The Kathmandu Mono tent performed very, very well. It was a classic west coast rain night – while it didn’t rain all night it was much heavier rain when it was coming down.

We decided to leave the group and head back to Kohaihai as it was clear we were not going to be heading further – and we had a long drive ahead of us.

The ride back was great – not much rain, and it was rather humid. The views were so stunning, and overall the riding was pleasant.

We noticed that the streams were a little higher than the day before, and there were was a small slip on the track, and the track had washed away in a couple of very small places.

There are a bunch of pinch climbs on the way, some of which we needed to dismount and walk. I was pretty knackered at the top of some of them, they were intensified by the mud and loose sand, and in places rocks and roots.

It took us just under three hours to cover the 16km.

I slept poorly as it rained literally all night at Kohaihai where we camped before our flight to the start of the trail near Brown Hut at the northern end of the track. I had been anxious that the tent fly would eventually fail and I would get a good soaking. I needn’t have worried as the tent (one of Richard’s spares) was superb and did not leak at all.

The facilities at Kohaihai are excellent: clean flush toilets; lots of tank water, a good shelter, and lots of good camp sites. It is also a beautiful setting as well, next to the ocean. Beware of the weka and sandflies which were not out in force due to the rain but were still a menace.

We set off in the morning to Karamea to fly to the start of the trial. We were hopeful we’d be flying even though the weather was appalling. Unfortunately flights were cancelled, and we were stuck.

We decided to ride along the coast to Heaphy Hut. It is a stunning ride, the nikau forest and beach wouldn’t look out of place in the tropics.

The climbs were fine, steep in places but mostly rideable. A few times we all dismounted and pushed for a short distance. Some of the downhills would have been rideable for me but I was taking a very cautious approach.

We were also careful riding the creeks, which were flowing pretty steadily given the decent rainfall, as in places the bottom was not clear, and we did not want to risk a derailleur hanger.

It was about 16km, which we completed in about 3.5 hours. While I think we could have continued if we’d stopped for a break and some kai, we decided to camp at Heaphy, as some of the crew were pretty over it in terms of the rain and so on.

The facilities were once again fantastic, flush toilets, a good shelter, and a nice setting. I have to say I did enjoy my freeze dried dinner and breakfast, the Radix range is very good.

Our original plan is in the diagram below. I think we ended up booking the Gouland Downs hut, which would have made for a pretty big second day. I think staying at Saxon would probably have been a better option.

Highbury Fling seemed like a good trail to try out the bike with a full load. It was a rather windy and wet morning (very windy in fact), and as a result the track was rather dark.

Everything went well, the bike felt pretty good, although it did take a little while to get used to the altered balance.

I did change my setup as a result of the test run, moving my tent from the pack to the handlebar roll, which made the pack considerably lighter.

It was my last commute before the trip, and I was in a little bit of a hurry to get home. I decided to ride up through Central Park. I was interested to see how my skills had developed since the last time I attempted to ride up in June.

I made it up without stopping, but it was a bit of a grind, but I would have been disappointed if I had needed to stop.

I fared much better on Clinical today completing all the switchbacks bar the rather steep trifecta. I was pretty happy with that. I also managed to get up the steepest section at the top, thwarted only by the narrow gap between the trees, which I hit with my handle bars.

Not my fastest time but overall I was pretty happy.

Good ride today: I am really struggling with a few parts of clinical, getting better at others (including the nasty pinch climb right at the end), and enjoying many parts of it even more.

I had a close call with one of the very steep gullies, but the lesson for me is you have to be remain confident and keep looking ahead.

I am hopeful I am as well prepared as I can be, and my vibe today is that I am more excited than scared of the upcoming challenge. w00t!

My feet got an absolute soaking on the way down – thank goodness for the Ground Effect Helter Skelter and the Northface jacket. It was the most challenging ride down the hill so far, but in a strange way enjoyable: the soaking, the rain hitting my face at 5okm/hr, and the partial vision… luckily I was early enough in the morning that there was very little traffic.

The ride up Clinical was stunning. The rain made it all the more beautiful. I was soaked when I got home: from sweat, not from the rain. Turns out I need to wear a thicker base layer when wearing my fairly non-breathable jacket.

Nice longish ride up to Hawkins Hill. It was so windy at times it was super scary and I had to dismount. It was awesome at the top, but a long steepish ride to get up there.

I also had an awfully close call with a little man in a big SUV who passed within half a metre of me as I rode up the hill and he was coming down. It was unpleasant but gave me energy to keep climbing.

I tried clinical for the first time, I was totally amazed at how breathtakingly beautiful parts of it are – it is an incredibly life affirming way to end a work day. It was very steep in places and there are a couple of tricky bits, but I have to say I love it.

I then went across the Highbury Fling back to Brooklyn, it was a pretty nice trail, but I encountered a lot more walkers, runners, and cyclists than I have encountered before on the Polhill Trails.

I am still struggling with left hand switchbacks.