GoldCard Gal

Jobs fill your pockets, but adventures fill your soul!

Cycling Adventures

The Tuesday Cycling Group – is it more than cycling?

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Every Tuesday without fail many cyclists of varying abilities, ages and fitness levels meet at Gordonton to have a ride with likeminded people. The weather generally dictates the number of participants.

I think this is the only time the “Tuesday Group” has appeared on the front page of any newspaper – the local Taupiri Times.  I can’t remember what year this was, does anyone know?

The Tuesday Group in the early/mid 1990’s (Absent Don Laurie)

The Tuesday Group was started way back in the early/mid 90’s by Peter Southart (3rd from right), the mastermind of the Hamilton to Whangamata bike ride and Hamilton Masters cycling.  We started and finished at the Taupiri Tavern.  We rode as one group with the last few k’s always at a much faster pace.  At the end of a ride a well deserved ‘pot of tea’ was shared and enjoyed (no flat whites or latte’s in those days) along with very interesting stories and thought-provoking conversations!!  In those early days 10 or so riders was considered a great turn-out.  Many of the original riders are still riding today.  Now that number is often 20 – 30 riders in winter and many more in the warmer weather and we ride in two groups – a faster group and a slower group, with the pace picking up much further out than the last few k’s!!

I feel these Tuesday rides are much more than cycling and getting fitter!  You get to meet, socialise, and ride with people you would never normally associate with – because you share a common interest/passion.  When the ride gets underway and people have sorted out their position within the pack, you can hear folks chatting about all sorts of topics from cycling to holidays, family, work, latest equipment etc etc.  Without fail there is always much good-humoured bantering before, during and after a ride!!

Lately the topic of “health” has had much discussion, especially colonoscopies, and that dreaded word “cancer”.  Our esteemed leader Brooke has recently had to face life changing surgery.  Prior to this major event, he shared his journey with us which encouraged many to talk, reflect, share, and seriously consider our own health and those little niggles that we have not had checked out!!  Many realising the importance of and hopefully having regular medical check ups!!

Our thoughts are with you Brooke as you recover and with you Sharon as you support him and ensure he does as he’s supposed too!!  We all admire your positively and “let’s get this sorted” attitude Brooke and Sharon.  We look forward to the day when you can rejoin the group again Brooke.

At the end of a weekly ride we meet for coffee and catch-up!  We hear about up-in-coming rides and cycling adventures people are doing/hoping to do. A nice end to a good ride and even better company!

Are these Tuesday rides more than cycling?  I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences!

For me personally I’ve made strong lifelong friends and spent many happy hours in their company cycling the back-roads and enjoying our stunning countryside scenery.

If you are a cyclist and would enjoy a bike ride on Tuesday’s, please feel free to join us.  We leave at 10 am.

Till next time Goldcard gal!  🙂

PS: It is with much sadness that our ‘esteemed leader’ Brooke passed away on 4 November, 2018 at his home. He will be missed by many. Brooke, I didn’t realise that when we rode together or with ‘the pack’ we were creating memories, I just thought we were having fun!! Rest in peace Brooke.

Te Awa River Trail – something for everyone!

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The Te Awa River trail runs from Ngaruawahia (in the north) to Lake Karapiro (in the south) and offers a variety of physical activity for everyone.  You can bike it, walk it, skate it, ride your mobility scooter (if that is what you do), or even push your children/grandchildren in a pushchair if required.  I’m writing about the section from Waikato University to Ngaruawahia – this is one of my favourite off road rides.

The majority of this trail is on a 3 m wide concrete path on the banks of the mighty Waikato River, where the scenery and views are constantly changing. You ride through the suburbs, parks, along side lifestyle blocks and farmland.  I think it is quite beautiful and a pure delight to explore and let your mind wonder! 

I love riding my mountain bike along the various cycle trails starting and ending at my home here in Matangi.  It’s a 60km return ride. The only time I’m on a road is from Matangi to Waikato University.  You can join the trail in a variety of places throughout Hamilton city.  Check out this Hamilton City website for additional information.  Recently many new sign posts have been installed on paths around the city guiding users to suburbs and the distances – thank you Hamilton City Council.

According to one website the section from Horotiu Bridge to Ngaruawahia is the most popular.  Perhaps that is because you cross the mighty Waikato River over the stunning Perry Group sponsored bridge and travel past the Ngaruawahia golf course.  I rode the trail once around ANZAC Day – what a beautiful surprise.  There were 1,000’s of crocheted and knitted red poppies pinned to the fence lines and stuck on top posts on the edge of the trail; it was a sight to be seen – amazing (sorry no photograph, the day I rode it was pouring with rain).  The local RSA members had crocheted and knitted these poppies.

