2015 Cycle Trip Molesworth

Molesworth Trip January 2014-2015

29th December : We left Fairlie at midday and travelled to Geraldine Campground. 48km.

Leaving Fairlie

At the Geraldine Brewery 8kms out

 30th December: Geraldine - Mount Somers. 51kms. A serious headwind made us turn in at Mount Somers and camp at the domain camping. We had a good but very windy afternoon and beer and hot chips at the Mount Somers Hotel.

Geraldine Campground

Into the head wind

Mt Somers Domain Camping

Mt Somers General Store in 30+ degrees

 31st December: Mount Somers - Rakaia Gorge. 35kms. New Years Eve. Staveley Cafe was a lovely early stop for welcome coffee and shelter from the continuing head wind. Fled a storm further up the Canterbury Plains but it caught us up at Mount Hutt Station and we sheltered in the bus stop with a French cyclist who had cycled 30 000kms around the world. We shared lunch and he carried on south and we went north. Went up to the Mount Hutt Lodge and watched the river in flood.

Cool hedge leaving Mt Somers

Staveley Cafe

Moas at Alford Forest

Racing the from the brewing storm

Mt Hutt Station bus shelter

Storm caught up

With our French friend who had biked 30 000 kms from France

New Years Eve at Rakaia Gorge

Rakaia River in flood

 1st January: New Year's Day: Rakaia Gorge - Ashley Gorge. 73kms. Big hill out of Rakaia and a long ride through to Glentunnel where we had lunch in the park and on to Oxford where we arrived mid-afternoon. Stopped for a long time at the cafe and then biked the 8kms out to Ashley Gorge. Really beautiful there and had a bbq and walked down by the river.

Climb up out of Rakaia Gorge

Looking back to Rakaia Gorge

At the top

En route to Glentunnel

 2nd January: Ashley Gorge - Waipara Sleepers.70kms. Good ride and a nice day skirting around Rangiora through to Amberley and finally Waipara. Had a lovely stop at the Waipara Hills Winery where we tasted wine before heading to the Waipara Sleeper Train Carriage accommodation. Very quaint. Super hot so swam down at the river and then joined Sue, a Swiss cyclist, for rose we had bought at the vineyard. Gorgeous evening. Hot in the carriage but all exhausted so it didn't matter.

Near Rangiora

Waipara Hills Winery

Cooling off

Waipara Sleepers Train Carriages

The kitchen 'Station'

Our cabin

Fellow Swiss Cyclist, Sue

  3rd January: Waipara Sleepers - Hamner Springs Kiwi Camp. 81kms. Lovely fresh bread at the Train Carriages. Packed up and away early to avoid the heat. Made good but hilly progress through the gorge. Reached the Hurunui Hotel where we had scones and coffee and be-friended a dog. Hilly again into Hamner - and hot, but found a campground to stay at that was near the Molesworth turn-off and it was restful and peaceful.

Rising up to Weka Pass

Resting with our friend at the Hurunui Hotel

Biking on to Hamner Springs

4th January: Hamner Springs - Acheron Homestead. 29kms. Took a while to get away by the time we had coffee in town and found gas and more groceries. Felt nervous about the climb ahead and saw other cyclists heading away on organised tours. Left about 11am and Jacks pass was certainly all it promised. Steep steep gravel. Walked, pushed and gritted to get up to the pass.

Met an English botanist at the top who showed us endangered purple flowers.  Continued on and arrived at Acheron Station after following the gravel road along the river. Very hot and had lunch and a swim down at the river. Also swam after we arrived at the homestead and had a ball in some rapids. The campsite was great but some sandflies and cooked on the grass. Lovely sunset.

An American cyclist arrived after dark and we laughed as she talked to us with a net sleeping bag cover over her head as the sandflies were thick at that point.

Grunting up to Jacks Pass!

More grunting and pushing!

Looking back down towards Hamner Springs

Jacks Pass finally!

Into the valley

Fork of the road between Rainbow and Molesworth roads

Start of the 177km Molesworth Road

Following the river

Lunch and a swim - very hot!

Onward...

Swim at Acheron Homestead 

Campsite at Acheron Homestead

Moon rising at Acheron

5th January: Archeron Homestead - Molesworth DOC Homestead. 61kms. Left the homestead and headed into the vast hot valley. Rose up over into another valley and finally after lunch to Isolated Saddle, where we huddled under a small sign for shade. We had swum at lunch which was wonderful. Isolation Flat was vast also and then finally the climb to Wards pass in the heat of the day. Lucy and I biked lots of it to avoid the grunt of pushing but equally we had no choice at times.

