Saturday January 4, 2013

Today should have been an easy run into Kaikoura.  However, the cold that I have been fighting off since Christmas Day finally caught up with me.  It was an horrendous day of cycling for me.  We didn’t have a tail-wind nor much of a head wind but I struggled almost the whole of the 77.78 kms.  My legs felt really strong, I was just having a problem breathing and that equates to a problem when trying to cycle!!!

It was a beautiful winding and slightly undulating road, enough bumps (hills) in the road so that you didn’t get bored.  The Pacific Ocean was on one-side of us and mountains along the other, it was beautiful.  The temperature was perfect for cycling, although at one point we did stop to put on our windbreakers, the wind was a little chilly off the ocean.  Actually when we stopped to put on our windbreakers a lady came out of her camper van and offered us a cup of tea.  We gratefully accepted and chatted with her for almost an hour.  The kindness of New Zealander’s should be marketed and sent around the world – it would be a much better place.

Unfortunately due to my cold, I didn’t enjoy the ride.  The cars and trucks seemed to come too close, the shoulder at times seemed non-existent, I was just stressed.

Ralf however, said it was a beautiful stretch of road.

The Ohau Point seal colony along this coast is huge, we took photos, but I think it will be a hide and seek venture as you could hardly spot the grey seals against the rocks.  There is an area along this stretch that has a stream that comes from a waterfall, when the seal pups are a few months old they go up the stream and play in the waterfall.  The lady in the camper said we were probably a couple of weeks too late to see the seals playing in the waterfall.

Although the ride seemed long to me we were cycling for 4.5 hours an average of 17 kph however, we were on the road for 6.25 hours, the hour long stop with the lady camper made up for some of that time.

When we arrived in Kaikoura we cycled to the iSite and then back to the Top 10 Holiday Camp, it was 2:45 and almost full.  They had room for one more tent……. then another, then another.  When the reserved numbered sites were full they added tents to almost every spare piece of grass they had.  It is a very full site tonight. Beautiful sunset.

We took a rest day here, a paddle in the Pacific Ocean and chatted to neighbours.  Some campers bring everything, even a queen size bed, fridge and ‘chest of drawers’.

We were going to go whale watching but we couldn’t do it today and we need to get going tomorrow, now I am feeling better.

The water is cold, but look at the cyclists tan!

Friday January 3, 2014

My rest day yesterday helped me tremendously – I have had a bit of a cold since Christmas Day. Although it was a very windy night and my sleep was a little sporadic because of the 80 km wind-gusts I felt very refreshed when I got up. However the weather forecast was not good, with 80 – 120 km winds forecasted, but easing up during the day. We decided to get ready to go and see how the weather was when we were ready to leave. We were late leaving 9:30 am and it had started to drizzle but the wind had let up. As we started our first climb of the day the heavens opened and we got absolutely soaked. It was horrendous. However, once we had crossed the ridge and were coming down the other side of Weld Pass and Dashwood Pass the sun came out.

We stopped in Seddon (30kms) for a cup of tea and a wonderful savoury muffin and then carried on to Ward. It was a very windy day but the wind was behind us. I was comfortably doing 18 kph up hill (lol). The road was busy but again had reasonable shoulders for most of the way.

As we turned into the gravel road to Peddlars Rest we realized how much of a tail-wind we had, I struggled to do 10 kph along the road.

Hopefully we have the same tail-wind tomorrow as we have about 80 kms to do tomorrow to Kaikoura. Peddlars Rest is a small bunkhouse with 1 (2 bunk room) and 1 (4 bunk room). It has all the facilities a weary cyclists needs including hot showers, fridge, stove and all pots, pans, crockery and cutlery and a washing machine that we can use for free. It is supposed to be for bicyclists, but the owners allow it to be used for other road users and hikers. It is a beautiful, quiet, peaceful place.

Thursday January 2, 2014

Check the photos on the last Blog – I have updated them.

A very short ride today.  It should have been Picton to Ward (approximately 85) but I needed to get some washing done.  If we had cycled to Ward with a couple of big hills to do we would not have been in Ward until late and I would not have had time to do the washing.  So we are taking a second half rest day.

Ralf is getting some minor repairs done on his bike and getting some food.  While I was doing the washing Ralf went for a little ride on his own, to the Taylor Dam.

The South Island’s communities are farther apart, so we have to make sure we have enough food for a couple of days, just in case we need to ask a farmer if we can camp on his front lawn!  Tomorrows ride will be almost 60kms.

I was chatting to a German couple (Michael and Susanne from Hamburg) who are about to leave for Seddon at 11:30 (30kms), an easy ride for them today.  They have been finding the hills in the North Island exhausting as well and are hoping the South Island is easier.

