lock where we left our van. This is just so special to me, to be able to take your beloved mountain bike with you on a boat, is so cool. The actual trip takes about 45minutes and is spectacular; if you’re lucky, you’ll see dolphins or orcas, but those are just the added bonuses. The whole experience is just special and you get to see so many little bays, coves and inlets and baches many of which you would never knew even existed if you didn’t catch the taxi. After enjoying our relaxing, scenic morning on the boat, it was time to get ready for the next part of the adventure. We dumped our overnight gear, loaded up with some more sandwiches, snacks and water and headed off to meet up with Matt, our helicopter pilot for a cheeky drop off at Fosters hut on the Wakamarina track. The Wakamarina track is undoubtedly one of my all time favorite tracks in the world. It is so out there, no cell phone signal, no people, no nothing, just sweet, sweet, loamy, cornflake strewn single-track trails with never-ending ferns and beautiful black beech trees. Usually this is a track that we’d pedal from start to finish, but that would take us about 8 or so hours with shuttle driving and climbing, so we cheated this time around and got a little help from the heli. But even though we got dropped off at a high point, you still have to work to get to the main downhill; there are no easy free downhills in this area even with a chopper. This one only had about a 45min hike-a-bike section and some pedally bits, so no biggie.
We were hooting & hollering, laughing & screaming, screeching and laughing some more. This was rad. We were ripping down the track, launching off root balls and decayed stumps, railing and roosting turns, hanging on going flat out down root strewn downhills, overtaking each other on inside lines, it was a blast even with a few pile up crashes along the way. Exhilarated and exhausted when we got back to the van, it was the perfect day out with the girls. On the drive back to Nelson, all the stories were flowing and the OMG moments were aplenty, but what I love about riding these tracks is how alive they make you feel. Everyone had a sparkle in their eye, buzzing from an adrenalin high and we all left with so much respect for the tracks & love for our bikes. There’s no better way to finish off an action packed few days than with a big bonfire on the beach and our local beach at Cable Bay is the perfect spot to watch the sun setting, to sit around a fire and to keep exchanging stories, moments and of course, begin planning our next adventure. Our backyard is amazing. No need to travel far away, as we have the most amazing terrain, mountains, tracks, beaches and forests to keep us happily satisfied for ever and a day. julianabicycles.com ridehousemartin.com