Froggie goes bush

[CrazyFrog]

Here it is, my ride report from my weekend’s leave pass when the dreaded mother in law was in town, and the Royal wedding was on tv for hours, a perfect excuse for a weekend getaway.

I hooked up with Ben (Topo) to accompany me on my trip into the little explored areas around Lake Brunner and Buller backroads.
We based ourselves at the Brunner Country Motel, choosing the cabin option, with full kitchen facilities right next door.

http://www.lakebrunnermotel.co.nz/holiday-park-lodge-campervan-park-motor-home-park.html

A nice clean place with friendly proprietors, even helpful with offering advice on 4wd adventure areas.

Lake Haupiri to Lake Hochstetter - Topo Map BU20 Moana

This route needs some care these days with route finding and IMHO, carrying topo maps wouldn’t be a bad idea. There are several places where trees have fallen over the track, completely blocking access via that road, requiring backtracking and taking a different route.

http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb424/waimiha-kid/KTMpics008.jpg

http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb424/waimiha-kid/KTMpics009.jpg

We chose to make a navigation decision based on following a bearing towards the next track and hoping the roads would link up, but had to detour again past yet another fallen tree, so ended up following a 4wd track through to it’s end above the Flagstaff Flat area.
It is a reasonably formed track, but got narrower and more overgrown the further in we got, ploughing on for several km’s into no man’s land. Near the end, we rode past a massive slip, where the whole track edge had fallen away towards the Ahaura river. I’d say it would have been 100ft drop or more, pictures just don’t do it justice.

http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb424/waimiha-kid/KTMpics012.jpg
http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb424/waimiha-kid/KTMpics014.jpg
http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb424/waimiha-kid/KTMpics015.jpg

Our track seemed to end in a peaty bog, not much further on, with no obvious route out apart from the way we came in.

http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb424/waimiha-kid/KTMpics016.jpg

After a bit of roosting through the bog, we backtracked along the same route back to Moana, so to ensure we didn’t run out of fuel.
Bloody good riding in all, but without a topo map set on my GPS, choosing the right track was a bit of a gamble.
135km round trip, approx 3 ½ hours

After a great lunch of gourmet steak sarnies at the Station House Café in Moana, we gassed up and headed off into the hills for our next section.

Maori Gully Rd, Mt Fox, Marsden, No Name Rd - Topo Map BU19 Kumara

This rough forestry road climbs Mt Fox (385m) with the option of a 2km side trip over to Mt Riley (365m). The road drops down into Dungaville with some great views over the Brunner forest area, and plenty of side tracks for the next trip down there. If you want to explore the Nemona forestry roads, access permission can be obtained from Aratika farm, a few kms from Moana, pending any logging in operation at the time.

http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb424/waimiha-kid/KTMpics007.jpg

From the end of Maori Gully Rd at a creek crossing, we took the sealed road down to Marsden and made the brief side trip up Limestone track, which compared to what we’d been through in the morn, wasn’t really worth the bother of the side trip.

So back to Marsden it was, and there the real fun started.
No Name Rd is where real adventure riding is at, fantastic riding through the southern Nemona Creek forest area.
For us Nelsonites, compare it to the Mangatapu track, then narrow it down, double the challenges, and throw in a descent down a rocky staircase and follow it up with several stony creekbeds to ride up. Yee-ha!
Sorry, this one was so much fun, I didn't get the camera out:facepalm:

Met a couple on mtb’s who confirmed we were on the right track and followed it to the end down onto the Kumara-Inchbonnie Rd.
I believe this track is best done From Marsden to Inchbonnie, as heading the other way up it might be a bit of a struggle, downhill momentum is your friend on this one.

We took the easy option home via the long and fast scenic section of gravel from Inchbonnie back to the south shores of Lake Brunner.

http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb424/waimiha-kid/KTMpics017-02.jpg

From there, it was the sealed Lake Brunner Rd to Moana where cold beers and hot showers awaited.
125km round trip, approx 3 hours

[CrazyFrog]

Sunday morn dawned with heavy fog over the Brunner area, and after a phone call with the land owners at Napoleon hill, decided to give it a miss on this occasion. They advised it gets bitterly cold in the gorge and weren’t keen on bikers getting themselves frozen in the riverbeds, but they were more than friendly about it and welcomed us next season.

So an early start to the New Creek to Denniston track it was to be.