There are many information panels along the trail that are informative and you may learn new things about the river, history and surrounding area.

Ngaruawahia does need a good coffee stop (I do believe one is in the construction/fitting out stage).  At present BP service station seems to be the only place to get a reasonable coffee; they also offer a wide variety of food options.  Of course you could take a picnic and enjoy that along the way with friends/family.

I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences if you had done this fabulous “in our backyard trail”.  As already mentioned, there is “something for everyone” – give it a go!  Till next time – Goldcard Gal!  🙂

Three essential gizmos when cycle touring

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Of course you need panniers, a good light-weight tent, sleeping bag, clothing etc for cycling touring, but I think (sure Sari will agree) these three items enhanced our everyday living on the road.  They were not expensive items, in fact I found one for free:

  1. Pull tool when pushing your bike up steep hills ( that sounds weird, but it’s true!)
  2. Closed-cell foam mat
  3. Chain cleaner & degreaser

Pull tool for pushing your bike up hills

Pull tool for pushing your bike up hills sounds weird but it works a treat.  My cycling buddie Sari taught me this trick when we cycled D’Urville Island and used it many times on my recent South Island adventure.

It’s impossible to push a loaded touring bike for long while walking/struggling up steep inclines.  Using this method (described below) makes the climb so much easier, the shoulders don’t get as tired, it’s a refreshing change for the leg muscles to walk, and easier to stop and have a breather.   What I also found was that many times on the really steep sections I could walk faster than I couldpeddle.

What is supposed to happen is that when you put your hands on the handle bars and start walking you are actually balancing the bike and pulling it at the same time.  Let me explain below and check out the photographs:

  1. I put the padlock (for my bike) around my waist (you could also use a waist belt).
  2. Loop the platted bail twine around the bike seat stem and through the padlock.
  3. Tie a knot.  This needs to be tight enough so when you walk you are pulling the bike as you walk.  If you aren’t pulling the bike when you walk, you need to make the loop smaller.  It does take a few adjustments.
  4. Your arms are now used to balance the bike as opposed to pushing it hard out.
  5. Happy balancing/pulling your bike up inclines!  🙂

I would love to have your feedback if you have tried this method or have another technique.

A closed-cell foam mat

Both Sari and my son Rafer knew the value this little mat, I’d only ever used plastic bags before.  Sari had her little mat secured on one of her panniers, enabling quite access to it when needed.

After only one day on the road I knew I had to have my own mat.  It was quite by accident we found my mat.  We were cycling towards Murchison and on the side of the road we noticed a large sheet of yellow foam.  It was Sari who suggested “let’s get a piece of that foam for you”.  So within minutes we had literally hacked a rectangle piece of foam for me and had it tucked on the top of one of my panniers.  It’s proved to be so useful especially for sitting on while having our meals.  It will also be useful while tramping.

All-in-one – bike chain cleaner & lubricant

To help prolong the life of your chain and ensure smooth gear changing your bike chain does need regular maintenance.  I have found this chain cleaner and lubricator to be the best.  It’s easy to use and only takes a few minutes to use.

We all know, prevention is better than cure.  Especially true regarding bike chains, as one cycles along our country roads and trails a lot of dirt and dust particles from the road or trail are thrown up onto the chain.

I’ve found this Rock n Roll Gold Chain Lube the answer to a quick chain clean, lube and smoother cycling.  At the end of the day It wasn’t an effort to give the bike chain a quick clean.  This ensured reduced chain friction, helped resist water wash off to retard rust and corrosion, and ensured smooth gear changing.

How to apply this wonder all-in-one lube:

  1. Shake the bottle well and apply a stream of lube to the chain at the cassette.
  2. Do not drip the lube on like you would oil.  This is not oil.
  3. Get the chain really wet, this stuff cleans and lubes all-in-one.
  4. Freewheel the chain backwards for about 5 seconds … no less
  5. Wipe off all the excess lube  … all of it, wipe the chain as clean as it will get.
  6. That’s it – go riding!

If you have a great product or gizmo you use on your adventures, I would love to hear about it.

This is it, until next time – happy adventuring!  GoldCard Gal 🙂

You two look as though you are in the zone!

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“You two look as though you are in the zone” were the words we heard from a delightful young lady called Chantelle who wanted to take our photo as we were enjoying a well deserved lunch at the top of the Lindis Pass.

