The weekend with spring challenge

 Hi,

Thursday saw Michelle and Tim hanging out with Toby and Tessa in Chc. They took them to Poms as you should. So nice to see pics from that.

Michelle and Toby

Mike dropped me at the airport and we had a quick tea before my flight on Sounds Air to Blenheim. Smoothest flight in ages - and no cloud.

Iona picked me up and we chilled at her place sorting out gear before bed. Up to get ready and Col took Twigg to the kennels. Then off on our roadie. Until the local bakery. Then I switched to Nic and Tony's car for the rest of the trip. They took the inland route from just south of Kaikōura - first time on that road for me.

Road trip

Iced latte in Kaikōura

Registration

Got to Hanmer Springs at about 2.30pm. Registered just before it officially opened. Met Iona and Col and went to our lovely accommodation. 7 Mt Charon Rd. Super nice place. Bathroom for everyone.

My room

Our route

We had tea while we planned our route. 6am start for the rafting. Nic was hopeful for a good time looking at the route. I just wanted to finish.

Col and Nathan

Brekkie of champions

Up at 4.15am. Dressed into wetsuit and bib. Brekkie. Then away at 5am. 3 of us in the backseat. Col and Tony in the front. Seamless transition to the start line. Short walk - but through a freezing stream immediately. Then transponder on and a wait to 6am. 

Lewis Road for the win

Team getting ready

Wetsuit and bib on

Woot!

And off. A 1.25km run to the rafts - all slightly downhill and not too rough. Into a raft with Mutton something team. And Zoe our raft guide steering the raft superbly.

An hour of paddling and we were coming into the beach to get out. Not too rough, not too bad a raft. I did jump into the front to try and get some timing. But goodness knows if that worked or not. Made me feel better.

Walk to TA1 and the support crew found us and helped us transition to bikes easily. Fueled up our bodies then off.

6 or 7km along a flat gravel road before some checkpoints and then into forestry. This was hard work for me. Any incline made it very hard work. And my bottom was not happy.

Rafting done and now on MTB part

Downhill was good fun

I did enjoy the route Nic and Iona planned. A lot of downhill to have fun on. I got quite mucky.

Not as dirty as last year

TA2

TA2 was after our compulsory gear check. Warm hat, jacket and first aid kit. Tick. Then into change to hiking mode. Lots of food taken onboard.

The weather was superb. Wind hadn't got too bad at all. A little rain on the MTB section but not much.

Hiking section

Walking, walking

Almost done

About 15km of route finding - another excellent navigation section from Iona and Nic.

Old trig checkpoint

And back down from Conical Hill into town and we got back before 3pm. We did it in 8 hours and 39 mins. So well done.

And finished

Off home after some cake and a welcome shower. Then an excellent tea - venison burgers. Yum. Ta Tony. 

I was asleep nice and early. But up at 3am (daylight savings kicked in so my alarm was set for 1:55am for the 3am start) to watch the Black Ferns v England in Twickenham. What a game. I am happy with the team even though they lost right at the end.

Brekkie, pack up and then prizegiving. In the pouring rain. The tent worked great. We were all glad it was not the weather the day before.

Prizegiving

Off at 11am and I was in the back of the ute. We got snow flurries on our way home. Phew! Lunch at Kaikōura. Then home.

Monday I went for a bike ride with Iona up Taylor River. 14km. And a wee walk to the gardens to see the flowers.

Monday ride

Nice 14km

Lunch at Revival

Pollard Park blossom

Tulips

Selfie

Home on the 18:25 flight. Mike met me and we went to Norwich St to get a few things done.

House

Garage is tidy

Looking good

Laundry

Top bedroom

Lounge

Kitchen

Office

Our bedroom

New blinds

Reminder

Then home for bed at Elly and Tom's place.

The house looks amazing thanks to Mike's huge efforts. Good on him. And everyone else for helping us.

Michelle and Tim fly home today. They even got snow in Queenstown. Wow.

What a huge weekend. Thank you to my team. They were amazing. What a fine way to finish our 3 spring challenges together.

