As we left the harbor-side cafe this morning just outside the historic coastal village of Ōmāpere, a friendly gentleman said “Whatddya up to today mate?” Tom explained the ride and destination. The man smiled and replied, “They’re some good grinders up ahead.”
Great, I’m thinking! I could use a good sammich for lunch! Maybe even second breakfast. I’m thinking lots of shredded lettuce, provolone, a variety of salty meats, tomato, salt, pepper and some oil and vinegar. Oh I could taste it.
Nope! Not what he meant. Grinders. Big hills that will chew and grind your muscles right up. 😂
We did ok on those hills tho, and Tom made them look easy. The key is to ride your own ride. And getting to ride through the Waipoua Forest and meet Tane Manuto was worth more than any sammich.
And look who showed up at the top of one of those hills and passed us while I stopped to make some strap adjustments. Perrine! Her bike is holding up well and she’s still smiling big.
More about that tree we set out to meet today, Tane Mahuta, or “Lord of the Forest”, is the world’s largest living kauri tree is believed to be between 1,200-1,500 years old. With a girth of about 46 feet and 160 feet tall, he is massive.
The kauri trees are second in size only to the giant sequoias in California. Sadly, due to extensive harvesting and clearing land for farms by early Europeans, their numbers are declining. Only in areas that are difficult to access do kauri groves remain. Good news is they are still much loved AND now protected. In fact there is a shoe scrubbing and washing station before the walk to the site.
More excellent gravel riding today (scenic, friendly gravel and no chasing doggos like in Louisiana). Apparently though, dogs and kiwi birds aren’t compatible.
Today we experience our first ferry ride in NZ and felt like we put in a respectable ride.
The ferry ride came near the middle of the day and gave us a break from riding even though it was only 15 minutes long. And it was a good time to check in on Super Bowl updates. 🏈
Also in the news of firsts… Tom saw his first mammal larger than a dead possum in the road and double bonus, the animal wasn’t dead. A live boar ran across his path while on some gravel backroad. That’s cool!!
Me? I’m just looking for beautiful overlooks. And there are sooo many!
A tasty meat pie for Tom in Broadwood from a petro station and some fish and chips after the ferry for me and I’d say the day couldn’t get much better.
Plus we opted for an inside stay with a pub attached (and yes, don’t judge us, more fish and chips). It was a view with an old school, historic room (not the other way around) and it was worth every penny.
That’s all for now. Tomorrow we meet a mighty tree.
All I can say was when we woke up from a restful sleep in our little tent after that ride yesterday, we were both very HUNGRY and looking for cheeseburgers before the day was over.
Mission accomplished.
And it was a much easier ride on 90 Mile Beach today. We only had 18 miles to ride to Ahipara and the wind was significantly less.
Here’s the kicker… 90 Mile Beach isn’t really 90 miles long and I still don’t know why it’s named 90 MILE beach when distances of that length are measured in kilometers.🤷🏼♀️ Tom however has done his research.
Apparently, it was named by the earliest European settlers who knew their horses could ride 30 miles a day. It took them three days to ride down the beach so they THOUGHT they travelled 90 miles and named it. Nope! They didn’t account for the sand which is more difficult for the horses to walk on. It’s actually only 55 miles. And below, my friends, is the end of 90 Mile Beach!
There are many cyclists camping here tonight that are riding the TA. Our campground is like an uber clean, home stay with a huge kitchen to cook in. Beautiful vegetation, well cared for gathering room to charge devices or visit and even clothes lines are available. And there isn’t a spot of rubbish anywhere. The kitchen includes three gas stoves, sinks, three refrigerators and pots, pans and plates! We even used the French Press for coffee. And it is SPOTLESS! Can we get these types of campgrounds in the US?
Early on in the ride today we spotted two Māori women collecting tua tua, the shellfish we tried last night. We stopped to chat to ask how long it took them to collect their bag full. Ten minutes they said, and then they demonstrated how easy it is.
It might be easy but we were still on the hunt for cheeseburgers.
