Anyway, this is the start of the Pegasus (Bay) Trail

The first part is through a lovely bit of forest, it’s still early morning and still quite nippy here when not in sunlight

But once in sunlight it’s really nice

Love these trees

Kiwis and signs, it’s just a not a good combination. Who of sound mind would come up with a map that has both “8 Pegasus Trail” and “11 Pegasus Trail”?

At least this sign is clear

And the trail itself is great

I never would have expected a coastguard in Kaiapoi, but there is

Some people just refuse to follow the rules

The Kaiapoi River Queen, maybe one day we’ll give this a try as well

The Kaiapoi River

Paris for the Weekend

Mandeville Bridge

The Pegasus Trail was a bit short so we ended up doing the Passchendaele Memorial Path, Rangiora Woodend Path and Jill Creamer Trail as well. All in all 30 km. This is in Rangiora where they still have some lovely old buildings. Next time we should do the Rakahuri Trail and then we’ve seen everything there is to see around here

Cromwell, here we have the puncture in the Jimny tyre repaired, again!

I decide to cycle the Lake Dunstan Trail while Rachel visits the local pool. This is just past the quarry on the southern side of Lake Dunstan

The trail goes over the property of the Carrick Winery & Restaurant, no doubt it attracts some customers

I’m now past Cornish Point and things are going fine, except for the fact that my rear tyre seems to be slowly deflating, luckily I brought my hand pump

The trail can be cycled in both directions, I’m going Cromwell to Clyde, only occasionally is there oncoming traffic, like here

They put a lot of effort into making the track possible along the south side of the lake

The only real steep bit in the track, I was being overtaken left and right but that was by cheaters: people with electric bicycles, they don’t count

Nice views getting higher up the mountain

Cromwell Clyde Road on the other side of the lake

View from the viewpoint, my cap is out of shape

Another view in the direction of Cromwell

It’s mostly downhill from here, about 20 km left to go, that’s maybe an hour more

The views are still great but my rear tyre isn’t, I’ve had to inflate it 5 times now in the past hour, that doesn’t bode well

Nice day for water skiing

Hugo Bridge, this is where I spent an hour trying to fix the leak in my rear tube but it was impossible, I still don’t know what the problem was with that tube but ONLY when it was IN the tyre would it deflate, NOT when outside of the tyre, making finding the leak undoable. Extremely frustrating experience. It meant I had to WALK the remaining 20 km or so to Clyde. Not much fun.

Sailors Cutting

A girl fishing

Fantastic views, awesome sky

Gentle uphill (and downhill) slopes

Lake Benmore with the Benmore Range on the other side

Power lines, coming from the power station the Benmore Dam is known for

The Benmore Dam

Lots of power being generated here

It’s 30km from Omarama to here

Loch Laird Camping ground on the other side

I’m on my way back to Omarama again

Oh, I forgot to mention, this track is part of the A2O (Alps to Ocean) cycle trail

I love how the track meanders through/with the landscape

Back at Sailors Cutting

Perfect day and temperature today for a cycling trip

With enough of a breeze to keep cool

I must have done 50km by now, I have a rest and look forward to getting to Omarama again

Back at Omarama, Dave Tillman has organised a wine tasting evening. Not my cup of tea as I only drink Diet Coke but people are enjoying it

A lot of the usual suspects here

What’s missing is a roaring fire

Carl, doing stuff on his laptop, likely he’s on some dating site

A map of today’s track, from Omarama to the Benmore Dam and back, 60.6 km

I awake at sunrise to this awesome view just south of Kaiteriteri

Luckily no complaints from the house behind me about that nasty freedom camper

Raumanuka and Motueka Sandspit Scenic Reserve, not even 08:00 in the morning and I’m already cycling!

Motueka Golf Club

Such a beautiful morning, what a fantastic trail

An arty table

And if you turn to your right from where the previous photo was taken you see the Janie Seddon Shipwreck

Motueka is amazing, very hospitable!