The fog held right through to Inangahua, and cleared as we entered the Buller road near New Creek, perfect timing. Once parked, we did the dance of the swarming sandflies and got geared up quickly, and set off for the hills.

http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb424/waimiha-kid/KTMpics019.jpg

http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb424/waimiha-kid/KTMpics018.jpg

The first km’s of the track is beautiful riding through heavy native bush to the Mackley river crossing, which was flowing low and no trouble at all to ford on the motos.

http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb424/waimiha-kid/KTMpics020.jpg

http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb424/waimiha-kid/KTMpics021.jpg

The real challenge was the sharp rocky hill climb after the second creek crossing. Massive volumes of rainwater have scoured the topsoil off the track and exposed all the broken rock, leaving deep rain ruts to the side and an interesting challenge for riders taking the route from this end.

http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb424/waimiha-kid/KTMpics022.jpg

http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb424/waimiha-kid/KTMpics023.jpg

http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb424/waimiha-kid/KTMpics024.jpg

http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb424/waimiha-kid/KTMpics025.jpg

Ben got a third of the way up before wheel spin halted his progress, so a bit of man handling of the bikes was required up this section, one of us (Ben!!) sitting on the bike working the clutch, while I would roll the front wheel over the toughest bits to gain some forward momentum. We weren’t accustomed to this type of physical exertion, so had to have a wee drink and a lie down at the top, before continuing onto Denniston.

Where the road opens up on Cedar Creek Rd, there are some good fast flowing sections of undulating track, good fun rolling on and off the gas. We had a quick bite at the Incline lookout and time for a few photos.

http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb424/waimiha-kid/KTMpics027.jpg

http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb424/waimiha-kid/KTMpics028.jpg

http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb424/waimiha-kid/KTMpics029.jpg

We headed home the same way, much quicker this time and rode straight down the nasty Cnut hill rocks no problem.
The ride home was 30 mins quicker than going in, from Denniston to New Creek, as we were now familiar with the route and not worrying about taking wrong turns off the main track.

http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb424/waimiha-kid/KTMpics030.jpg

http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb424/waimiha-kid/KTMpics031.jpg

Distance return: 90km with a side trip towards Lake Rahui, approx 3 1/2 hours

Righto boys, where next????? :woohoo:

[clint640]

Top report! Gotta take in some more riding around that area next time we are down.

Cheers
Clint

[ADVGD]

Here it is, my ride report...

Great RR mate, nice job :niceone:

[Crim]

Good work, that man! :yes:

[topo]

Was a bloody great weekend, will definately have to do it again with a bit more time to find more tracks and spend a bit more time just chilling out with a beveravge in hand:drinkup:

New Creak-Denniston was a fantastic ride, i finally started to feel comfortable on the DRZ on the way home - I've really got to get out more often:facepalm:

i got a couple of photos, will post them tonight.

Jatz, full credit to you getting the Big up that snotty hill when you went through a while back! if it was a bit wider so i could pick better lines i reccon i might be able to make it. But the section where Crazyfrogs bike is in the photo was only about 1m wide with fairly serious consequences on either side which really slowed the upward progress.

[mazz1972]

Awesome :)

I'd wondered what the Denniston incline was like, great to see some pics.

[Monstaman]

Yeah we (Bro and I) did it with JATZ and little JATZ at X mas, that was a workout for sure on that face.

Great report and pics :woohoo:

[NordieBoy]

Good stuff :woohoo:


Righto boys, where next????? :woohoo:

Tapawera.

Kinzett Creek Cross Country next Sunday. Put those skillz into action :D

[JATZ]

Sounds like a good trip, and nice RR Froggy :yes:
Good to get a bit of info about No Name rd, it's on my "to do" list aswell as a poke around in the forestry around that area.
I was wondering if that steep slope had got any better, guess not :facepalm: another good side trip from Denniston is up onto Mt Rochfort, awsome views on a good day.

[GMcC]

Its a great part of the world
Had afternoon tea with the missus and inlaws where you took the KTM pic beside the lake
As we were taking in the sights I hear this chug chug chuggy thing and low and behold an Army Indian turns up with a German chap - he was touring NZ after his purchase in Sydney of 1 hell of an original old vee twin !!! - $12K Aus
Had heard of the New creek track etc but couldnt find it on me map
Went up to Dennis too but used the tourist route !