One other story and both are God winks. Tom and I both begin each ride everyday with a prayer, not only for our safely and our family, friends and neighbors back home, but for many of the people we meet along the way.
You may recall we shuttled up to the Cape with Zoe, a solo female rider from Auckland who is riding a much faster pace than us. I like to think of her as an Ambassador of the TA Facebook group. She gives so much helpful advice all the while trying to squeeze in the ride in a certain amount of time due to her work constraints.
In fact the day she started the ride, she stopped off at a bike shop to pick up a derailleur cable for another women she’d never met who was stranded up near the Cape. Her name is Perrine (Tom lovingly calls her Pippin) and she is originally from France but now lives in Montreal.
Lo and behold, Perrine got her cable fixed and camped two tents down from us on our first night on the Bay. Zoe of course was already in Huketere, 💪🏻
Unfortunately, yesterday we saw Perrine once again stranded in the middle of Te Paki stream, this time with a broken chain and her back bike tire sunk deep into the mud.
We stopped but didn’t have the correct size master link so there was as nothing we could do to fix the chain. We so hoped she would find a way to continue her ride, but dang… it was doubtful. She’s run into so many obstacles.
Somehow she walked her bike all the way back through the stream and again was able to get her bike chain fixed.
How do we know? Because as we were walking down the street in Ahipara to get groceries and a voice called out from a white pickup truck, “Hey my American friends!” It was Pippin and she was staying with a Warm Showers host. I sure hope we cross paths again so we can find out how she got herself out of that rough patch.
Ok long story but Tom and I both feel that sometimes the best thing we can do for friends we meet along the way is ask God to watch over them. In this case, prayers answered. And Zoe is making great time. Thanks God!
Finally one of my fav pics of the day, riders on horses enjoying the Tasman Sea.
What an unforgettable day on so many levels. It was gorgeous, it was challenging and it’s the first time we’ve ever ridden down a stream (not across the water, down the stream).
But first coffee and filtering four liters of water for today’s ride.
Once we got rolling we had a lovely ride to the turn off for Te Paki Stream, our access to 90 Mile Beach. Not gonna lie, I was a little apprehensive about riding distance through sand and water to get to 90 Mile Beach, but it was easier than riding to the turn off. You can have a look at what riding in Te Paki looked like in the video at the bottom.
At the end, the stream opened up to a vast view of the Tasman Sea. It was incredible! What wasn’t incredible was the strong headwind and gusts. I thought it was my lack of training but after talking to locals at the end of the day, indeed, it was a b$tt kicker of a gusty day.
It reminded us of riding through the dessert near Glamis, California on the Southern Tier. On top of that we didn’t plan well for food and basically were riding on no food/no energy. Won’t do that again.
Just when you’re looking for something more to look at than the Tasman Sea, a new friend shows up.
When we got to Huketere, Gabi, owner of the campground, suggested we try some tua tua, the shellfish we’d seen people collecting on the beach. They would remind you of tiny oysters. I tried them but I think they are an acquired taste. Actually it’s not the taste, it’s the texture!
We met an interesting couple from Spain traveling with their five year old. Paul and Maria have their own business. He is a performer and she, a musician. To be honest, he is a clown but after looking at their Insta, he is a definitely a performer.
And Jane from the South Island, who is also riding the TA is supported by her husband driving this rig while we are traveling lighter in our little tent.
It’s not just the cycling but the people we meet along the way and learning more about the place we are visiting.
There’s much more to share about today but will close for now for some sleep.
Big thanks to Tom for trying to work as a human windshield today. He would have probably finished at noon if not for ole untrained grandma. 😊
Kia Ora from Te Ika-a-Māui, or the North Island in New Zealand!
We made it to Cape Reinga at the tip of the North Island where we will begin our 1,900 mile ride to Bluff at the southermost tip of the South Island.
The views at Cape Reinga are stunning but its history is even more fascinating. Just yesterday New Zealanders celebrated National Waitangi Day, a day which commemorates the treaty signed between Māori chiefs and the Crown that established British sovereignty.
