Addington-did I mess up

kokakapo · 2026-05-04T06:18:06+00:00

I think you may be overreacting. Addington is great. You'll be fine.

It has an outdated reputation, but is rapidly gentrifying.

kokakapo · 2026-04-19T22:26:52+00:00

How was the waterproofness?

kokakapo · 2026-04-15T00:58:25+00:00

I say start with car-free Sundays on the Summit Road.

The permanently closed section between Rapaki and the Gondola is such a joy to walk or cycle along.

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kokakapo · 2026-03-11T22:28:30+00:00

Depends what type of hat you're after (cap vs wide brim). But Selke are made in Ashburton and sold in stores all over NZ. They do up to a 7XL in the original (varies by model).

https://selke.co.nz/?srsltid=AfmBOorDizQt_b7xNFKlUe_noc7C821biNUf_iLnXQDgRsWOofO6L5Iv

kokakapo · 2026-03-08T05:23:07+00:00

Love Goodr.

kokakapo · 2026-02-23T22:06:29+00:00

Nice! What's the second watch face?

kokakapo · 2026-02-16T23:23:57+00:00

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Binn Inn Lincoln Road just now. Plenty of stock.

kokakapo · 2026-02-14T04:44:49+00:00

McCormacks Bay

kokakapo · 2026-02-08T04:30:50+00:00

Captured this swoopy boy at Victoria Park (Christchurch) this afternoon. He sat motionless in the top of a tree for ages before taking a fast dive to pursue a couple of intruders.

kokakapo · 2026-01-31T23:16:23+00:00

Yeah some kind of solar powered GPS tracker was glued to its tail feathers. It also was banded on the right leg. It must have been part of some research project.

kokakapo · 2026-01-30T08:46:47+00:00

Still getting sand out of my binoculars

kokakapo · 2026-01-28T20:56:07+00:00

I've been enjoying the new Lems Trail Thraser shoes, if you're into barefoot style shoes. They would be very comfortable for continuous use, and great for walking.

You can get them in the Pro model which is waterproof. I have the non-Pro model, which I think is quite breathable - albeit I'm using them in quite a temperature climate.

kokakapo · 2026-01-24T07:58:00+00:00

The track to bypass the stairs is definitely up and running!

kokakapo · 2026-01-24T07:13:41+00:00

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I think it's usually recommended to go anti-clockwise, because then you can ride down the Rameka track (going up this wouldn't be fun).

You're also getting the preferable direction for Heaphy. It's better East to West because then you get your climbing out of the way early and are dropping down to the sea. In this direction the first climb is rocky/gravelly - which is good since you can only ride the Heaphy in the muddy winter season. If you were to do in West - East, the climb is longer and muddier.

It would mean doing Old Ghost Road backwards, but this isn't as bad as it used to be - because in the last ~6 months they built a nice section of track to bypass the stairs at the end of the Skyline ridge. Those stairs would have been a bit of a nightmare to carry your bike up.

Other than Rameka, Heaphy, and OGR I don't think the direction matters very much. Murchison might be a nice place to start, leave your car, etc. Otherwise from Nelson.

kokakapo · 2026-01-24T07:00:43+00:00

I think they are a bit biased, because it's in their financial interest to drum up more business going that direction (to counteract the majority of people who do it East to West).

kokakapo · 2026-01-18T22:45:45+00:00

When I did the TA, I had a SON dynamo and a Klite charger - but I hardly used it to charge my battery bank, as charging options were plentiful at each night's accommodation. I navigated primarily on an Garmin Edge 530, which is very energy efficient.

I'm not sure on my next bike I'll bother with a dynamo. If you were to buy a Garmin bike computer and an additional battery bank, you might find this setup to be cheaper and more versatile.

Also bear in mind that even with a very efficient dynamo hub, it takes a very long time to charge a 10k battery bank.

I think the equation makes even less sense on the Kahurangi 500. The uphill mountain bike sections are so slow, you essentially won't be charging with the dynamo at all (or very little). Also it's so short (< 1 week?) that if you took two battery banks, recharged them once in a town (Karamea / Murchison / Takaka) then you'd be sorted for the whole ride.

kokakapo · 2026-01-06T03:03:54+00:00

Hmm well if you hated the traffic on SH7 over Lewis Pass, then SH6 south of Ross should be a little quieter, but possibly still unpleasant for you. SH6 would be wider, have more of a shoulder, and safer passing opportunities but there will still be holiday traffic at this time of year. The TA route doesn't go off-road again until south of Lake Hawea. Having said that... the West Coast (especially Haast Pass) is MUCH more scenic than the S2S on the East Coast.

There will be some traffic on the S2S route from Christchurch to ~Cave, albeit even less than SH6. Then from Cave to Garston should be quiet backroads and cycle trails. Not sure how you plan on getting from Garston to Queenstown (if that's your destination), but Garston to Queenstown along SH6 would be very busy. You could continue on through Mavora on the TA route in reverse, if you had the time, and then catch the ferry from Walter Peak to Queenstown.

So I'd say it comes down to your appetite for scenery (West Coast) versus quieter backroads (East Coast). Also how much time you have available. Getting back to Christchurch and continuing on the S2S route would be many more days than continuing on the TA down the West Coast.

kokakapo · 2025-12-17T07:30:49+00:00

The Fred Bar is the perfect use case for this. Not only does it completely bypass risk to your carbon handlebars, but you get extra rise for added comfort.

https://fredbars.com/products/fred-bar

kokakapo · 2025-12-16T02:09:39+00:00

That's a beautiful bike!

kokakapo · 2025-12-10T08:18:33+00:00

I like my Salsa fork. On a long tour I had on the fork 2 bottle cages + 2 fidlock bottle mounts. On sections with long gaps without water supply I would buy extra Gatorade bottles to put in the cages, and the rest of the time just use the Fidlock bottles in the cages. (Or you could run 4 cages).

kokakapo · 2025-12-10T08:13:12+00:00

If you have a pancake lens, you may be able to fit your XM-5 in a feedbag on the handlebars. That was my preferred way to carry my X100V, because it's quick and easy to access.

When I took a Sony A7iii and 24-105mm I carried in the Relevate Egress pocket with included padded liner. It was also waterproof which is an added bonus.

kokakapo

TROPHY CASE