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Easy MTB Ride - January 13
by Lynda Bushe
It was with apprehension I packed all the woollens as I listened to the Radio advising Wellington Airport was fogged in and the cloud might stay all day. Hey, I thought, it is January how cold could it be, as I packed my fleece just in case. Packing the BBQ stuff was just a bit hopeful knowing if we got wet & then cold I would more be hunting out the Hot Chocolate rather than a sizzled sausage. Getting the cycles on the Club bus was cool, then get on and not have to worry about driving there, getting the train or dropping people off. It was even better to get to Upper Hutt and see the fog eerily lifting off the mountains as the sun burst through. Hastily ditching the woollens and BBQ stuff and applying the sunscreen finally thinking Summer might have arrived we waved goodbye to Bus-Driver Andrew. I think some people then broke the speed record as they sprinted up the track past the Shooting Range with the shots ringing out (close enough to make me jump). The Rimutaka Rail Trail is an Easy Ride along a wide well-graded old Railway line up to The Summit where there were once cottages and a settlement (10km in). Along the way are some markers with the history of the Line and pictures of how it used to be. The Rimutaka ride is a favourite with families as there is plenty to see along the way and some of the tunnels are dark but fun. The Summit tunnel is the longest at 576m which is quite spooky and you feel you are going forever through the tunnel and wondering whether you will hit the walls, a pothole or an unsuspecting walker or two. Once through all the tunnels there is a Downhill section to Cross Creek which is a good change but if you choose to do this be aware of the Trampers motto - "What goes down must come up!". It was an overcast, hot, humid and completely windless day up in the hills and it was a relief to get into the tunnels for a brief escape from the sun. The downhill to Cross Creek brought a respite from the heat with a nice breeze as you picked up speed on the wide track. Coming up was a bit hotter as no breeze and 80% humidity meant the stream at Siberia was a cool relief after the hot climb.
Resting again at the Summit we finally decided to head back passing some families out for a bit of fresh air complete with Baby Buggy in tow. There was an excellent zoom back along the track to the carpark along the way calculating how many Martinborough wine bottles would fit in a Buggy as we worked our way back to meet the other groups for a well-earned BBQ. Definitely a ride to do if you are a Beginner MTB-er, family group, need to cycle over to Wairarapa or just want a cool day out. A post-ride stop at Kaffe-Eis in Oriental Bay tops the day off as the ice-cream cools you down and gives you the sugar rush to ride home. Thanks to cyclists Peter, Sharleen, Constanze, Christian, Jan & Brian for a good day out.