Day 29: Martinborough - Petone (58 miles, 2222 feet of ascent)
As predicted, it was quite noisy on site last night. Not because there were eight expedition tents and their occupants squeezed onto one pitch (at least not until the snoring started - yes, probably guilty as charged!), but because of a group nattering on after the 10:00 curfew. And also because the access road is laid as pebbles which crunched loudly when vehicles passed or from footfall. But eventually I got some sleep, until the TA cyclists began to rise at the early hour needed so they can spend long hours grinding out the miles. I took the cue and was up enjoying breakfast from before eight.
Although the tent was blissfully dry, the broken and temporarily mended pole made dropping it a bit of a faff. It was more a matter of making sure I didn't make things worse by breaking another section or the connective elastic. Succeeded in the end and got away before ten. Just as well with today's mileage being back over fifty, including a high proportion of off-road on the Remutaka Trail. It's supposed to be a real treat and another of the touring cyclists’ ‘must sees’, so my hopes were set high.
Looking out across Lake Wairarapa
Leaving the site it soon became clear that one of the events the site manager mentioned was launching in Martinborough today. Cars were parking on the allocated field and rapidly filling the roadside verges. I never learned what the event was at the time, but with the little town thronged with these masses I wasn't keen enough to find out. (
Found out later it was the Martinborough Fair) As I headed for Featherston on SH53, the traffic headed for Martinborough in the opposite direction continued in one long, unending stream. Very glad to be going the other way.
When I arrived in Featherston I picked out the first 'baker's' sign I saw and stopped for second breakfast, knowing there'd be nothing on the Trail. I didn't get my normal feed up, as I'd lucked out to find an artisan baker's. The sandwich on a sourdough bap and the hazelnut danish were absolutely delicious, so much so I was sorely tempted to grab a couple more for the road. Even got a complimentary coffee.
Remutaka Trailhead information board
Next it was off down the Lake Road to find the turn onto the Remutaka Trail. At the trailhead there's an information board which summarises the railway history of the Trail, including that you're about to set off up the 7km incline. Eek! The first 2km were up a narrow windy, rocky wooded trail which would have been a cinch on a mountain bike. As you might expect, a little more effort and care were needed on a loaded tourer. After that introduction, the trail widened out as the incline proper began. It was thankfully a gentle enough incline, but yes, it never relented for one metre of those 5km and was a far from smooth surface. But it really was an experience not to be missed. The trail wound its way up and around the contours, with information posts strategically positioned to bring out the relevant history.
Rounding one particular bend brought a distant suspension bridge into view, one which I'd soon be crossing. On arrival and after taking a couple of still shots, I thought I'd run the little action cam as I cycled across. I was so unsettled by the height, I couldn't adequately steel myself to cycle one-handed while holding a camera. Proper gave me the wobbles!
After the bridge it was straight into the first (or was it the second?) of several tunnels. Even though they're relatively short, cycling from bright sunlight into pitch black takes some getting used to. Didn't crash, but did scrape my pannier along a wall once. Reaching the summit was a real treat. There were one or two artefacts left alongside the trail, but there were also plenty of people ... well at least a dozen. Most appeared to have ascended from the other side, a direction which would now provide me with several km of descent.
It was all quite gentle and the surface was much smoother than it had been on the way up. This allowed me to spend at least some of the time appreciating the valleys, streams and gorges off to the sides. The views were quite breathtaking and just seemed to go on and on. Eventually however, the trail joins a narrow road for a while, first passing a shooting range then a karting circuit. I could have stayed and watched the tiny vehicles for ages, flying around the circuit at what, to me, seemed impossible speeds. But I still had some way to go. As the final section of trail shook hands with civilization, a dairy and the potential for an ice cream offered itself up. Yes I know I said before that a single was a plenty big enough portion, but once more I failed to heed my own advice. Don’t judge me!
The route now followed the Hutt Valley Cycleway, keeping the Hutt River company for the dozen or so miles towards Petone. The path varied considerably between narrow, winding tracks and broad, open tarmac, but was mostly well signposted with route information boards at bridges and intersections. Having not adjusted my Garmin route to the new choice of site, I turned to OSMAnd on the phone to successfully guide me for the remaining few miles. I booked two nights for the exorbitant sum of NZ$80, including credit card fees, so I imagined this Top Ten site would be quite something. Err, no. Yes the site had extra facilities beyond what many do, but not in the simple basics - no cutlery, no plates etc. I know it's handy for the nation's capital, but even so. It's not particularly handy for other facilities however; the return trip to the supermarket added just over three miles to the day's total.
For cyclists in the area, the
Remutaka Trail comes highly recommended. Although I’d only done about half the complete circuit, I’ll add my unequivocal recommendation to that. The section I did which follows the old mineral line to the summit is quite challenging, but is well worth the effort if you ever get the chance. The scenery and landscape are quite stunning, and the points of interest are plentiful.
But I can see the potential.