Must be good fun sailing here

This is cool too! The Motueka Saltwater Baths

A swimming pool – unsupervised, so without those pesky life guards that ruin a visit to any regular pool – right on the beach! What an awesome idea

This is the hardest part of the trail today, it just keeps going up, sometimes quite steep

They even warn you that it’s Grade 3 here

And me

Luckily at the highest point there’s a shaded rest area

Blistering Bollocks and Bouncy Bits, LOL

Funny letterbox

Art along the Aporo Rd

And the Jester House, I’ve been here before

It’s quite quiet on the trail so far

Ruby Bay

People enjoying the water

Shouldn’t be too long to Māpua now, I can’t wait as I haven’t had any breakfast yet but have covered 39 km already

This reminded me of some album cover but I forgot which one. Something with Bob Dylan?

First a very unflattering photo of me eating an ice cream

Yes! Māpua, a chance to get some food. What a lovely place this is!

Mains! Fries and burger, of course with a healthy dose of aoli

After I finished my burger I checked my watch and noticed I had exactly 1 minute to make it to the ferry, luckily I made it in the nick of time

The ferry pretty much turns 180 degrees and there’s the destination already: Rabbit Island

The entire crossing took maybe 3 minutes?

Lovely smell of pines here

The (only) road out of Rabbit Island (it’s closed off at night)

Birds near Rabbit Island Bridge

This is all part of the Waimea Inlet

And the trail meanders through it

Back in Nelson

“Enjoy the Ride”, thanks, I definitely did

Anzac Park

Kinetic sculpture by Phil Price, I’m normally not a fan of art but this thing (that is constantly moving) I like

And I’m back at the start/finish! I’ve made it. Woohoo! I did 77 km today, making it a total of 224 km that I cycled in 3 days!

Map of today

Day 2 of the Great Taste Trail, it’s a tough start, it’s only going up, up and more up and the sun is shining like crazy

The Baton River Swing Bridge, on the sign it says ‘LUBLOW’S LEAP’

The Baton River

In hindsight (but that’s always easy) I could have gone on for longer yesterday and made it to here, just on the other side off the bridge, there’s a toilet and the place is awesome for camping!

But it turns out it’s a purpose-built place for cyclists on the trail to be able to have a rest, read information about the area, have a cold drink, there’s tea and coffee, there will be ice cream and the likes of oat bars, and an honesty box to pay for it

Just a little further when I get to Batton Valley Rd I come across this place which at first glance looks like a double garage

This is Mrs. Lublow, her family owns this area of land and she’s the ‘Trail Angel‘ that got this place made, mad props to her!

This place opened just today! I am the second customer and test the option to pay for a drink with EFTPOS. It worked. So I had another drink. Soooo thirsty!

The trail continues, a sheep farm

I think it’s really beautiful here

You could even land a glider here

Phew, some shade, I forgot to bring sunscreen so I have a little break here

Now cycling towards Riwaka, there’ll be thermals up that mountain

More cycling through the woods

If they’re not grapes, would you still call this a vineyard?

The Motueka River

Darn, they don’t take EFTPOS! Pity for them, I would have bought at least two bottles of sparking juice

The cool sea breeze that I definitely feel here is causing pain in my neck, at least it’s all going downhill so I’m making good time

Swimming in the river, looks inviting but alas, I didn’t bring any togs

Little bridge over the Riuwaka River, I’m now very close to Kaiteriteri, today’s endpoint

Yay! The Tasman Bay

So beautiful here

So close to Kaiteriteri and then they send you up in their mountain bike park, another climb!

Yes, yes, I love Kaiteriteri but this climb so close to it is a bit too much tbh

Oh well, at least I get to enjoy the view

Kaiteriteri! Made it!

Because I’m worth it!

I have been here with Jasper in 2018 as well

I prepared my dinner here so I wouldn’t have to do any cooking once I finally found a camping spot, which might take some time because freedom camping…

But I found one in the end and it’s a beauty!

Map of today, another 66 km!

