Another trek and another mode of transport: The Rimutaka Cycle Trail

Three years ago Bev asked me if I would like to do the Central Otago Rail Trail.  Having heard that it was rather stunning  and because I had not really cycled for many years I agreed that I would accompany her.   This fitted with my outlook on life – to cram in as many adventurous and sometimes risky experiences as possible and at the same time provide me with something  which was thoroughly enjoyable and memorable. It did (see Blog)!  The consequence was that about a year ago Bev bought me a bike in Sydney so I could go cycling with her.  The first few times were challenging to say the least but the result was that I bought a bike in Wellington to ensure I could keep up with Bev when I visited.  

Wellington is renowned for its wind and for those who don’t know it, the challenging terrain for cycling.  

There are some wonderful trails on which to ride if you are a masochist and don’t mind steep and treacherous gradients. Those trails are the domain of the mountain bikers.  More recently a new trail has been completed called the Rimutaka Cycle Trail which joins several trails together including the Hutt River trail.  

Bev and I had decided that we would do one day of the trail and it was suggested in the material  we read that it was possible to do Petone to Featherston in one day.  So we settled on 3 January  2015 to do  it. This was because trains and the cycle shop would be open and even more importantly the wind was gentle southerly which would help us on our ride northwards. 

Our friends M & A had loaned us a bike which had not been out for some time.  Unfortunately the chain broke when it was being tested and with it being public holidays it was going to be difficult to get it repaired.  In the meantime another friend loaned us her mountain bike.  

On the day of the big journey I took the bike to a bike shop where they joined the chain together and then told me they could not guarantee the repair as the chain was rather worn.  This caused a bit of consternation and in the end Bev decided to take the other bike.  It also delayed our departure and it was not until 10am that we were on the train to Petone to start our journey.  The train is quite well set-up for bikes with a place to put them and straps to hold them in place. 

We had to get to Featherston by 5:25pm to get the train back but I figured with our level of fitness this would not be a particular problem.  We had plenty of time and the Hutt River part of the trail was going to be easy.  

At the beginning: Easy riding on the stopbank near Petone

The ride along the Petone foreshore was wonderful with a superb view toward the Wellington and the harbour entrance.  The ride up the ride up the Hutt River was easy and pleasant with all of it being off road.  I even met a friend walking along the path.  We got to Upper Hutt by about 11:30am.  After that point the trail got a bit more challenging.  Bev on her mountain bike found that she had more control compared to me on my hybrid.  A couple of times I nearly came off on some of the steeper parts whereas Bev had more stability.  

Lunch by the Hutt River at Maymorn

We stopped for lunch at about 1:00pm noting that from Upper Hutt to our lunch stop had taken us almost as much time as the previous 20 kilometres from Petone to Upper Hutt.  It was rather nice by the river and both us  enjoyed the respite from the overgrown sections of the track where blackberry bushes threatened to rip clothing and skin. 

We continued to Maymorn Road where I got confused.  The maps that I consulted were not very explicit on how to get to the next part of the Trail.  We headed into the Kaitoke Regional Park and looked at map there.  It seemed to suggest that we should carry on State Highway 2 for 500 metres to start the Rimutaka Trail.  So we backtracked a couple of kilometres and then carried on up the road but I could see no obvious trail and it was getting very steep.  After 600 metres or so I suggested we return to where I had last seen a map.  It suggested we needed to go through Kaitoke Park.  By this stage time was marching on and I thought we would be hard pressed to make the train from Featherston.  On the other hand we still had over three hours before we needed to be there and it had only taken us around three and half hours to get as far as we had.  After some discussion we biked into the park again and studied the map.  It suggested the trail continued  somewhere near the Te Marua Lakes.  Finally after more climbing we found the entrance.  By that time the muscles in my legs were screaming and I did not want climb another hill as some of it looked like it necessitated pushing the bike. 

 

The decision was made to do the route to Featherston another day.  Not only that Bev was hanging out for a hokey pokey ice-cream at the Te Marua shop.  It was with some relief that we freewheeled back to Te Marua.  The time out for the ice-cream was wonderful to not only provide a bit of energy but relief to the bottom as well.

A rest by the river

The confluence of the Akatarawa and Hutt rivers

We retraced our steps to Upper Hutt but took a different route from Birchville finally getting to Upper Hutt around an hour later.  Furthermore we saw a train sitting at the station which we hurried on to as it looked like it was about to leave  - and two minutes later it did.  By this stage we were very happy to be sitting down and heading toward home.  The guard greeted everyone who boarded and checked or sold tickets.   The only downside getting to Wellignton was ending the ride with a long uphill climb back to my home in Kelburn.  

I have since studied the map and discovered that we should have followed Maymorn Road for a kilometre or two.  That would have connected us to the trail.  A pity there was no obvious signposting to indicate the route from Te Marua.  If we had realised that we would have made the train in plenty of time as we had four hours to complete that part of the ride.  We would have covered around 70 kilometres instead of the sixty kilometres.   Next time!