Time: 3 hours and 17 minutes (includes leisurely stops for coffee and lunch)
Distance: 18 km
Start: Corner of Grays Street and State Highway 1 (Ashworth's Road), Amberley
Finish: Same place.
Date: Friday 4th November
The organisation of this one was a bit of a mind-fuck and I think I may deserve a medal for my logistical planning efforts: Seven people (one of no fixed abode); seven bikes (two of which are electric - although one of those may no longer be); somewhere between two and five cars available for transport and a belated text saying "Mishap with us. Now sorted."
We were waiting at the start of the Amberley Area Cycle Trail on the corner of State Highway 1 and Grays Road. The trucks were roaring past, the sun was beating down and we were nattering away. Eventually the last car arrived and we got to hear all about the mishap. What happened was.....the bike fell off the rack and got damaged...yeah nah, I don't think I will actually tell that story on this forum - it still feels a bit traumatic to even think about it.
So finally we were ready to set off. We put the bikes into top gear and careered full-tit (or is it full-tilt?) down Grays Road, past the Transfer Station, over the bridge and up the hill before turning first left onto Stockdills Road - a gravel road amongst green farmland fields with Mt Gray/Maukatere the western backdrop. And beyond that in the way way distance, the faintest of snow could be seen lining the Southern Alps. Ka TiriTiri o te Moana. Winter is over and spring is here.
The gravel farm road soon became a pretty tree-lined farm track and after about 10 minutes we exited through a complicated gate system and crossed the Kowai River bed. Very stony and completely dry. Also pretty tricky to actually stay on the bike. We had to jump off and push a couple of times. The website for the Amberley Area Cycle Trail insists this crossing should not be attempted if it is in flood. Fair enough.
On the other side of the river we joined the Kowai River Walk which we have visited before (see blogpost here). This is a sweet meandering walking/cycling track, lined with peri-winkles and willows and other weeds which follows the river to Leithfield Beach.
Once at the beach we just had to make a 2 minute detour across the stones to check out the waves of Te Moana Nui a Kiwa, our Pacific Ocean. The views stretch all the way down Pegasus Bay to the Port Hills and Banks Peninsular. A fabulously azure blue sky.
There is a sandy/gravelly track that runs parallel to the shore, next to the pines all the way down to Leithfield beach township. We cycled through the town past the quirky bachy houses looking for hobos and hippies and gang members. Alternative Types. You know what I mean. However, there were none to be seen. Could be an urban legend I guess.
Eventually we turned right onto Kingi Street. No street signs but we asked a Relatively Normal looking passersby and she enthusiastically waved us onward. We gritted our teeth and pushed through the headwind all the way to the Pukeko Junction Cafe where we stopped for coffees and shared slices.
Next stop, a few minutes down Old Main Road to the Old Historic Leithfield Hotel. It looked a bit dodgy but the owners were nice and we sat outside in the pleasant beer garden and chatted about the earthquakes and drank beers (gingers for the drivers) and shared fries.
More head winds awaited us for the final stretch back across the river and along the gravelly Stockdill Road. We put the bikes in top gear and careered full-tit (or tilt) down the hill, across the bridge, past the Transfer Station and up the final hill to the car.
We secured the bikes very tightly indeed to the racks and headed for home.
