I rode the 5 km from the campground at Farewell Gardens to Wharariki on the morning of 14th February 2021 at 6.30 am to start the inaugural Tour Te Wai pounamu (waters of Greenstone), alone in my thoughts as excitement was rising and simultaneously the emerging sun was scorching the sky to create an incredible Kaleidoscopic atmosphere to begin this intrepid adventure.
Cape Farewell starting point
I feel everyone was ready to get rolling finally after months of Training , preparation and tinkering with set ups and the day had finally arrived. Everyone seemed calm and relaxed, the energy was bubbling, excitement, nervousness and anticipation all mixed. A fabulous cocktail of bikepacking hopes and dreams.
A fantastic and clear Briefing by race designer Brian Alder the night before meant there was not much more to say or do, except to turn on our Spot Trackers take it all in and roll out
We were off 37 adventurous souls about to embark on this new exciting bikepacking race in Aotearoa’s South Island. Brian had put a huge amount of work into creating this route. A huge drawcard for me was knowing that we would be traversing lands otherwise off-limits to the public. Brian had gained permission for the race to go through over 10 private stations, this was a real privilege.
Windy Point – Lake Sumner section
The first 60kms flew by on mainly sealed roads with a bit of beach after Collingwood, then on to the small town of Takaka, from here we headed towards the race’s first major climb, the Rameka Track, a beautiful 5km climb on rocky rooty trails through native forest. On the lower slopes I was just behind Martin Strelka and Ollie Whalley and getting into a climbing rhythm. Then close to the top of the climb out of seemingly nowhere suddenly I was feeling nauseous, had cold sweats and the energy was draining from my legs. I had to ease up as Martin and Ollie disappeared. Not long after Tony Le Sueur and Patrick Higgins passed me in quick succession.
I went over the top and started to feel a bit better on the downhill, continuing to the enforced shuttle, to get by the ongoing roadworks on Takaka Hill. Half an hour later on the Motueka West Bank road, I was feeling average again, so pulled over and lay on the ground for 20 minutes as my stomach settled. I must admit there were flashes of concern as I faced these issues not even halfway through Day One.
Thankfully a well-used mantra ” This too shall pass ” came to fruition, and my well-being improved greatly for the rest of the day. I caught up with Tony who said he was now feeling not so great , then I passed Patrick and then Martin who was fixing a flat tyre roadside. I felt like I was back in the game with only Ollie up the road as I rode through the first section of private land. The hours passed without incident as I made my way towards Murchison as the sun was lowering into the western skies. Martin and Patrick pulled up in Murchison just as I was about to roll out after filling my water bottles. Into the darkness, I pedalled happily down Matakitaki Road towards Maruia Saddle, back out onto Highway 6 briefly before heading into another private farm. I eventually arrived at Springs Junction close to midnight. I was tempted to push on over Lewis Pass but decided it would be best to stop and rest. Somewhere around 1 am, I got into my Bivy Bag under a shelter at Marble Hill after close to 350kms in the legs for day one. I later found out that I had passed Ollie as he was in his Bivy before the private section and he would pass me as I got some shut-eye. What a day that was, I was happy to have a rest and reflect on a day that turned out pretty good after some initial challenges. I was on the bike again before 4 am and heading up towards Lewis Pass on a cool crisp morning waiting for the first shimmers of light through the beautiful forest that embraces the road.
Ollie negotiating another Swingbridge
I, like most riders availed of the option to send a food parcel to the Boyle Village. At the turn I met Ollie who was preparing to get going, Patrick on the other hand was all tucked up and cosy on the bus shelter bench, he did not look like he was ready to move just yet The next resupply was 240kms away at Methven, this was a bit of an unknown section with numerous private stations we would traverse. I was feeling good and ready to go
I caught up with Ollie on the highway before Windy Point and the turn-off to Lake Sumner. This is a beautiful section along the Hope River on a walking track, It is pretty slow going due to lots of windfall and some gnarly roots resulting in lots of on and off the bike. It was great to ride with Ollie and reconnect after not seeing him since the 2016 Tour Aotearoa. We pushed on knowing only Martin was ahead, although we did not know how far.
