Day 12

Our post office accommodation was lovely, however being on the main road with trucks hurtling past all night was not conducive to sleep — any sleep at all. Do not stay there. Fatigued, we set off for a challenging day that was remembered by the previous TA riders in the group as 'a lot of walking' due to technical terrain. It was with huge relief that the track had received a lot of work and we were able to ride all the way, except for the designated rockfall areas that had to be walked and the narrow swing bridges. The jet boat was delayed down the Whanganui River and the Pipiriki leg to Matahiwi ended in the dark; late dinner at the wee camping ground; hot shower in a very basic wee room with no light and the resident cockroach for company. I may have damaged my derailleur as I have no big chainring, so we will be stopping in Whanganui for some maintenance.

Day 13

We braved setting off early and I sped towards Whanganui to the bike shop and relief — no bike injuries detected. Had a lovely wee lunch break discussing important issues like sleep configuration at Hunterville.

A tough day out of Owhango. We climbed some serious hills on rough track — hard on the hands and body. I do think a gravel bike is possibly not the right machine for this terrain; some suspension would be welcome. The Mountains to Sea track seemed much harder than I remembered, and I am sure carrying all that gear makes a difference. Arrived at the Landing with time to spare, which had been my biggest worry — missing the jet boat. The boat was late due to an admin error; the number of bikes and riders had been miscalculated. A group of riders with valet support had left two of their team behind, so our boat waited for them. It turned out one had had an accident and ended up in hospital. Meanwhile, another rider took the top off his finger on a swing bridge trying to manhandle his bike through a narrow gap. Our lads supported that rider back to the Landing — I cannot imagine how he managed it as the pain must have been intense. We made it to Matahiwi in the dark at 9:30pm. An hour of riding in pitch black was scary; I was very relieved to reach the cabins and a meal after very many hours on some pretty demanding terrain. Huge vertical climbs followed by big downhills on rutted track and past rockfall — yet we get up and do it all again. Rinse, reset, repeat.

The Maungapurua Trail was tough but awesome; a lot of work has been done on it and although it is essentially all uphill, it was sublime. Helped a rider who ripped his fingernail off on one of the bridges — had to take his bike over all the remaining bridges for him. He is okay but his finger was a mess. I managed to blag some bacon and eggs from a private event at the Blue Duck Cafe, which was a bonus. Good to be out of the rough stuff as it is bloody tiring being bounced left and right hour after hour, but the scenery is fantastic. Camp Mother is as tough as nails — what a bike.