This evening at dinner we were talking to a Dutch/New Zealand couple (Annette and Jaap) were very interested in our trip and had been looking at changing their lives for something different.  May be we have influenced another couple.  They are both cyclists as well as kayakers and very much like the simple life and outdoors.  Who knows we may be reading about their Grand Adventure in a couple of years time.  Again we have been invited to stay at their house if we go past them.

A bit late adding this route and Thoughts

End of third week thoughts – What touring cyclists think about?

As you are cycling along taking in the scenery, your mind tends to wander.  You glance in the mirror and see a car approaching, you shout to your partner car back and then try and calculate in your head when it will pass you.

If you are travelling at 20 kph and the car is travelling at 100 kph and you saw it about 500 metres back how long before it will pass you? What is the formula?

If we drink every 10 minutes and we have 20 kms to go, how many times will I drink before we get to our destination?

It is very strange that my mind tends to wander onto math problems when I was never very good at math or particularly liked the subject.

Plus 3.5 hours on the InterIslander Ferry

Wednesday January 1, 2014

We had a very quiet New Years Eve.  We were in bed by 10:30 after updating the blog.  Today we were up a little later and on the road by 9:00 a.m., very late for us, we try to be on the move by 8:00 at the latest. Although we had plenty of time for Ralf to play on the bouncy pillow and play with “Legos”.

 We cycled into the ferry terminal to recce the place and find out what time we needed to check in with the bicycles.  We then cycled the 2.5 ks into Wellington.  We now know why it is referred to as windy Wellington.  We were ‘cycling’ along the Quay area – doing 13.5 kph without pedaling.  Of course when we had to head back to the ferry terminal it was hard work!

I thought we got free wi-fi on the ferry, but we didn’t.  There were 4 other cyclists waiting to board.  The bikes are on the train deck – 4 decks below the passenger seating area.

Although we have cycled today, we are counting it as a rest day and will carry on cycling tomorrow.

The ferry crossing was fairly smooth. We are staying in Picton tonight in a small campsite.  We walked to a pub for fish and chips.

 I will update with photos later (check back).

Tuesday December 31, 2013

What a spectacular morning at The Summit.  It was a very windy night but we were snug as a bug under our duvets.  We got up had a quick cold wash and had breakfast of peanut butter, banana and pita washed down with a nice hot cup of coffee.  After some photographs we headed down the easy side.

 It was very easy, gently sloping we rode all the way down.  Ralf took some photos of the information boards. The scenery took my breath away, it is beautiful.

It is a really interesting ride, with lots of information boards.

Blocking the Tunnel and the Concrete Block Tunnel

We followed the Lower River Hutt Trail into Upper Hutt, went to the iSite and booked our ferry to the South Island.  We also decided to stay in Lower Hutt tonight and have a short ride tomorrow to the ferry.  Tomorrow night we will be in Picton and then head south towards Christchurch.  It should take us about 3-4 days to get there, as we definitely have our cycling legs back and can easily do 70 to 80 kms a day.

Monday December 30, 2013

The Rimutake Rail Trail keeps you off of SH2 going through the Rimutake Mountain Range.  Although it is 8km longer it is actually 100 metres less elevation to climb.  Ralf really wanted to do it, I didn’t.  I knew it was going to be challenging with the loaded touring bikes but … we did it.  I kept asking people if it was doable on loaded touring bikes.  Yes they said but it is easier from the other side!!

We got to Featherston in time to see the 11:00 train leaving for Wellington – the trains are running.

We had a good lunch in Featherston and then cycled to Cross Creek the start of the Rail Trail.  The road to the start was very gravelly and I thought “Here we go”!! When we got to the entrance gate we couldn’t get our loaded bikes through.  An omen!!  A couple of South Africans carried mine up and over the gate and invited us to their place this evening if we wanted to carry on to Upper Hutt.  I knew Ralf also wanted to camp overnight at the Summit.

However as we got into the trail it was absolutely beautiful.

Another reminder for me: “Never let my fears stop me from doing something”.

It was a tough trail for loaded touring bikes but we took it steadily and got to the Summit (354 metres) which has a 1 in 15 slope most of the way.  All the way up the trail there were information boards telling us what the incline was, how the ‘little trains’ got up here, how many men died building the tunnels, how many slips there were and at the Summit how many people lived up here.

We met several groups of people (all on Mountain Bikes), it is a great trail for mountain biking.

We could have easily made it down the other side and to Upper Hutt but it is a beautiful spot, so I decided that it would be nice to stay the night.  Again there are public washrooms and we are permitted to camp.

