Wilderness Trail; Ross to Hokitika on bikes – 16 January 2021

Carters Beach

It was a relatively early start for us.  The previous evening we had packed our bags ready for being transported to the different locations when we do our cycle trip on the Wilderness Trail.

 

Bev wanted to see Carters Beach so we detoured there to find a very flat, long  beach with virtually no-one on it.  The weather was gorgeous.  Barely a breath of wind and the sun had emerged from the morning cloud. 

Fishing boats Westport

We drove along the coast road to Punakaiki, where there are the so called Pancake Rocks and a blowhole.  The drive is quite spectacular with steep hills on one side and wild west coast on the other side.  It is one of those situations where pictures can only give an impression of the grandeur of the place. 

 

We stopped at Punakaiki to have a look around the tourist spot.  It is totally unrecognisable from when I was last there, around thirty years ago or so.  Funnily my main memory of the place was going there as a child and it was rough and raw, the track rudimentary but the blow holes  spectacular.  I faintly recall that it was cool and the wind blowing quite fiercely.  

Accessible paths Punakaiki

Pancake rock

The conditions for our visit today were a complete contrast. No wind to speak of and the place had a manicured feel to it, with sealed paths and various viewpoints with barriers.  Nothing rudimentary.  The only risk taking we saw was a young couple sitting on a ledge where there was a significant vertical drop - what was more, it was right  in front of a sign suggesting it was dangerous to go outside the barriers not only for themselves but for others who might try to rescue them. 

 

Almost ready to go

We arrived in Hokitika and quickly found the company who had organised the accommodation, shuttle and bag transfer.  We were then shuttled to our starting point at Ross, a very cute village that is a far cry from its rowdier history as a gold mining town in the 1800s. 

 

On our way

The weather continued to be superb, with no sign of the predicted rain for the next day.  The initial part of the ride took us along a rail embankment that had once been the Hokitika to Ross rail line.  It was straight and went through to a rather attractive area regenerating native flora and wetlands.  After about 18 kilometres we left the rail corridor and followed the signs to Treetops.  This part of the trail followed the main road for a couple of hundred metres then it was onto another track before joining a quiet country road to Treetops where we had a bite to eat and then Bev went for the walk in the treetops.  I wanted to rest my knee for a little while.

 

By that time we had completed two thirds of the track section.  We followed the road for another couple of kilometres before turning off to follow the Mahina Tramway, built to haul logs out of the area. All the time we were skirting around Lake Manhinapua.  We climbed a little bit.  About half way along the trail we came across a path that said there was a good view of the lake and it would only take 10 minutes walking to get there.  I thought it might be quite smooth but  I was soon disabused of that notion with tree roots and rocks everywhere.  Not a good experience but I got to the lake and back without further damaging myself.

 

The ride along it was quite exhilarating as you could go quite quickly but had to concentrate as the smooth area on the trail was very limited with gravel on either side.  At one point I nearly collided with another cyclist coming the other way but we both slammed onour brakes and managed ease past each other safely. 

 

The final part of the ride included a ride up a series of switch backs which tested my cycling skills a little.  Then we came to our accommodation as we emerged from the scrub. There was a lovely little sign welcoming us to Scenic Waterways. 

 

The sign greeting us to Scenic Waterways

On arrival we were greeted by our very friendly hosts who said that nibbles were on the menu and to come and meet our fellow cyclists.  We had a pleasant conversation with them and then our dinner was served which was a rather delicious lamb shank with lots of wonderful organic vegetables from a local grower. 

 

The hostess,Cindy was a delightful woman who migrated with her husband, Gavin, from Zimbabwe via South Africa nearly twenty years ago.  They took on the venture because of the cycle trail being close by, with the aim to provide tours around the waterways with accommodation being a sideline, but the accommodation and providing meals have become the major growth areas.  Also, their market is domestic  and they have enjoyed a record year so far with only a couple of slowdowns. 

 

One of the impressions that we have had since driving around is the lack of tour buses and any tourist area that we go to is full of Kiwis.  It feels much more relaxed and more like what it was thirty years ago before mass tourism made its impact.  I hope we don’t go back to the form of tourism we had then. 

 

On our way from Murchison to Hokitika I kept commenting to Bev about the flowering rata which is so nice to see makes the hills at times looking quite crimson.  

Treetops

Several kilometres into our ride through a wetland

Lake Manhinapua after being intrepid

Five kilometres to go

Will we be intrepid or not