Kahurangi 500 - Shit the bed, I did a ride!

Unnecessary Preamble

As is standard in a New Year, I was feeling reflective and wondering what I might do to improve my life in 2026. After four pretty torrid years, where we've spent about a quarter of that time in hospital, I was very much in need of a clear and obvious reason to get back into cycling.

Cue endless youtube videos, and the rash decision to book flights to/from Nelson to coincide with the opening of the Heaphy Track, at the start of May. I was crossing everything I could cross in the hope the weather would hold for me, and I'd booked accommodation in Murchison and Karamea.

I'd decided to tackle the Kahurangi 500 route, in what I'd suggest is the best direction (Clockwise). Watching youtube videos of extremely fit and capable people riding this loop make it seem relatively trivial, and with the hype train in top gear, I was locked and loaded. 

I did a bit of chicanery with the route, necessitated partly by my Nelson origin and destination, and partly out of pure laziness - I was to skip the Porika (I've done this in both directions previously), and I'd skip the Rameka in favour of the climb over to Tōtaranui, followed by a Water Taxi to Kaiteriteri, to continue to Nelson.

Now all I had to do was pedal. No mean feat, considering I had ridden a total of 51 hours in the 10 months before making this plan - a bit over an hour per week. Not ideal prep, but life does these things to people, so I got back to the business of building a vague semblance of fitness over the following months.

In the interest of not causing a Search and Rescue operation, I managed to complete various outings in the four months that followed - starting relatively modestly, before eventually tackling a couple of quite solid efforts - highlights below:

• January, my wife and I found ourselves childless over Wellington Anniversary Weekend, and with Otago the only place with decent weather, we made a hasty decision to spend a few nights in the Queenstown/Wanaka area, and managed to do a day walk of the Routeburn track - not cycling, but great base fitness all the same. 

• Waitangi Weekend, I made my way through the Pureora Timber Trail, having shuttled to the start of the track - 85km of track, and I was starting to feel a bit better on the bike by this point - although nothing like I was a decade or so ago.

• March - got a couple of laps of the classic 'Big Coast' loop, which is a nice one as it passes right by my door - very little int he way of logistics (or excuses) on that one, and a solid 140km loop. 

 

 

• April, I got in two really crucial prep rides - the first was an ambitious two day excursion, ex Blenheim. 

On the first day, I'd head through the Molesworth to Hanmer, then return to Blenheim the following day via the Rainbow Road and Wairau Valley. 

I found the Molesworth pretty tough going (understandably), but got to/from Hanmer without issue, and took quite a mental boost from this one - 400km in the bank, and a good test of how my body would respond to back to back days riding.

 

Upcott Pass. A lovely walk.

Ward Pass in the late afternoon light

Rainbow Station

 

A couple of weeks later, I rode the Timber Trail again - this time, parking at the end, and riding the (normally shuttled) 60km or so to the start of the track, making it ~140km all up for the day. I was done by 3pm, and drove home, thinking my body was up to the task now - all I had to do was wait for the weather.

 

 

We had some pretty terrible rain in the week before my planned trip - with the stars aligning and another childless night, my wife and I were temporarily marooned over in the Wairarapa, while the weather wreaked havoc with the roads in and around Wellington and the Hutt Valley. My vision of mild weather continuing into May was looking pretty shaky, and I was nearing the point of delaying my ride to some time in November.

As luck would have it, a few days out from my trip, the long range forecast for Tasman and Buller was day after day of Fine, light winds. I couldn't believe it. Everything was working out. Then a few days before I flew, I strained my lower back helping my eldest pick out some football boots. I spent a couple of days struggling to walk, unable to do much at all around home - particularly difficult when one of your kids has a physical disability necessitating a lot of lifting and carrying.

Through the wonders of rest, stretching, and positive affirmations (JK, it was mainly Voltaren) I was feeling OK on Thursday morning, so made the call to box on. 

Day 1: Nelson to Murchison, 140km, 1,500m climbed 

All vagaries of Actual Life aside, I made it to the airport on Thursday morning, in plenty of time to check in my poorly packed bike box, grab a coffee, and spend the next hour or so people watching.

