8/3/26 – Greymouth to Kumara. 29.99km (1910.07km). 265m elevation
The morning was quite exciting as Oliver had a visit from the tooth fairy, he was stoked with his very shiny $2 coin. Rhys had a wet walk into town to get breakfast supplies so after a quick game of Skip bo Josh went to pick him up. We all enjoyed yummy scrambled eggs before we ventured outside into the rather overcast day. We said our goodbyes to Josh and donned our wet weather gear.
It was a rather wet ride out of Greymouth as we started the West Coast Wilderness Trail, thankfully the rain wasn’t heavy and it was still quite warm which meant spirits were high. The trail took us along the coast for a short while which gave us some great views of the big waves. We were getting so dirty from the gravel which was kind of fun but only because we haven’t had much rain at all this trip. The trail went from gravel path to sealed road, thankfully not much on the sealed road as it is not pleasant having cars pass you in the wet.
We found a little shelter to stop for a quick toilet break and not wanting to cool down for too long we rode off. Arthur, Oliver and I were chatting away about how cool it would be to see a deer jump out of the bush and didn’t notice Rhys and Patrick fall quite a way behind. We stopped and waited and after what seemed like too long we decided to turn around to see what had happened. We found them back at the shelter with all the gear off Rhys’ bike…oh no. Rhys had blown the sidewall in his front tyre. As he came up with a plan to patch it I started to cook up some lunch. While emptying the food panniers I couldn’t find our utensils bag…..this is when we realised when Rhys was packing up the kitchen stuff in Ahaura he must have missed the utensils bag – oh dear. while I tried to find a phone number for the Ahaura campground (which I could not) Rhys was fixing the tyre with the tube and zip ties. Rhys had more luck finding a number for Ahaura and was able to chat to the shop owner who reluctantly went to the campground kitchen to look for our bag. 10mins later we had located the bag, we messaged Josh to see if his mate could help us out with a lift or else we were planning to hitch hike back to Ahaura to get the bag. By the time Rhys had fixed his tyre and I had poured the noodles into cups we found out Stewart was already on his way to Ahaura to get our utensil bag for us and would meet us in Kumara – amazing!
Feeling a little more positive we gently rode onto Kumara, Rhys’ fix it job on the tyre held up very well. We crossed over another swing bridge just before we rode next to a great fence line which had rusted steel items on every post, it was quite cool. Arriving in Kumara was a relief however unfortunately all the hotels/motels were full so we were a bit stuck for camping as the only campground was also closed. Some friendly locals directed us to a community parking area with toilets and shelter, normally tents are not permitted but due to our circumstances it was ok for us to camp. We did not want to ride any further away from Greymouth as we needed to get a new tyre tomorrow.
While Rhys and I were working out a few things the kids ran to the playground, the rain had stopped which was nice. As we were walking to the camp area Stewart found us and handed us our utensil bag, its just so lovely and we are extremely grateful for Stewarts help and willingness to do this for us.
When we found our campground, Patrick and I washed our bikes as they were filthy from all the rain and dirt and Rhys got started on the tent then as I set up inside he cooked up yummy chilli con carn.
Just after dinner we met a TA rider who was hoping to complete the route in 14days, quite impressive. We had a great chat with George who was equally impressed with our journey.
9/3/26 – Kumara to Hokitika. 72.99km (1983.06km). 670m elevation
The priority for today was to get into town early to be there when the bike shop opened so I could get a couple of new tyres, hit woolies and be back in time to smash out a fair few kilometres. I figured I would be able to hitch a ride relatively easily however after standing opposite the campground for 10 minuted with no luck I was starting to wonder if id made the right choice. Oliver, Arthur, Patrick and Ralene came and stood up on the road with me and then everyone stuck their thumbs out to the next car that came past…thankfully he stopped. After clearing up it was just me that needed a lift and not the entire family he happily took me into Greymouth and dropped me in the centre of town. I made it t the bike shop 10 mins before it opened and chatted to another cyclist out the front about how our respective rides were going and our current mechanical woes. Once opened I was in and out of the bike shop in around 15 mins, after which I headed up to Woolies for some extra supplies before calling in a favour from the same people who had grabbed our cutlery yesterday afternoon. Deb came and picked me up from woolies then dropped me back out to Kumara which was so incredibly helpful, Thanks so much again Deb! you and Steve are lifesavers!
