GBI / Aotea

The car ferry is a treat. It chugs along at 11-12knots (I checked on Navionics, my navigation app), dead calm until the Colville Channel, then the swell came from the beam and I didn’t like that much, and while you’re spending 4 or 5 hours with a group of strangers you get to hear  few tales and have a few people to wave to. Friendly and slow which sets you up for the Barrier. 

I forgot to turn on Geo Tracker, but the trip over the hill to medland is a doddle on our bikes. I was puffing at the top but at least I got there. And to here


Port Fitzroy and back

I had estimated 45-50k starting from Clarissa, but Shark alley is about 8k more and one more climb. 69k more likely with 1250 vertical metres, the last third in my case with no battery. 41k is not a good range and I was being careful.



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Total distance: 66.14 km
Max elevation: 383 m
Min elevation: 23 m
Total climbing: 3288 m
Total descent: -3282 m
Average speed: 17.53 km/h
Total time: 07:59:37
Download file: 17_Mar_2017_8_55_12_AM.gpx

Harataonga Coastal Walkway

Some maps say it’s a MTB track some say “Not for bikes”, another map showed it as grade 2, and they all said it was fairly flat for the Barrier, so with the bikes in the back of the rental SW we slowly negotiated the road to the doc camp.

Bit of an uphill to start with, wide and formed with a bit of gravel, but a few J’s along and you’re into single track, deeply rutted with well formed drains, some down right informed with steep drop offs and it was all adding up to grade 3+. Great views, awesome ride along a piece of NZ you can’t see any other way from land, perfect weather, fabulous bikes and Jill for company.



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Total distance: 23.65 km
Max elevation: 176 m
Min elevation: 36 m
Total climbing: 1760 m
Total descent: -1759 m
Average speed: 10.70 km/h
Total time: 04:36:00
Download file: 20_Mar_2017-am.gpx

Soak in the hot pools on the way home, down to Swallows for an excellent burger, car to the airport and bike the 6k home, me in low ratio because I still can’t get the front derailleur adjustment right. This one is gallery 12



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Total distance: 6.79 km
Max elevation: 73 m
Min elevation: 35 m
Total climbing: 209 m
Total descent: -177 m
Average speed: 19.80 km/h
Total time: 00:25:56
Download file: 20_Mar_2017_PM.gpx