Lake Oahu was our favorite part of the trail that day...a nice smooth surface that left us free to focus on the fantastic views. We stopped at the Ohau lodge for lunch and a beer and saw our friends again as we were leaving. The second half of our day wasn't quite as smooth as the first. The trail left the lodge and wound through the Ruataniwha Conservation Park, a nice smooth section of trail through the trees and over several streams. Once we crossed the creek though the trail got pretty rough, narrow with huge stones imbetted in the path and large rocks that made it tough to steer our heavily laden bikes and maintain traction up the hill. Luckily the climb itself wasn't as steep as it seemed on the map and we made it over the highpoint without having to walk. The downhill wasn't much relief though since the rough track made it slow going and bumpy, although the fantastic views of Lake Ohau and the surrounding mountains were totally worth it.
Just as we reached the bottom of the steep descent Steve's rack (already broken because it hadn't been mounted properly at the bike shop) got jammed into his spokes, mangling the rack and tearing his bag. Luckily the wheel wasn't damaged and neither was he, so after some re-arranging we were able to keep riding. Some more bumpy dirt track and two pedal-deep stream crossings and we came out on Quailburn Rd. It was an unsealed road that took a fair amount of concentration because there was no consistent path through the deep gravel and the most rideable spots eventually ended in a pit of rocks 4 inches deep. I hit one of these patches on a downhill and my handlebars jackknifed, sending me over the front. Luckily I escaped with just a bit of road rash and some big bruises and we limped into Oamarama at 7:30 to stay at a free campsite near the Ahuriri River.
We got a later start from Jason's in the morning so we didn't leave until around 11:30, and just as we rejoined the trail we ran into our friends from the day before! The track around Lake Oahu was our favorite part of the trail that day...a nice smooth surface that left us free to focus on the fantastic views. We stopped at the Ohau lodge for lunch and a beer and saw our friends again as we were leaving. The second half of our day wasn't quite as smooth as the first. The trail left the lodge and wound through the Ruataniwha Conservation Park, a nice smooth section of trail through the trees and over several streams. Once we crossed the creek though the trail got pretty rough, narrow with huge stones imbetted in the path and large rocks that made it tough to steer our heavily laden bikes and maintain traction up the hill. Luckily the climb itself wasn't as steep as it seemed on the map and we made it over the highpoint without having to walk. The downhill wasn't much relief though since the rough track made it slow going and bumpy, although the fantastic views of Lake Ohau and the surrounding mountains were totally worth it.
Just as we reached the bottom of the steep descent Steve's rack (already broken because it hadn't been mounted properly at the bike shop) got jammed into his spokes, mangling the rack and tearing his bag. Luckily the wheel wasn't damaged and neither was he, so after some re-arranging we were able to keep riding. Some more bumpy dirt track and two pedal-deep stream crossings and we came out on Quailburn Rd. It was an unsealed road that took a fair amount of concentration because there was no consistent path through the deep gravel and the most rideable spots eventually ended in a pit of rocks 4 inches deep. I hit one of these patches on a downhill and my handlebars jackknifed, sending me over the front. Luckily I escaped with just a bit of road rash and some big bruises and we limped into Oamarama at 7:30 to stay at a free campsite near the Ahuriri River.
Rain moving in DAY 3: OAMARAMA to OTEMATATA (32.4k)
We had planned on doing 2 sections on day 3, but the previous day was so mentally exhausting that we decided to take a bit of a rest day. We slept in until 11, packed up slowly then biked into town to the Hot Tub place where we soaked in a private wood-fired hot tub with a beautiful view of a pond and the mountains. We stayed for 2 hours and just relaxed, the warm water felt great on our stiff muscles. Leaving town we ran into our friends one last time and stopped to chat about the previous section and say goodbye. They were ending their holiday the next day and flying back to Auckland so we wouldn't be seeing them on the trail anymore. We finally got on the road at 5:30 and it took just over an hour to ride to Otematata. It was another nice smooth section of trail along the lakeside and we finished with an easy climb on the road. Along the road section we saw a dead animal that could only be a wallaby, and we were surprised to learn that the Canterbury region is the only place you can find them in New Zealand. We stayed the night at an $8 campground next to Lake Aviemore, and just after we got settled in it started to rain.
We had planned on doing 2 sections on day 3, but the previous day was so mentally exhausting that we decided to take a bit of a rest day. We slept in until 11, packed up slowly then biked into town to the Hot Tub place where we soaked in a private wood-fired hot tub with a beautiful view of a pond and the mountains. We stayed for 2 hours and just relaxed, the warm water felt great on our stiff muscles. Leaving town we ran into our friends one last time and stopped to chat about the previous section and say goodbye. They were ending their holiday the next day and flying back to Auckland so we wouldn't be seeing them on the trail anymore. We finally got on the road at 5:30 and it took just over an hour to ride to Otematata. It was another nice smooth section of trail along the lakeside and we finished with an easy climb on the road. Along the road section we saw a dead animal that could only be a wallaby, and we were surprised to learn that the Canterbury region is the only place you can find them in New Zealand. We stayed the night at an $8 campground next to Lake Aviemore, and just after we got settled in it started to rain.
