GTT – a day of two halves – 3 February 2021

 

We had a relatively early start as the distance we were riding was longest of the ride.  We had to be at Ngatimoti – about 25 kms away for a pre-booked lunch and after that transported to Tapawera.  The was thus, Kaiteriteri to Ngatimoti and then Tapawera to Wakefield.

 

The Kaiteriteri entrance

The previous day in the Mountainbike Park Bev’s brake cable had come away from its housing.  I managed to fix it satisfactorily, but I thought it might be wise to have it checked by a bike mechanic at Kiwi Cycles which was conveniently located where we were staying.  To get there, we had a short but very steep climb out of Little Kaiteriteri and then down to the bike shop.  The mechanic advised that that the cable needed some work but it was safe to ride in the interim.  Then it was back through the Mountainbike Park.  Bev was much more confident than yesterday and I also enjoyed it more - not being so exhausted. 

 

We stopped at a café in Riwaka and enjoyed a coffee.  Whilst there, we chatted with some other riders and it turned out that one of them was the owner of the winery we were going to have lunch at - Dunbar Estate. 

 

Our coffee stop

The ride from Riwaka took us up the west, back of the Motueka River, on a little used country road.  It was a very pleasant ride which had us climbing up the river valley.  Just out of Motueka we came across a roadside stall selling peaches, so we bought a bag of the most delicious tree ripened fruit. 

 

It was mixed farming with some beef, sheep, and apples.  There was even a place that was clearly a car graveyard although maintained in quite an orderly fashion, with the dead cars all nicely lined up in the paddock . 

 

Looking toward Nelson from the mountainbike park

Farming in the Motueka Valley

At Ngatimoti, by the Peninsular Bridge, was swimming hole where a family were swimming.  It looked very refreshing and almost inviting. 

 

Peninsular Bridge, Ngatimoti

The swimming area

A little further along the road was Dunbar Estate.  I wondered how many people would be there and along with other cyclists, a number of other people also appeared.  It was a gorgeous setting, looking out over the vines and distant hills and it had some nice shade to sit in.  Lunch was a platter of tasty meats and cheeses along with a salad.  It came with a wine tasting as well.  We wondered whether we would get through it all, but remarkably by the time we had to leave, it was all consumed.  The people running the show were delightful and had been involved with the vineyard for some time. 

 

Dunbar Estate

We were transported up the valley to Tapawera.  Our driver, George, was quite talkative and told us that “there are significant plantings of hops up the valley”.  I asked “ who are the producers?” George told us “the investors are German, Belgian and American.”  This begged the question of “why”?  George said he had asked one of them was told “NZ hops are the best in the world - the combination of climate and soil makes them that way”.

 

Toilet block Tapawera

It is clearly the new gold rush in the area because we noticed new plantings almost wherever we went in the region. 

Hop plantings

It was seriously hot when we got to Tapawera where our transport ended, and we headed off again on our bikes for Wakefield.  At this point I discovered Bev’s torch wasn’t working so in anticipation of Spooner’s Tunnel, we had to borrow one from George – a necessity for getting through it safely.  The track from Tapawera to Kohatu is the newest part of the trail which will eventually connect to Woodstock further north down the valley.  The road we drove on to Tapawera is really too narrow for it to be a safe route for cycling, hence the need to be transported to that point. 

 

Sculpture Garden we did not visit

The trail climbed for 14 kilometres and it seemed to get steeper the further we went.  The heat probably didn’t help and I went through two water bottles to keep hydrated.  Finally we reached Spooners Tunnel and we were greeted with a stream freezing air emanating from the southern portal.  It was most refreshing.  I put on another jersey and turned on the light and Bev followed me into the darkness.  The light seemed to barely penetrate the intense darkness but then a sudden pinprick of light appeared.  I called out to Bev that there was someone coming toward us, but a minute or so later, given the steadiness of the light, I realised that it was coming from the end of the tunnel.  The tunnel runs slightly downhill and so we cruised down the slope with the light source becoming larger and larger until suddenly we emerged into the daylight and warmth of the day.  The tunnel is 1.3kms long and was fun to experience.  From the outside, we watched the approach of another group of cyclists, noting the slight movement of the lights as they approached and the smiles on their faces as they emerged from having had such an exhilarating experience. 

 

After emerging from Spooners Tunnel

The ride down from the tunnel to the beginning of Spooners Hill was very fast and I was conscious that a woman had died there last year when she had lost control of her bike. We had ridden this part of the trail on a previous occasion,  but parts of it seemed new.   When we enquired about it, that was confirmed, and the track was now following a river for a couple kilometres.  It had only been open for about a year. 

 

We were accommodated at Snowball B&B just outside Wakefield.  The owner, Carol, was a delight and we talked with her for a while before showering off the dust and sweat we had accumulated over the 68 kilometres we had ridden. 

 

Carol was happy to transport us to the local pub and we had a pleasant dinner with a couple of fellow cyclists from Auckland.  After we finished, we had a nice walk back to our accommodation and before we knew it the day had ended. 

 

Distance cycled: 68km - Cycling time:4h 10m