Careening down a giant rock slab in an inflatable boat is definitely not where Mitch Docker thought he’d be on the first day of his Ride 35 loop on the East Coast of New Zealand’s North Island near Gisborne.
After watching a local ride the Rere Falls rock slide on a boogie board, he thought ‘that doesn’t look that hard’ and gave it a shot.
Climbing into the inflatable boat and tipping over the edge, he immediately realised there was no stopping or controlling this thing, so he was in for the ride.
“As the boat started spinning around I had that realisation, like “oh, I’m fucked now. I’m sliding backwards and at the mercy of this rockslab,” he laughs.
Once he hit the calm pool at the bottom, it didn’t take long for Docker to head back up for another lap, before jumping back on his bike and continuing along his five-and-a-half-day bikepacking adventure.
For more from this epic gravel adventure in New Zealand, check out Mitch’s podcast Life in the Peloton
Gisborne to Matawai | 125km | Rock slides, trees and local hospitality
Docker spent over a decade in the pro peloton, finishing up his career in 2021 on the EF Education – Nippo World Tour team. In the twilight of his racing career, Docker found knobby tyres and began to spend more time on the dirt. Since his retirement, his relationship with riding has transitioned from making the right power numbers light up on his head unit, to two wheeled exploration. Gravel and mountain bikes have proved to be a place where he can get away from the expectation of being behind a former World Tour Pro, and also help create new bonds with the people and places he’s riding.
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Having spent the past few years exploring his own backyard in Australia, the call of the Kiwi was strong. When the opportunity for a bikepacking trip from Gisborne came about, it wasn’t much of a question as to whether or not he’d go. Joining forces with Haimona Ngata, a local filmmaker, a bit of a BMX bandit and all-round good bike rider, and Lester Perry who has been a figure in the NZ dirt racing scene for yonks and now contributes to NZ Cycling Journal, they’d assembled quite the crew. Along with photographer Brennan Thomas, they set off for a loop roughly following Highway 35 for a five-and-a-half-day adventure.
Docker tells us that he went into the trip a bit blind and didn’t get the lay of the land until he saw a big map at the Gisborne Airport, where there’s also a bike stand and facilities so that you can jump off the plane, build your bike and go.
With bikes unpacked, bags mounted, and chamois slathered, they set off out of Gizzyy towards the Eastwoodhill Arboretum, which is the national Arboretum of New Zealand, passing a few fruit stalls along the way to fuel up.
Eastwoodhill has over 20,000 native and exotic trees, shrubs and climbing plants. According to Docker, its status as a sanctuary goes well beyond the ecological value inside its borders.
“At the start of a trip you always have that feeling of trying to get away, and worrying about what you may have forgotten. After riding through some rolling hills to get there, it just cut through everything. I’ve never been to a place like that before,” he says.
“The air just feels cleaner and takes that edge off,” continues Docker.
Passing by the Rere Falls and Rere Rock Slide, the trio climbed up to a tiny township called Motu. A century ago Motu was a thriving rural settlement well placed between a trainline and the main road to Ōpōtiki, but died off when a bypass was constructed. Now there is not much in Motu. There are no stores or restaurants, and the closest servo is a town in Matawai — and it’s hit or miss whether it will be open.
Staying at the Motu Community House for the night, you’ll either need to bring your food, or there is a lovely lady in town that you can message on Facebook who will get you a home cooked meal.
The Community House is in the old post office that closed down. The community purchased it some time ago, and all the money it brings in gets put back into doing the place up. This lady came in, and she’d cooked dinner for us. That just set the tone for what the rest of this trip would be like,” Docker says.
Motu to Te Kaha | 126 KM | Magical singletrack and interesting accommodation
The Motu Trails are part of the Great Rides of New Zealand and are built and maintained by a character named Jim Robinson and a half a dozen others.
“He rode this trail (the Pakihi Track) way back when and it was half mountain bike trail and half hike a bike, and was like, ‘if we clean this up, it would be such an amazing trail if you could ride the whole way,’ says Docker. “It was an old horse and cart track, so his whole mission there is to keep that trail going, and once you get to the bottom there is another trail called the Pakihi Dune Trail, which runs between the main road and the beach through the dunes.”
Docker tells that Robinson rode with them all day, and was ecstatic to show off what he’d built and tell his story, and the story of the region. And that was a throughline for this entire trip.
