Friday January 31, 2014

A great start for todays ride a 14% hill to walk up !!  The rest of the day was hilly but no other hills that we had to walk up, which means it was a good day.  At about 12:30 we were only 20 kms from our end point and decided to stop for lunch in Waverley.  When we started again the wind had picked up and was blowing us a little sideways.  Which was a little scary on occasions as on this section of Highway 3 there wasn’t much of a shoulder.  We negotiated the 20 kms safely and arrived in the small Town of Patea, we spotted the sign for the only camp site in Town and followed it to a small Council run site.

No one was here for us to register.  We checked out the price of a cabin that was posted on the kitchen door, the doors were open on two of the cabins we decided that we could afford a cabin for the night.  There was an honesty box where we could pay for the cabin, if no-one came around for us to pay.  We made ourselves comfortable in the smallest of the cabins and hoped no-one had reserved it.  We figured it was such a small out of the way site it wouldn’t be very busy.  Wrong the other two cabins were booked for the week-end.  It was o.k. when the person who manages the site came around he was really nice and let us stay where we were.   The cabin cost $25.00 and we had full use of the fully equipped kitchen and free laundry, a great find

Today we got our first view of Mount Teranaki, a dormant volcano – let’s hope it stays that way.  We took photos and Ralf said  “Wouldn’t it be great if a cloud was over the top of it so it looks like the beginnings of an eruption” well his wish came true.

Our camp site in Patea was very close to the beach which had fabulous black sand dunes. We had a walk up to the lookout and then down to the river estuary before cooking dinner.

As we had plenty of time in Patea, I thought I might have a chance to update the blog but no internet service here.  The first place in New Zealand where we couldn’t connect to the net, when we wanted to.

This was my afternoon shot of the coastline near our camp site.

Thursday January 30, 2014

We knew today was going to be a long day both cycling and time taken.  We wanted to see the giant catamaran and have a wander around Foxton as it has some nice older buildings and history.

The catamaran was built in Palmerston North and they transported it to Foxton Beach to be launched for two reasons.  The first reason was that it is the closest point to Palmerston North and the second was that Foxton will have a “King Tide” on Saturday so this monster will actually be able to get out to sea.  Today there was going to be a high tide at 11:00 am and that is when they would put it in the water.  We were not going to stay to watch that, but it was interesting to see the cranes get ready to lift it.  I had visions of a Titanic type launch, but no – they were using cranes to plop it in the water.

This event was obviously of interest to a lot of people in the Town and surrounding area.  At 8:00 there were already over 25 people sitting around.

After a little wander around Foxton we started the long ride at 9:30 am.  Right from the get go we had a steady side-wind, we decided to do the 10 minute switch from the start.  It really helps, to have that 10 minute break behind Ralf before I am fighting against the wind again.  Actually because it wasn’t a head wind it wasn’t too bad to cycle against.

We stopped at the Town of Bulls for lunch.  Think of a pun with Bull in it and it was used in this Town. Consta-bull for the police station, Live-a-bull for a Real Estate office, Bank-a-bull for the bank.  It was very funny.

The scenery today was rural with a few hills thrown in at the end.  All the hills were very manageable, although the wind did pick up towards the end of the day which made them a little challenging, but nothing two fit mid-fifty year olds couldn’t manage.  We have definitely got fitter and leaner since being in New Zealand and cycling over 2,500 kms helps as well.

We both felt good after cycling 97 kms. I was going to suggest adding a few more ks around the block, just so that we could say we have done a metric century, but I was hungry and looking forward to a big bowl of pasta and a glass of wine.

Tomorrow we have decided on a shorter day approximately 61ks. The approximation is due to the fact that you are never exactly sure where the camp site is going to be located.  Sometimes it is in the Town and other times it can be 3-4kms outside of the Town like the one we are staying in tonight.  There was one closer to the Town behind a pub, but the lady at the iSite didn’t recommend it.  So here we are at a “Top Ten” 5 kms out of Town, right on the River Whanganui, the longest navigable waterway in New Zealand.

Wednesday January 29, 2014

We are now definitely back on the North Island!!  The people in the north seem to be a lot friendlier and helpful.  Every time we stopped to look at the map or just to look at the scenery, someone would stop and ask us if we needed help, where were we going did we know the way etc.

Yesterday on the way back from the car museum, Ralf had found a cycle trail which took us out of Paraparumu on a safe and scenic trail to State Highway 1.  When we got to the point that he had joined it we noticed that it appeared to carry on away from the Highway but in the direction that we were headed.  An older cyclist on a steel frame road bike approached us, (his sister lives in London Ontario)  he directed us along the Kipiti Coastal Cycle Trail which kept us of the Highway for about 20 kms.

