Wee Tiki Tour 2016
If you want to get to Christchurch NZ at an reasonable hour of the day you need to leave Brisbane AUS at a very unreasonable hour but that's exactly what John, Sue, Andrew and I did (joined on the flight by the lovely Wisty)
At the airport we were greeted by Kees and Julian and ferried to our accommodations
Andrew and I stayed with Alice and Phil and got straight to work putting our bikes together, thankfully both bikes came through the flight unscathed
Christchurch turned on a lovely warm evening, perfect for a BBQ at Kees and Julies place
The food was, as always, perfection. Kay was unable to be at the BBQ but we still felt her presence as she sent Julian with scrumptious desserts including an individual trifle for Andrew
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| Sunday morning was spent riding Worselys with Alice, Phil and Duncan. Duncan, Andrew and I were all on new bikes - having gone from Hardtails to dual suspension All Mountain Bikes - this ride was all about getting to know our new steeds |
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| All sporting the 'new bike smile' |
On the ride up we had to squeeze around this unfortunate 4x4
Alice showed us how to ride her namesake Alice's Restaurant, this is the very steep drop into the track
Views over Christchurch
After lunch it was time to squeeze into Alices car and head to Wanaka, as with all of NZ there was plenty of beautiful scenery along the way
Wanaka greeted us with a beautiful warm day as we met up at the Coffee Shop to fuel up for a day of riding the Sticky Forest Bike Tracks |
Even Andrew was unable to disturb the idyllic calm of Lake Wanaka
The Sticky Forest is an easy ride from town
Into the forest
We made our way up into the Forest via Crankin' Fine which had some very tight switchbacks and steep drop offs that challenged nerves and tested skills
We Checked out a few of the tracks including 4G, Tunnel of Love, Sick Boy and Western Heights
Andrew regaling us with stories of his adventures on the tracks
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| After Sticky Forest we headed over to Fuzzy Nuts and Hairy Bush which have been joined up and signed as the Hikuwai Loop which wiggles it's way high above the Clutha River |
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| A bit of jumping practice |
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| We head back into town for lunch via the coastal track |
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| We are joined by a few hungry ducks during lunch |
Some mushrooms in the park along the water front
After lunch Andrew and I headed back into the Sticky Forest and found some fantastic real estate opportunities, you know the kind "handyman's dream"
Time to explore some more tracks including Chairlift, Dizzy Turns, Sesame Street,Venus and Stumpy. Stumpy was a bit steep at the beginning so I slid down on my rear end for the first few switch backs while listening to Andrew Yeehaa as he was having the time of his life
Another run on the Hikuwai Loop
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| Getting some air on a step up jump |
The Hikuwai Loop pops out at the Outlet Motor Camp
Back to town via the coastal track
An early start and we were up and over the Crown Range to Queenstown with a quick but chilly stop at the top of the pass for some sight seeing
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Today's ride started at Wilson Bay and then took us out along the Seven Mile Track |
Andrew and Phil keeping themselves entertained while the rest of us catch up
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From the Car park at the other end we crossed the road onto the Golddigger track
Up
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| Up |
Up
Up
And up the road!