Back at camp I popped the two new tyres on, did our final pack up and then off we rolled, to get back on the west coast wilderness trail at around 1100. The next 70km was some of the most wonderful riding you can do on a bike. The trails were easy (even Oliver said the gravel was pretty good!) and the scenery was stunning. Initially we climbed up past reservoirs and past old gold mining shafts up onto the plateau where ‘cowboy paradise’ sits – a weird replica wild western town (whose previous owner is in prison for growing massive amounts of dope in an underground bunker…). We reached cowboy paradise at 4 and decided to push onto Hokitika for a rest day the next day. We are glad we did because the next part of trail was an absolute hoot! We hit switchback after switchback of smooth gravel trail, descending in to the valley and whooping with joy all the way! So much fun! We completed a final little climb then continued to descend into Hokitika, arriving relatively late at around 1900.
We caught up with fellow cyclists, Harry and Rach out the front of the fish and chip shop, so we ordered dinner and I rode off to grab a few beers to celebrate our huge, yet successful day. We made it to our camp for the night and were pleasantly surprised with the cost and subsequent facilities at the kiwi park in the middle of Hokitika. Yet another incredible day on the bikes, I feel as if we have said this a few times throughout this blog however I guess that’s why the Tour Aotearoa exists – there is so much incredible cycling through NZ!
10/3/26 – Hokitika rest day
It is a nice feeling waking up to a rest day, the kids had a ball playing on the jumping pillow and playground while Rhys and I had a second cuppa and relaxed. We then rode into town to have a look around, Oliver was in search for a greenstone necklace, unfortunately we did not find one he liked and within his budget. It was a little overcast but that didn’t stop us enjoying the beach and rock searching, the boys all thought they found some greenstone which they thought was pretty cool.
Hokitika is a lovely seaside town, it has a nice atmosphere and plenty of things to do, however walking around town is not the kids favourite thing to do so we headed back to the campground for the kids to play some more on the jumping pillow. Rhys then gave the bikes a great wash while I did the clothes washing, when he got other Oliver’s bike he realised his back wheel was not in a good condition so quickly rode it down to the bike shop – hopefully they can fix it overnight for us.
We cooked up a delicious meat affair, thanks to the great South African shop in town then it was time for the good old bed routine in which we discovered Arthur had lost his necklace, he took it off while jumping and now couldn’t find it. Hopefully we have some luck tomorrow in locating the lost (very much loved) necklace.
11/3/26 – Hokitika to Lake Ianthe. 62.45km (2045.51km). 458m elevation.
Lucky day today! Arthur headed into the front office to ask if his necklace had been found…thankfully some kind soul had handed it into the holiday park! he was very happy and vowed never to take it off again, even if he was jumping on the jumping pillow.
Our second bit of luck came when I headed back down to the bike shop at 0900 to see how they had fared with Olivers rear wheel. Turns out that the mechanic had located another 24” rear wheel that was compatible with Olivers disc brake and drive train. The difference being that it was only a single wall rim rather than a dual, however it was laced with more spokes to compensate…and it would fit! I happily pulled the trigger on it and in no time at all the shop had transferred all of the bits over onto the new wheel and we were away!
I got back to the campground and finished packing up the tent then finally rolled out at close to 11 o’clock for the second day running! We were quietly hoping to push onto Harihari today, however with a late getaway and some gravel trails to close out the wonderful west cost wilderness trail, we were behind schedule and made a bit of a plan over lunch at the historic Ross hotel to aim for the DOC campground at Lake Ianthe.
Some very exciting news from today too….as we were riding along we cracked the 2000km mark!!!!!!!! Actually it should be noted that Oliver cracked the 1000km mark on his cycle computer first, much to the elation of him and his brothers who all gave him a big cheer and a pat on the back. When we then rolled round to our group 2000km mark we were all pretty excited, cheering ourselves on the trail and stopping for a few high-fives. Getting to the 2000km mark has been an achievement in itself, slow but sure progress southwards towards our goal! To celebrate we stopped at the pub in Ross and enjoyed a spot of lunch before continuing on in earnest towards our aforementioned, updated plan for the day.
