This text was read by OCR from a scanned newsletter and has not been proofread yet, so expect odd characters and mistakes.
e just managed to get onto the boat ferrying us out to Ship Cove on Saturday morning, as our great leader Raymond was late out of bed as usual... It was a quick trip out the Queen Charlotte Sound, and by 9.00 we were slogging our way up the first steep hill. Once we got up on top we had great views of the sound below, and our fist excellent downhill to Resolution Bay. Raymond was keen for a muffin stop, but managed to hold out for Furneaux and an early lunch there. On the way there we met a friendly pig called Wayne, and somewhere in the process of getting to Furneaux we managed to lose the real Wayne. After this, we desperately tried to catch up with him for the rest of the day — but there was no Wayne at Punga Cove (where we had lunch no. 2) or at Kenepuru Saddle. From Kenepuru Saddle to Portage is the hardest part of the track — with lots of climbs and some ~ exhilarating downhills fo match. After much’slogging, we finally arrived at Bay of Many Coves shelter, and according to the book, close to the highest point. It was cold and windy and I was glad I was on a bike and not ina kayak that weekend. Several more uphills and downhills passed in a blur before the final marathon descent to Torea Saddle — where our lost punter was waiting.
Jeanine Lanqvik
It was getting dark as we reached Portage and entered this 1970s bastion (love that carpet). One of the women working there looked like she had just emerged from the set of the NZ movie “Savage Honeymoon” (those of you who have seen this movie will know what I mean). Raymond meanwhile was still floundering around somewhere on the track in the dark with two flat tyres, but soon arrived as we settled down for dinner to the sound of country & western ‘music’ (yee-ha). On Sunday it drizzled, and only the keen (Andy, Mark and Raymond) decided to climb the track up to 400m (just to come down again) while the rest of us followed the road along Kenepuru Sound to meet the track to Te Mahia. From here the track was fantastic and really quick. As we got to Umungata Bay the sun came out. Heaps of mountain bikers on the track — no doubt scaring some trampers shitless — hopefully ’ tramipers and bikérs an continue’ to-co-exist on this’ track. A quick swim was had at Anakiwa before we took the road back to Picton. An excellent trip — one I'd come back and do again.
Bikies: Raymond, Ursula, Mark, Andy, Christine, Jeanine, Wayne.