TA Day 11 - Whakahoro to Pipiriki

 45.7 miles, 3268’ climbing

Tiny cabin at Whanganui River Adventures

We woke up early and packed wet gear having been told that the trail today would be muddy and slow. As we headed out of town, we met Sally and Clair, two other TA riders. Sally’s rear wheel hub had failed, not something that could be fixed trailside. They headed back to figure out their next move. Within a couple miles of camp, we passed an area where there had been a recent slide. The road was liquid mud, and we both dropped our chains and accumulated chunks of mud. Once past the slide, we were able to brush off our drive trains and continue. Fortunately it didn’t happen again.

Soon we turned off onto the Kaiwhakauka trail. An official announcement had been made at the start of the TA that it was now rideable, suggesting that in the past that wasn’t the case. It was beautiful single track, lots of ups and downs and blind corners as we climbed towards the pass, brushing thru ferns and grasses that made it challenging to eye the trail ahead. For most of the climb, there was a cliff wall with a ditch to the right and a forested drop off to the left. It rained. Small bridges were slippery at times, and patches of mud grabbed at our tires. Sturdy goats leapt out of the forest at one point, inducing a brief surge of adrenalin before we saw what they were. Eventually we came out on 2 track and climbed to the pass where we took photos. 

The first few miles of descent were steep 2 track with unnerving slick mud patches, some bumpy rocks. And the day continued like this. Once the descent became less steep, there were mud puddles to ride through or avoid. Lower down, we were back on singletrack with a cliff face and a drop off. A series of narrow swing bridges had signs advising cyclist to cross while pushing their bikes on the back tire with the front tipped up. We soon learned we could wiggle our handlebars through the posts and walk our bikes normally across these bridges, a lot less work. Beneath some cliffs were signs saying that cyclists should dismount and not linger due to danger of rock fall. It was strenuous, but also it was the kind of adventurous riding we hoped for. 

Finally we reached the Bridge to Nowhere, took the requisite photos, and continued to Mangapurua Landing, a large rock on the river side, passing numerous hikers in the final mile or so. Our jet boat was waiting, and we loaded our bikes with 2 other TA riders. The ride was a fantastic thirty minutes to Pipiriki through a narrow canyon of green forest, swerving as we crossed riffles, only slowing a couple times for canoes. We have a small cabin (tiny house with a bed), and we had showers, dinner, and laundry, all very welcome after a couple of wet muddy days. There are cyclists here on different routes which made for fun conversation.