As we rolled towards Lake Ianthe conversation between the boys turned to the subject of farts….for almost the next hour the boys cackled and laughed between each other, talking about small farts, dad farts, mum farts, Blue whale farts and bumblebee farts, just to name a few. It was a bit of a random conversation but one that kept them entertained allowing us to reach Lake Ianthe at a great time. The sun was shining and had warmed the water so when we arrived we stripped to our undies and jumped in, all in front of a carpark full of people sitting in their camper vans! It was a perfect spot to camp. The view was incredible and we looked forward to a quiet night with the sandflies to keep us company.
12/3/26 – Lake Ianthe – Franz Josef. 77.61km (2123.12km) 627m elevation.
It was the most restful night sleep for everyone and we all woke up excited to have no rain and to get on the bikes. Porridge for breakfast again which is getting a little uninspiring at the moment. When we got onto the road we were instantly passed by so many riders, it is the first day we have seen a lot of the TA event riders or other random riders but there was a significant increase of bikes on the road. Honeybadger came out about 6km into the day but thankfully banana’s did the trick and then 9km later we arrived in Harihari where we all enjoyed a nice hot drink and second breakfast.
We had the most amazing day of riding, the mountains were stunning and we crossed so many rivers with stunning aqua coloured water. It was enjoyable with the up and down as the road was great and the hills were not that big. Hercules was the biggest for the day so as we were climbing to the top Rhys and I tried to remember the story of Hercules and other greek gods as the boys were full of questions. After conjuring the hill we enjoyed a great down hill, the traffic was fantastic and at one point Patrick waved to a driver who waved back which then started the new game of waving to all the cars. The drivers in NZ have been fantastic and today was just another example of how considerate they have been to us while we are on the busier roads.
We made it to Whataroa for a late lunch and found a picnic area with a great playground which of course the kids ran straight too. While Rhys and I recharged with a can of coke we had some TA riders come over and let us know how impressed they are with the kids energy. They had just witnessed all 3 kids jump off the bikes and run straight to the playground for a play on the horrible spinny thing.
After lunch again the riding continued to be great, on one section of the road Arthur and Oliver both at the same time noticed a dead fantail on the side of the road. Needing to stop to collect the tail feathers this was the start of what we called the bird graveyard. We saw so many dead fantails, tui’s, harriers and even a falcon. After collecting feathers from each of the different bird it became quite sad how many had been hit by the cars. Oliver at one stage said “if we were in a car we would never see these birds and get the feathers, this is why I like riding”.
Further along the road the Arthur and Oliver started to talk about the half-pipe again and it kept them entertained for ages. The concrete drain on the side of the road reminds the boys of the half-pipe (thanks to the Winter Olympics) and has provided hours of entertainment over the past few weeks. Rhys’ neck was started to hurt so we had another lovely stop 11km from Franz Josef, of course the boys ran straight to the rocky river bed to play while I massaged Rhys’ neck and was rewarded with seeing 2 friendly, and alive, tui birds.
Feeling motivated to get to Franz Josef we continued riding and made it to camp just as the sun was shinning brightly. Naturally the kids ran straight to the jumping pillow while Rhys and I set up the tent and had showers. The shower was amazing but as I was enjoying the warm water I was thinking how lovely the swim in the lake last night was as well. The clouds parted and we were awarded with stunning views of Franz Josef glacier and the mountains from our tent sight, it was beautiful. It was then time to cook dinner and as Rhys cooked I walked the 1.8km into town to get supplies for breakfast. I was able to hitch a ride in but not back so when I arrived back the boys were already enjoying the dhal. Fatigue had hit and the long day was finally at an end, the kids had a lovely warm shower then fell asleep immediately after story time. Rhys and I then enjoyed some couch time watching the winter para-olympics. Far our the athletes are quite incredible.
13/3/26 – Franz Josef. 0km rainy day
We were aware of a rain warning for the region today however when we woke up the sky looked like it was clearing and the forecast said that while some more rain was on the way it was likely to clear at around 1pm. We made the decision to pack up camp and be ready to leave at 1 and make the push to Fox glacier.
