Words: Elliot Smith Photos: Ross Mackay
I (a semi-washed-up, almost enduro race guy) decided to branch out recently. I decided to tackle bikepacking. I’ve done it a couple of times before, on a pretty small scale comparatively: I tackled the Timber Trail near Lake Taupo in New Zealand’s North Island with the full extended family, then did a super short overnighter in Squamish, BC with my dad.
So pretty minimal experience.
After Kona Bikes released their latest monster, the LBF, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to do some distance. Big wide tires, big wide drops, and a cushy fork were the dream recipe for some chunky gravel touring.
I had a grand plan (perhaps a little too grand).
For day one:
I wanted to pedal from my house in Fernhill, Queenstown to Bannockburn, then do the Nevis all in one shot. But after driving the Kawarau Gorge a few more times and noticing that the highway’s shoulder was nonexistent, I made the executive decision to axe that option and start in Bannockburn. From there I would pedal the Nevis Range and stay the night at the Garston Ski Hut.
For day two:
Start from Garston Ski Hut, jump on the Round the Mountains trail, and mob it along the 166km route to the historic TSS Earnslaw steam-powered ferry, then catch that home. Easy as…
So that was the plan. Now here is my guide. From a first-time bikepacker, now turned expert cos’ I did it once. These are Bells’ Do’s and Don’ts of Bikepacking.
DO: Bring chain lube.
I naively thought that my little squirt of lube would give my LBF’s chain what it needed to survive 220 km of grinding away. I was sorely mistaken, and it turned out to be one of, if not my biggest blunder of the trip. It became very apparent about 50 km into day one in the gully before rising up to Garston Ski Hut. The track had been torn to bits by a herd of cattle and subsequently had become the texture of peanut butter, the crunchy kind. I spent a fair bit of time slogging through it, pedaling what I could manage, pushing the rest. What resulted was a bike caked with mud and a chain that creaked so loudly I believed it had developed the ability to talk just to tell me to feed it lube (I might have been delirious; I was very cold in that valley).
I proceeded to try to solve my creaky chain predicament with the best option on hand, the last of my un-electrolyted water. This solved the issue for all of five minutes before creaking again with the same vigor as before. Forced to continue this loud show of unpreparedness for the next 100 kilometres, my chain’s prayers were finally answered when I stumbled across the only other cyclists on the trail. Located about 3/4s down the Mavora Lakes Road. Sparing what they could, I hopped back on and, by no surprise, felt like I'd been shot out of a cannon. Never before had I experienced the benefits of lube as powerfully as I did in that moment. That is why chain lube is the first ‘Do’ on my list.
DON’T: Bring too much food.
Not as major as the first, but like anyone tackling a task that feels out of their depth, I was scared. Scared that I wouldn't bring enough food and I’d go hungry. I hate being hungry. So instead, I packed my biggest frame bag to the absolute brim with food. Cans of tuna, so many muesli bars, so many lollies, all in all just way too much. By the end of day two, I had about 75% of my food left. Yes, I know that it’s good to be over-prepared, be ready for an emergency. With that being said, I would've gotten away with bringing 50% of what I did, in turn having room for chain lube (idiot).
DO: Bring friends.
Again, maybe not as important as the first one, and also a bit of situational stuff can come into play. Although I felt alone at times on my journey, I did still have my mate Rossco leapfrogging me the whole time, providing a break from the deep internal dialogues I was having with myself. If you are the type of person that thrives with this introspective time alone, then go for it. Personally, I am still of two minds. I think that it's very valuable to be able to spend this elongated period of time in your own thoughts, being able to push through your own suffering, but how good are friends? It's good to spread the load, mentally and physically, pays to have people to appreciate it with, too. I was welcomed home after my trip by a few surprise friends from over the hill that I didn't expect to see; it might've been the highlight of my weekend. (friends also have chain lube)
DON’T: Go too fast.
This one again is very situational and ties into the next don’t on my list. I love to go fast, especially on bikes like my LBF. Getting down in the drops, bombing some gravel roads, or absolutely cranking the watts down a scenic cycle trail, it's all so much fun. The problem with it is, we live in such a beautiful place here, and I felt that every time I put my head down to put the power down, I was missing out. There are things I wouldn't change, like bombing the hills; I would never deny myself that. But I think I could stand to take in views a little more; maybe I would have if I didn't have somewhere to be…
DON’T: Give yourself time pressure.
This wasn't my intention, but I was kinda shoehorned into it. Knowing that I’d have a lot to chew on day 2 (166 km), I planned to book the latest ferry I could. The problem was that the latest available ferry was 5 pm. This left my very exhausted self with no option but to just grind away. I knew that I would make it, but the little seed of doubt was more than enough to stress me out beyond what I needed in that situation. In the future, I might do it in reverse, start with the ferry and not have a time limit at all, so I don’t have to go too fast and can take it all in.
DO: Take photos.
Seems like a no-brainer, but I am useless when it comes to documenting stuff like this. So, so so glad I had a photographer on this, because left to my own devices I’d likely have nothing to show for it! Tie this one in with Bringing your friends, and you will be truly sorted: take in all those sights, don't worry about your ferry, and get some good group pics.
The final DO: Do the damn thing.
This trip had been in the pipeline for me since I first saw the Earnslaw Ferry. I wanted to ride it, but I wanted to bring my bike with me. Then I found out there was a trail that led to it, and all of a sudden I had a plan. Along came the LBF and made it all a possibility for me, but I just kept putting it off: weather windows, other trips, laziness. Eventually got a text from Roscoe asking when I was doing it, which quickly made it real and put the pressure on. Fast forward to now, and I just can't believe I didn't do it sooner. I had so much fun, and reading this list back, I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