Touching down in Nelson around half an hour after leaving Wellington, I made quick work of a Superman change into my riding gear, and spent around half an hour faffing around to get my bike and bags assembled and checked. I managed to hamfistedly munge the bolt on my seat clamp when fitting the seatpost - I shrugged IRL, deciding it would just have to be an issue to deal with on my return. A short stop off at the bakery in Richmond, along with a Service Station for some water, and I gladly made my way on to the Great Taste Trail.

The day was cool, but clear, with next to no wind. 

The trail meanders very gently up the valley, initially along the Waimea Plains, then climbs a little more abruptly as you approach Belgrove - at this point, the trail peels off and heads towards the lovely Spooners Tunnel - mildly discombobulating towards the centre, when you can't see the exit ahead, nor the entrance behind, on account of the gradients on either side. A bit further along, I left the Great Taste Trail, and hopped on to State Highway 6 at Kohatu - I'd be on the highway for a while, until I turned off at Gowan Bridge a couple of hours later. 

 

The trail from Belgrove up to Spooners Tunnel

 

I very deliberately took the riding easily throughout the day, knowing the 140km was but an amuse bouche for the couple of days to come. As a result, I had a few stops, and any time the road tipped upwards, I quickly found my way to what we used to call a granny gear, and made things as easy as possible on myself.

 

Near Hope Saddle

 

Once past that turn off, I made a very short stop at Lake Rotoiti for a photo op - being such a still day, the lake was infact mirror like.

 

Lake Rotoiti

 

The short but sharp climb up to the saddle of the Braeburn was mildly unwelcome at this stage in the day, and I stopped at the top to don layers, knowing the descent was fairly long and fast. Once in the Tutaki Valley, and only a dozen or so kilometres from my destination for the night, my body went into holiday mode, and I made very slow (but deliberate) progress towards Murchison. 

 

Braeburn Track

  

Tutaki Valley - a fairly excellent Hazy IPA made by Garage Project uses Tutaki Hops

I found my accommodation easily, got showered and changed, then headed to the pub for some dinner, admiring the fancy new Four Square on my way.

One of the perks of having accommodation booked each night, is being able to shower with your cycling gear on to give it a bit of a wash, then hang it up to dry while you go about your evening chores - quite the luxury. The other thing, is to be able to post some supplies to yourself ahead of time - so I'd made sure I had sent myself something for breakfast, along with supplies for the following day (gels, bars, and assorted energy drinks) to completely avoid any resupply anxiety.

I spent about 5 minutes googling 'How to use PLB' and looking at the physical device, such was my apprehension of the Old Ghost Road section. Ha!

 

Day 2: Murchison to Karamea, 170km, 3,200m climbed

I started my day with an alarm set for 5:15, and was on the road half an hour later. I knew I wasn't going to miss out on much, heading towards Westport in the dark, and was keen to get the  highway done and dusted whilst it was relatively quiet - it was, I think about half a dozen vehicles passed me over the ~33km ride to Lyell.

Having never ridden the Old Ghost Road, it's fair to say I was mildly apprehensive about this day - it was to be my 'queen stage', as it were - the most climbing, the most remote, and the longest distance. Not sure why I thought that would all be a good idea, but here I was.

About 3km in to the very manageable climb, I heard a Kiwi not far off the track - dawn was breaking, which I know is an active time for a lot of birds. I stopped, and stalked the noise for about 10 minutes, really hoping to see a Kiwi out in the wild for the first time, but alas, the little feathered critter stayed out of eyesight. As I continued up the incline, I passed a couple of walkers coming the other way, who'd stopped to check out a pair of Kākā in the trees above the track - great to see so much native bird life in such a wonderful, lush landscape.

 

Somewhere on the climb

 

Somewhere presumably further up the climb

 

I ploughed my way up the climb for hours - including my stops for birds, snacks, and stretching, it took me about 3.5 hours to reach the high point of the track. This was a very manageable and almost social pace, but I was trying my hardest to ride within my limited abilities, to make the other end of my day better for myself - not something I've ever really done much of before, I was always more of a 'go until you blow' type, when I could handle much more than I can these days!