Checkout time rolled around and the rain was back with a vengeance, it was falling heavily and there was no way we were going anywhere. We asked at reception if it would be ok if we stayed in the TV room until the weather passed, they didn’t seem to thrilled by the idea but also didn’t say no so we just hung around, feeling a bit lazy…waiting for the rain to stop.
By 1300 there was no sign of it passing, it was still falling heavily and the radar looked as if there was more on the way. It was at this point that Raelene and I sat down and made the realistic decision that making it to bluff before the 26th of March was very unlikely….Instead we decided that making it to Queenstown would be a great achievement in itself, and following my graduation in Carins and family commitments for easter, we would return to Queenstown, get back on the bikes and finish off the TA route! We got the boys together and broke the news, It was interesting to see Olivers disappointment that we would not make it in this push without needing a long break. He is really goal focussed, and making it to Bluff is something that he has manifested into wanting to achieve which is really beautiful to see. His disappointment also solidified ours and for the next hour or so we were all wallowing in the weight of our decision….
While we processed it all I went up and paid for another night at the park, meaning we needed to set up the tent again. The boys got tired of being inside and went and played on the bouncing pillow in the rain, they were saturated by the end of it! Thankfully at around 1630 the rain finally abated and we were able to get out and get set up before rolling into town to check it out and get some dinner.
Franz Josef is a beautiful little town and we enjoyed a wander around the shops. The boys acquired yet another teddy each – Patrick a blue duck named Whio, Arthur a Fantail named phiwakawaka and Oliver an Eel named wriggly! Oliver also finally found a greenstone necklace – he has been wanting one for ages and has been becoming exasperated at the price of them. Luckily the lady at the gift shop pointed him away from the $120 one in her shop and in the direction of the $30 ones at the wildlife centre! Finally we enjoyed dinner at the pub before riding back to camp. On the way home we were all over our funk that the decision had left us in, instead we were happy that we had taken the day off, enjoying the rest and also remembering that the journey is infinitely more important and memorable.
14/3/26 – Franz Josef to Fox Glacier. 49.64km (2172.76km) 843m elevation.
We woke up to the most magnificent view of the mountains, the sun was shinning and the glaciers looked amazing. Feeling very excited to get on the bikes we packed away then ate a huge breakfast, spaghetti and cheese on toast and cheese tortillas – yum.
We took a lovely bush trail into Franz Josef, just after the town we crossed a bridge which gave us more stunning views of the snow capped mountains. Shortly after we came to our first of 3 climbs for the day. It was a lovely windy climb up through the bush. All the traffic was fantastic and gave us wide berths as we slowly ground our way to the top, the way down was a little fresh but before too long we were onto our second climb, Oliver was starting to feel the hills by this stage but pushed through the pain in his legs to climb to the top where we had a well deserved rest. As we were resting more TA riders passed us and stopped for a chat, apparently Jonathan Kennette is not far behind us and he is travelling with his wife on a yellow tandem – hopefully we see them ride past us so we can say hello. During the stop I found a cute little green knitted teddy which has been named fern and now keeps me company on my handle bars.
The downhill was freezing….it was a bit longer than the first one and after cooling down from our rest I was finding the down hill very cold but the windy road was very enjoyable. It was then time for our last climb of the day and my gosh it was a steep one. I find it quite difficult to ride behind Oliver as he is often erratic with his speed, I like to stick to gear 2 and pedal up the hill at the one speed. Arthur and I peeled away and slowly got to the top. I really enjoyed the climbs today, I am feeling strong and the feeling of achievement reaching the top is great. But seeing Oliver roll over the top not far behind and with a huge smile on his face makes me so happy! When Oliver reached the top Arthur jumped off our bike and ran up to him to give him a cuddle, it is adorable seeing that kind of friendship grow between the boys. Rhys and Patrick were not too far behind and before we knew it we were rolling down into Fox Glacier and finding the Top 10.