Getting high over Lake Sumner
Leaving Lake Sumner and heading into another private station towards Lake Mason at lunchtime on Day 2, we were greeted with our first sustained Hike a Bike up a super steep trackless hill. The views looking back were spectacular as I sucked in the precious air to replenish my hard-working lungs. After skirting around the picturesque Lake Mason, there was some nice riding on farm tracks in amongst the big hills. It felt remote in here, I was happy to be feeling better and was enjoying riding on new territory.
Ollie pushing up the Dampier Range
Another feet resting moment
The Dampier Range was next, this was a super hard HAB section. My self and Ollie were pushing up here as the sun was dropping on another epic day. The Tussock grasses seemed to be longer as we got higher and the barely there track was hard to find. To be honest, I did not have a bike-carrying system practised pre-race, so it was a case of pulling, dragging, lifting and whatever it took to get over this mountain. Myself and Ollie pondered the racers coming behind with heavier setups than ours, it was a slog. We eventually rolled down to Andersons hut after dark and decided to Bivy outside, as the Hut was a Ramshackle rodent riddled affair. Only 110km today!
In the dead of night, I heard the screeching of brakes coming down the mountain, as I dozed again two riders rolled in, it was Tony and Hedley, who had pushed over the Dampier range in the dark, what an effort. This rude awakening was our alarm, myself and Ollie packed up and rode off into the darkness sometime around 2am I think. Initially I was feeling good but as the hours passed and the first morning light was still to show I was starting to feel a bit groggy. The skies did eventually brighten but it was a cloudy and fresh morning as we rode out through the massive Mt White Station. Before getting to the highway. I saw Rob Dawson all set up with his camera and bike to capture some footage for the TTW film.
This is me cold, wet and feeling sickly
Just before tackling the Cass Saddle LagoonTrack, I sat down to have a cold water-dehydrated breakfast meal and immediately felt sick. My stomach was churning as I rode and pushed on up the river bed, Ollie was just ahead as we left the river and then climbed steeply up through the bush. At this point, my feet were aching and I noticed that the soles were coming apart. I made the crucial mistake of wearing XC carbon-soled shoes that were too stiff for all the HAB and got shredded on the rocks of the riverbed. This was a very tough steep push up narrow rocky rooty trails, made even harder with how I was feeling. After I eventually came out into an opening of Tussock, I spotted Ollie way off in the distance, the last time I would see him in this race. By now it was raining I was cold and I was feeling pretty average. The super nice single-track descent off the other side did lift my mood,
Singletrack goodness off Cass Saddle
The rain eased but it proved to be a very long day. Countless crossings of the Harper River ensured my feet remained wet for the third day in a row. Out onto the gravel road that runs parallel to Lake Coleridge, I was plotting a plan in my head to get new shoes in Methven, unfortunately getting there seemed to take forever. I arrived about 9 pm, had another look at my shoes which were in a pretty bad state and made the decision to stay in town to hopefully buy some new ones at the Bike shop the next day.
Unfortunately, BIG ALS in Methven had no shoes for me ):
Big Al’s bike/snow shop did not open until 9 am, I was up much earlier getting supplies and some food at the coffee shop and having a catch-up with Rob Dawson. He shared insights into his adventure as he chased the race to capture hours of footage as racers spread out through the backcountry. I was waiting at the door of Big Al’s at 9 am when a friendly lady came to open up shop, to my obvious disappointment I was told that they did not stock Mountain Bike shoes. Damn! All they could do was offer me some super strong glue and hope for the best. We poured some glue into the openings and I quickly got out of there, keen to get moving after being Methven for way too long
Carbon soles falling apart
Rising out of Mesopotamia
I rode out of Methven just after 9 am, now lying in sixth place and over 100kms behind the front of the race, I knew it would take a massive effort to pull this back. I was feeling better today and had a renewed sense of determination despite the challenges I had faced so far. As the hours clicked by the temperatures rose as I climbed alongside the Rangitata River past Peel Forest and on towards Mesopotamia. After this, it was again into private land and some steep climbs. I had passed Patrick as he rested in the shade of a tree along the road, this gave me some encouragement and I pushed on. At the bottom of the intimidating steep climb to Bullock Bow Saddle, I decided to take off my shoes and push my bike barefoot. This was a huge relief for my aching feet and was comfortable for the most part except for a few sharp stones.
