Happy birthday trails on a mountainbiking adventure
Returning to Nelson in late 2017 after a decade away, I found something had changed. The dust had stirred. Out of the corner of my eye, yet another 9-year-old flew past, sending a sweet jump. It wasn’t the Nelson I remembered.
Where was the jigsaw of fire roads and non-technical single track? Trailforks had exploded, with technical trails all around the city centre. We had gold-ranked IMBA status and were hosting internationallevel races.
I already loved mountain biking, but I quickly became more confident riding steep technical tracks.
This year, I spent the shortest day riding all the tracks in Codgers Mountain Bike Park. About 20 of us set off before sunrise with a trail list, and Paul Jennings even organised for an app to be made especially for the challenge.
After committing to a summer job in Aoraki Mount Cook Village, bike FOMO immediately set in. I locked in two weeks for a binge, with the goal of arriving for work having overdosed on Nelson mountainbiking.
The binge culminated last week in my biggest day ever. It was also my birthday, and I’ve had a tradition since I was 16 of celebrating each birthday with an adventure.
I threw an idea up on Facebook, and in typical fashion there was a lot of talk but not much action. I’d proposed a local endurance loop, with quality single track and a good dose of wilderness. It promised to be long, in both duration and distance.
Ed, Nathan and I met at my Dad’s place in Ngatimoti at 5.30am and set off towards Flora carpark in the dark with a 1000-metre gravel road climb. We passed the national park boundary sign and saw our first powelliphanta snail.
First up was the Barron Flat track, which starts on a 4WD track before slowly turning into a narrow technical single track. It’s wet and boggy with slippery roots, and several creek crossings that aren’t rideable.
We rode past the rock shelters and across a swingbridge, spotting some whio. The trail turns off and continues with some more rugged native forest sections before turning into gravel roads heading into Upper Takaka.
With more than 2000m of climbing already under our belts, the Kill Devil climb was daunting. Nathan managed the first and only crash of the trip on a section of flat gravel road en route to the single track!
Arriving at the base of Kill Devil
Spur in time for peak temperatures, our climb felt brutal. Fifty-eight uphill switchbacks tested our cornering skills after several hours in the saddle. It was brutally hot, and I was starting to feel fatigued. Many mountainbikers catch a helicopter to a landing pad near Tin Hut to avoid the uphill.
The climbing eases off and undulates along the ridge, and the descent begins with a mixture of technical rocky sections and smooth and open areas. A couple of gnarlier rocky descents, and you pop out near the Riordans Hut junction.
I love the descent into Waingaro Forks Hut, with faster sections of beech forest riding requiring full attention, and steep dropoffs towards the river. There are usually a few hike-a-bike sections over windfall, and a swingbridge crosses an impressive gorge before you pop out at the hut.
We’d done 90 kilometres – not yet halfway in distance, but definitely the mental halfway point. I stuffed a few cold cheese and Vegemite toasted tortillas into my mouth before setting off towards Takaka.
Ed’s chain was sounding dodgy, and he regretted leaving the lube at home. Some grease from a swingbridge provided a good alternative, and it was a smooth ride again.
The descent back down to Upper Takaka is so good that people heli-bike it. I’m normally amped on the downhill, but this time I was just happy to make it to the bottom without crashing.
A section of road took us to Hang Dog campground at Paynes Ford, where a stash of treats, kindly put together by my friend Pip, was waiting for us. I found myself daydreaming about AirBnBs in Takaka and sitting down for a wellearned feed of fish and chips. We spent half an hour stuffing our faces with kettle chips and crumpets with butter and jam.
Should we take the road which would be faster, or the single track? We opted for the historic Rameka climbing track.
My Dad’s doorstep seemed awfully far away as we started pedalling into the darkness towards the Rameka Track. A light rain had started to fall, and I was beginning to get some flashbacks to Godzone Fiordland.
The new (historic) Rameka climbing track has an even gradient and nice wide corners. After a short section on a gravel road, we hit the native forest and more technical climbing again. We negotiated slippery rocks and roots, slowly winding our way up towards Canaan Downs.
At 1am, we found ourselves flying down Takaka Hill at 77kmh, the maximum I could go without getting speed wobbles. I struggled along the final stretch of West Bank Rd up the Motueka Valley, quickly losing energy and motivation.
By the time we rolled into Ngatimoti, it was almost 3am, and we’d clocked up 192km and over 5000m of elevation gain. We took a selfie before jumping into the shower and going straight to bed. Nathan claims he needed five coffees to get through the next day.
My Dad’s doorstep seemed awfully far away as we started pedalling into the darkness.