Oteake overnight bike pack trip

The deal with bike packing is it's minimalist. You just can't bring the amount of kit that fits into bike panniers. Streamlining your gear allows for the bike to tackle tougher terrain, but once you add full camping gear, food and a change of clothes you are pushing it with capacity.

Because I have a small bike frame I am limited to smaller volume bags so that there is enough clearance for the bike tyres. I have to be very careful when loading both the handlebar roll and the saddle bag that everything is tight and rigid, and clears the tyres.

I've put cages on the front forks, but I found on the Mavora trip that the bike could benefit from a bit more weight on the back wheel for better handling. Overloading the front forks can lead to them breaking, which means there are limits to how much you can carry up front.

I decided to purchase the Aero Spider rack. This attaches directly to the rear seat stay and gives me the option to attach some more dry bags in a number of different configurations. It's also transferable to any bike, which makes the upfront price more palatable.

Since I was only planning an overnighter I packed the chair and tent into a dry bag on the rear rack, sleeping bag and mattress in the front handlebar roll, food, water and a few sundries in the frame bag, tools in a small bag on the top tube, clothes and cooker in the saddlebag. For the first time I still had some redundancy. I didn't need the front cages, and I could have put a second bag on the other side of the rack. This means I now have enough packing space for a longer trip.

I drove out to St Bathans and then up the Hawkdun Run road to Homestead DOC campsite. I parked the car there and headed off on the walking track to join up with the main 4WD track heading up the Manuherika. It was a perfectly good track to ride, though I walked across the creek crossings, and up the small hill, and across the tussock to the main track....

Homestead DOC campsite shelter

Packed and ready to go

Once on the main track I made good time. It was a very gentle gradient heading upriver, and the track, although rocky in places, was in much better condition than the Mavora Lakes track. At the fork I headed left, up the west branch to Boundary Creek Hut. I got there early afternoon and decided not to push on to Top Hut as there was a vicious headwind that I didn't fancy continuing riding into.

you can appreciate the much narrower profile with bike packing vs panniers

West branch of the Manuherika River

yet another scenic crossing, good lunch stop

Boundary Creek Hut, shelter from the wind

A chap with his dog popped in, awaiting a helicopter pickup. He and a team were part of a pest eradication team looking for wallabies. The Oteake Conservation Park hasn't had a wallaby incursion until now, so they are hoping to reduce their numbers. So far he hadn't seen any.

I spent the afternoon reading, had dinner and an early night. Just on dark a chap from Dunedin drove up in his 4WD. We had a short chat and then he claimed a bunk and went to sleep too.

The next morning I found my rear tyre to be flat. This seems like a recurring nightmare. I couldn't find the source of the leak this time either, so pumped up the tyre, packed up and headed back down the west Manuherika. It was an easy ride as it was all downhill!

I stopped at one of the river crossings to see if I could find the leak. I couldn't. The tyre hadn't deflated much either, so I just kept trucking...

I had accidentally lost my wallet the day before, but I found it again at my lunch stop (the only time I had opened that bag en route) so when I came to the forks I headed up the east branch of the Manuherika, because there were a couple of huts to bag up this valley as well.

The East Manuherika is a wider valley than the West, and the road was much smoother to ride. More sandy than rocky. 

Heading up the East Branch of Manuherika River

I left the bike behind some bushes just off the track and walked up to visit a private hut hidden behind a small hill then returned to the bike. 

A large tagalong 4WD group were also heading down valley on a six day trip from Blenheim. They did the gates so I didn't have to!

I guess it gets windy around here...

I decided to take the 4WD track back to the campsite but my poor fitness didn't allow me to make it all the way up the hill without having to stop and push. Better than it was, but still a work in progress....

Another successful bike packing trip. And another puncture. Damn! Tubeless tyres aren't supposed to be this unreliable. Will try to sort this out when I get back from Oz. 

Meanwhile, I have one more tramp to go. That's next.

Mavora Bikepacking

 If you are going to walk along a 4WD track, why not bike it instead? Ideally, you'd want a mountain bike, but if all you have is a gravel bike, now serviced and upgraded to thicker beefier 40mm tyres, well that's what you pack up and head off with.

This trip was really an excuse to go hutbagging, and to work on my fitness by getting my heart rate up considerably higher than it gets tramping. And also to fine-tune packing my bike.

My Cannondale gravel bike has two bolt holes on the front forks that don't seem to fit any cage whatsoever, but when trawling the internet I found someone else had solved the problem by drilling an extra hole in some Blackburn cages and Bob's your uncle. I already had those cages so I made short work of it and soon had two extra places to load gear. Since they are front forks I put 500g loads on each side ( a tarp and my helinox chair respectively) which freed up some space in the other bags. It's still pretty tight fitting everything into bike packing bags but for only an overnight trip I don't need to carry much food.

I drove down to Mavora Lakes and parked at the campsite at North Mavora Lakes, loaded the bike and set off along the 4WD track. The thicker tyres made short work of the sandy track, but my fitness meant I still needed to walk up some of the hills. It was a hot day with little wind, and aside from passing a few trampers I saw few people all day.