“Everyone we came across was super friendly and willing to give their time to chat to you about the region, what they do, and why they love it,” he says. “It was never we’re doing it tough, or woah is me. It was always this is the way of life, we live off the land; it’s pretty raw and organic out there.”
Falling somewhere between a mountain bike trail and a rail trail, on a gravel bike, the Pakihi Track is a ripping descent engulfed in lush ferny forest. While it’s technically a Grade Four mountain bike trail (dark blue/black), that’s because of the exposure and fall risk, not because it’s rocky, rooty or technical.
“It was a bit of a climb out of Motu to get there, but then you turn onto the singletrack and you’re on this trail with the river next to you for the next 20km descending. It was wild, I loved it,” says Docker.
Tracing the coast, from the Dune Track it was back onto the pavement for about 60km to the Te Kaha. Their destination was a beach resort. At face value, a beach resort would seem to fly in the face of what Docker had described about living off the land and the untainted soul of this area. But even here the Māori charm and values shine through in this small beach hotel.
Docker tells us it feels like a place that could be overdeveloped, flaked by high rises and white washed beach resorts, but that’s not what Te Kaha is about. When it was initially constructed, the locals were against the development, but the local Iwi purchased it and the focus changed.
“It’s all run by the Maori people and they set up the pub and a general store where they get their bread, milk, and everything else. The whole thing is that they take care of everyone. I spoke to the pub’s owner and she gave a good description of what it all is (the hotel and the development) and what it means to give the community jobs. Also during COVID it was a place where elderly people (who had not contracted the virus, but were packed into crowded retirement homes) could come and they would look after them,” he says.
Docker also said the hotel was a nice way to break things up after the Community House, before a string of caravan parks and campsites for the remainder of the adventure.
“There is such a mix of everything around there. You can rough it if you want to, but you can also live well, and because of the distances, you can have a great time. It’s not like the Nullarbor, where you have to get somewhere before dark, or camp on the side of the road in the desert,” he says.
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Te Kaha to Te Araroa | 99km |Suprise macadamia nuts and a spectacular burger
The following day they skipped the continental breakfast at the resort and got into a big day of pounding pavement along State Highway 35. Along the way to Waihau Bay, the crew saw a sign for coffee at the entrance to a farm.
“It was like 10:30 am and we were like let’s get a brew. We rolled in, and this guy runs a macadamia nut farm serving homemade ice cream and coffee,” says Docker.
Surprised to find out that the owner, Grahame, only sells his wares locally and around New Zealand, he came out to Whanarua Bay for a change of life and to be a bit more rural.
Following Highway 35 along the coast, today’s route took the crew past Waihau Bay, where Taika Waititi filmed the 2010 comedy drama Boy. While picturesque, it’s also home to a sport fishing community where you can snag giant Kingfish, Hapuka, and Blue and Striped Marlin.
Today the surf was angry and some nasty weather rolled in, but the challenging conditions felt right.
“It’s so remote out there and if you went the whole way around in perfect conditions, you’d be like, it doesn’t feel right. It’s the edge of the world, so to have a bit of a wet gloomy day suited it,” he says.
They played peekaboo with the beach all day, climbing up and over rolling hills. At one stop, they came across a pair of Aussies from Byron Bay chasing waves around New Zealand in a van.
“The cops pulled up when we talked to these girls, and I said, ‘Here we go.’ In Australia you’d probably get ‘don’t ride on the road, rah rah rah.’ But this cop came over. He had a Diverge and wanted to talk about my bike,” Docker laughs.
Pulling into the Te Araroa Campground is the 35 Eat Street Burger Bar. Nina, the burger bar owner, was at a campsite with roots in the East Coast but was born in the big smoke. When her father, whom she didn’t actually meet until later in life, fell ill, she moved back to Te Araroa and forged a new connection with the area. Now people come from far and wide just for the burgers she serves.
“She doesn’t necessarily open up and wait for people to come. The burgers are fucking epic,” he says.
Docker tells us that trip photographer Brennan frequents this campsite with his family, and the laid-back nature and scenery are starkly different from what you often find at home.
“It’s one of those places you can just come in, and families are roaming everywhere, so you just find yourself a spot. There’s a paddock and the beaches out the back of it, and there’s cabins (which we stayed in) that were nice,” he says.
That night, in the glowing light of a campfire, they sat down with burgers and beers to reminisce over the adventure they had already been on the back half of the trip.
Docker tells us that the whole time he was at the Te Araroa Campground, he imagined bringing his family back here and seeing his kids playing in the paddock, swimming at the beach, chatting with the tent next door, and just kicking back.
