Coldkiwi Rally 2010

It was the first weekend of September and for any self-respecting masochistic kiwi biker there is only one place to go – the Coldkiwi Rally.

The rally takes place every year about 10km from the town of Waiouru in the central North Island. Joining me for the torture this year were two friends, Neil and Steve.

The Coldkiwi rally is held in one of the coldest parts in the North Island and certainly lived up to its name this time around.

We rode up to Waiouru on Friday with the intention being to camp at the rally for the next two nights. The ride up was truly horrible with driving cold rain for most of the way. Neil’s bike got water into its electrics and broke down. It took us ages to sort this out and meant that it was very late by the time we got to Waiouru. None of us really fancied setting up the tents in the dark and the rain, so it was fortunate that Steve knew someone who lives at a nearby army base, and who was gracious enough to put us up for the night.

We woke up on Saturday morning to find that the weather had turned even colder and the town was covered in a blanket of snow. On top of that we had a 4hr power cut and also found out that Christchurch in the South Island had suffered a magnitude 7.1 earthquake. On this inauspicious note and after waiting an age for most of the snow to melt, we set of for the campsite.

It was a real pleasure to finally arrive at our destination, not least because the weather was now lovely and sunny, if not overly warm, but hey its not called the Coldkiwi rally for nothing!

The rest of the rally followed the usual formula of hill climbs, burn-outs, rock bands, burgers and beer, which is just fine by me. The rest of the trip was uneventful enough, though Neil did provide some additional entertainment by falling of his bike in the mud, a fate I only narrowly avoided.

It was a fun weekend away and I am sure we will be back for further punishment next year.

Saturday morning in Waiouru.


The roads were very slippery so we had plenty of time to walk around until the snow and ice had melted enough for us to safely get to the campsite.

Neil and Steve.

You know who.

We even had a firework display but, alas, no ceremonial "moped burning".

I took this picture of Mt Ruapehu from my tent.

Colonial Knob

Saturday dawned bright and clear and with the forecast of horrible weather on Sunday my friend Jenny and I decided to head out into the hills for a day walk.

I have been making a point recently of exploring the extensive range of hills that surround Wellington. This is an area I have overlooked in the past in favour of the higher and more rugged Tararua and Rimutku ranges. Big mistake it turns out, as the local hills offer a great deal with splendid views and lots of open areas on the hill tops courtesy of the various sheep and cattle farms that cover the area.

The plan for the day was to walk from Porirua to Khandallah via Colonial Knob (468m) and Mt Kaukau (445m).

The route started with a stiff climb of about 40mins up to Colonial Knob. From here we had expected the track to follow the hilltops, but instead it steadily dropped down before entering a large pine forest. The track at this point got rather slippery and muddy and was hard going, but we eventually came out onto a small road. By the way, we had left the map in the car so were very much making it up as we went along and as there were no signs at this point we headed off along the road in what we hoped was the right direction. It turned out it was, though more by luck than judgment. We had been walking along the road for about an hour when much to our surprise we came upon a horse riding school, which even more surprisingly had a café. A quick mochachino was in order and suitably revived we headed off again almost immediately picking up a track heading toward Mt Kau Kau. This was my favourite part of the journey with the best scenery and walking of the day. It also helped that I was back on familiar ground as I have climbed Mt Kaukau many times in the past, albeit not from this direction. An hour and a half and another stiff climb and descent later we reached Kandallah and the end of the trip.

A fair part of the walk was through pine forest or along the road, which is fairly unusual in this part of the world and at times was more reminiscent of the sort of walks I used to do in the UK. A pleasant surprise and a top trip.

Looking toward Colonial Knob.

A the top of Colonial Knob.

Mochachino and carrot cake heaven.


The weather started closing in towards the end of the walk. If you look closely you can just see the the bottom of the radio mast on the top of Mt Kaukau.

Day walk to Red Rocks (Seal haul-out area)

These pictures were taken on a day walk in the hills (and along the coast) close to where we live in Lyall Bay. The walk has an inauspicious start as it begins on a track close to the Happy Valley rubbish dump. As these places go it is not so bad, though at the end of the day a rubbish dump is still a rubbish dump. The rest of the area is very picturesque, with some fine views of the South Island.