Since I really loved the previous cycling trip I decided to go on another one: the Great Taste Trail. It’s supposed to start at the i-SITE in Nelson, which I couldn’t find because they have renamed it the Nelson Visitor Information Centre, which I did manage to find

I will use this very spot as the start of the track though, I hope the rest of the track is just as clearly marked

Looking up from the previous photo, and I’m on my way!

Some information about the trail, here a link to a complete map of the trail

Nelson Art, it looks like it will be a nice sunny day

Not for very long as a few minutes later this is the weather

As long as I’m in Nelson the trail is on this kind of surface

They did a good job keeping the trail separate from the main traffic, mostly the trail is on dedicated cycles lanes

The weather is improving again

Photo taken from ‘Monaco‘

The Waimea Inlet

On final approach for Nelson Airport

Not much traffic, great!

Many, many grapevines

Cows seeking shelter from the blistering sun

Must be good living here

If I’m not mistaken these bridges (there’s more of them) were built especially for this trail

Me on the other side, I’ve done about 20 km or so now

Bike and pannier carriers are holding up fine

Such stunning views today

Brightwater, the birthplace of Sir Ernest Rutherford, the only Kiwi worthy of being revered worldwide

Me with a statue depicting a young Ernest

And what a great physicist he was!

Anyway, the trail continues, I think this is what you could call a rustique farm

St. John’s Anglican Church in Wakefield

More Wakefield

Pretty mural

Kids who like mountain biking will have a good time here

Another one of those bridges

I’ve cycled about 30 km now and I have a stop at Fairfield Berries where I get myself a $10 punnet of amaaaaazing strawberries

Om nom nom

I also got myself a super fresh ice cream with Boysenberry, so good. Fairfield Berries, I’ll be back!

The trail continues just south of the Wai-iti River through some lovely pine forest

These kind of houses are so much nicer than what they are currently building all over Christchurch

I’m now on a loooong climb, the road is only going up and up and up

And then they have these metal barriers in the ground, I guess to keep non-cyclists out

But guess what! It’s another typical case of ‘Kiwi Ingenuity’ where they (almost, I lifted the rear of my bike) prevent access to the very means of transportation this trail was designed for : the bicycle, I guess a whole team of managers signed off on this awesome idea…

After a long and tiring climb I make it to the Spooners Tunnel

Proof: me, and the tunnel

This tunnel is 1325 m long

About halfway in, without my head torch it’s of course absolutely pitch black in here

Past the tunnel and continuing towards Kohātu

Sometimes the trail dives under little bridges and continues on the other side of the road

Soon I’ll be in Tapawera

Yes!

Tapawera

I must have done over 70 km by now and I still have energy to continue so I cross the Motueka River and start looking for a place to camp

Luckily I’m at a safe distance from the Alpaca, I don’t trust them (with their spitting)

After 81 km and 7.5 hours I found a place to camp, next to a flowing river, all’s good!

Map of today’s trip: from Nelson on the right to not far from the Wangapeka River Bridge on the left

Don’t know what this is but it grows on the trees

The tent and our bikes

Our last day, the weather isn’t as nice as it was the previous days but still ok

Crossing one of the many creeks along the 11 km or so stretch to Ross

In the old days this was a train track

The historic railway bridge over the Totara River

To our right the ocean, about 600m away

And…… not only did the sun come out… we’ve made it! Woohoo!

The finish

It was an awesome trail, beautiful scenery, well maintained, what’s not to like? I hope there are more trails like this!

Now that we’re here we have a look around Ross, nice mural on one of the buildings

The old jail

Just long enough for a hobbit that bed

They mined for gold here

‘de Bakker cottage‘, must have some Dutch connection

‘Wat leefden ze eenvoudig toen, in simp’le huizen tussen groen’ (lines from a famous Dutch song that this house reminds me of)

Times have changed

St James Street, the Catholic church is just to my left

Inside the church

Nice stained glass window

The Historic Empire Hotel

Where Rachel got a very nice coffee, after that I had to hitchhike to Greymouth, get the Jimny and drive to Ross to pick up Rachel again and then back to Christchurch, what a fantastic trip this was!