So here we are, we have eaten a wonderful one-pot meal of pasta and tuna, with pita bread – very gourmet.  Unfortunately no wine to wash it down with we had a cup of tea instead.  It is now 7:45 pm.  I am finishing this blog and then we will have an early night.

We will wake up at first light and cycle down to Upper Hutt for a second breakfast.  Kosie (the South African) has invited us to stay a couple of days at his house if we want to while we get our ferry bookings for the South Island sorted out.  We might take him up on it.  He said coming from South Africa you don’t trust anyone.  When he came to New Zealand he wanted to make a change he wanted to trust in the innate goodness of people so, he often invites people back to his house and is a host on couch-surfers.

Sunday December 29, 2013

A relatively short ride today ending at our first warm-showers host in Masterton.  Warm-showers is an organization for touring cyclists.  You sign up to host touring cyclists coming through your Town and then when you are on the road you can utilize other hosts.  We hosted 4 couples this past summer and it was a lot of fun.

The weather did not look promising, forecast for rain.  It threatened it a couple of times but we managed to stay dry until Masterton.  We were making really good time, with a nice behind wind when Ralf shouts that he had a flat tire.  It took us a while to get it fixed, it has been a while since we needed to do it.  Actually Ralf got a flat on GOBA last year and I fixed it.  We found the nail that had punctured the inner-tube and we will fix the tube for an extra spare.  We will also buy a new tube tomorrow at the bike store in Town.  Everything except the coffee shops and supermarkets are closed today.

I was really looking forward to meeting George Evans as his ‘feedback’ on warmshowers was really encouraging and I thought we would have a great evening with him.  Unfortunately George is at his “batch” (cottage) near Rotorua and is not here.  So how come we are staying at his house.  The amazing kindness of New Zealand people.  I had emailed him, he contacted his neighbour and she let us into the house.  We have had a great shower, catching up on the washing and the neighbours Rodie and Arthur have invited us over for dinner.  We had a wonderful evening with them.  People are so kind and generous here.  Even on our windy, cold, wet, hilly day a farmer asked us in for a cup of tea.  Although we would have loved to have taken him up on his offer we knew we still had about 30 ks to go and didn’t want to have to warm up cold muscles again.  We did stop for a quick chat – the farmer was an accountant turned farmer – Wingfield Farms?

Saturday December 28, 2013

What a difference a day makes.  The day started of with a little cloud cover but not cold.  I did put my windbreaker on just to be on the safe side, but soon took it off.  The first 30ks were flat with a couple of small bumps and we motored, it was great.

We got to the Tui Brewery in Mangatainoka and stopped to chat to a couple in a 1989 Red Corvette (right-handside drive).  I indicated that I didn’t know Corvette made right-hand side drive vehicles. No they don’t this guy had converted it.  Really nice couple who gave us their address and invited us to stay with them if we are going through Cambridge on the way back up the north Island.

We carried on to Pahiatua and stopped for an early lunch.  Lovely sandwich and a cup of tea.  After that I got a little bored with the straight, flat road – no pleasing me is there?  We arrived in Eketahuna at a little after 1:00pm.  Found the campsite which is owned by the Council and managed by a very nice couple.  $12.00 for the night and all the facilities we need, hot showers, a clean well equipped kitchen and a flat area to park the tent. Once we had got set up we took a walk into Town, along the Cliff.

I think there were some Hobbits hiding along the trail.

I needed to get connected to the internet so that I could contact our warm showers host for tomorrow night in Masterton.  He is away, but we can meet his neighbor who will give us the key to the house.  Have you heard anything like that in your life.  We have also exchanged cards with another camper Desarae who has invited us to stay when we are coming up the west coast on our way back to Auckland.

Our plan was to take the train from Masterton into Wellington and then get the ferry over to the South Island.  We need to book the ferry, but first we need to know when we will be in Wellington.  The train is not running from Masterton, due to track repairs.  They are putting on buses instead and bicycles are not allowed.  The Rimutaka Hill is a steep narrow road and is not recommended, although touring cyclists do it.  So we have a couple of choices, cycle to Featherstone and see if the train is running, cycle over the Rimutaka or cycle the Rimutaki Rail Trail, the old mountain railway and includes tunnels, bridges, cuttings and embankments.  We will know tomorrow what we are going to do.

Friday December 27, 2013

Cold,

Wet,

Windy

and hilly.

The scenic route again.

Tonight we are staying in a Motel in Dannevirke, because it was such a tough day due to the weather, we decided we need to warm up in a nice motel room.

Dannevirke is a  Town that was settled by Scandinavians in the 1800’s.