 

The second part of the climb is done on a distinct surface

 

The trail was really nicely built and graded, with very few tricky or steep sections - nice to just settle into a rythym and zone out for a bit. Once up past the high point, the surface quite dramatically changes, from firmly packed granite, becoming much more loose and stepped - harder work on the hardtail, and I was pondering the merits of buying a nice carbon fully for such missions in future (this pondering would continue for most of the day, then much of the ride through the Heaphy the following day).

Breaking out above the bushline, I was greeted by blue skies, with a few fluffy clouds clinging to the valleys below - an alpine breeze, but by and large absolutely wonderful riding conditions. 

 

Curious Kakaruai - gorgeous little creatures

 

Reaching Ghost Lake Hut, I promptly set about starting the descent - I'd worked pretty hard for it, by this stage, and was looking forward to the reward. Unfortunately, it's a bit of a shitty track at this point, with lots of loose rocky switchbacks with no flow - definitely a first world problem. I thoroughly enjoyed the views during my frequent stops, and was audibly impressed on numerous occasions during the section from Ghost Lake to Stern Creek - at times, due to the view, other times because of the track. Once it dropped below the treeline, the trail became this wonderful sinuous native bush trail, where brakes were hardly needed, and sight lines opened up at just the right time, on a great surface that has just enough going on to make it interesting - fantastic mountain biking, for me!

 

(Almost) bluebird conditions along the OGR

 

Standard West Coast mountain clag

 

The moss was a constant reminder of the West Coast's primary Import - Rain

 

Skyline Ridge

Broccoli Trees

 

The climb out of the Bone Yard was fine - very scenic, and a little humbling to imagine the gigantic boulders tumbling down the hillside to their current resting places. The sign telling me not to linger or stop on one of the steeper sections right near the top was borderline passive aggressive, as if I wasn't already having a hard enough time with the gradient. Still, no deliberate lingering was done, aside from the fact I was climbing like I had a piano in my backpack.

The descent off Solemn Saddle was again absolutely wonderful, and I was making reasonable time in terms of my guesstimated schedule for the day - I'd budgeted 2 hours for the road commute to Lyell, 9 hours inc stops for the Old Ghost Road, half an hour for dinner in Seddonville, then 3 hours from Seddonville to Karamea for a solid 14.5 hour day - I was about 15 minutes off, in the end.

 

I thought these were the $50 note mushrooms, turns out it's just a purple mushroom.

Disappointing. 

 

The rig - Ritchey Ultra, with STEALTH bags.

Absolutely flawless. 

The trail from Skyline Ridge through to the end was really nice on the hardtail - although a fully would have been nice at times, that's mainly out of laziness than anything else. 

Once down at Goat Creek Hut (or, at least the turn off for the hut), the track becomes much more flat, as it basically follows the valleys, eventually joining up with the Mōkihinui to follow the true left for the remainder. Heading past Specimen Point hut, I knew I was nearing the end, and felt a combination of relief and satisfaction knowing I probably wasn't going to die out in the bush this day. 

 

Upper reaches of the Mokihinui

Emerald Green waters of the deceptively major river

Choo Choo! Full steam ahead

 

Once I noticed I had cell reception, I phoned my accommodation for the night, to double check my food package had arrived safely with them - sending something to rural New Zealand can be a bit hit or miss, but thankfully my package had made it successfully to Karamea, and was awaiting me in my room - that was also a big relief, as it contained basically any and all food I'd need to get me through to Takaka the following day. The folks at The Last Resort were awesome, very accommodating and hospitable.

A short strop along the road from the Old Ghost, I was wandering into the Seddonville Hotel in reasonably filthy lycra - something it seems the locals are well accustomed to, as I didn't get a sideways glance from anyone. The gent running the hotel was wonderful, and hooked me up with a burger, chips, and a beer while I found a quiet space to facetime my wife and kids back home. 

For me, the hardest part of this sort of bike trip is missing my two boys, especially in the evenings when I'd normally be helping one or both off to sleep with lots of cuddles, a book to read, and debrief of their days, so it was great to share my achievement of the day with those who matter most to me!

