Motu Cycle Trails

Dunes Trail: 8^th August

We began the Dunes Ride mid-afternoon as the weather all day was grey and miserable, so it was hard getting motivated to begin.   Once we got energised and kitted up to ride, it was easy as we were camped right near the 3km marker.

The Dunes Trail is a delight, never far from the energizing presence of the sea, gently undulating up and down with the dunes.  It has a great surface and is well engineered for riding at a reasonable speed, except that there are squeezes where the Trail crosses roads, to keep motorbikes off the Trail.  With the recent wild and windy weather, the sea’s roaring was a constant reminder as the markers rolled by.

The Dunes Trail encountered some construction challenges as it went a culturally important site, has shifting dunes and water courses and was prone to storm damage.  A partnership between the Department of Conservation,  Optotiki and Gisborne Councils and Te Whakatohea Maori Trust Board working together, with Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment as the funding partner was needed to solve these challenges.  

The sandy section in the middle was even more challenging as it traversed  sensitive and sacred areas so that Kaumatua (trival elders) were involved to ensure that these were managed appropriately.  The sense of the cultural significance of the area we were riding through was strong. The po on the right represents Ngatorohaka who was a chief who lived in a pa above the nearby bluff.  There is another po named Tamaariki which is named after the taniwha in the Tirohanga Stream.  Tamaariki had been a Maori chief before he “turned” into a taniwha.

The physical challenges of the shifting dunes and water courses also provided challenges.  A “floating” boardwalk was designed to sit on top of and move with the sand.  Working with nature meant trail designers had to modify their designs along the way.  And this section of the Trail needs constant monitoring and maintenance.  As we rode by, the sea which was running high was very close to the Trail. 

We rode right to the end of the Trail, exploring possible options for where to park Bella the next day while we rode the Motu Road Trail.  The return journey was complicated by riding directly towards the setting sun, which made it hard to see which way the Trail turned sometimes.  We rode straight on past Bella to the beginning of the Trail which starts with an impressive suspension bridge. 

The Pakowhai ki Otutaopuku Bridge, opened in March 2012, connects cyclists and walkers to the Motu Trails and the Pacific Ocean across the Otara River.  Maori settled in this area in the 1400s when the Pakihikura canoe landed here; it was named O-Potiki-Mai-Tawhaiti (Of the Children from Afar), now shortened to Opotiki in the 1800s. 

We had a little grocery shopping to undertake in Opotiki and took the opportunity to admire the graceful buildings in town. Then we rocketed back to Bella through the gloaming for another cosy night listening to the roar of the sea. 

The Motu Road Trail: 9^th August

Gwen from the Motu Trails company was there in good time for our 9.00 am pick up at the Freedom Camping site and we were off on the 1 hour drive to Matawai and further on to the Motu Falls where we had requested a drop off.  The Falls proved to be right by the road, with a swing bridge for easy viewing.  They  were spectacular after the recent heavy rain, thundering over the drop and foaming. 

Our route lay back along the road to the tiny village of Motu, which featured a school and a café which was closed.  There were some interesting interpretation boards telling of the history of Motu and the opening up of the road through from Opotiki to Gisborne.  The farmland around us was very attractive as we began our ascent of the first hill. 

The Taumarakaretu Hill provided an invigorating start to the day with good solid climb up a gravel road, with a very variable surface.  Ross was well ahead, powered by his e-bike, but I was able to ride the whole way at a speed of about 7-8 km, no matter how rough the surface was.   We had to concentrate hard on the riding as the surface was often soft and soggy because of the recent rain.  Or large pieces of stone which made our bikes slide in an unexpected fashion.   Not to mention a ford, which was quite deep after the rain.  Ross managed to ride right through it, but I stalled in the deep bit and got wet feet! 

Although we were on a public road, it felt very isolated.  At Motu we saw some kids on bicycles, and two farmers on quad bikes.   Through the rest of the day we encountered a digger driver and two truck drivers working on an exceptionally bad patch of the road and a local who was startled to see us. 

The bush around us was spectacular, with some tall trees amidst the verdant growth.  The scenery before us was a spread of steep hills all around us, with no visible signs of human intervention, apart from the road we were cycling on.   There were several climbs and then a long downhill which offered this wonderful vista of the valley below, with the river snaking along it. 

After the long downhill, there was an on-road section through more farmland.  The final piece of the ride back to Bella was a reprisal of the previous day, riding along the Dunes Trail as the sun set.  A satisfying conclusion to a long day’s riding in beautiful remote forest. 

Living a better life

Our determination to live better dates back to around the time my mother died.  During the reflective time after her death, a friend asked whether I had unresolved dreams for things to do with my mother which we hadn’t been able to achieve. Although the answer to that question was no, Ross and I identified that we had many unrealised aspirations to do things together.  We set about changing that, particularly in relation to travel - to see family and to explore places – in conjunction with work trips and just for pleasure.

By 2011 our aspirations had evolved further: we wanted to be able to respond to the interesting opportunities that were being presented to us, we wanted more love, laughter and adventures in our days – to spend more time with family and friends, more time in the sunshine being active and we wanted to do good work.  We wanted to be open to adventures, either at home in NZ’s great outdoors or overseas if opportunities presented themselves.  The plan was not to have a plan.

It took some months to divest ourselves of the financial responsibilities of the old life that tied us to corporate jobs and salaries and to achieve a financial position that allowed us to take up work that was worthwhile, interesting, and challenging, but not necessarily well-paid.   We down-sized from our large family home appropriate for raising a family, to a mobile home suitable both for adventures and also as a base in shaky Christchurch where we worked on documenting the impact of the earthquakes in photographs.   

Opportunities to work overseas opened up for me, providing consultancy services to improve research and information services in developing parliaments.  The short-term assignments in Myanmar developed into a longer contract so that Ross joined me there in 2013 where we fell in love with the gentle people and the beauty of the landscapes and temples.   It was an extraordinary opportunity to work in the Myanmar Parliament just at the time when democracy was being established and the people could choose their leadership for the first time in 50 years.

When my contract in Myanmar ended in 2016, the next adventure beckoned us to live in Yorkshire for 6 months helping to run a B&B on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.  We loved both the work and the opportunity to walk or cycle almost every day exploring the glorious landscapes of the Dales.  

By the end of 2016 it was time to head home to New Zealand.  While I was sorting out what came next for work we began our South Island Odyssey  through the south of the South Island, cycling every NZ Cycle Trail and walking the Rakiura Track in Stewart Island. 

What came next for work, was a role in Auckland, which allowed us to explore a region that we didn’t know well.  We particularly loved the coast and the estuaries, as well as the volcanoes and the forests, so we spent our weekends and holidays exploring.  

Now that the time has come for us to leave Auckland, we are undertaking a North Island Odyssey, with the intention of cycling most of the NZ Cycle Trails in the North Island and walking another of the Great Walks - Lake Waikaremoana.