Some sections of the route still require me to finalise landowners’ permission however the route is planned and I will follow up with the finer details before the end of the month.
The ride will be over three days, all three days will offer a variety of riding but if you just wanted to do the Saturday and Sunday riding with an overnighter staying at a High Country hut this would work out well. The hut lined up for Saturday night is in a magic spot right up the headwaters of a High Country valley with a fantastic four-wheel-drive track in and out.
There are some river crossings involved however these are limited and to ensure there are no hold-ups with drowned bikes we will probably work as a team to get the bikes across. General riding terrain will be tarmac/gravel/4x4 tracks/riverbed work.
The terrain is not considered extreme however this is not a ride intended for newbies, you'll need to have a reasonable rider skill level, protective gear, toolkit, all the normal jazz and of course a reliable bike. I wouldn't call it big bike friendly however if you are a competent big bike rider and looking to work up a bit of a sweat, feel free to come along, just be aware I charge beer to push you out when you’re stuck!
Although the plan is to stay at DOC huts on both Saturday and Sunday night you'll need to bring sleeping gear in case:
a) the huts are full (doubtful as there are a few options nearby)
b) ship happens, we don't make it to the intended destination and need to set up camp somewhere
This is not a seamless organised ride, this is simply me heading out on the bike investigating some sections of an upcoming ride I am putting together so if you want to come along and check out some fantastic scenery on some fantastic terrain then feel free to bring your bike and sense of humour along.
If you're keen to join in, please post or PM me as this is not a “show up and ride” event, I will need to know numbers and know who is coming.
There will be a small cost to pay some station owners for access, I'll come back with the final amount however it won't break the bank
I'm just planting the seed for now to give people enough chance to plan, I'll follow up with more information, fuel stop distances, etc as it comes to hand…
Note: this ride is very weather/river flow dependent, if rivers are up it will render a majority of the route impassable.
Note: limited to max 10 riders
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