I stopped in at Carey's Hut for a late lunch before walking up the steep hill to then cruise down and along to Boundary Hut, where I planned to spend the night. 

There was no-one else there, so after claiming a mattress I headed off up the valley on foot to bag one more private hut before returning to Boundary for a quick dip, dinner and bed.

Picturesque Mavora River just near Boundary Hut

Looking downriver towards North Mavora Lake, Boundary Hut on left

Looking up the Mavora Valley, this is private land, with cattle grazing

Private Hut at Bush Creek, lovely stream nearby

These rugged landscapes show you how glaciers scour out valleys

The next morning I retraced my route a couple of kms before veering off to visit Forks hut. That required crossing both the Mavora River and the picturesque Winton Burn and following a rough 4WD track up valley.

Moody morning crossing the Mavora

I soon realised I'd be hike a biking more than I'd be riding, so I ditched the bike behind some tussocks and continued to the hut on foot. A lovely wee spot for a cuppa and snack before returning to the bike and rolling back down to the main track. 

Ditched the bike somewhere around here

Forks Hut

Back across the two rivers...

Winton Burn

Mavora

By the time I got back to Carey's Hut I was so hot I walked straight into the lake fully clothed. What a relief!!

I had a late lunch, chatting to a TA walker having a siesta, then discovered my front tyre was almost flat. After pumping it up I couldn't find the leak so decided to push on. The tyre kept leaking despite being tubeless with sealant inside, and I just stopped from time to time to pump it up again. After the second or third time a couple in a 4WD stopped and offered me a lift, so I took it. The day was too hot for heroics, and I'd already cycled the same road on the way in.

Back at the car I still couldn't find the leak and since I'd forgotten to bring the magic can of BAM, I decided to cancel the second portion of my hutbagging bike packing trip and just knock off one of the huts along the Mt Nicholas Rd. This one had been a checkpoint on last year's Godzone and was a cute historic hut made of wood slabs.

Trip aborted I headed back home to Wanaka. Hutbagging count for this trip 5, and over 350 in total. Not bad effort in five years!

Walking and cycling adventures during my recovery

When I first started walking again I used a walking frame, gradually making my way around the hospital wards, and getting to and from the toilet unaided. Once I returned home I soon graduated from a walking frame to two crutches, then one, then finally none. That took about 8 weeks.

Gradually I was able to go for longer walks, mostly in the vicinity of where I lived. Walking along the Clutha River tracks is always scenic and enjoyable, no matter how many times you go.

Once my orthopaedic specialist had given me the go ahead, my walks became more ambitious. A ski instructor friend of mine joined me for a walk up Fern Burn. It's a glorious walk through beech forest, but the track is pretty uneven with some scrambling involved, so it was good to get off the manicured paths and work on my balance.

We walked as far as the bridge and return, marvelling at the huge trout we could see in each pool. We didn't tell the fishermen further downstream though!

Next I climbed Mt Iron. This was the first proper hill I had climbed post accident. All those glute exercises had worked a treat and I found it incredibly easy.

a great view from the top

Mt Iron is only a small hill, so to up the ante I planned to climb Grandview Mountain next. To keep things in perspective I decided to limit my climb to 2 hours uphill, before returning back to the car. Sure I didn't make the summit, but I still got to appreciate the fine views over Lake Hawea.

Lake Hawea

my turnaround spot

My next hill was Little Criffell, and this time I decided to make the summit. The walk started with a crossing of the Cardrona River and then a fairly continuous ascent up farm tracks to the ridgeline. It was a further 3 km to the summit and there were times when I felt I just might have bitten off too much. But I made it, enjoying the amazing views in all directions. Roy's Peak across the valley as well as right up the Cardrona Valley, Lakes Wanaka and Hawea, and behind me the Pisa Range. 

After a short lunch break hiding from the wind I returned the same way. My quads were screaming by the time I got back to the river, so I had a wee dip before returning to the car. Time to add a few more leg exercises to the pilates program...

Once the quads had recovered I took on my next adventure. This was to be my first overnight tramp, and to ease into it I decided to make it a bikepacking trip. By now I'd been going on a few bike rides around the area, including a section of the Lake Dunstan Trail, so I felt ready to tackle a ride along the Dingleburn Road and then over the hill to a campsite. From there I would do a daywalk up to the bottom hut on the Dingle, and then cycle back out the next day. Only that wasn't what happened....

Lake Hawea

Lake Dunstan trail

Coffee break, Lake Dunstan Trail

I drove out to the carpark, loaded the bike and began the cycle along the road which skirts high above some bluffs next to Lake Hawea. There were a few hills that I walked up, and one descent I didn't ride as I felt my 37mm tyres were just a bit too narrow to provide enough traction. The rest of the downhills were fine.

Setting off from the carpark

View across Lake Hawea to The Neck

The great unwashed public can't use the road past the homestead, but must take a track along the lakeside and up through a saddle between two hills before a descent and sidle around to the mouth of the Dingle, where the campsite is. This is where the wheels fell off...

