Te Araroa, Day 43

In the morning, we pack our bags and meet at 9:30 am with a guy who brought our bikes. We also get helmets and daypacks for water, snacks, rain gear, etc. Our backpacks will be dropped off about 500m from our campsite at a mountain lodge.

After a short introduction to the use of the bikes, we start moving. It's good that the first few kilometers are pretty flat on a nice trail through the rainforest. Then the ascent starts. I find it challenging as it is continuously uphill between km 8 and 14. I'm not used to mountain biking. I stop at every single kilometer marker to sit down, eat, and drink something, which consumes a lot of energy.

Finally, the highest point is reached, and for a while, it goes downhill. The first of many suspension bridges comes into sight, and we manage to ride the bikes on the narrow bridge. The forest is beautiful, and we take our time. Later, there is more uphill again and again. Uphill biking requires a lot of energy, and even the downhill sections demand concentration due to the forest terrain with rocks, roots, etc.

At some point, I have no energy to bike uphill, so I always get off the bike and walk it up. I also fight with tensions in my right neck and shoulder and the last 12 km feel very hard.

We started as one of the first bikers this day and arrive at the campsite last. I am very tired and hungry. We leave the bikes at the campsite and walk up to get the backpacks at the lodge. I hope to get some food there, but we arrive at 5:20 pm, and they had just closed the kitchen at 5 pm. We could get some sweet drinks though and mini bags of chips and walk back to the campsite to set up our shelters for tonight.

There are not many pictures. I just did not have the energy to get off the bike while going up or down.