19th Big River Track

 Back in the saddle, these roads look familiar…… there was a bit of a climb from Lake Rotoroa and then mostly downhill along the road to Reefton to find a cafe.

Chris needed a break to recharge so was going to ride directly to Ikamatua I wanted to ride the Big River Hut trail through Waiuta and to Ikamatua. 

Was this trail to be as good as I hoped….

After a 10km gravel road in I found the trail with warnings to say it’s no longer maintained, starting to sound promising, I hit the trail it was rough with golf and tennis ball sized rocks sometimes bedded in sometimes loose, lots of uphill but fast downhill my smile couldn’t get any wider flying through beach trees, my ponamu necklace beating off my chest like a heartbeat, no time to think as I picked the quickest lines through the rocks trying not to blow a tyre in the process. The track to the Big River Hut was a 4wd drive track changing from rocky to mushy beech tree sections going up and downhill. A couple of kms out from the hut I could feel fatigue starting to appear the boulders I was previously missing I kept hitting I knew it would be time for food at the hut.

The Big River Hut was a typical DOC hut perched on a small ridge over looking the old mining relics but what a spot…

will this be the best track of the trip? 

After lifting my bike over the metal gates twice I was on the right track a tight single track more like a tramping track than anything else. I had some more up hill to slog out, up the washed out trail ditches trying to avoid my fork bags hitting the sides and stopping all momentum. The trail started quite open, going along a board walk through a long boggy section but it soon tightened up and ended up siding along the hills in and out with creeks running through the valleys and drop offs around the bluffs.  Good fun!!! The up hill slog rolled into a downhill with my bell telling me every time a hit a sharp bump.

At one point the trail joined into a washed out stream bed which I had to push up to continue, this trail would challenge many riders and For some it was a good choice to go around. The trail reached its highest point and started to flow to Waiuta. This was awesome it was starting to get darker in the forest and I was hoping the carrots I had in my lunch salad would help . O shit duck low branch. The trail dove in and out as it sidled the hills and every now and then the trees would open up and the light would come in, it wasn’t that dark yet. I had finally found the washed out sections and they were definitely washed out there was no going around, I lowered my bike down and jumped in after, dragging it through the muddy slip. Back on the bike racing down the hill the back tyre showing it’s age from the 2000km+ it had done slipping and sliding on the wet roots, trying to avoid the bank on one side and the drop off into the bush on the other, hopefully I can get out of here before dark.

I ended up in Waiuta with moments to spare a quick change into warm clothes and to put some lights on. 19kms to go to a beer, a shower and a bed. All top gear from here through the gravel road, the sealed road and on to the highway. What a run….