Te Araroa to Tokomaru Bay | 125KM | Gravel detours and rolling turns
By day four and nearly 500km into this five-and-a-half day adventure, Docker tells us his body had fallen back into the routine of his days as pro and was ready to ramp up.
“On the second day I remember waking up at the resort feeling like, woah, I’m pretty tired. I think that was just a case of ripping the band-aid off, coming in fresh — using that term loosely,” he laughs. “Then the body sort of goes right, you’re doing this, you mother fucker I know what your up to.”
“I was enjoying it, enjoying being on the road. At that point you have your routine bikepacking. You have your little bag, set off and that’s your day. It’s simple, that’s the best part about it. You don’t have to worry about checking emails and all the bullsh*t you normally do,” he continues.
Straying from Highway 35, Haimona guided them on a detour to the Te Araroa East Cape Lighthouse, a 30km out and back gravel ride.
“It was gravel most of the way out there, but you’re riding along the cliff’s edge with waves smashing, the whole way out to this lighthouse. You’re like, ‘Where am I?'” he says. “It’s the easternmost point of New Zealand, and the first place to see sunlight daily.”
Docker says that even though it’s an out and back and they couldn’t go up to the top of the lighthouse, it was well worth it just for the pedal along the water.
This detour had put them behind schedule for the day, and they had an appointment with the proprietor of St Mary’s Church in Tikitiki. With Docker and Perry coming from a racing background, chewing stem and swapping off turns in a paceline wasn’t foreign.
“We had to get single file and chop it. Haimona, I don’t think he does heaps (of fast pace riding), I think he just cruises. We were putting him to the sword because we didn’t want to disrespect the guy in Tikitiki,” Docker says.
Tikitiki is a small Maori community 145km north of Gisborne and is home to a stunning old church constructed in 1924 and located on the way into Tikitiki, which is a quiet community with an RSA and not much else. After being on the chop out in stormy weather through a particularly hilly section of the route, walking into the space marked a return of the clam that had been a throughline of this trip starting in the Eastwoodhill Arboretum.
“When you walk in it’s dead silent. The church was built just after the first World War, and it’s an Anglican Church, but they do sermons for all religions there. It’s meant to be a place for people to come, and everyone is welcome,” he says.
At the Tikitiki RSA the walls are filled with photos of locals who went to the war. Here they met Hugh, who, like so many others, had moved away and then returned home. They heard his insights into this part of the East Coast.
“I was under the impression that things were up and coming, but he said that everyone has moved away from the area. But no one said we wished this or wanted it back. They like how it is — they’re not against getting busier — but they’re very content.
That’s what makes riding through this area so cool — you won’t get this experience anywhere else. You’ve got everything you need. You get this real feeling, (even though) you’re out in the middle of nowhere, you don’t have to rough it if you don’t want to,” Docker says.
Tokomaru Bay to Gisborne | 95KM |Paua Pies and surveying the surf
On the flight in, the lady sitting next to Docker told him about the Paua Pie from Cafe 35. Finally, on the last day of the trip, he got to see what she was talking about. Made with abalone, it’s a traditional Maori dish.
“I got a pulled pork pie first, and that was awesome. Then we did a Paua Pie, Lester and I did half and half. It was big — hefty big — and the pastry was so buttery,” he says.
The final push back towards Gizzy took the crew out of Tokomaru Bay, past Anaura Bay and Ūawa (Tolaga Bay). These are the beaches that folks from Gisborne will travel to on the weekends because they are spec-freakin-tacular. The break is on a sandy beach with several peaks to choose from, making for a punchy, approachable wave to surf.
Tolaga Bay has the longest concrete wharf in the southern hemisphere. Constructed in 1929, the 660m long wharf functioned as the working port for the remote region, and at its peak served more than 130 ships bringing farming supplies and exporting locally produced meat and wool.
Bringing the adventure to the Tatapouri Bay Oceanside Accommodation, they hunkered down in what can only be described as epic beachfront cabins, before going to a big family dinner for their final night together.
“It was like a tiny house on the water’s edge with a little mini-deck hanging out of the front. The whole front of the cabin is a glass window. You wake up in the morning, and waves break 30 metres before you. And there is a sauna next door,” he says.
After five days of exploring this remote section of New Zealand, what stands out to Docker was the people and the terrain.
“I loved meeting all the different people; they were so welcoming and wanted to tell their stories.