Had a few of these to open and close
My Barefoot walk up Bullock Bow Saddle
The sun was lowering as I went over the saddle, the views were spectacular as I took a few moments to take it all in, then enjoyed a fast descent and on to Royal Hut. Darkness was setting in amongst the imposing peaks. There was one bike outside the hut, I did not stop, I was committed to getting over the next obstacle, Stag Saddle. This was a tough section in the dark, with lots of river crossings, rocks and steep Tussock terrain. Finding the path was a challenge at times but my headlight would find a marker in the distance and I d aim for that. I reached Stag Saddle, 1925 meters and the highest point on the Tour Te Wai Pounamu at 12.15 am, My arms were knackered from all the lifting, pushing and pulling of my loaded bike up this wildly rugged walking track. I gazed up at the sky and felt like I was in it, surrounded by bright twinkling stars, this was a special moment. I looked down to see the lights of Tekapo and thought to myself that I d be there in a few hours, have a rest then resupply and hit the road. I never thought that actually, it would take me nearly 7 hours to reach the township. Unfortunately, I was unable to ride many sections of the downhill in the dark and lower down was slow going with more river crossings, rugged trails and more climbing. It was here that I spotted a few Wallabies, the first time I’d seen them wild in New Zealand.
Bullock Bow Saddle as the sun went down
Race high point
Early morning Bakery stop in Tekapo
On getting to Tekapo at about 7 am, I was tired but did not feel smashed even though I had just done a 22-hour slog through arguably the toughest section of the race. On checking the tracker I saw I was now in third position although Ollie still had about 100 km on me and Tony was passing Lake Pukaki some 50 km or so ahead. Martin’s Tracker was also in Tekapo, so I was expecting to see him somewhere soon. Catching the front two would be difficult but I was encouraged to keep chasing. A resupply at the Four Square and I was moving again on the quiet flat roads along the canal heading south.
Lake Pukaki and Aoraki in the distance
The next resupply was Otematata. I was very grateful for these flat roads after the previous night’s exertions. Looking northwards as I approached the edges of Lake Pukaki, Mt Aoraki and some of the highest peaks of the southern Alps shimmered across the lake in what was truly a postcard image. A very rough gravel road gave me a good shaking before popping out through the Haldon Arm Campground .
Lake Benmore
It was lunchtime when I caught my first glimpses of the sprawling Lake Benmore, it was a very hot day and I was tempted to swim, but I pushed on and it was too late as I moved away from the lake and entered the next section of private land, Black Forest Station. From this point onwards I began to wilt like some of the plants in this extremely dry section. It was about 30 odd kms to Otematata, but it felt like 100kms. The steep climbs came in quick succession and I could not ride some of them, my legs were jelly and my mind was wandering. I had to get to Otematata and pull myself together. Thankfully I got there just before the shop closed and purchased a massive amount of food and drinks. I went to the park and made up some Avocado, Tomato, and Hummus wraps. For some reason during this race, I was not able to stomach my normal race food, I craved ” normal ” food. Unfortunately, this food is slower when you have to make it up.
Binary Havok by Farm gate and bridge in the Otematata River valley
As the sun was lowering on another day I knew I was losing time after a super slow section before Otematata and then a long resupply stop, however, it must have been required as I felt half human again as I entered the Otematata Station. A steep push up then a fast descent brought me to a beautiful ride alongside the Otematata river as the sun was setting and the colours were changing before my eyes. Darkness fell and I faced a wall, a super steep farm track went straight up meaning I was pushing my bike for hours. There was nt much up here only parched land and lots of sheep munching on dry grass. My mind so wanted to push on but my body said no, my feet were aching again in my battered XC shoes. I got into my Bivy for a very average sleep, I was cold and uncomfortable.
In the months leading up to the race, I was testing the Bivy option thinking it would be ideal for a summertime blast through the south island. All my previous races i ve used my lightweight one person tent and I guess I ve just got very used of that. Getting into the confined space of a bivy and attempting to rest just did not seem to work for me. I tossed and turned and sometimes the heavy condensation would leave me cold and just wanting to get out and continue riding.