Then the reward, down, down,down the road
Moke Lake in the middle distance
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| Right on time for the lunch break |
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| The ducks at Moke Lake were more interested in sleeping than what we were doing |
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| After the lunch break we headed out around the other side of the Lake, we were now under a little bit of time pressure as Jane and Richard would be arriving in Queenstown on an afternoon flight so there was no time to take any wrong turns - but we did anyway! |
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Keep and eye out for this particular move, it became a bit of a theme over the tour - maybe because Andrew made it look so easy. We finished the ride with a blast down Phoenix, a long flowy track which spat us out looking like excited teenagers right near the cars
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| Kees and Julie headed out to the airport and the rest of the crew made our way to the Beautiful historic mining village Arrowtown to settle into our accommodation |
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| Julie found 2 houses right next door to each other, one very new, beautifully appointed with lovely gardens |
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| The second house was much older but with a very homely feel and a relaxing quirky charm. |
Today was a 30km return out and back adventure to Macetown, a gold mining ghost town
The boys started the day with some minor electrical repairs to Richards bike with Andrew getting to use some of the skills he learned in another life in the world of electronics
Some of the ladies got a little distracted on the way to the bakery to buy lunches
A quick call to John to see if he has room in his bag for a sheep
Avoiding some of the 22 river crossings on the way out to Macetown involved negotiating some narrow tracks with steep drop offs
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| Some steep switchbacks took us down to one of the few crossings with a bridge |
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| We met a lovely lady walking the track who kindly took a photo of our motley crew |
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| People rushing to |
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| Quickly followed by another lay down in the grass! |
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| A few of the group took these technical side tracks to avoid water crossings |
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| Aparently there is not any gold in them hills |
We stop at the Macetown ruins for lunch, it was time to break out the Aerogard as the infamous NZ sandflies found us. If you are not familiar with these little beasties they are not like Australian sandflies which are the size of a grain of sand, these things are monsters and have nothing in common with a grain of sand being more gravel sized, fortunately a quick spray of Aerogard and Bob's your uncle, no more sandflies
I like to call this one "Mr Jazz Hands"
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| The jump shot is all about timing, a jump shot on timer is doubly so |
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| The route back deviated slightly from the route in with many more creek crossing which couldn't be avoided |
Wet shoes were the order of the day but the weather and company were pleasant so it didn't matter
Hitting up the single tracks on the way back
Waking up to a very warm morning that turned to rain the Mt Dewar ride was postponed for a day, fortunately the rain didn't last and everyone chose their own adventure out on the Queenstown Trail surrounding Arrowtown
Partially restored 1880s village of Chinese gold miners rustic huts at Arrowtown
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| Picturesque Millbrook Golf Course |
The Queenstown Trail is over 100km of wide gravel shared use paths with beautiful views at every turn
Very excited to find a Shaggy Ink Cap Mushroom
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After a trip into Queenstown for some bike shop browsing the rest of the crew also headed out to do the Lake Hayes Loop, on the way out of town they worked on their jump shots at the Chinese Gold Miners Village |
Andrew and I took the Trail out the other side of town and caught up with the group on the other side of Lake Hayes
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| Watching planes come in to land at Queenstown, anyone who has flown into Queenstown will know it's pretty exciting flying in through the valleys |
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| Dinner was an easy call tonight as the Arrowtown main street was hosting the Welcome Party for the NZ Golf Open |
The evening de-brief of the day and brief on the coming day are once again a highlight of the trip, someone may have gone over the top with the awards (Julian) and now there is an Oscar, Princess Crown, Kings Crown, Bunny Bumper and Dame Edna Glasses to go with the sacred Tiki. The rules are laid down by Madam Julie and this year the main ones seem to be don't be noisy, don't mess up the beds and be nice to the slow riders. Andrew and I are a bit more than concerned about the first two rules as two words you would never heard used to describe us are quiet and tidy, this is going to be a challenge
Friday dawned with clear skies and cool temperatures, perfect for the climbing that todays adventure had in store for us
The bikes get loaded for the drive to Coronet Peak with a quick stop at the Arrowtown bike shop for some running repairs
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| There are some pretty serious warnings about the road ahead - Skippers Rd which we will climb back up to finish the ride |
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So it's up Atleys Track we go with stunning views the whole way to make up for the 3kms of climbing |
The climb is worth it when there are views like this at the top
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| Looking down the other side towards Skippers Rd |
On the Mt Dewar Loop not only do you get fantastic views on the way up you are rewarded with fast downhills and amazing views on the way down the other side
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| Some sections of the downhill are very steep and rocky testing the bravery of the group |
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A well timed photo of me riding a bridge captured an unnamed member of the group sailing through the air over his handle bars, fortunately it was a soft landing
Looking down towards our lunch spot
A hardy lunch and a bit rest were well deserved
The Wee Tiki Tour Trickster was up to his old shenanigans again
After lunch we headed out along the Shotover River towards Skippers Rd, this part of the ride included narrow tricky sections with steep drop offs down to the river, large patches of matagouri and parts where the track had all but been reclaimed by nature
After our battle alongside the Shotover River we popped out onto Skippers Rd and another battle ensued with the 6km climb up Skippers Rd. Once again we were distracted by the scenery with dramatic rock formations dotting the landscape around us and a gentle gradient making the climb a pleasant one. Sue put her bike into overdrive and left the rest of us in her dust
From Skippers Saddle we had a blast flying down a bit of fast and exciting single track called Zoot with Sue providing an exciting car shuttle to get drivers back to cars
John was hoping that this was to be his shuttle service
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| Both of the houses in Arrowtown had an abundance of edible fruits in their yards and we augmented our deserts with freshly picked plums, peaches, apples and blackberries |
The evening meeting is once again a quiet conservative affair...not!