As we approached the lighthouse there were many people gathered there, one being a Māori man paying homage with a haka song. A local explained his purpose and more about this sacred space. Her explanation and the haka are included in the video below.
The swells of water are a mix of deep shades of blue where the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet.
More about our bike ride: The Tour Aotearoa (TA) is considered one of the world’s fastest most spectacular bikepacking routes. We’ll be riding on mixed surfaces including gravel roads, the beach, paved roads, cycling trails with some technical single track to keep it spicy. Throw in over 132,000 feet of elevation and let’s just say although we weren’t able to train much in Indy due to snow and frigid temps, we will be well conditioned for outdoor riding when we return.🤣
Three or four boat transfers are needed with one being a 3-4 hour ferry across Cook Strait to the South Island and another jet boat ride on the Whanganui River to leave a particularly remote and technical section of the route just after crossing the Bridge to Nowhere.
As for us today we had a very short ride to Tapotupotu Bay since the tide was too high to start riding on the beach. Just three miles away from the Cape, we snagged this beachfront site for our first night.
Positively easy on the eyes but it doesn’t come with electricity, potable water, wifi, cell service or even a trash can (recycling bins yes though, and I love this!). However we’ll take this view, its tidal sound effects and sweet island aroma any day.
A simple dinner, lots of walks around the campground and we were ready for sleep. Will definitely be dreaming about finally getting a proper ride in tomorrow when we ride the first stretch of 90 Mile Beach along the Tasman Sea.
Well it is that time of year. We start getting the “Strava Year in Sport” emails and I sit back and think about goals Deb and I set for the year and what we accomplished both on our own and together.
A couple of months ago, we were lucky enough to be approached by Diane Jenks of “Outspoken Cyclist Podcast” to share more about our accomplishments over the years. (Fyi, she and her husband are also owners of HubBub Helmet Mirror. We just ordered our right sided helmet mirrors for our ride in New Zealand since we will be riding on the opposite ride of the road). Helmet mirrors and helmets are two essential accessories we never ride without.
On tour with our favorite helmet mirrors in the middle of Texas Hill Country at the intersection of the Southern Tier (finished in 2023) and Texas Hill Country (finished in 2024) routes. And yes, it’s in the middle of nowhere.
If you’d like to give Diane’s pod a listen, enjoy below:
Prior to recording the podcast, it got us to sit back and think about accomplishments over the past 20 years, all the training plans we have put together, and how every day we made the decision to follow those plans to meet those goals.
We achieved some BHAGs (Big Harry Audacious Goals) over the last few years like running a marathon in every state, riding bikes in every state and riding our bikes across the country three times. This year we hit some mini BHAG milestones including finishing the Texas Hill Country route, the OTET Trail and the Idaho Hot Springs Loop.
As we said on the podcast, we hope to pay our experiences forward. We’ve followed others’ blogs and reached out to fellow goal setters to pick their brains on the runs and rides we were shooting for in the past. Likewise, many people have reached out to us and followed our blog to learn from our experiences.
We are doing that now as we have been planning for our BHAG for 2025, completing the Tour Aotearoa in New Zealand and following other blogs and social media group posts dedicated to the ride.
Now at our age, our major long term goal in life is to get one year older and keep doing things at the same level that we did last year before the wheels start falling off. :)
Doing this in conjunction with daily prayers for a life full of Love, Hope, Faith, Peace, Grace, Gratitude, Patience, Humbleness, Passion, and Purpose we feel like we can pretty much accomplish anything we put our minds to.
Plans, routes, reservations and itineraries are in place for our next bike tour where we’ll explore New Zealand, top to bottom, on bicycles!
Click here to find out more about the route. Although we’ve worked through most of the questions we had in planning the tour (Ok, well mostly Tom did all that), we still have one big question. And maybe you have an answer.
After New Zealand, we’re heading over to Australia for a few days. I mean, it’s in the neib and it’s doubtful we will return since there’s Europe, Asia, South America and other places to explore on bikes
If you’ve been to Australia, what should we be sure to do when we visit?