When we got to a park and wasn’t sure which way to go an older woman who was obviously a school teacher before she retired put us on the right path again.  Now you are asking why I thought she was a school teacher. Well, I have been making an appalling job of pronouncing these Kiwi place names.  She corrected me and told me that the words are broken up at the end of each consonant Paraparaumu becomes Par–apar–aum-u not Para-para-umu.  She then pointed to another Town on the map and told me to pronounce the Town.  Had to be an old school marm.

At some point we knew we had to join State Highway 1 again, but we kept trying to find more coastal routes which unfortunately added about 10 kms to our day.  It was a nice route.

We stopped at Otaki for lunch, this should have been 22 kms from Paraparaumu, but because of our diversions we had cycled 37 kms.  Scenic routes are always longer.  Otaki is a small Town that has numerous ‘outlet stores’  including one for IceBreaker merino wool clothing.  Most of the clothes we have with us are IceBreaker merino wool.  However, the clothes we bought in Canada were actually cheaper than in NZ, figure that one out.  Although I must say we bought all of our clothes from Sojourn and they were on sale.

Due to our scenic start of the day we arrived at the Town of Foxton after the iSite had closed (4:00 pm).  We found the campsite in Foxton Beach and were told about the Giant catamaran that is being launched tomorrow.  We will go down to the dock and see the Giant catamaran before we leave tomorrow and have a little wander around the Town which has a giant windmill. I spotted it first.

The area was settled by Dutch people and that is why there is a giant windmill in the centre of Town.

Monday January 27  and Tuesday January 28, 2014

(Public Transport)

We should be heading north today.  However, after spending the bus trip updating the text for the blog, picking and sizing the photos on the ferry crossing. I asked Ralf if we could have another rest day so that I could update everything.  We needed to do some washing and I need to clean the bikes.  There is an automotive museum in this Town, the biggest one in the Southern Hemisphere.  I have sent Ralf off to the museum and I am catching up on mundane things – the washing is done, the blog is updated and now I am going to clean my bicycle.

This campsite is a very small site, each site has its own toilet and shower room.  Something I have never seen at any other site.  It has been in this location for 80 years – Resort is a term used loosely.

When Ralf gets back he can add a bit about the museum and we are now up to date.

The car museum started as a private collection, it had six vintage cars.  It now has over 350 cars, motorbikes, bicycles and a Gypsy Moth airplane. A very few items have been donated by local car enthusiasts.  Therefore the bulk of the collection was bought during his lifetime.  Before the owner died he set up a trust fund to ensure the collection continued to be maintained.  One of the curators I was talking to offered to drop the rope on any car that I fancied being photographed with for our blog.  I happened to be standing in front of a German Mercedes staff car, it seemed very appropriate.

There are so many vintage/classic cars in New Zealand and this is how they get here.  I found out from the museum curator that most car enthusiasts will go to the United States and purchase a vintage/classic car for $4,000 to $6,000 ship it to New Zealand for about $6,000 restore the car and the selling value can be anywhere from $35,000 and $40,000.  The old classic/vintage cars do not need to be converted to a right-hand side drive.  However a new vehicle must be converted. Buying a Dodge Ram 2013, shipping it to NZ for $6,000, paying $30,000 to convert the truck to a right-hand drive still makes the truck cheaper than buying it in New Zealand. I have only seen one Dodge Ram truck in New Zealand! Lots of Toyotas.

Sunday January 26, 2014

We were on the road early, as it was going to be another long day.  The first 25 ks or so were into a headwind – right from the start Ralf and I took it in turns to be at the front.  Even so by the time we got to Rakia and the giant salmon, I was getting tired and was looking at alternative places to stop for the night, maybe even stopping at 60 ks.

The road again was flat and boring.  The Rakia Gorge bridge is the longest bridge on Highway 1 and it is 1.6kms long with no shoulder.  My little legs were pumping trying to stay ahead of the traffic.

After Rakia, the good people of Canterbury Council decided to plant some trees which created the perfect wind break.  Our speed picked up and we arrived in Christchurch at 2:30 pm.  We found the InterCity bus terminal, which due to the earthquake was working out of a construction trailer and discovered there was a bus that left for Picton this afternoon.  We decided to take it and we will be in Picton tonight.  We will be able to get the earlier ferry to Wellington and get a few miles outside of Wellington tomorrow afternoon to the first campsite at Paraparaumu.

It was very interesting taking the bus up to Picton from Christchurch.  It had taken us 5 days to cycle from Picton to Christchurch, it took the bus 5 hours.  As we crossed the same terrain we realized that we had done some serious hills on the way down.  Crossing the Hunderlees from the opposite direction – these were big hills whichever way you came at them.  That was a great accomplishment for us.