Once my first dinner was enveloped safely within my indiscriminate gullet, I got my lights sorted, popped on some warmer gear, and started to make tracks for the Karamea Bluffs, and Karamea beyond. As night fell, I found myself changing the bike into the same gear as when dawn broke - the easiest one. I winched myself up the ~400 metre climb, looking forward to a long, fast valley descent. Unfortunately, my Google Maps research hadn't gone well for this section, and the descent wasn't very fast (or downhill) at all, with a few false summits, then short descents punctuated by short climbs. No matter, all I had to do was keep the pedals turning, and I'd be done soon enough. I had lights, food, fluid, and warm gear, and a lovely still (but rapidly cooling) evening to keep me company.

I rolled in to The Last Resort at about 8:30, stretching my expected 14 hour day to almost 15 hours, by virtue of a longish dinner stop, and a few unexpected lumps in the road. Again, I prioritised a shower and clean of my riding gear, then got into a fantastic dinner left for me by the hotelier - although I'd eaten only a few hours earlier, it's prudent to shove as much down your throat as possible during these sorts of rides. I'm not really much of a Steak and Potatoes type of guy, but the food was lovely. It disappeared much more quickly than any civilised person might expect.

 

Is this what Mainlanders eat?

I got my gear hung up to dry in the bathroom and rigged up a heater to speed this process up, got my bike repacked for another early departure, then chilled out to watch a bit of whatever was on TV - I wasn't paying any attention, it was just nice to have some other voices around, I think.

 

Darr Laundry Services Pty Inc LTD

 

My body was feeling like I'd just been on a bike for 13 hours, but aside from that, I was holding up well, and very much looking forward to tackling the Heaphy Track in the morning. 

  

Day 3: Karamea to Tākaka, 150km, 2,400m climbed

Another early start, wanting to hit the Heaphy around dawn - mentally, knowing I've started early takes the pressure off at the other end of the day. In today's case, that was probably a good thing.

I pedaled softly along the flat road from Karamea to Kōhaihai, with only the roar of the nearby sea for company. Although we live right by the sea, we only hear the waves in a really strong Southerly - it was a novelty to hear the sound of the large waves pounding into the shore from the Tasman, and the air thick with salt that came with that. I made OK progress to Kōhaihai, stopping to readjust my clothing at the entrance to the Heaphy Track. 

The day had dawned still and clear - and cold. I had my beanie, buff, and three layers under my jacket for the first hour or so along the tarmac. While it may have been chilly, I was stoked to see another still, clear day ahead. 

This was my first ride along the Heaphy, having walked it back in maybe 2009 or so - I had a fairly good recollection of the profile for the day, but was really excited to lay a tyre down for the first time.

The trail from Kōhaihai along to Heaphy Hut was beautiful, popping in and out of Nikau Palms and golden sand - although my lower back was giving me hell this morning, and I stopped at Katipo Shelter for a good ten minutes to stretch it out. 

 

 

Looking South along Scotts Beach

Palms

 I felt a lot better after a stop and a stretch, and made good progress to Heaphy Hut. I decided the order of the day would be to stop often to stretch my lower back, so I made use of the clean deck area at the hut to sprawl out once more - the hut warden has probably seen stranger things, but I felt a little silly starting a convo in my compromised position, all the same.

The trail from Heaphy Hut to the bridge across the Heaphy River was great, although very cold - only about six weeks out from the shortest day of the year (already!) means the sun sits low on the horizon, so this valley was still in the shade and hadn't warmed up much from overnight. On crossing the Heaphy River, I bumped into a couple from Wellington, who were out cycling through the Heaphy as well - we had a good gasbag about various things, including our apparent collective penchant for black shorts and orange tops.

I knew the climb to come was fairly straight forward, if not a bit of a drag - but sought comfort in knowing it was roughly half the ascent of the day before, popping out of the bush at only 700 metres above the sea. It was entirely rideable, although I elected to dismount for a couple of stream crossings in an effort to prevent my drivetrain from getting wet.

