Day 18: Mangakino to the Timber Trail
March 15th 2014
Distance cycled: 59 km
Total distance to date: 962 km
So I've officially made it to the Timber Trail. It is 84 km long and I've done about a 3rd of it - 27 km. Combined with the 32 km to get to the trailhead from Mangakino, I'd say I'm doing pretty well. Better than yesterday, at any rate.
I left Heather's house after eating crumpets (again! buttered this time - even better!) with her for breakfast, and then I went grocery shopping again, this time for stuff I might actually need on the trail. Oh, and sunscreen. When you're outside every day, you need a lot of sunscreen. Plus, the UV rays are really harsh in New Zealand.
Turns out the price for staying at Heather's was having to listen to her many stories. Not that I minded, because it was fascinating, but I couldn't get a word in edgewise. That's OK though, it was nice to not have to say much about myself. Heather told me about her late husband who died of kidney cancer, tragically only 5 years after their wedding; how they once had coffee with Tom Hanks; how her father was a lighthouse keeper and she grew up near the sea; how her mother spotted 12 Russian submarines in 1958 when she was whale watching and sounded the alarm, thus saving New Zealand from a Red Army invasion; how she helped a Japanese boat that had run ashore by repellling down a cliff with a rope when she was eight; about her travels in the UK and Europe - all sorts of things. I found it fun to listen to her, if not a bit exhausting.
Speaking of exhausting: These wilderness trails are pretty fun to ride but are really made for mountain biking, not touring. Even the littlest bit of incline, either up or down, has me either pedaling standing up or slamming on the brakes. It's slow going. And going slow is really frustrating for me. I did the first half of today's distance in half the time it took me to do the second half, just because the first half was all sealed highway.
All that said, I think I'll have to get a mountain bike someday. It really is fun riding through the forest, and I enjoy the challenge of going up and down small hills and over rocks and roots and such. I always thought mountain bikes were the one bike I wasn't into. But I guess I'll eventually be one of those people that has every possible kind of bicycle. Kinda like a crazy cat lady, but with bikes.
But anyway, the Timber Trail is beautiful.
Virgin forest and a flat smooth path made the first 10 km a joy to ride.
About 3.5km in, there was a historic tractor from the 1920s.
The day was very grey and rainy.
Because of the rain, I didn't take out my camera at every photo opportunity. I will make sure to do so tomorrow when I go over another swing bridge, even if it is still raining (which I hope it isn't). This trail is famous for them and they are truly magnificent. The first one over Bog Creek was really long, over a lushly forested ravine, and it was the highlight of my day - an awe-inspiring moment, if not a little scary, to be on such a big bridge over such a long gully.
Yesterday I lost my sunglasses while riding and had to pay $20 for a new pair, which I was annoyed about since I had gotten the lost pair for free (found them on the ground in a park in Auckland). I thought I might find another pair, but needed some right away because they are indispensable. Lo and behold, I found another pair today on the trail! Would have been really nice to spare myself the unnecessary $20. Oh well, that's life! The pair I found is really too scratched up to use, anyway.
Tonight I am camping in what actually is a trail shelter. It's not really meant for camping, but the thought of pitching my tent in this rain seemed abhorrent. Plus, the official campground is still 12km away, and when I arrived at the shelter I realized it was already 7pm and I would not make it to the campground before dark. So I set up camp in the shelter. Actually, the weather report issued a cyclone warning for today... I think the worst has passed already but still I'd rather be in a shelter than in a tent. I used my rainfly to cover the door and strung a laundry line so my riding clothes can hopefully be dry by morning. My waterproof Ortlieb panniers kept everything else completely dry, so I am warm in my nightclothes and sleeping bag. Still, I don't think I'll get a whole lot of sleep tonight, since I jump every time the wind picks up and moves my rainfly around.
You can see my bike shorts dangling from the laundry line I strung. I feel so rugged out here, making my own camp from just the stuff I have with me on the bike!
posted by Kyla @ 16:56
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