DAY 4: OTEMATATA to DUNTROON (76.5k)
We both had a tough time getting started in the morning. We had to pack up a very wet tent in a misting rain, and just couldn't wake up for the first 20k. First order of business was the steep climb up to the Benmore Hydro Dam. One of the largest earthen dams in the Southern Hemisphere. The trail crossed over the dam and there was a really beautiful view from the top. From there it was 30k around the other side of the lake to the Aviemore Dam, and along the way we must have seen over 20 dead wallaby. We were hoping to see one not covered in maggots, but apparently they're shy because the live ones eluded us. After Aviemore it was only 8 more kilometers to the Waitaki Dam and a few more minutes to Kurow, where we hit the 2000k mark on our cycle tour. We stopped in town for lunch and then pressed on another 23k to Duntroon. It was a straightforward and fairly easy ride, and we didn't want to pay for a tent site in town so we decided to keep going and get a jump on the next day's distance. 7k out of town we stopped to check out the amazing limestone formations at Elephant Rocks, and met the farmer who owns all the land bordering the trail in that area. He gave us permission to camp in one of his paddocks, so that night we had the coolest campsite in New Zealand. We tucked the tent away in a small limestone canyon just off the trail, surrounded by more fantastic rock formations, huge boulders, caves and arches. The sky was overcast, but the rain held off and we were able to dry out the tent by morning.
We both had a tough time getting started in the morning. We had to pack up a very wet tent in a misting rain, and just couldn't wake up for the first 20k. First order of business was the steep climb up to the Benmore Hydro Dam. One of the largest earthen dams in the Southern Hemisphere. The trail crossed over the dam and there was a really beautiful view from the top. From there it was 30k around the other side of the lake to the Aviemore Dam, and along the way we must have seen over 20 dead wallaby. We were hoping to see one not covered in maggots, but apparently they're shy because the live ones eluded us. After Aviemore it was only 8 more kilometers to the Waitaki Dam and a few more minutes to Kurow, where we hit the 2000k mark on our cycle tour. We stopped in town for lunch and then pressed on another 23k to Duntroon. It was a straightforward and fairly easy ride, and we didn't want to pay for a tent site in town so we decided to keep going and get a jump on the next day's distance. 7k out of town we stopped to check out the amazing limestone formations at Elephant Rocks, and met the farmer who owns all the land bordering the trail in that area. He gave us permission to camp in one of his paddocks, so that night we had the coolest campsite in New Zealand. We tucked the tent away in a small limestone canyon just off the trail, surrounded by more fantastic rock formations, huge boulders, caves and arches. The sky was overcast, but the rain held off and we were able to dry out the tent by morning.
Tricky trail DAY 5: DUNTROON to OAMARU (52k)
We were a bit reluctant to leave our amazing campsite in the morning, but we managed to pack up and get back on the trail by 10:30. We thought the last 55k would be fairly straightforward and easy... but it turned out to be our second toughest day. The trail wound through farmland over hill after hill and the damp clay/rock surface acted like glue, forcing us into our climbing gears even on flat ground. Still the scenery was beautiful and we enjoyed the ride, although having electric fences so close on either side of the trail was a bit nerve-wracking. It felt like a real-life game of Operation, and I was never very good at not touching the sides. The trail went along several gravel roads which were slightly easier going, and just after lunch we passed through the Rakis Railway Tunnel. The afternoon ride was all sealed pavement, although the hills continued to roll beneath us. We made it to Oamaru around 3pm more tired than we had expected to be, but excited to see the ocean. Oamaru is a cute little town with a lot of beautiful old Victorian buildings and its the home of the Steampunk HQ which is an art museum worth every penny of the $10 entry. We camped by the ocean near a colony of Penguins while we tried to find a fix for Steve's broken front racks and planned our next move.
Check out all the pictures here.
We were a bit reluctant to leave our amazing campsite in the morning, but we managed to pack up and get back on the trail by 10:30. We thought the last 55k would be fairly straightforward and easy... but it turned out to be our second toughest day. The trail wound through farmland over hill after hill and the damp clay/rock surface acted like glue, forcing us into our climbing gears even on flat ground. Still the scenery was beautiful and we enjoyed the ride, although having electric fences so close on either side of the trail was a bit nerve-wracking. It felt like a real-life game of Operation, and I was never very good at not touching the sides. The trail went along several gravel roads which were slightly easier going, and just after lunch we passed through the Rakis Railway Tunnel. The afternoon ride was all sealed pavement, although the hills continued to roll beneath us. We made it to Oamaru around 3pm more tired than we had expected to be, but excited to see the ocean. Oamaru is a cute little town with a lot of beautiful old Victorian buildings and its the home of the Steampunk HQ which is an art museum worth every penny of the $10 entry. We camped by the ocean near a colony of Penguins while we tried to find a fix for Steve's broken front racks and planned our next move.
Check out all the pictures here.
Elephant Rocks
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