The beautifully sparse Hawkdun Range
I pushed on in the middle of the night, I felt super sleepy on a few occasions and simply lay down on the dirt to sleep/rest for 20 mins. The rising sun and epic expansive views cheered me up as I pushed on up the aptly named walking spur. I was relieved to eventually crest the Hawkdun range at 1643 meters mid morning. The descent off the range was a super rough boulder-strewn track. I was bouncing my way down on my 100ml of Rock Shox Sid suspension when I almost lost it. This was a message to get off the bike and walk for a bit. A 5-minute wait for a huge flock of sheep being moved along the road before rolling into Oturehua, What a night, what an adventure. I parked my bike outside the amazing historic Gillchrists General merchants store, removed my cycling shoes to relieve the pressure on my aching feet and proceeded to spend another decent amount on food and drinks
Road delays close to Oturehua
A look at the Maprogress tracking page revealed what I already knew, I was falling behind big time, Tony was about 120ks up the road and Ollie was smashing it over 200 km away. The day grew hotter and I pushed on hoping to reach Lawrence, 165 km further along the route. When I reached the Poolburn reservoir, I found some shade beside a big rock and dozed for more than an hour. I felt so depleted and flat, I did not have an answer. From my previous experiences of encountering tough times, they have always passed and then I would be feeling fine again. This was different, My legs were dead since the previous day entering Black Forest Station. I pushed on through this remarkable terrain with its beautiful rocky outcrops.Not long after, Hedley Wilton caught me, we rode together for a while and chatted about our races to this point. He looked fresh and strong before he pulled away and left me to contend with the hills
Another stunning sunset
As the sun began to drop as I passed Lake Onslow I knew I would not get anywhere near Lawrence today. I eventually camped roadside just before a no-camping zone. Again sleep was intermittent and I was up moving again in the dead of night. With all this lack of quality rest, I was again taking power naps in the dirt as I was willing the sun to rise and warm me up. I was walking hills that normally would be easy climbs, I was determined to finish the race but I had to accept that I did not know when that would be. I had never struggled like this before, it was an eye-opener, a learning curve and a lesson in humility. I knew I had to keep moving forward no matter how slow and somehow figure it out. Things can only improve
Green grass of southland
Another long stopover in Lawrence hoping to recharge, and replenish enough for a final hit out. 152 km to Slope Point, the endpoint of the race, under normal circumstances, would be a pretty straightforward day on the pedals. Belly full I rolled out of Lawrence to be greeted by another steep ass hill that burned my legs, then into the undulating hills towards Southland. I arrived in Clinton a hot sweaty mess and all I wanted to do was lie down and sleep, and that was pretty much what I had done, I got a room in what looked like the only accommodation option, a run-down Hotel. It was only about 6 pm and I had nothing left in the tank for today.
Another 12-hour stop, and inevitably riders had passed me during my slumber, 5 in fact, I was now in 9th. To be honest I was not racing the last few days, I was surviving with a grim determination to get to Slope Point. Funnily enough the last day I could feel some energy return to my legs and did enjoy my 90 km ride through the beautiful Catlins region. I rode until the road was no more, my race was over. I sat alone with my thoughts on the rocky cliffs that is Slope Point gazing out into the wild South Pacific ocean, happy to be finished, with many unanswered questions in my head, I let it all sink in. I’ve had many tough moments in races due to mechanicals and injuries, but this race was a real rollercoaster, I had exhilarating highs and extreme lows and the unshakable fatigue of the last days was hard to take. It might sound crazy, but even at that moment, I knew that I would have no hesitation in signing up for this race again. As always I look back with everlasting memories, neither good nor bad, just memories of another adventurous journey where I had to dive deep on so many levels. This is an adventure that I live for, that I love and I will continue to push and test my limits to experience all the emotions that make me who I am.
7 DAYS 5 HOURS 15 MINUTES
Massive Congratulations to the Inaugural TTW race winner Ollie Whalley on a phenomenal consistent ride.
Congratulations to all the riders, you are all heroes
Huge Thank you to Brian Alder for creating this monster of a route through the spectacular landscape of Te Waipounamu https://www.tourtewaipounamu.co.nz/
Much Gratitude to the Landowners for allowing us to traverse your lands
Immense Gratitude to my Wife/Coach/ no1 supporter, Mary Jo and our Vibrant Living team for the opportunity to follow my passion once again https://www.vibrantliving.co.nz/
Tracking provided by https://maprogress.com/
Tracking and race reports are provided by https://dotwatcher.cc/
