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Mark Watson
Highlux Photography
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🚴‍♀️🚴 Last weekend we rode a 145km loo

🚴‍♀️🚴 Last weekend we rode a 145km loop around Christchurch city, following the summit road, twisting and turning through Halswell, out past the airport to the Waimak, McLeans Island, Bottle Lake, Waimari and around to Sumner before a final single track climb up to Godley Head and home.
📍We followed a variation on the Christchurch 360 walking route and it was quite good fun as a ride. But one of the best bits was riding down the beach from Spencer Park early on Sunday morning, with no one around and a flood of memories from similar experiences on 90 Mile Beach, Baja Divide and Costa Rica reminding us of the beauty of self propelled travel.
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#bikepacknewzealand #bikepacking #bicycletouring #revelatedesigns #otsovoytek #biomaxa #christchurch360
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@otsocycles @revelatedesigns @biomaxa @we_are_sungod @bigagnes_ @wolf_tooth_comp

A final flurry of images from our Clarence River t

A final flurry of images from our Clarence River trip via Blind Saddle last autumn.
👀 In case you missed it, there's a full blog post on this, plus map & GPX available via link in bio.
I'm looking forward to getting back in there for a thru trip of some sort.
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#clarenceriver #clarencereserve #kaikoura #mountainbiking #bikepacknewzealand #bikepacking #rideabike #newzealandadventure #newzealand🇳🇿

Perfect bikepacking country in the Clarence/Ka Wha

Perfect bikepacking country in the Clarence/Ka Whata Tu o Rakihouia Conservation Park, Kaikoura Ranges.
Spring and autumn are the seasons for this area. The height of summer would be brutally hot, and the winter frigid. 🚴🚴‍♀️🚴🚴‍♀️
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#bikepacknewzealand #bikepackingbike #bikepacking #explorenewzealand #newzealandadventure #kaikourange #clarencereserve #kaikouranz #revelatedesigns

🛖 Huts, old and new. Clarence/Ka Whata Tu o Rak

🛖 Huts, old and new.
Clarence/Ka Whata Tu o Rakihouia Conservation Park, Kaikoura Ranges.
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#kaikouranz #clarencereserve #clarenceriver #bikepacknewzealand #bikepack #bikepackher #explore_newzealand #hutlife #cabinporn #shelterfromthestorm
#newzealandadventure
#newzealand🇳🇿

Autumn colour. Seymour/Herring Stream, Clarence Re

Autumn colour. Seymour/Herring Stream, Clarence Reserve/Ka Whata Tu o Rakihouia Conservation Park, Kaikoura District.
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#purenewzealand #newzealandpics #newzealandnatural #landscape_photo #kaikouranz #Clarencereserve #minimalphotography
#newzealand🇳🇿

Here's a few more shots from my latest blog post,

Here's a few more shots from my latest blog post, from an autumn trip into the Clarence Reserve, via Blind Saddle. The Ka Whata Tu o Rakihouia Conservation Park sits between the Kaikoura Ranges - steep mountains through which the Clarence River has carved its path. It's a stout 1000m+ climb over the pass to get in here, but the amazing views of the Kaikoura Coast are a distraction from the effort. The interior of the range is surprisingly rugged and reminded us of the Andes.
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#bikepacknewzealand #bikepack #bikepacking #explorebybicycle #newzealandadventure #newzealand🇳🇿 #kaikouranz #clarencereserve #revelatedesigns #otsocycles
@otsocycles @revelatedesigns @biomaxa @we_are_sungod @wolf_tooth_comp @bigagnes_

Some of the classic old musterer's huts of the Cla

Some of the classic old musterer's huts of the Clarence Reserve / Ka Whata Tu o Rakihouia Conservation Park. This stunning river valley runs between the Inland and Seaward Kaikoura Ranges. It's a big climb on the bike to get in there but once you do, there's plenty of huts old and new to check out and a few different options for exploring by bike.
🚴 This region is the subject of my latest blog post - see link in bio.
Huts: (1) Black Spur Slab Hut, (2) Tent Poles Hut, (3) Warden Hut.
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#hut #cabin #refugio #newzealandadventure #newzealandhut #bikepacknewzealand #kaikouranz #clarencereserve
#explore_newzealand #newzealand🇳🇿

Swingbridges, Toaroha Valley, West Coast. I love t

Swingbridges, Toaroha Valley, West Coast. I love these classic, utilitarian installations of the NZ back country. So many opportunities are made possible by them.
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#swingbridge #toarohavalley #cedarflat #tramping #trampingnewzealand #westcoastnz #departmentofconservation #backcountry

The Historic Cedar Flats Hut, Toaroha Valley, West

The Historic Cedar Flats Hut, Toaroha Valley, West Coast. Apparently the best surviving hut of its type on the coast. I'm not sure which year it was built 🤔 Anyone...?
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#hut #cabin #refugio #tramping #toarohavalley #cedarflat #hokitikanz #shelterfromthestorm

Day 5 of our Easter Toaroha - Mungo - Kokatahi tri

Day 5 of our Easter Toaroha - Mungo - Kokatahi trip was a longish one. Day 4 had been spent in the welcome shelter of Top Kokatahi Hut while a rain storm swelled the rivers and threw cascades down the mountain sides. Our valley turned into Waterworld for a while. We left early the next day, by torchlight at first, as we climbed the steep creek in the gloom. The day's sun burned off the last of the mist as we reached Zit Saddle and for the first time in three days we had a wide view - right down into the Toaroha and out toward the coast. 1000m down we went, past Adventure Biv and onwards through the still dripping forest to Cedar Flat. The sandflies joined us for lunch. The final leg to the road seemed to take twice as long as it had done on the way in, but I didn't wish it over - these valleys are too special for that.
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#trampingnewzealand #tramping #hiking #permolatgroup #adventurebivvy #toarohariver #zitsaddle #cedarflat #departmentofconservation #federatedmountainclubs #exploretheworld #hikingnewzealand

Day three of our Toaroha - Mungo - Kokatahi trip d

Day three of our Toaroha - Mungo - Kokatahi trip dawned damp (again) with low cloud, which added some route finding challenges to the crossing over to Top Kokatahi via Park Stream and Mount Chamberlain. This terrain is steep and sometimes loose, but with careful map reading and route finding we picked our way up the steep gully and ribs out of the Park and around the top of the range. Rain set in in the afternoon, so with the frequent crossings of the river and tussock & scrub bashing we were pretty well soaked through by the time we reached Top Kokatahi Hut - a welcome and warm shelter for the night, and following day's storm.
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#tramping #hiking #departmentofconservation #mountainsafetycouncil #federatedmountainclubs #newzealandadventure #hokitikacatchments #transalpine

Here's another flurry of photos from Easter in the

Here's another flurry of photos from Easter in the Toaroha, Mungo and Kokatahi catchments, day 2.
ℹ️ After lunch at Toaroha Saddle (last photo) we continued on the over-the-top route to Mungo Hut (first photo) via the outrageously steep Topo Creek spur (thanks for the re-cut, #permolatgroup ). It was perhaps the best moment of this 5 day trip, with the rain holding off, the views opening up a little and for the always fulfilling sensation of off-track travel in a wild and quiet corner of the Southern Alps.
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#tramping #trampinginnz #mungohut #explorenewzealand #federatedmountainclubs #departmentofconservation #hokitikacatchments #hokitikanz #permolatgroup

© 2021 Highlux Photography. Mark Watson

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