Queenstown graced us with another perfect day. After riding Zoot yesterday Phil, Alice, Andrew and I headed back out to Coronet Peak to ride some of the single trails
We parked at the bottom of Zoot and biked up the road to Coronet Ski Field
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| Once again the back drop is the stunning Remarkables |
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| From here we head down Rude Rock which is a fun flowy downhill single track with some steep sections, some airy sections and the most amazing scenery |
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| From Rude Rock we continued on down Pack and Sack ( Alice and Phil did the full Track, Pack and Sack) |
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| Pack and Sack brought us out onto Skippers Rd where we had intended to ride back up but Andrew befriended a group of riders who had a shuttle waiting for them and they were happy to share the ride, we threw the driver some cash and away we went, It's a very narrow road and at a few points where we had to find places to pass other vehicles I was wishing I was riding my bike up instead of taking the bus |
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| After lunch Andrew and I headed out a couple of hours behind the rest of the group making our way along the Kawarua River past the historic Kawarua Bridge (where they Bungy Jump) to Gibbston Valley Winery |
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| The group riding across the Edgar Bridge, riding swing bridges test the nerves |
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| Kawarua Bridge in the background |
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| Kawarua River |
Gibbston Valley Winery is home to Rabbit Ridge Mountain Bike Trails, these are beautifully made but poorly maintained tracks peppered with rabbit holes
Andrew and I made it to Rabbit Ridge meeting the other group just as they were heading home
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| Some funky fungi |
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| Jane taste tests some apples on the ride home, a little sour by all appearances |
Sunday morning greeted us with a cold rain so we headed down to the lake front in Queenstown for morning tea or second breakfast for some
After morning tea the day turned into a cracker so while some of the group headed to Wanaka early the rest of us made our way up the Skyline Access road to the top of the Gondola.
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| The advice we had was that it was a 45 min ride to the top and while we got to the top in 45mins we didn't ride all the way as it got pretty steep and slippery in sections making it not much fun to ride and being in no hurry we walked some of these bits |
As with any hill you climb in NZ the view is stunning from the top
All smiles now as we know that it's downhill from here, although we were more than a little nervous as 90% of the riders we saw were wearing full face helmets and enough body armour for a quick tilt at jousting before heading down the hill
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| A few bike tools to make sure your bike is locked down tight before you point it downhill |
As we only have time for one run the majority of the group choose Hammys as it is the longest run
Andrew and I split from the group at Mid Station and did Thundergoat back to the Gondola then rode back to the cars. Yeehaa what a fantastic track! Andrew and I can't wait to get back here.
After the Gondola we drive back over the Crown Range to Wanaka and it's a fantastic Indian feast for dinner
Another beautiful day in Wanaka and today we hit the Millennium Track to Glendhu Bay and returned via the same route
Before we go it there is time for some maintaince
Come on Julie I'll just thrown a few tiles down it'll be perfect!
Julian had to turn back part way into the ride with headset issues, the local bike shop got his bike all sorted and ready for riding the next day
During the lunch break there is time for Juggling lessons with Andrew, I'm expecting everyone to have mastered this by next years Wee Tiki Tour
Some fun and games on the swing, I think these ladies might have missed their calling
Glendhu Bay has a large and inviting camping ground with breathtaking surroundings
Lunch with the ducks in downtown Wanaka again, such a photogenic couple
After lunch those who are keen drive an hour out of Wanaka on dirt roads to do the 10km return hike up to Rob Roy Glacier
The biggest fungi I have ever seen
A glimpse of the glacier on the way up the valley
The walk is mostly through lush green moss covered forest
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| Jungle Jane |
Beware - wild women are often seen prowling along this track
 Working on the jump shot | |||
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| Jump shot practice is starting to paying of |
The nightly gathering - Sue and Alice have cooking up a feast and Richard proved he has some hidden talents by cooking up scrumptious mushrooms
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