Lunch – top of Lindis Pass

Wanaka – Omarama (75 kms)

Sunday was not a good day to ride over the Lindis Pass.  The Wanaka show had been on over the weekend, Motatapu the previous day, and a rodeo on at Albert Town.  Hence the Pass was very very busy with traffic of varying speeds and it appeared at times little thought for two cyclists slowly climbing up the Pass!  The road didn’t have much verge either.  But we sure enjoyed our lunch at the top and said thanks to our angels for protecting us.

The good news for the day was that Colin had dropped us off at the top of Cluden Hill (north of Tarras), saving us 40 odd kms – oh that was a real bonus.  We didn’t think Motatapu had affected us physically  – but by the time we reached Omarama, I was sure ready for a hot shower and cup of tea.  We pitched out tents at Omarama Top 10 Holiday Park which was top notch, very clean with great facilities.

Omarama – Kurow (66 kms) part of Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail (A2O)

Today we joined the A2O trail which went via Otematata to Kurow.  Don’t expect a good coffee in Otematata!!  We crossed the Benmore Hydro Dam which was made from dirt – quite spectacular location.  As we cycled alongside the Waikati River, one couldn’t help but notice the changing colour of the trees.  The road from Benmore Dam down to Aviemore was sealed and very quiet, it was great cycling.

Autumn trees along side Waitaki River

Later we crossed the Aviemore Dam.  When growing up I’d heard of these dams but had never seen them – so to finally see them and realise their location was revealing.

GoldCard gal enjoying lunch beside Lake Aviemore

To cycle into Kurow (Richie McCaw country) was cool.  It’s a cute little town with a very informative I-Site receptionist.  We have found the I-Site centres a valuable resource in a town.  They have so much knowledge and always willing to help – no question too small or too stupid.  I know it’s their job, but they do a wonderful job.

We had another great tent site at Kurow Holiday Park.  After a meal of fish and chips we decided we needed to walk our dinner off, so off up the Kurow Hill we went.  We loved the sign at the bottom, especially the part about being “huffy puffy”, and mentioning the fact that there were armchairs on the way up if you felt you needed a rest.  It did cross our minds – however did they get the chairs up there??  If in Kurow and needing something to do, do this walk – the views are well worth the effort.  After that walk I was sure ready for bed.

Kurow – Oamaru (86 kms)

Our last day on the road saw us packed, fed, and on the road by 8 am.  It was going to be a big day for us as majority of time we would be on trails where our average speed is slower than on sealed roads (which is pretty obvious).

We intended to visit the Maori Rock Art just before Duntroon but it was closed.  But luckily for me there was a coffee van – oh it was a great coffee.  Linda, owner of the coffee cart was trying to convince us to the ride main road to Oamaru, kept referring to the two hill climbs on the trail.  We couldn’t make it out why and still don’t understand why she would recommend the main road route.  We said to each other “we can ride main roads whenever, but we can’t always ride great trails.”  We loved the trail to Oamaru, it went through beautiful countryside with magnificent views.  Sure it had a couple of good climbs but we’ve come to accept what goes up must come down and besides it’s character building – yeh right some may say.  We even met a woman who took our photo while we were having lunch (being photographed was becoming a common occurrence, which baffled us).  We meet a young French couple on a tandem and wondered however would they manage the tight hairpin turns with their longer bike??  We also meet quite a few other cyclists all on electric bikes.  The electric bikes are very common and I guess if they enable people to get out and enjoy the trails – why not.

We stopped for a much needed cuppa at at Gods Old House, Windsor.  It’s a beautiful Oamaru stone church built in 1914 but now only offers tea and coffee, no cooked food, (it used to offer accommodation).  It’s well worth the visit.

Gods Old House – Windsor

We arrived in Oamaru around 5 pm and cycled to the end/start of the A2O trail through Oamaru gardens (which are beautiful) and down to the old wharf.  There was no-one around to take our photo together, so here is me.

GoldCard gal – Oamaru wharf

Our adventure has now come to an end.  What an amazing adventure it has been.  Thank you Sari for your company, guidance, leadership and very generous spirit.  We have had incredible experiences (some out of comfort zone stuff), met remarkable people, and seen magnificent and stunning scenery.   Would I do it again – sure would.  What would I do differently – at this stage nothing.  Equipment – perhaps a faster boiling billy.  We only had one puncture the whole journey and no other mechanical issues – our bikes performed like us – reliable and steady!!

So that is it from me, there will be more blogs to come: recipes from our generous hosts; equipment we used and handy hints etc.

Take care out there!  GoldCard gal

GoldCard gal trying out a new bike!!

 

Swap a book – Oamaru.  Love this concept! 🙂

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