We had to abruptly pull the plug on our Idaho Hot Springs bike tour due to growing wildfires in the Payette and Boise National Forests.🔥
It’s remarkable how quickly things change.
We rolled into McCall on my birthday, decided to take the next day off to resupply, do laundry, etc. and after checking the Watch Duty app and confirming with the Valley County Sheriff Department, decisions were made. We were done.
Our forest road was closed due to wildfire and Highway 55 was much too dangerous to cycle on back to Boise.
Question was… how would we get back to Boise from McCall with bikes.
We brainstormed several ideas and came up with renting a car at the McCall airport and driving with our bikes back to Boise.
We then had to pick up a second rental car in Boise and drive the first rental back north two hours to McCall (or pay $1,000 one way rental fee or take a puddle jumper from McCall to Boise for $2,000).
So we made a total of three trips on Highway 55 along the scenic Payette River while watching all kinds of fire activity up and down the corridor. And btw, the Sheriff Department was correct on the “bike-ability” of Highway 55: no shoulder, too narrow and no line of site along much of the road.
Sorry to end the ride early but more sorry for the loss of property and national forest land. These wildfires are no joke.
Thanks all, for joining us on our ride. We are already planning the next one. 😊
Lick Creek Summit stood between us and McCall, Idaho which would be a pretty sweet place to celebrate a 65th birthday, so we knew where we were headed for the night.
Just the weekend before we left for Idaho we had our Cousin Campout and the kiddos surprised me with birthday prezzies and a song they adapted from my favorite musical, Sound of Music. And yes they actually sang it. 😂 That and building our traditional human pyramid kicked off the big birthday celebration.
The kids will give me a hard time but I uploaded their performance to my YouTube channel so I could watch it again and again. It’s very clever I think.
And this year I got to be on top of the pyramid at the Campout. Gotta seize those opportunities while you can. Sheesh I can hardly swing my leg over my bike saddle these days to get on my bicycle.
Ok back to the ride. Same story line. Beautiful scenery and no visible smoke today! It was about a 15 mile climb to the top and then we rolled down into McCall and decided to take a zero the following day to do laundry, resupply, SHOWER, and map out the last four days of riding back to Boise.
Don’t think I will ever forget how I spent my 65th birthday with my love, Tom.
Click on the image below to view more pics and vids:
Pretty sure we woke up with ashes on our tent fly from the wildfires. Last night was the coldest night yet in the low 40’s but we were absolutely warm and comfty in our sleeping quilts and puffy coats, although I’m pretty sure I heard a gunshot (just one) at 4:20 am.😳
Our destination today was past Warm Lake where there is an active wildfire blazing and growing nearby.
We stopped in Deadwood Outfitters for a cup of coffee and a wildfire update. Wrangler Sean showed us the Watch Duty app (same one as the Forest Ranger mentioned yesterday for fire updates). Apparently the Snag fire grew from 4,000 to 7,000 acres overnight and Warm Lake, the next town down the road was on Evac 1 Alert, meaning get your things ready to evacuate.
We wi-fi called the Valley County Sheriff Office from the Outfitter at Sean’s suggestion to ensure our route wasn’t closed and we were good to go.
Though smoky we continued our climb up and over Warm Lake Summit and stopped in the “Lodge” (and I use that term loosely) 😂 where we ran into Nick and Al whom we have been leapfrogging. They are riding the north Idaho Hot Springs loop and will cut back east on the Lowman Pass to return to Stanley.
A news crew came to take video and report on the Snag fire and lake area near the lodge where we stopped for burgers.
Smoke was getting thicker. 😢
As we left Warm River and cycled north the smoke diminished.
However of all things we ran into wait for it…. a chip and seal crew. Too funny not to capture on video, I included a few clips in the video at the bottom of the post. Ya just never know what you’ll run into on a bike tour.
Made it to Buckhorn Campground which sets us up nicely for spending my birthday in McCall!
Click on the link below to view more pics and vids:
Keep Calm and Pedal On 