The terrain was so versatile and so varied. Initially, we rode through this sort of backcountry, rolling hills, dense forests, and then you pop out onto this coast road. Yet these rolling hills make you think, ” Where am I again?” Docker recounts.
Tatapouri to Gisborne airport | 35KM | All good things must come to an end
Tatapouri Bay Oceanside Accommodation is about 10km outside of Gizzy and 35km from the airport, so from here they still had to pedal back to the airport.
Up early to catch the sunrise, it’s a medley of the creme-dela-creme of Aotearoa’s surf breaks. The final push up Maunga Titirangi (Kaiti Hill) is rewarded with panoramic views of Gisborne and a cruisey roll back into town.
No riding trip is complete without a brewery stop. Down from the Maunga Titirangi you can ride along protected cycleways to Sunshine Brewery for some sweet golden nectar from one of the oldest independent brewers in New Zealand before boxing your bike and jet setting across the Tasman.
Mitch’s top tips for a Ride 35 adventure
Come prepared
Covering such vast landscapes and many different terrain, Docker said not to come in expecting to find a bike shop around the corner. While you’re not sleeping out in the backcountry for this bikepacking adventure, you must ensure you have everything to be self-sufficient.
That goes beyond just tyre plugs and a spare master link. Wild weather should be expected in this area of the world, so come prepared for wet and dry days on the bike.
Choose the right tyres.
Tyres were a hot topic of conversation over the five days, as there was talk that someone may attempt an FKT effort of this loop. Docker says that you could probably survive on something as narrow as 38s, you’d be tiptoeing through some of the dirt sections that were chunky or covered in the train track ballast rock. Even some of the paved sections still bore the scars from Cyclone Gabrielle and were anything but smooth.
Docker ran 47mm Specialized Pathfinders, but said anything between 40mm and 45mm would be well suited to the terrain.
Do all of the dirt bits.
Docker stressed that you want to do all of the off-road sessions. While there may be paved alternatives — you can continue to ride down Motu Road to make your way to the coast instead of the Pakihi Track — they more rugged alternatives are well worth it.
He said to make the effort to head out to the lighthouse.
What time of year should you plan to ‘Ride 35’?
Docker and crew did this loop in early February, and according to the locals Ngata and Perry, this was a good time of year as many tourists have gone home and the weather is lovely.
Even on the coldest rainiest day, it was still 28°C, but it didn’t get stiflingly hot either.
Beyond the weather, fewer tourists romping around the region means you’ll encounter fewer cars on the road. Docker says they only came across half a dozen vehicles throughout the trip, but during summer, when it’s busy, these are the only roads in and out of these places.
He speculated that for folks up for a rainy, wet challenge, taking on this loop during the winter could make for quite the cold weather campaign for the right group. With winter temperatures rising to 9C and snowfall not uncommon, this would not be the right option for a first-time bikepacker.
How long do you need to complete Ride 35 comfortably?
All up this Ride 35 adventure was five-and-a-half on the bike. Docker says that’s about right. While there was some dawdling with shooting photos and recording interviews, to allow for enough time to stop and have a sticky beak at everything you passed along the way, five or six days would allow you to complete the route at a leisurely pace comfortably.
Docker says, were he to go back and do it with a strong rider about his fitness level, he’d shoot to do it in three days, and cover more ground each day on the bike.
Where to stay on the Ride 35 route?
As Docker said, you can do this trip rough or as comfortable as you like. If you’d prefer to camp each night, there are caravan parks and free camps throughout the region. There are only a couple of freedom camping sites along the route — which can be found on the Department of Conservation website — the Rankers Camping NZ app is also a veritable gold mine of places to stay, complete with reviews of each site.
Many caravan parks have cabins and glamping options available, and the Motu Community House, Te Kaha Beach Hotel, and The Old Post Office in Tokomaru Bay are a cross section of the stays with different amenities.
What do you do with your bike box?
The Gisborne Airport has a bike stand with tools and a pump so you can fly in, unpack your bag and pedal straight out. With that, the Gisborne Airport luggage desk will also mind your bike box or bag while you’re away for a small fee to reduce the logistics you need to worry about.
For a closer look at the itinerary, Mitch, Haimona and Lester followed, complete with info on the trails, food and accommodation options, head over to the Tairāwhiti Gisborne website.
This feature was made possible by Tairāwhiti Gisborne tourism.
Photos: Brennan Thomas / Strike Photography
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