Most families love an adventure, some like to ride their bicycles, yet would they be tempted to go on an eight day cycling safari around southern Southland through the Catlins windy hills and home via Gore?
The Frey-Mclean family; father Bill, mother Cecile and their three teenage children - Joshua 15, and twins Tessa and Taylor 13 did just that in the second week of January of their summer holidays. They packed up food and clothing into their cycling panniers (bags), then added sleeping bags, sleeping mats and tents on top of their rear carrier racks and headed out of their small rural community of Otara on their family adventure.
On Day 1, a hot and cloudless day, the first part of the cycling journey was to the rural farming village of Tokanui (14kms) usually a ten minute drive in a car, it took the Frey-Mcleans over an hour of cycling on gravel roads. After stopping at the Tokanui Store for a well deserved ice-cream the Frey-Mcleans cycled east into a moderate headwind along the Southern Scenic Route toward Progress Valley and the Catlins Forest.
That first night camping, in the Catlins, was spent in a farmers field which they shared with several hundred recently weaned lambs. They were fortunate to be given the generous offer of being able to use Peter and Bev Hayes shearing shed to shower, much to the sweaty tired cycling family's delight and relief . Their first day, a four hour cycle ended with baked beans sandwiches, warm showers and an early night.
At first light, 5:30 am on the second day, the Frey-Mclean's were up and out of their sleeping bags wanting to tackle the hills to come before the roads got busy.
By 7:15 am, they had rolled up their sleeping bags and sleeping mats, packed their tents and reloaded their panniers onto their slender bicycle carriers. The first hill, which the Frey-Mclean's nicknamed "Hayes' Killer Hill" was a 2.4 km long up hill grind. It took 1 ½ hours of hard work, as 2.4 kms doesn't sound a long way, but when you are 13 years old and carrying 20+ kilos in extra weight on a rear cycle carrying rack, hills can be torturous and long.
They arrived at their second days camp, a beautiful beach area, five hours later, tired, hot and exhausted, then it began to rain, the arrival of sand flies soon followed. They quickly put up their tents amidst much slapping (sand flies) and scratching, and rain.
Relief finally arrived when they were able to crawl into their tents, lie down, stretch out on their sleeping mats and fall asleep in the early afternoon rain. They awoke shortly before six, cooked dinner ( the rain had stopped) went for a walk along the isolated beach and then returned to their tents ( sand flies were getting nasty) read for an hour or two and were all asleep by 9:30 pm.
Day three, passing through Papatowai and onto to Owaka was another tiring day of head winds as well as two long steep gruelling hills, but arriving at Thomas Lodge (YHA) five and half hours later was a wonderful surprise. Even though they were camping, Thomas Lodge - the converted old Owaka hospital was a place of wondrous respite; with hot showers, a huge kitchen, spacious games room and enormous sunny dining/sitting room.
The following morning was stormy and rainy, yet the clouds parted around lunch time and after a brief meal, the Frey-Mcleans packed up yet again, but this time as they raced along the road chased by storm clouds they experienced for the first and only time, the joy of thundering tail winds. These winds pushed them flying along the flat Owaka plains at a thrilling 25 km/hour. They arrived in Balclutha twenty minutes before the deluge following them fell from the skies.
In the following days, the Frey-Mcleans battled howling head winds, monstrously steep hills and just about ran out of water, yet they also found a beautiful hidden away campsite beside the flooded Clutha river, gorgeous forested roads, open farmland and delightfully picturesque picnic spots.
On their 8th and final morning they awoke in Gore campground, the rain fell, head winds blew and it was subtlety suggested by several that perhaps now was the time to take up their Aunt Rene's offer, to be rescued and driven home. Yet after a family meeting, they all decided to continue on. The Frey-Mcleans cycled heading south out of Gore on highway No 1 into the driving wind and rain. Nine hours later ( 7 and ½ of which were cycling in the most challenging conditions) the Frey-Mcleans arrived home, at Otara, exhausted and wet, yet content and satisfied that they had completed their family adventure.... and looking forward to hot showers, a big meal.
It was nice for the family to receive encouragement and support from several people they met along the way. The Frey-Mcleans are presently considering an even more challenging family adventure, cycling New Zealand from Slope Point (southern tip) to Cape Reinga (northern tip)
The Frey-Mclean family are part of the Invercargill Active Teen Program, run by Rose French of Sport Southland which helped to inspired their active summer holiday adventure.
Bill Frey-Mclean
Otatara, Southland, New Zealand
