While I was over in Waiheke I managed to get out to some of the there local bike trails and I must say they didn’t disappoint! Weather was pretty average, so the trails were sticky getting to the point of muddy by the end of the ride. They are located Onetangi Sports Club and the trails are marked very well so you cant miss them.
I would classify all of the trails at Ranghoua Hill single track/cross-country. There are some enjoyable downs and switch backs, but no big jumps, drops or gaps. It is all pretty flowy stuff.
The first trail I rode was Ragihoua Loop track. This trail will take you to other trailheads or you can ride it as a loop. It is a short climb up and then it winds it way through native bush with a lot of fun turns to keep you on your toes. It isn’t overly long, but fun to loop out over and over. It also links to Zoom-Zoom and Nice & Easy. These tracks start at the top of the hill, which gives you a great view of some wineries and Waiheke.
I then hit up Zoom-Zoom, as I thought the name was promising and it didn’t disappoint. It was pretty much all down and a lot of fun to ride. There isn’t a lot of peddling involved, its pretty much winds you down the hill and has some nice off-camber spots. You can get some good speed going and if you are creative pop off of some of nature’s booters to make it even more enjoyable!
I pushed back up zoom-zoom so I could ride it again! I really didn’t want to ride all the way back around the family loop and up Rangihoua loop to get to the trail head. It took about 15 mins and I then decided I would only ride it a couple more times as I really wasn’t enjoying the pushes… since it was all down the push was all up. Argh! I may have been a bit out of shape since all I was doing the couple days prior was drinking and eating. Heheh.
After hussing Zoom-Zoom a couple of times I hit up Nice & Easy. The name is deceiving. I was thinking it would be a nana track, but I was wrong. This was a great trail too! It is a tight winding track that takes you through thick native bush. With the majority of the trail being covered by bush it was the wettest/muddiest of the trails after all of the rain we had. I really enjoyed this trail as it was just switch back after switch back. This track comes out to the mid point of the Rangihoua Loop, so you can either keep looping it, hit up Zoom-Zoom or jump on to the Rangihoura Loop and head back to the car park. I looped it a couple of times as well.
There were a couple linking tracks too. The Prairies takes you through a field and on too Chicken Run, which links you back to the start of the track. Both of the tracks are just linking trails and not much to go on about here.
Overall it is a fun place to ride your bike. I rode each track a couple times and then headed back to the batch muddy and happy! Kudos to the Waiheke Mountain Bike Club for creating and maintaining such great little trail network. I cant wait to come back and ride again!
Ive just returned from my Christmas vacation and it was great. I think the only downfall was that it was too short! I guess like any vacation. In total I had 11 days off of work – sweet!
Ill start with the weather, Christmas in New Zealand is all about the beach and bbq’s. It is the kick off to the warm summer weather. Unfortunately this year a cyclone and heaps of rain put a bit of a damper on that. It has been pretty much off and on with rain and strong winds. Not just your run of the mill showers, we’re talking buckets of rain. That is how NZ remains so green, heaps of rain with the chance of cyclone.
Christmas was spent at Michelle’s family’s house where like in Christmas fashion we ate heaps, had a couple drinks and spent the majority of our time watching little ones entertain the family with their Christmas enthusiasm. This year Michelle and I decided to get each other Stand Up Paddle boards… pretty amazing present! Now I ride in the morning and paddle in the avro. Not a bad lifestyle eh!
Boxing day we headed to a batch on an olive orchard where we once again ate well, had a couple bevies and just relaxed. It was a pretty cool spot south west of Auckland near Helensville out in the middle of nowhere. We stayed there one night and then headed back to Auckland to prep for the next part of our holidays, Waiheke.
I know I have been a bit slack on the blog lately, but I have an excuse. Ive moved house! I am no longer living on Queen St in the midst of the downtown core. I now live in a garage that has been converted into a 1 bedroom apt. It’s better than it sounds eheh.
We started looking for a new place while back, but were pretty picky on what we wanted. There had to be an outdoor space, big kitchen, lots of natural light, washing machine and parking space. After visiting and applying for a few rentals we finally got one that checked all the boxes!
The new place is located in Eden Terrace, which is a short bus ride or ½ hour walk to work, which is located in Auckland’s CBD (central business district). Though I keep saying that I now have a new excuse to get a new bike for the commute to work – hello dirt jumper!