 

I made OK time up this climb, but was conscious I was stopping often - to change layers, eat/drink, stretch, change layers again, eat some more, and so on. I was also mindful this climb was my last real solid challenge on the K500 loop, with only a few smaller climbs on the Heaphy to follow, and a single ~300m climb the following day over to Tōtaranui. Knowing I was almost over the hump, so to speak, was a mental boost, but it also meant I took my foot further off the gas.

I had a short break on breaking out of the bush at James McKay hut, and set about getting to Perry Saddle - I'd remembered the remainder of the trail as mainly flat or undulating, which is largely the case. There were some descents where I didn't remember them, ditto some climbs. Still, the weather was amazing, with barely a breath of wind, and not a cloud to be seen.

 

The track surface is awesome

I passed the huts, only stopping to fill my bottle at Gouland Downs hut, knowing that would probably get me through to Tākaka. 

The Heaphy was very busy - I'd estimate I saw around 50 cyclists coming the opposite direction during the day - great to see it so popular, and generally everyone was being respectful and courteous to other trail users.

 

Perry Saddle is off behind the peak on the left

 

The track got noticeably rougher after Gouland Downs Hut

The descent I'd been looking forward to from Perry Saddle and Flanagan's Corner (the high point, about 900m) was an absolute ballache of a thing. The first third was loose rock, with the best line perilously close to the edge of the trail, and any other line threatening a sidewall slash - so it was far from the well-earned fast descent I'd hoped for. 

After a stop at Aorere Shelter for a stretch and a can of some vile (but essential) energy drink, the going got better - the lower down the slope I got, the smoother and faster the trail became.

Before I knew it, I popped past Brown Hut, and out onto the golden gravel road towards Golden Bay. One mildly savage climb forced me to dismount and walk for a bit - it's nice to have a break from riding periodically. I also noticed my drivetrain was pretty grim, offering a great deal of resistance on account of the complete lack of lube. I'd had my earbuds in for the last few hours, so hadn't heard the noises emanating from the chain and cassette. Whoops. A quick lube, and it was good as gold, and I was back into the riding.  

From this point, the rest of my day was pretty straight forward - 50km or so of generally downhill in to Tākaka.

 

Serenity up the wahzoo

 

Well, my version of 'generally downhill' is pretty fucked, because although I may have been at 150m above the sea, I did a fair bit of climbing in this part of the ride - climbs of 50, 30, 70, and 90 metres peppered along the section between Collingwood and Tākaka. It's kind of like how the Molesworth Road is 'generally downhill' from Wards Pass at ~1100m, but you actually have 2000m of climbing to do to descend that 1100m.

At one point, I stopped on the side of the road, sat down, and found my last remaining food to try and perk me up - a Cookie Time. Seeing the moon again - the same one I'd seen that morning - was a cool reminder of what I was doing, out in the wops on my bike all day (and some of the night)

 

 

I'm not sure if the Cookie Time worked, but some time later I rolled into Tākaka, and was absolutely stoked to see two places still open for food - the Thai place got my attention initially, and after Roti and Pad Thai were seen to, I went across the road and ordered a chicken pizza to go. Yes, that's a lot of food. Don't @ me.

Same routine as previous nights when I reached my accommodation - although this time I didn't have much to pack, as I knew the following day was relatively short in distance, and I had resupply options along the way. I lazed about, and watched the Hurricanes and Warriors win their respective games, before heading off to sleep. 

 

Day 4: Tākaka to Nelson, 85km, 900m climbed 

I had the relative luxury of a sleep in this day, with only a 10:45 deadline in Tōtaranui, about 35km away. Still, I dutifully left Tākaka with plenty of time to spare, given a delay here would mean I'd need to make a return trip, then tackle Tākaka Hill or the Rameka before continuing with my planned ride.

The reason I chose the water taxi from Tōtaranui, is because I felt like breaking the day up a little, and also recall from a walk I did a couple of summers ago, how beautiful the Abel Tasman National Park is from the sea.

The cycleway out of Tākaka is better than most of Wellington's infrastructure, and I really enjoyed the feeling of the sun on my skin to start the day, after a couple of night-time starts. The gravel was hard and fast, and I made really good progress towards the various places I'd never been - Pohara, Ligar Bay, Tata Beach, Wainui Bay. I loved the hole in the rock, 

 

The climb out of Wainui Bay was generally really nice, and the smell of early morning Beech forest with notes of Gravel Road was wonderful. Cresting the saddle, I noticed I was well ahead of my conservative schedule - pretty stoked my legs were holding up well enough to still ride a bike functionally, and very happy to be dropping off the last decent climb of this loop. 