Lovely wee beach, the road I had cycled in the background

The first bit around the lakeside was fine, but the steep climb to the saddle was far outside my ability or fitness on a fully laden gravel bike. That climb was hot and sweaty, and took ages!

Lake Hawea and Silver Island from halfway up

Looking north up the lake

Rest stop

Still quite a bit of hike-a-bike to go

At the top the track descended to a stile, which I had to muscle my bike over, no mean feat when your arm isn't all that strong. Then the sidle. I could see my destination a km or so ahead, but then I reached a rather muddy patch, and to get through it I needed to manhandle my bike up and over a small incline, whilst sinking into slippery mud.

View up to head of the lake and Hunter Valley

Across the lake

The photo doesn't do it justice. I tried, but I just couldn't get my gear up and across it. Perhaps I could have unloaded the bike, but the day's struggle already had been considerable, so I decided to turn around.

I tried, you can see my wheel marks, it goes uphill BTW

Getting back over the stile took more effort, but I was able to easily ride most of the way back down the hill to the lakeside, and then back to the road.

The final ride along the road still required me to do a bit of hike-a-bike, but my increasing confidence with the bike's handling meant it was a much quicker return to the car than the outward journey.

Stunning lakeside ride

Despite aborting the trip I felt pretty good the next day, so made a plan to do a 3 day tramping trip next. I took the bike in for a service, and upgraded the tyres to 40mm, giving me a lot more grip and comfort, since I run the tyres tubeless.

I also went for a wee paddle with the packraft in Lake Wanaka, to see how my arm felt. All good, but you can see from the picture it was raining up in the headwaters.

I headed out to Homestead Bay at West Wanaka and began the walk to Minaret Burn. It was a glorious day with no wind and the views were stupendous.

Homestead Bay and mouth of Matukituki River

I stopped for lunch at Colquhoun Bay and then continued towards Rumbling Burn, the crux of the trip.

Colquhoun Beach

Mou Waho Island

There had been a bit of rain in the hills over the previous few days and I heard the burn before I got to it. The vehicle crossing was a decent rapid, with a standing wave! My poles were well and truly vibrating when I put them in the stream to gauge the intensity of the flow. If I slipped here, I would end up being washed into a fairly steep boulder garden. No thanks!

Deep and fast flowing, no thanks!!

Plan B was to walk down to the lake and cross there. Only the flow was just as nasty, and there was a deep channel that I would have needed to swim. The safest option was to swim across at the lake, but I didn't want to get wet so I explored a little more before deciding to again turn around and return home.

Alternative crossing, also no thanks!

At Colquhoun Beach I stopped to boil the billy and have a cup of tea, and visit some nearby ruins, then made my way back to the car. 

I'd managed to carry an overnight pack for 6 hours so I was pretty happy with that achievement. The next day, however, my back was pretty sore, and it took me a few days to recover. I'd actually dodged a bullet by returning the same day, as it seems my body wasn't quite ready yet for a multi-day tramp.

Jude was driving in to Macetown with friends just before Christmas, so I hitched a lift in with her, planning to walk back out with my pack. I also wanted to visit an old miner's hut I hadn't bagged when I'd visited during my Motatapu tramp a few years ago.

It was fun bumping along in Jude's flash 4WD. We visited the dam and I got to see what the walk out would be like. When I had tramped the Motatapu Track I had gone over Big Hill rather than follow the Arrow River 4WD track. After setting up camp, and with rain imminent, I decided to put off the hut bagging until the next day.

Arrow River

Luxury travel

Chilly bin went back out in the car

Polly, one of Jude's friends, and Willow, Jude's dog, joined me for the walk up the Gold Burn. We continued past the various stamper batteries to a river fork, with the hut hidden behind a bluff, requiring a bit of a scramble to get there. Willow found a hare to chase and was in heaven!

We had lunch at the tidy wee hut and then walked back to our campsite. Lots of exotic flowering plants, so I picked a bunch of lilies.

Christmas Day I walked out. The track crosses the river many times before sidling high above it as the river makes a steep descent through boulders and cascades to the dam. It then drops precipitously, though the road is more gradual, and as I began crossing the final few river crossings Jude caught up to me in her 4WD so I took the offered lift for the final km.

Boxing Day I got a lift down to the Red Bridge with Karen and walked back home along the Upper Clutha River Track. I decided to replicate a multi-day tramp by taking my fully loaded backpack from the day before. Which meant when I stopped for lunch I could also boil up for a cuppa!

I felt pretty good after those two days of walking, despite the hot temperatures of this unseasonably dry summer. The North Island was being inundated with extreme weather events and flooding, but down south it was warm and dry pretty well every day. Almost too hot for tramping...

Marlene, massage therapist and friend, had invited me down to Colac Bay, so I headed down there to see in the New Year. A few nice walks along the beach, walking Tucker the dog, reading books and watching Marlene and Rudi surfing, and a beach bonfire on NYE.

1st January I returned to Queenstown to pick up Stu and Ian who were planning some more South Island packrafting adventures. With an extended tramp in Australia planned for late February I'm more focussed on getting tramping fit, so I decided not to join them. I went tramping instead, on my first successful overnight mission!

That's next!