Our place is conveniently located near a grocery, fruit, dairy and liquor store – I must have the essentials close by! Best of all we have security in the neighborhood, meaning; we live around the corner from the Hells Angels Motor Cycle Club Auckland. You can’t beat that security. They don’t shit in their own back yard, so I don’t really expect any trouble and really who is going t fuck with the Hells Angles. You can always hear the roar of their bikes when ever they are coming or going. The club house looks pretty cool; high stone walls, what looks like a nice house and two huge garages… though I won’t be going over to take a closer look.
The flat is all windows – two sky lights! We have French doors on two sides of the house allowing for the cool summer breeze to act as our air condition, a nice court yard at the side of the house with a bit of yard where we can hangout (re bbq and get on piss) and front area with clothes line and did I mention that I have my own driveway. Pretty sweet! House warming party to come… bring on summer.
Pretty crazy video of a mountain biker in South Africa being taken out by a Springbok.
I remember when I was out at Woodhill Bike Park about a year ago, riding a trail and I heard this noise in the bush that sounded like something was coming my way. Two seconds later a deer sprints through the track right in front of me, bounds over a fence and is gone. Thank fu*k I didnt get smoked like that guy!
Milford Sound; the most beautiful place in New Zealand!
Today we are off to Milford Sound! This meant for a really early start since we had our boat cruise booked for 10am. Since we stayed in Mossburn we only had a 2.5 hour drive into Milford Sound. We had to get up at 6:30 am to be on the road for 7am. It was a bit of a groggy start since we stayed up too late watching rugby and drinking beers, but we did have enough time to have a stop in Te Anau for breakfast and a coffee! Te Anau is a small community outside of Fiordland National Park, that survives on Milford Sound tours that travel year round. Here we had a great breakie and coffee that fuled the drive to Milford Sound!
If you don’t know, Milford Sound is acclaimed as New Zealand’s, number 1 tourist destination and has been called the eighth wonder of the world. Milford Sound runs 15 kilometres inland from the Tasman Sea and is surrounded by sheer rock faces that raise 1,200 metres or more on either side. Among the peaks are The Elephant at 1,517 metres said to resemble an elephant’s head, and The Lion, 1,302 metres in the shape of a crouching lion. Lush green rain forests hang from the cliff walls. Some wildlife that can be seen is seals, penguins, and dolphins frequent the waters and sometimes if you are lucky you may see some whales. Milford Sound sports two permanent waterfalls all year round, Lady Bowen Falls and Stirling Falls. After heavy rain however, many hundreds of temporary waterfalls can be seen running down the steep sided rock faces that line the fiord.
Milford Sound; home of the waterfall!
It is said you should see Milford Sound two ways, in the rain and on a clear stunning day. It was pissing down from the moment we woke up, so waterfalls, fog, cloud were on the menu. The drive into Milford Sound was stunning. Thick lush green rainforest, rushing rivers, water falls, steep rock faces, fog, mountains – the most stunning scenery Ive seen so far in New Zealand. The road through the park winds through the vallies and along side the river, tunnels through mountains and it absolutely breathtaking.
I was surprised upon arrival to Milford Sound to its small size. It had two hotels/lodges, but no grocery stores or dairy and main building was a visitors center – it is pretty much a port where tour boats take tourist through the fiords. It is no surprise that most tourists only stay for one day. We parked and headed inside the visitors center to wait to board our cruise.
We booked our cruise with Real Journey’s. Once onboard we found a booth seat beside a window and then it was off. The sheer size of the cliffs are amazing. After seeing it you can understand why it is the most visited spot in New Zealand. You are on a large boat, yet you feel dwarfed by the fiords that surround you. The rain and wind just added to the experience. Waterfalls were everywhere you looked. Because of the cloud cover you couldn’t see the top of the fiords. It had such a mystical and magical feel to it. The boat cruised a long one side of the inlet, taking time to put the nose of the boat into the waterfalls for those who wanted to get soaked. I spent the majority of the trip out of the inlet on the front deck taking photos and just trying to take it all in. Once we emerged from the inlet the captin took the boat out into the Tasman where it got a bit rocky. The boat heaved side to side, to the enjoyment of some and the agony of others. Once we headed back into the inlet it was down the otherside of the fiord where we managed to see some seals. The trip out and in was amazing. I highly recommend it. You cannot come to New Zealand and miss Milford Sound – that wouldn’t be a complete trip to New Zealand.