Taken near the start of the walk looking back towards the rubbish dump, which mercifully is just out of view.

Along the tops looking back towards Lyall Bay.

If you look carefully you can see the snow capped inland and seaward Kaikoura ranges.

Looking towards Red Rocks.

After a steep descent we arrives at Red Rocks.

Cape Reinga

I have been on a week’s motorcycling trip to the northernmost point in New Zealand, namely Cape Reinga. My friend Neil accompanied me as far North as Auckland and joined up with me on the way back to Wellington by way of Piha. The trip was originally going to be just a long weekend up to Hamilton to watch the V8 racing there, but as tends to happen, things quickly spiraled out of control.

An eventful trip featuring baby sitting, punctures, caramel macchiato and some seriously bad navigation.

This is as far North as you can go in New Zealand without getting wet.

Cape Reinga - looking West.

Yours truly at Cape Reinga.

Piha Beach featuring a special guest appearance from Neil.

Early morning at Piha Beach, just before heading heading off back to Wellington.

Lion Rock.

Lake Waikaremoana

Neena and I usually go on at least one major tramp together every year. This year it was a four-day walk around Lake Waikaremoana, which is located in the Te Urewera National Park.

For more information check out the link…. http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/tracks-and-walks/east-coast-hawkes-bay/aniwaniwa-area/lake-waikaremoana-great-walk/.

The drive up from Wellington is a pretty long one, and we were mighty relieved when we arrived at the tiny settlement of Aniwaniwa, where we stayed the night.

The weather the next day was not the best with gale force winds, and the promise of rain. The start of the walk is some way from Aniwaniwa and is usually accessed by water taxi. In this instance, the conditions on the lake were pretty nasty, so we were transported by car instead, which while perfectly acceptable, lacked the style and occasion of ariving by boat.

The first days walk was by far the toughest and involved a steep climb up to Panekire Hut (1180m). The standard of the tracks on all the “Great Walks” we have been on, of which this was one, is very high, so it was a bit of a surprise to find that the track was fairly “gnarly” with lots of tree roots to trip over. This is representative of most kiwi bush tracks, and was for me, if not for Neena, a pleasant surprise. There were a number of exposed spots when we got up onto the ridge that leads to Panekire Hut. Due to the very high winds and long drops, these were not places to linger, despite great views looking over the lake. We were both a bit tired by this stage and were relieved when we finally arrived at the hut, particularly as it was just starting to rain.

The next day’s walk was dead easy and consisting of walking along Panekire ridge before descending down to the lake and on to Waiopaoa Hut, where we stayed the night. Once again our timing was impeccable as the rain returned with a vengeance minutes after we got to the hut. Mind you our troubles weren’t totally over, as we ended up sharing the hut with a whole load of boisterous and noisy school kids from Whangarei. Early the next day a water taxi arrived at the hut and much of the kid’s gear was transported of to wherever. Somehow all of our food also ended up on the boat as well, leaving Neena and I with a couple of muesli bars for the rest of the trip! There were a number of schoolteachers at the hut, who all seemed terribly embarrassed at the situation, and who immediately organised a whip around. In the end we ended up with far more (and better quality) food than we started with. If anyone in Whangarei comes across a bag of mouldy cream cheese and salami, then it is all yours.

It was a relief to finally get away from the hut and get some walking in. The track on the third day stayed fairly close to the lake, if somewhat above most of the time. Again this was a nice easy day, even if it did rain on and off most of the time. We stayed the night at Marauiti Hut.

The final days walking was in terms of distance the longest, but was also nice and easy. The weather also put on a fine show with sunshine and lights winds. To be honest this proved a mixed blessing, as for me it was now to hot, and I quickly got nostalgic for the rain and drizzle of the previous few day’s. I guess some people are never happy unless they have got something to moan about i.e. a typical “whinging pom”.

We started off nice and early as we had pre-arranged for a water taxi to pick us up at 3pm, and weren’t terribly keen to miss it. In the end we got to the pick up point half an hour early, which left some time for some sunbathing and paddling in the lake. All in all a nice trip.

Looking over the lake.

Looking over the lake again.

Panekire Bluff.

Panekire Hut

Typical track scene.

This was taken near Aniwaniwa.

Here comes the water taxi.