The boys naturally ran straight to the playground as Rhys and I quickly set up the tent then we rode to Lake Matheson, just up the road 2.6km, where we ate lunch before going for a short walk. Unfortunately the wind had picked up a little so the lake wasn’t its famous mirror image but it was still a lovely walk. Oliver, Arthur and Patrick had fun playing their hunting/shooting game the whole time. On the ride back into town I was starting to hit the wall, so when Arthur said he had left his sunglasses on the picnic table I had no energy to ride back. Arthur jumped on with Rhys to ride back to get his sunglasses and Patrick got onto trunkie and we rode into town with Oliver.
We picked up supplies from the small store then decided to have dinner at the local pub, Rhys was keen to ride to Fox Glacier to see what it was like so as he rode the boys and I played some games waiting for our food to arrive. When Rhys returned he admitted the ride was a little steeper than he predicted but enjoyed riding with no gear. Enjoying a nice dinner, and quite cheap which was nice we then rode home had warm showers then settled into bed.
15/3/26 – Fox Glacier to Lake Paringa 76.23km (2248.99km) 533m elevation
We had been previously warned about the destructive Kea at Lake Paringa campsite by a German couple who we had met at Hokitika. They had their tent ripped apart and the stuffing pulled out of their bicycle seat by the inquisitive birds while camping there….However with no other options and the distance being within our range we made the decision to shoot for the lake in the hope that we could avoid Kea destruction!
As we rolled out of Fox township we admired the majestic view of the mountains, thankful that we had decided against rushing this section purely to ‘make it to bluff’ at a particular time. When we arrived at the fox glacier track Arthur pressured us to go in and check it out, even though I had got a photo of it the night before. We were slightly reluctant but then reminded ourselves that we are here to see incredible things, and it may be that when Oliver and Arthur come back to NZ later in life, Fox glacier may well not even exist. Decision made we dumped our panniers in the carpark and set off up the trail unloaded.
It didn’t take us long to reach the lookout and immediately we all turned to Arthur and thanked him for making us come up! the view was incredible! We hurtled back down the trail, repacked the panniers onto the bikes then headed south! As we would our way out of fox we managed to catch a glimpse of Mt Cook, poking its head above the clouds which was really rewarding. The day was fine and we made good progress of relatively quiet roads. Lunch was spent dodging sandflies and making coffee for a French couple whom we had just met on the road, the people we get to meet and chat to along the way have really been a highlight of this trip.
Following lunch the wind really picked up and was blowing a fierce westerly. For the most part we were mostly protected by the thick west coast scrub on the side of the roads however on multiple occasions we were battered by headwinds that threatened to derail our plans to reach lake paring. However Raelene and I took turns on the front and for the first time Oliver made sure he rode right on our rear wheels, using drafting to his advantage and learning a critical cycling skill! Before we knew it we rounded a corner and got a view of Bruce bay – a waterfront location, right on the ocean (so much so that debris washes over the road on high/stormy seas). This also meant however that we were battling the headwinds full, unobstructed force! We found a location out of the wind and bought an ice-cream to give us power for the final 20km to Lake Paringa campground.
With the bulk of th wind once again blocked by us moving further inland towards the lake, the final push was enjoyable and beautiful. It was made even more fun however by hooking up Patricks Bluetooth speaker and blasting some absolute bangers (ABC’s 50 greatest toddler tunes) as we pedalled along.
We arrived at Lake Paringa and enjoyed a swim in the river before setting up the tent and taking necessary Kea precautions such as stacking the bikes together while also removing all bags and helmets from them, we also managed to place some rocks over the exposed pegs and finally made sure that everything was stacked neatly under the vestibule of the tent to avoid inquisitive beaks. On night fall squawking heralded the arrival of the Kea invasion, It was beautiful to see them hopping around in the darkness….let’s hope that our preparations will be enough!
16/3/26 – Lake Paringa to Haast. 51.67km (2300.66km) 549m elevation
Kea’s were our alarm clock today, their calls are quite amazing to hear and thankfully they did not destroy our tent. However they did steal Rhys’ jandal and snap it (annoying) and put some beak marks in Arthur’s which he thought was pretty cool. We were in a bit of a rush this morning as we wanted to get going before the rain started and we were very keen not to miss seeing Jonathan Kennet (one of the brother’s who wrote the TA biking guide and a lot of other riding books for NZ) and his wife, they are riding on a tandem also. So while I cooked breakfast, Rhys packed away and the boys all went in search for Kea’s. It was great seeing them fly around the campground.