Love,

Angela

The weekend in Blenheim for the final Spring Challenge training session

 Hi,

What a great weekend to end our spring Challenge training on. Phew! We did get a lot done.  On Thursday after work, Mike ran to the airport (well, I found him outside NIWA) and I drove from home.  We enjoyed a sandwich at the Sounds Air gate before Mike left to head home.

Had a bumpy flight out of Wellington - pilot had to crab a bit over the harbour. Then smooth into Blenheim where Iona picked me up.

Thurs evening Sounds Air flight

Up fairly leisurely Friday for a lovely brekkie then met Nicola at the Quail Stream carpark in the Wither Hills. We rode through the park to the road and along to the Cob Cottage before coming back in along the Mapp Track. Unfortunately I did not find the 8 extra gears this time super helpful at negotiating the track steep parts. Sigh.

Blenheim supply

So windy on Mapp Track

It was so windy - every corner was really gusty. You can see Iona and Nicola bracing against their bikes in the pic above.

1.5 hours of riding then back to the car and a walk up the valley.  This route was not super steep up - and I have come down it a few years ago. The wind was amazing - especially on the top.

Up Quail Stream Valley

Climbing slowly

At one point along the top, Nicole had her beanie whipped off her head and thrown over a barbed wire fence. I squashed through to retrieve it.

2 mins later her wrap around sunnies got blown off her face. Iona and Nicola watched them flutter away over the fence and gone. Oops.

The plan was for us to be back at the car after 1.5 hours so I ran the last 200m to make it 1 hour and 31 mins. Woot!

Lovely scenery

Friday night saw Sally and Andrew visit with Alistair and Vicki. Iona made palak paneer and it was so good. 

Off to bed for an early rise. At Nicola's by 8am so we could pack the bikes into her ute and head to St Arnaud.

Saturday at St Arnaud and Lake Rotoiti

Selfie

We rode from West Arm up to the lower Mt Robert car park. That was hard work. The gravel was good - it was just my legs that didn't work hard enough. We locked our bikes to the DoC sign and sorted ourselves out for the walk up to Bushline Hut.

We started up the track and made good time.  The sign said 2 hours to the hut. We got high up when we encountered snow flurries. We got our jackets on and continued up. We passed a big party of about 6 or 7 people all dressed with tramping pants, boots, and jackets and beanies.  They looked at us in our bike shorts and sneakers like we were mad. Hahah.

We rode to the car park and walked up to Bushline Hut

Stunning

Up Paddy's track

Across some scree

West Arm below

Looking further up the lake

We hit snow

Bushline Hut was surrounded by about 5cm of snow. We were first to it from this side. We met a couple coming down that had done the loop from the other side. Ankle deep snow and often up to their knees.

We had lunch in the hut and chatted to two young women. They had turned back from their route further up Mt Robert due to hip deep snow. :-o

We decided to walk back the way we came - given we had only sneakers and shorts. Good idea!

Bushline Hut nestled in the snow

Ta dah!

Iona is pleased

Our day packs

The descent

Not too chilly

And out of the snow

Me and Nicola at the hut

Back to our bikes with 2 hours 30 min moving time all up. Wow. Super fast.  The sign said 2 hours up and 1.5 hours back. Smashed it.

The ride back to the car was really good - all downhill.

Back to Nicola's place early and home.

Up Sunday to head away with Malcom to do the trapline at Pelorus.  Col and I did K line and Malcolm and Iona did U line and bottom of K. Plus found some gas traps for next time.

Pelorus iced latte

K Trig line with Col

There is the top

View ack to Pelorus

Toasted sandwich

Enjoying the sun

Back down

Mysterious steel cage

Col and I got 3 rats and 2 mice. I think the others got a few rats. Job well done. Finished on time for hot chips at the coffee cart. Choice!

Back home after a cup of tea at Malcom and Marion's place. Off to bed early and up at 1.30am to watch the Black Ferns v Ireland in the RWC.

Such a good game. 40 nil. Did not expect that result to the Black Ferns for their hardest pool game.

Went to bed for an hour. And then up to go to the airport for my early morning commute to Wellington. Nice and fast into the capital. Uber home and happy cats!

Thank you for a great weekend. Happy Fathers Day to Mike and my Dad yesterday.

Love,

Angela