Saturday January 25, 2014

The long and winding, road. This is not the start of a Beatle song it is also not a description of today’s ride.  It was long, it was flat and it was incredibly boring.  We were on State Highway 1, the shoulder was wide, the traffic was fast but on the whole no close calls.  Even when the dog is driving the truck.

I think I said to Ralf three times – this is the most boring road we have been on.  No curves, no hills, no scenery, nothing noteworthy to take photos of.  It was windy and it took us the same amount of time to ride the 77.68 ks today as it did to cycle the 90.79 ks yesterday.

We did come across a garage that repaired and sold classic cars.  Ralf could have spent half the afternoon in the garage chatting to the owner.  Fortunately for me he only spent about 15 minutes taking a few photos.

In England you only need a motorbike license to drive one of these 3-wheeler cars.

This car had passed it\’s WOF (Warranty of Fitness) test and was selling for $2,850.

Some New Zealanders apparently like bad (30 year old) country and western music.  This is not the country music we listen today – but “my dog is dead, my wife has left me and I am in prison” kind of old country and western music.  Why am I mentioning this  – well we were tortured by it until 2:30 am.  Well Ralf was, I had ear plugs in and slept like a log, a couple of beers helped as well!.

We have decided to get to Christchurch tomorrow and see about taking the bus to Picton on Monday morning which connects with the afternoon ferry to Wellington.  This is not cheating – we are calling it our “Fast Forward” – Amazing Race fans.  We have already cycled this route on the way down the South Island and it took us 5 days.  I really need to be back on the North Island.

Friday January 24, 2014

What a day – our longest distance to date.  We had planned to get to St. Andrew’s at 75 ks.  The wind was with us, the temperature was perfect, we left Oamaru at 8:00 am and we got to Timaru at 1:30 –  90 kms in 4.5 hours.  We motored.  We stopped for a light snack at the Nosh Cafe – this is what Ralf looked like before he had his coffee!

The road was flat, and not much to look at.  The only thing of note is that we crossed the 45th parallel (half-way between the south pole and the equator).  We had passed it going to Queenston but we were on the bus,  the disadvantage of bus/car travel you cannot get photos like this.

We found a camp site where a few classic cars were also staying overnight.  Ralf is really enjoying seeing all these cars.

We are running out of time on the South Island and we really want to be back on the North Island.

The South Island has been stunningly beautiful, but now that we have decided not to cycle the west coast we have more time to cycle up the west coast of the North Island and stop at Waitomo Caves to do the blackwater rafting or some other crazy underground water sport!!

The other reason I want to be on the North Island is if I need to fly to England in an emergency it will be easier to get a flight.  Joy is in hospital, and is fighting an infection as well as other medical problems.  She cannot start chemo until she is fitter.

Thursday January 23, 2014

On a rest day I try to update the Blog, clean the bikes and plan all sorts of other \’housekeeping\’ things, but more often than not, that doesn’t happen. As was the case today, but going downtown and walking around the historic district of Oamaru was well worth it.

We had a lovely breakfast and then headed to downtown Oamaru to view the historic Victorian downtown.

I picked up a walking tour pamphlet that showed where all the old buildings were and a brief description of them and off we went – cameras in hand.  What a lovely downtown and historic district.

We spent 5.5 hours looking at the architecture and wandering in and out of little shops that had been created from large warehouses.

We also stopped at a working wool grading warehouse and chatted to a couple of guys that were grading the wool.  The wool is graded, baled and each bales weigh about 500 kgs.  Nothing goes to waste, even the scrappy bits get sold.  The average sheep produces wool for about 5-6 years and then it gets slaughtered.  I commented that you wouldn’t be eating that meat.  The fella said “No, you guys (England, Canada etc) get the good stuff, the Chinese buy the mutton”.

There was also a stone carver who produced some lovely work.  Unfortunately we couldn’t carry anything on our bikes, although to ship it back to Canada wasn’t too expensive.

I am glad I am not using this bike to ride around the world, although it does have a Brooks saddle.

We had a great BBQ with Bethy and Lynda.  I made Portobello Mushroom with pesto, roasted red peppers and feta.  Lynda made bacon-wrapped asparagus and we had salad.  Lynda asked me for my recipe for pesto, I have made it so many times, it was easy to remember.  I also gave her the recipe for citrus bean salad.  She said she would  like to write a recipe book and my recipes may feature in it.