We rolled out of camp just after 9, all geared up for some rainy weather. Riding through the bush and misty mountains is stunning, I love it and thankfully it wasn’t too cold. While on one of the first climbs of the day we were suddenly being overtaken by Jonathon and Bronnie Kennet, we had a quick chat then had to go into single file to allow cars to pass. At the top of the hill we stopped for a catch up which was great. It is very cool we had the opportunity to meet one the writers to the guide we are using as a bit of a bible for our cycle trip of NZ.
Saying goodbye we continued along the road and the rain started to get pretty heavy, spirits were still very high which was great. During a break in the weather we had a quick bite to eat before we climbed up to Knights lookout, the climb was a little steeper than we all expected and the rain had cleared which made it quite a hot sweaty affair. We were awarded with the most magnificent views of the Tasman Ocean. Fuelling up with cups of soup and enjoying the sun we continued along the beautiful road to Haast.
Oliver was in a chatting mood and of course we got onto the topic of Harry Potter. At one stage we were talking about snogging which made Arthur and Oliver laugh so much especially when I said I snogged their Dad. The rain came back with about 10km to go and it came down pretty hard, but again everyone was having fun and no one was cold so it was quite enjoyable and as Oliver said he didn’t need to get his drink bottle out as he just opened his mouth to catch the rain – convenient.
We stopped in at the DOC visitors centre which had a great display of glaciers, life on the West Coast of NZ, birds and kiwi’s. We had a great look around and the kids all had fun learning about different topics. While hiding inside the rain stopped and we had a dry 3km ride to our camp. Feeling the lack of food we quickly set up the tent, had warm showers then walked to the local pub to grab something to eat. The Hard Antler was great, the hundred of deer antlers on the roof impressed the boys and the atmosphere was quite fun. While the boys enjoyed some colouring in Rhys and I enjoyed a pint of beer and chatting to fellow Aussie’s from QLD who are riding the South Island.
Whitebait is quite popular so we enjoyed a whitebait sammie (delicious) as an entree then after our meals Rhys was still hungry so ordered a second main course, Arthur had a second whitebait sammie. Riding certainly makes you hungry!!!! We had a wonderful evening out.
17/3/26 – Haast rest day
The forecast was a bit strange for today but I guess that’s the west coast in a nutshell. While it appeared calm and fine in Haast, we could see cloud congregating up high in the ranges and presumed that it wouldn’t be the same up there! As a result we made the decision to definitely spend the day in Haast, having another rest and enjoying the Wild West coast. As it turned out it was. another great decision as we had an awesome day!
We rode down the local walking/cycling trail to Haast beach. It was a bumpy old trail that lead to an impressive sand and stone beach. The kids had an absolute ball throwing driftwood into the waves then even braved the water for a bit of a swim. Raelene and I took great pleasure in sitting and watching them have such a great time, the trip has certainly helped the boys forge a strong friendship and camaraderie that will hopefully continue into their older years.
While we were sitting watching the boys we were treated to a show from a couple of dolphins, on closer inspection we noted their irregular shaped fins and decided they most likely were the rare Hectors Dolphin that calls the west coast of NZ home! We couldn’t believe we had spotted some and followed them up the beach for a time, even glimpsing them playing in the lip of a wave, so cool!
On our way back to town we opted for the smoother but longer road route. Arthur enjoyed having a ride of Olivers bike while Patrick and Oliver had a go of pedalling the tandems by themselves which didn’t last long hehehe.
The kids watched a movie then we had a bit of a group dinner with fellow TA riders Harry and Rach, who we have intermittently been sharing campgrounds with ever since Greymouth (originally meeting them way back up on the north island at miranda hot springs) . They were planning on some bigger days Ove the next week so this should be our last catch up. Its been great to swap stories and have a bit of a laugh with them over the last few weeks and we wish them well on their future journey as they navigate moving countries for work while also completing their travel plans. Thanks Harry and Rach, hope to catch you again one day in the future!
Once again another rest day done right, as we headed to bed the rain had started to fall in earnest, here’s hoping we get some sleep tonight!