The DOC ranger passed us and gave us cold orange drink which was magical and then he waited for us on the pass. We were cheered on by the fact that a lady in a horse float had stopped the DOC ranger to say we should stay at Upcot Station the next night, which was cool. Descended to the campsite - but it undulated steeply up and down for nine killing kms at the end of the day, so we were ecstatic when the ranger brought us cold beer and ginger beer! It was totally great.

Late at night a Spanish couple arrived on dark so we helped them out a bit getting sorted and then chatted till late.

On up to Molesworth

Hills

Welcome swim at lunch

Lunch shelter and shade

Finding shade at Isolated Saddle

The never-ending Isolated Flat

First views of Wards Pass

More pushing

Wards Pass

Descent

Tested by final undulations at end of a long day

6th January: Molesworth Station - Upcot Station. 40kms. lazed around all morning walking and swimming and chatting. Packed up incredibly slowly... ready for the 25kms downhill to Upcot Station. Didn't leave until 1pm. What a shock! Up and down,,,up again... up again... up again... and finally reached the station desperately at 5pm or even later. Went up to the house and met the family. There were four daughters and 100 animals - baby goat, dogs, baby rabbit, guinea pigs... we had a cider in the garden which was gorgeous. Went back and cooked our emergency pasta for dinner - getting low on supplies and hungrier by now. Slept well in rooms called Enchanted and Gooses and suchlike in the great musterers' quarters. Great experience.

Spanish friends - fellow cyclists - at Molesworth Homestead

SLow pack-up

Walk to station buildings

Molesworth Cob Cottage Campsite

Cob Cottage pioneer

Angular Hugh

Hilly rough country to Upcot Station

Volcanic landscapes 

More hills

A pass!

A descent!

Walking at times!

Still on the cycleway....

Another pass!

More descent

Shearer's Quarters at Upcot Station - bliss!

7th January: Upcot Station - Boyds at Blenheim. 75kms. Called back to say goodbye in the morning and carried on up and down and up and down and vastly up and steeply down over several saddles. Unbelievably volcanic and steep. Had to stop and cook lunch as had run out of everything else. Finally descended into the Awatere Valley and almost cried to see the first vineyards. Gradually flattened out but we were almost too tired to appreciate it.

Rang Gordon who advised to go up over Turners' Pass, which we did. It was a big gravelly hill but a brilliant descent of 18kms into Wither Hills and Blenheim. Great feeling of completion. Biked happily to Gordon's to the shower, the bbq and fresh food and beer. Really lovely to be there.

Our Upcot hosts

With a cute baby goat

Leaving Upcot

Baby rabbit

More hills and gravel

The valley unfolding

Cycling!

The road stretches - and rises - ahead

Nearly at the top

Lunch after more hills

End of the road near Blenheim

At Boyds

8th - 10th January. REST! Relaxed at Boyds and O'Sullivans with good friends and good food. Went to White's Bay where Mike brought in fresh crayfish to bbq on the beach - bliss. Kids swung off the rope swing into the Wairau River.

Mike bringing fresh crayfish to bbq on beach

11th January: 7kms. Caught the train with our bikes from Blenheim to Christchurch. Biked at 7pm to the Amber Park Holiday Park and had Subway for dinner.

Waiting for the train in Blenheim

On the train

In the open carriage near Kaikoura

12th January: Christchurch - Ashburton. 83kms. Weird to bike ChCh to Ashburton! Long ride out of town and a good 40kms to Dunsandel where we had a welcome coffee with a dribbly cat. Then lunch at Rakaia. Managed to ride the 2km length of the bridge behind a wide load that they closed the road for - bonus! Started to drizzle by Ashburton so great to get to Catherine and David's around 3.30pm.

Dunsandel Store

Rakaia

13th January. Rest day still recovering physically from the epic Molesworth.

14th January: Ashburton - Fairlie. 100kms. Took off in drizzle which worsened. Marona Road was long and wet for over 30kms. When we got to Geraldine we were totally demoralised and made for the Verde Cafe and changed all our clothes and had hot chicken pies for lunch with hot drinks. Much better after that and decided to push on to Fairlie. Still wet but not so bad. The last hills were tough but we were spurred on by the thought of our house there and ecstatic to get there at 7pm, ending a fabulously epic and tough journey.

Days of swimming, resting and celebrating Lucy's birthday and the trip followed.

Lucy's Birthday

Opihi River in Fairlie