Mountain Biking the Marlborough Sounds

A mysterious lookout

The Link Pathway is well hidden along Queen Charlotte Drive, only a small sign well within the track opening helps you identify that you’re in the right place.

Things don’t exactly go off to a flying start, as there is about a 10-minute climb to start with, but from then on we stay mostly at height. We don’t have to over exert ourselves to death!

Only a minute along the track is a lookout… only, at this point, we are just looking out into the mysterious white fog.

An atmospheric forest (and spotlights)

That being said, the fog creates quite the ambiance in the forest. Moisture drips from the ferns and cob webs, and the sun is doing its best to break through it all. Once, it does, dramatic rays of light burst through the fog and trees almost creating a spotlights on us. We are the stars of the forest, ladies and gentlemen!

Perhaps it’s more like our bikes that are the stars here, because they are working so well for us. We manage the small uphill sections pretty easily, (once we got into the rhythm of putting power to the peddle).

And then, this…

Wow… Just wow…

The sun beams turn into a blue sky. We approach an opening in the trees and woah! Look at that view! Mountain peak after mountain peak bursts from out of the fog across what we can only assume is the water in the Marlborough sounds. With that, the view is changing so fast here. We watch for about 20 minutes as the clouds thin out, move to the side and reveal Marlborough Sounds like it was a day in summer. The turquoise blue ocean twinkles in with the sun’s reflection and forested mountains look wild and untouched.

Downhill blasts!

Epic views continue on the highest section of the track. With the highest section come some fun downhill blasts. Great for right now, but that’s going to suck when we bike back up the track later…

Is that a hammock?

Back in the forest, we pass little streams and then…

“Is that a hammock?!” Laura exclaims, jumping off the bike and lying straight on the damp hammock. It’s nature’s way of telling us we need to rest. (Yes, because hammocks grow on trees).

Sunbathing in paradise

Soon enough, we reach our turn around point. Two benches facing a view fit for kings! The sun is belting on us from above, we feel like we have the best views in the whole of New Zealand right now, this is the ultimate picnic spot!

We spend so much time here that we’ve had a full conversation with some hikers about sheep shearing, had our lunch, and Robin has taken a nap on the bench. Some might say that we are just enjoying the paradise-like views. Others would say that we are procrastinating from biking back up these steady by relentless hills on the way back…