Bikin' in the New Years 2026
A former Orion Health colleague, Trevor, and I decided to meet up in the Twizel area to bike a few sections of the Alps 2 Ocean cycle trail. Over two days we completed 105 kilometers between Lake Pūkaki and Lake Ohau
A common topic was lamenting the state of our love lives ‘aswell’ as the challenges close friends were currently facing in their lives. While sad at moments, it was hard not to be grounded by the beautiful vistas of the surrounding valley
On day one, we met two thru-hikers on the Te Araoa trail who were hiking No-Bo (North Bound). Both were seasonal workers over from Europe, one French, the other German. As I had once fantasized about my own thru-hiking ambitions, the French woman was hoping to met her future husband hiking the trail. Nicknamed Markus, I’m sure she’ll have bumped into him by now :)
A cold swim greeted us at Lake Pūkaki and I swam out far from shore to ruminate. The cold water focusing my mind, one couldn’t help but be drawn to thoughts of a future wedding ceremony upcoming at this very lake
The trek to Lake Ohau on Day 2 had a number of funny moments. We stumbled upon a sizeable group of “secret” freedom campers who had driven their trucks and boats in to the south side of the lake. They had Starlink, aircon, speakers, and even a fully-stocked bar! I should’ve asked for a shot of Jameson when we had the chance! Just after passing through their camp, I had a fun head-over-handlebar tumble on the bike; it was perfect timing with Trevor asking me questions about my dearest mother!
Twizel Freedom Camping
We had an excellent freedom camping spot with picturesque views of the valley out across Lake Ruataniwha ("Den of the Taniwha")
A popular site, many other motorhomes, vans, and caravans were present
Momo’s (near) Great Escape
Early one morning while the entire site was still slumbering, I decided to see how Momo reacted to being in unfamiliar territory
He sniffed around, but quickly decided to head off on his own adventure
After scrambling over some scree, I managed to nab him before he disappeared into the bush. Only harness-adventures for him from now on!
Ohau Powerhouse A
Just down the road, Ohau Powerhouse A stands in its Soviet-Era style granduer
4 massive penstocks funnel water through the powerhouse into the man-made canals
I’d like to return for a spot of lunch in the future!
A dramatic change in conditions
After 2 days of biking, we were greeted with an unseasonal downpour which spanned 2 days
Greta Loop Track
Having no desire to bike in such conditions, we headed up the canal road to hike the Greta Loop track (~10+ mi / 16 kms)
We were joined on trail by a friendly Dutch uni Chemistry student who was researching RNA vaccinations. Having recently been studying chemistry myself, we had some interesting discussion around this exciting research space. A fierce debate was also held about the generation of heat (a classic physics problem) to which i was subsequently humbled
After ascending a number of switch-backs, we entered a thick layer of clouds that carpeted the peaks preventing views across the valley
Tussocks were plentiful with not a tree in sight
Unlike myself who stormed through the mud and muck, my two hiking mates were cautious to avoid puddles which kept their feet dry until we reach a number of chalf-deep river crossings in the last few Ks of the track
In the final section, we reached some leased farmland and bumped into a few dirt bikers
I was luckily to have put the dogs on leash before we stumbled upon some cows. Boy oh boy, did the dogs hate them!
A nice wee hike!
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