And we’re on our way again, the first part of the trip is a lot of going uphill, which is tiring

Eventually we arrive at Lake Kaniere

To the left is Hans Bay, to the right Sunny Bight

The lake feeds the Kaniere River

The trail continues with the Kaniere Water Race Walkway

Here the water race continues above ground

Tall trees here

My saddle is starting to hurt me, time to get off the bike for another rest

The Kaniere River

Kaniere

Where we had yet another rest

Now we are close to Hokitika, this is looking back to where we came from

Bridge over the Hokitika River in the distance, Hokitika itself is just to our right

Custom House on Gibson Quay, Hokitika

Sunset Point

The trail now leads to the centre of Hokitika, which is handy because we’re hungry and can do some shopping

But first I stretch my back

And Rachel reenacts a scene from that movie

After a tasty Subway I have an ice cream as well

Hokitika Town Clock

And we’re on our way again, Mahinapua Creek Rail Bridge

A giant dragonfly at someone’s property

Mahinapua Creek

Mananui Tramline (Mahinapua Walkway)

Lovely cycling here

Remnants of some forestry experiment with lots of different kinds of trees

Damn Hard Work, that also describes our side trip (Picnic Point Track) from the bicycle trail to Picnic Bay, which is a walking track, not a cycling track, it basically meant carrying the bicycles all the way to Picnic Bay

But it was worth it, there was exactly one little spot where the ground was flat enough to pitch a tent

A lovely little bay

Soaking up some rays

Idyllic spot, isn’t it?

Nice sunset

Rachel enjoying it all with a nice cuppa

There was a weka as well looking for food

We’re on our way again

This is the Kumara Reservoir

Sensitive areas stay well protected

Kawhaka Forest

Another (unnamed) reservoir, just south of the Old Christchurch Road

Time for a short rest and a nut bar

Some water level controlling station

Rachel cycling

The Kawhaka Creek

A side (walking) track, to a historic dam, of course we go and have a look

The historic dam

Yet another bridge

It’s fantastic to cycle through these woods

The track is very varied, now we have great views of the mountains again

Time for another rest

Soaking up some sun

The very summit of the Kawhaka Pass, it should be (mostly) downhill from now on

Yay, it goes downhill indeed, we needed that

So peaceful here, we’re the only ones on the track, which really adds to the experience

The inevitable happened: a puncture, so I get the repair kit out and fix it

Many bridges to cross

Had there been a water source here we would have camped here as the grass almost looks mowed and is so flat,

And the views are great

We’re now in Cowboy Paradise

Not sure what this is supposed to be/become

Enjoying the view and some food

A selfie

I’m very happy with the pannier bags

Crossing the Arahura river

We have about done our kilometers for today so we pitch the tent while we still have access to the river, the fact the ground here is flat is an added bonus

What a view!

This is the start, in Greymouth, next to the Grey River

I bought some pannier bags and a carrier recently and this is my first ever multi day bicycle trip

The weather forecast showed 4 consecutive days of decent weather and indeed the weather today is awesome, as is that Suzuki Jimny just to my left in the photo, the bicycle carrier I bought recently performed as expected

There are some nice buildings in Greymouth, this is the Speight’s Ale House

The Greymouth Clock Tower

Old relics of mining (?) along Richmond Quay

Boats in Sawyer’s Creek

Yes, Rachel is here too! She was keen to do the trail as well, we have just left Greymouth and are now heading south

Greymouth’s airfield, plenty of space for landing out with a glider

And we continue, the track is easy to ride

Crossing the Taramakau River

Looking right

The train bridge going over the river

The Taramakau River

Shortly after crossing the river and at the beginning of the Greymouth Kumara Tramway we see this cute garden

A selfie

An absolutely wonderful part of the trail goes through this forest, towards Kumara

I mean, this is beautiful, innit?

Another bridge

We are getting higher now

And not long past Kumara we reach the Kapitea Reservoir

Where we call it a day after over 41 km of cycling and pitch the tent

And Rachel heats up a meal

And I filter some water from the reservoir to drink and do dishes with, after that it’s off to bed, tired, need a good sleep!