Mountain Biking Te Waewae Bay

By Alistair Child - 20 October 06

The south coast, it has a bit of a ring to it, telling something of its geographical location I guess.

We woke up one Saturday, here in Te Anau, not a bad sort of a day with nothing much on. What to do today I thought aloud.

Marion (my partner) said “what about a bike ride”, hmm, where to I thought, I was getting sick of the local ones and wasn’t really feeling that ‘get up and go’ but then thinking about it a bit more I had a bit of a cunning idea, “what about going to Blue cliffs, something different”. “Where’s that” asked Marion. “The South Coast, Te Weawea Bay” I said.

Marion also thought that’s a good idea, so with vision of southerly gales, rain and what ever the south coast dishes up we packed up polys, jackets and coats, squall proofwet weather gear and lunch.

An hour later we chucked everything in the back of the To-jo and with bikes tied down we set off via the scenic route south to Tuatapere, home of the Hump Ridge Track.

Funny old place Tuatapere, ‘once were’ the Sausage Capital of NZ before the days of the Hump Ridge Track. I wonder what the sausages tasted like.

On through town and south to the mouth of the something river (couldn’t find the name in Google map) and the eastern entrance of Te Waewae Bay.

Parked up the truck, “let’s go”. Suddenly it’s a rush. Okay, like bikes off, polys on, coats on, packs on, “stop”.

It’s a lovely day no rain, no southerly squalls, just sun and calm and even warm . Pack off, coats off, polys off jackets on and we’re off.

We didn’t really have a plan we just ‘Go West’ as they say. The tide was going out, we think (we had a plan and this was a part of the plan, going over the tide timetables), like not, any way we’re going along the Blue Cliffs Beach. Just lovely biking along, smelling the sea (something I don’t do enough of) with the cliffs on the right, they really are blue, well sort of. From out at sea they are blue. Having had the privilege to steam (no steam involved) past them on my way around the coast from Bluff to Milford in various boats.

The most south-western ‘ kiwi Batches’ live here at the Waikaou River struggling to survive with the roth of southern nature dished up to them on a regular basis. They cling to their existence by the occasional hand of kindness fed to them by the owners or visitors using them.

We biked on past the fishing batches and along the beach towards Port Craig.

I should stop here and describe the beach and a little of the history. First the beach. Surf on the left coming and going with a small area of sand to bike on. Then, to the right, rocks of all sizes, all the way up to the remains of the road. (not a biking place)I will come back to later in the story. Above this there is a road, well there was a road but again southern weather and time has dealt to it.

The road was put in years ago to service the timber mill at Port Craig and later used by a small group of fishermen who launched their boats out of the Western end of the bay. The remains of the old steel tractors that hauled the boats in and out of the water can still be seen there, lying where they stopped, like an old elephant grave yard. It’s sad to think this way of life is gone forever. Life was simple then.

Any way back to the beach, we rode along, kind of thinking aloud, we are the only humans here, but like camels out of the dessert these bedraggled pack carrying animals called people began to appear. Oh that’s right survivors of the Hump Ridge Track making there way along the beach to a hot bath, beer, wine and a soft bed, you can see it in there eyes with a kind of fixed half grin on there faces. You can also see whose fit and who’s not. It’s just something to think about as you bike along dodging the sea coming and going (what was that tide doing any way, I though it was going, maybe its coming, I know, its changing).

We arrive at the lunch break, “let’s have a look first.” We found the tractors not much left but a lovely spot to take a break. Behind us a track beckons us, ‘follow me’. “What about the tide?” “What tide? Oh the tide, um…” We made a decision there and then. Stuff the tide we have come this far can’t stop now, No time for lunch, worry about the tide when we have to. So on we go and now into the forest the Ancient Waitutu Forest.

View from the track

It's simply beautiful here, the lush and very old forest, no frosts here, to close to the sea. Not too many birds ether, too many pests. There is a road through the forest and after a short distance we arrive at yet another batch. This one is in pretty good order and with people staying in it. On talking to the folks we find out that it’s a fishing batch owned by a few couples. What an asset. At this point we get some good advise on what’s ahead of us and find we can still ‘bike on’ across the Track Burn river. Now were on the Hump Ridge Track so care had to be taken not to upset the walkers. About another half hour on we get to the end of the biking part of this adventure that it has now turned into.

At a wire swing bridge crossing the Breakneck creek we leave the bikes and walk (nothing to do with the name) not too far, maybe twenty minutes along the track with glimpses of a wild and beautiful coast, arriving at a beach I believe is called Blow Hole Bay, and the end of the line for us.

Blow Hole Bay on the Hump Ridge Track

This would be one of the better places in New Zealand to eat lunch. The bay almost seems like it is not on the south coast. It has white sand, it is calm, sunny (today) and has an air of something tropical about it. No huge southern seas here. They are but a little further along this track.

After a good poke around and some photos we head back. Back along the track back along the road back along the beach and opps the tides in.

There is no way along the beach unless you bolder hop carrying the bikes. So after several (some heated, “this ways better”) discussions we followed a track zig zaging up a mountain, (well it seemed like it) and then onto a really good track, along the top of the cliffs, with views, to the road end and back to the truck. This is the high tide track; it’s even on the map if you look before you venture out. Next time we will plan, know where we are going, look at tide times, do it right. Well probably not.

Back in the civilised world and in the truck we made our way past Orepuki and on to Riverton and on the way we went down every road we could, just to see what’s there.

Places like Monkey Island and best of all Cosy Nook.

Cosy Nook deserves a mention. It could be any were on the Scottish Coast but you know you’re in nz because of the batches and the one called The Poly Filler Villa. Sadly it’s a ‘once was’ fishing port.

On to Riverton where we have dinner at the Rocks Restaurant. Its a great place to finish ‘the perfect day’, except the drive home again.

Home and into bed lickety-split. I and said to Marion “what did you think”, “mumya mumble blumbel” she said with the clarity of a Nightingale.

Poly Filler Viller at Cosy Nook