[warewolf]

Great stuff, froggie! Primo ride for those bikes.

[Woodman]

Aaaaaagghh you makin me homesick. Mis-spent my youth hooning round noname rd etc, bloody great area.They were just starting to plant pines there then so I presume its a lot more piney now. There used to be a track off it somewhere that followed an old bullock track that went a fair way in. Bumpy but great. Did you see cockeye creek? its just near the entrance to noname on the dunganville side, very good ride. (well 20 years ago).

Great RR:woohoo:

Come on Nads an adventure is brewing ova yonda out west.

[CrazyFrog]

Yeah, nah, didn't do Cockeye Creek, wanted to do more down there but so many tracks, so little time. :violin:
Cockeye Creek is supposed to be a good-un, and Napoleon Hill is still on the to do list, definitely have to do them at a later stage. Might make a 4 dayer of it next time, and include the usual couple of tracks around Reefton.
Anyone know of good tracks around Hokitika? Most of them look like dead ends on Google Earth. Feel free to share if someone has local knowledge. I've done the backroads between Kumara and Hoki already, okay to explore but nothing too special.

[NordieBoy]

We need to do something like a SBW...

Not Sonny Bill Williams, but Small Bike Weekend...

[cooneyr]

http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb424/waimiha-kid/KTMpics009.jpg


TA and I hooked up with Phil (ex DAS) on a bike weekend based out of Reefton the same weekend. We spent the Saturday checking out some good small bike tracks around Reefton. We didn't actually go into big river.

On the Sunday we went for a play around Lake Hoschetter. Bit of a mission for us as well. The main track through to Lake Haupiri was blocked by felled trees (logging) just past the Hoschetter turn off so we back tracked to Trig Rd. Had to use the pocket knife to cut some brances off a fallen (wind blown) tree and managed to squeeze under.
238030

All was going well for a while then came across another tree but managed to ride around the tree through the hole left by the root ball. Getting closer to the pic above the track was badly washed out with some pretty serious holes. Tried to ride past on the left when going down hill and managed to fall into it. New indicator needed. :facepalm:
238031

Came across the fallen trees as per your pic above and had to turn back. If it was a bit earlier in the day and we had a pruning saw I reckon we could have gotten around. Going to make a pruning saw a part of the standard kit for the coast from now on I reckon.

Where to next - I reckon that we should go have a look at Mt Greenland immediatly of the end of the main street in Ross. Also the Green Hut south of Reefton is a bloody good ride. Green hut is in Hut Gully which you access via Maori Gully - topo 260's show these names.

Cheers R

[JATZ]

Come on Nads an adventure is brewing ova yonda out west.


We need to do something like a SBW...

Not Sonny Bill Williams, but Small Bike Weekend...

How 'bout QBWE ? 3 days :woohoo:
sorry about the hijack C.F.

[Woodman]

How 'bout QBWE ? 3 days :woohoo:
sorry about the hijack C.F.

I friggen knew someone would orgamanize summit for qbw. :angry: Murphys law 101.

[ADVGD]

Where to next - I reckon that we should go have a look at Mt Greenland immediatly of the end of the main street in Ross. Also the Green Hut south of Reefton is a bloody good ride. Green hut is in Hut Gully which you access via Maori Gully - topo 260's show these names.

Cheers R

You name a time, a place, bring the beer, and I'm in :p

Seriously though, been planning to do Mt Greenland in the next few weeks so I'm keen as Ryan

Snap on the rutty section, to be fair I had to have a 2nd run at it, the first was a little untidy :o

http://www.adventureguide.co.nz/articles/12/63/images/west-coast-adv-ride-16.jpg

+1 for a foldaway pruning saw for the Coast

[JATZ]

Seriously though, been planning to do Mt Greenland in the next few weeks so I'm keen as Ryan
Snap on the rutty section, to be fair I had to have a 2nd run at it, the first was a little untidy

How does Queens birthday w/end sound ?
A pleasant weekend including.......Napoleons hill, No Name rd, Mt Greenland, and Lake Daniels ? and maybe 1 or 2 others depending on time and weather :yes:

I remember that washed out bit :yes: But Me an MrsJ came down it :ride:

Maybe another thread is in order ?

[ADVGD]

Maybe another thread is in order ?

Sorry for the hijack CrazyFrog... exiting over here (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php/137915-Queen-s-Birthday-South-Island-ADV-Ride)