From Clarke Valley I start out around nine o’clock. While packing my tent the smaller of my aluminium tent poles breaks. I will need to get a replacement or repair kit in Nelson later.
After roughly 20 km downhill, the 150 m ascent to Spooner’s saddle almost feels like a welcome change. It’s not very steep and soon after I reach the village of Wakefield. Here there’s still a real bakery with ‘uncompromised quality’ and I get some good apple pie.
I take the Great Taste Trail to Richmond over a special cycle bridge, where I meet two Aussie cyclists who have just finished their 3000 km tour of the North Island and are now touring the south for four weeks. Wish I had that much time.
The old railway route takes me into Nelson through the hood, with some gangsterly looking types in a garage getting tattoos. Nelson also has lots of parks and lies directly between sea and mountains. I get a fix for my tent at Rollos Outdoor Store and continue on out of the city pretty soon, after a short stop by a small stream.
The first hill after Nelson is steep and as I stop at the top a Spanish cyclist catches up with me. He is faster downhill but on the 350 meter ascent to Whangamoa I catch him again and we ride the top together.
We part ways on the downhill again and near Graham Stream reststop I start up a forest side road to find a perfect campspot 1.5 km from the road in a pine forest without any flies.