I descended cautiously, and found my attitude well advised on encountering a RANGER DANGER driver hooning around a blind corner about half way down. I often wonder whether Ranger drivers were fuckwits who bought Ford Rangers, or they were regular people who turned into fuckwits after buying said vehicle. 

It's possible the way the suspension is designed resonates with such a frequency, driving one of these things will actually make someone dumber. I can't prove this theory, but I feel obliged to suggest the possibility. Ask your friends and family.

 

En route to Tōtaranui

On arriving in Tōtaranui, I changed out of my riding gear, and set it in the sunshine to dry out a bit - although I'd cleaned it the night before, the climb over to the beach was indeed a sweaty affair, so giving it a chance to air out was a good scheme, I thought. 

Also, it was great to wear regular clothes while I strolled around the information centre like I owned the place, and ate an egg sandwich overlooking the golden sand. 

I imagine the Dutch explorer, Abel Tasman, was a fan of egg sandwiches, too.

 

Sandwich Scenes

Once my water taxi arrived (Abel Tasman Aquataxi) I was informed I was unable to bring a bicycle aboard. Well, that would be an excellent thing to include somewhere on the booking page, wouldn't it team!

 

Great spot to do nothing for a bit eh

 

Thankfully, while I was online looking for alternatives, another operator with a much larger vessel beached themselves, and within a couple of minutes I was aboard and back on track. Much to my surprise, the half dozen other passengers all chose to sit downstairs under cover, in spite of yet another glorious day. Still, having the entire top deck to myself for an hour or so was great, and I saw dolphins, and fur seals on the trip back to Kaiteriteri.

 

 

I was scheduled to fly back to Wellington the following morning, but after a quick look on the Air NZ site, noticed a 5:55pm flight with space for me - as long as my body cooperated, I'd make that time easily, and the cost to change my flight was about the same as a night in a hotel. I called the airport to check they had bike boxes, and just like that, I was heading home in a few hours.

The boat reached Kaiteriteri, and my freshly aired out cycling kit was needed for one more stint. I grabbed a few supplies at the store, did a superman change in the public toilets, then set about the 55km or so to Nelson. 

I briefly reminisced on the night I spent in the BBQ shelter in Kaiteriteri back in 2017, during the Kiwi Brevette - I'd planned to do the ~500km in 40 hours or so, but my atrocious sleep that night put paid to that plan and I'd pulled the pin. Anywho, aside from the steepish climb out of Kaiteriteri, I made really good time back towards Nelson.

I decided not to muck around too much with following cycle paths, as the state highway generally has a good shoulder and is the most direct route. As much as I had confidence I'd make it in time, I didn't want to go getting lost, or taking any unnecessary diversions. On descending the last hill, I could see Richmond in the distance, with only a dozen or so kilometres before I'd take the turn towards Nelson, and ride the last half hour or so of my trip.

It was awesome to reach the Great Taste Trail again, and close the loop I'd opened a few days earlier - a wonderful sense of achievement, along with the anticipation of being back home with my family made that particular moment (though uneventful) a real highlight of the trip.

 

 

The shared path back to the Airport was navigated without issue, and before I new it, I was changed (again), with my bike checked in, and only one thing left to do before I flew - eat some more food. It was a little odd ordering Eggs Benedict at 4:30pm on a Sunday.

I had a great view of the Kahurangi area as we left Nelson, with the beautiful sunset highlighting the mountains in the distance.

 

I'm really stoked to have done some cycling again, after a few years of almost nothing - and to have something go to plan is also a nice change, given the tumultuous world we live in.

I'm keen to try something like the Sounds to Sounds, and look at the Tour te Waipounamu in the next year or two, as I dip my toe back into the wonderful world of bikepacking - and if I every do anything noteworthy again, you'll be sure to see my waffle about it right here. Until then, take care.