Wednesday January 22, 2014

After a good nights sleep, we left Palmerston at a good time, (7:45 am). The weather was good, a little overcast but the wind had dropped a little. When I spoke to the lady at the motel last night she had mentioned that you can sometimes see penguins at Shag Point and we should stop in at the Moeraki Village and at the boulders.  As we came up to Shag Point turn off – Ralf asked if we should go down to see the point.  I agreed we should if only because of the name.

It was 2.5 ks down to the point and we spent about half an hour walking around, the wind had picked up again, but it was so peaceful and we were the only ones there, other than the seals and the sea birds.  No penguins.

Ralf got within 12 feet of a large seal that was dozing near the boat ramp.  It kept one eye open and barked at Ralf once, but didn’t move from it’s comfy position.

At the turn-off for the Moeraki Village, which is a nice traditional fishing village we decided to carry on to view the boulders instead.  We couldn’t buy any fresh fish to take with us and it was way too early to have fish for lunch.

We stopped at the Moeraki boulders and were amazed at them.  Of course, there are Maori legend for the boulders, – The Kai (food) hinaki (baskets) were washed ashore from the canoe Arai-te-uru, which was wrecked a few miles along the coast on a voyage south in search of the precious stone of Pounamu (Greenstone or Jade).

Then there is the scientific account – The stones consist mainly of carbonate of lime, silica, alumina and peroxide of iron, formed around a central core of lime crystals.  It takes around 4 million years to form a boulder.  In the Miocene period the land rose above sea level and with erosion from the sea and air the boulders were exposed.

Then there is my explanation for how they got there.  I believe they were dropped down by aliens and each boulder contains an alien – they are amongst us now, as some of the pods have broke open – lol.

We spent about an hour wandering around on the beach.

The extra side trips made the day a little longer but well worth it.  Up until this point we had been on Highway 1, it was a busy road and not much of a shoulder, but it hadn’t been too windy.  After leaving Moeraki the wind picked up again.  I hate cycling on really busy roads where the speed limit is 100 ks, and no shoulder and it is windy to boot.

We found an alternate route which of course was very scenic, still windy and about 10 ks longer!

I think I am following in my Mum’s footsteps, she always liked to take the scenic route and hated busy roads especially motorways.  The scenic routes are always longer, but you do sometimes get to see things you would not on the main routes, like these rare spoonbills.

We got into Oamaru at about 3:30 pm. We had been waiting for confirmation on a warm showers and fortunately we were able to stay with Bethy and Lynda.  They would not be home until 5:30, so we had a few hours to kill.  So we went shopping.  We were able to replace our mirrors.  As we came out of the bicycle shop, Lynda spotted us and told us she would be home in 20 minutes so we could make our way up to her house.  Ironically, she lived off of the road we had come in to Town on.  Back up a hill.

They had invited us to have dinner with them and then Bethy took us to see the Yellow-eyed penguins come in from the ocean.  The penguins nest in this area and when the babies are a couple of months old both parents go out to get food and come back at dusk and feed the babies.  If you are lucky you can see them come in.  We were lucky, we saw 3 little penguins.  So cute.

Bethy also took us to some great look-out points to view the Town, and a quick drive downtown to show us the historic area.

When we told them that we had planned on spending 2 nights in Oamaru, they invited us to stay the second night with them.  Lynda is a really good cook and has been encouraged to get involved with warm showers by Bethy, who actually is her tenant.  I really hope she continues being a host after Bethy leaves for Cambodia in April.  We are hoping to meet up with Bethy again in Cambodia, when we get there.

Tuesday January 21, 2014

We were up and away at a good time, I knew today was going to be hilly and I wanted to get started early in case the weather changed against us.  It was a cool day, I even wore my liner gloves to start of with, we wore our wind breakers for most of the day.  The hills started about 10ks outside of Ranfurly, gradual climbs and rewarding downhills.

We knew there would be few services between Ranfurly and Palmerston and had packed a picnic lunch.  However, there were few picnic sites, so Ralf picked this little pull-in as a place to stop!!

There is a lot of this 1080 poison being used throughout New Zealand!  Primarily to control the possum population.

At about the 60 k mark the wind picked up and we were battling the wind and the hills.  I remember on GOBA last year a young man asking me hills or headwinds – always hills at least you can see the end of them.  Or may be not, it was a day of constant up and down, most of the time we managed to get half way up the other side of a hill before having to peddle but sometimes we had to work at it.

It started to get cool and the last 10 ks of the ride were tiring.

When we arrived in Palmerston there was no official iSite and even worse no camp site, so we had to break the piggy bank and stay in a motel.  It was great, it had a little kitchenette with a stove and oven, and all the equipment included.  We did a bit of shopping and created a lovely meal with a bottle of wine to wash it down.

Typical Palmerston building.  There was a also a church with a cement steeple, I have never seen a steeple on a church made out of cement before.