Ton writes:
All is well that ends well. I’d heard a lot about NZ before I decided to join the group to cycle this country from South to North, all of about 2200k. Little did I know about the road conditions, at times very little or no shoulder, the traffic and the long steep hills. Looking back it was a thrill to be part of this wonderful group and face the challenge.
Bill alluded already in his blog about the last rainy and windy day. 5k from destination, I had a flat, the back wheel, after having cycled about 125k. Because of the heavy overcast skies it was getting dark early and I was annoyed that this would happen to me under these circumstances. Since I had no desire to fix the thing, I started to walk since I was 5k from the city. After a few hundred meters a motorist stopped, himself a mountain biker, had a roof rack, and offered a ride to our motel and I gratefully accepted this God sent offer. The next day while drinking a white flat in an outside café, the Samaritan crossed the street in front of us and Trish and I ran to him to thank him again. He explained that he was a Christian and we naturally were delighted to share our faith in our loving God. He had been talking to his youth group about being open about their faith and he wished he’d told me why he had stopped in the pouring rain to help. I said that his stopping was an answer to prayer since I had not been in the best of spirits walking in the rain. We serve a God who has not only created all the beauty we saw, who not only gave us the strength to go on when we were tired, but also revived and protected us all along the way. A big thank you to Bill and Rita for organizing this trip, to the support team and especially to God, who met our every need and blessed us beyond expectation. .
Friday, May 4, 2007
Friday, April 13, 2007
The Last Days
The Last Days
Yesterday, being Friday here we toured a knitting factory, courtesy of Chris and Donna –John’s friends in NZ and now all of our friends. The yarn used is a blend of merino wool and possum fur. The products made with this yarn are very soft and warm. We were able to buy products at the factory store.
In the afternoon some of us, most of the ladies and myself as driver, went to Auckland to see Kelly Tarltons Underwater World. He is kind of the Jacque Cousteau of NZ. We saw penguins, sharks, stingrays and many smaller varieties of marine life. The weather was another mixed day, rain, sun every 5 minutes and always wind. More typical than the weather we have experienced for the last month.
Around seeven (phonetic spelling for 7 here) o’clock we went across the road for a restaurant meal. Some short speeches of appreciation, to Rita and I for organizing the tour, Margaret for being chief cook, Jessie and Teresa for navigating and driving the van, and to the rest of the support team.
I went around the table with a comment on each rider as follows:
Ton- at 72 the oldest rider but 4th strongest and someone whom we all admire for his endurance and strength.
Adrian- hesitant to go at first not too sure of his riding ability but voted the most improved rider on the tour, gaining strength as he went.
Dora- was not worried about the climbing but oh those down hills! She has had lots of practice now and says she is up to 18 km per hour now. Joe said that when her speedometer was broke she went much faster because she didn’t know when to be scared.
Rita- the other Rita that is, new to cycling but a very determined lady who we admire for her positive attitude and seeing the whole ride through.
Bernie- now retired after years of riding his bike 32km one way to work for years, not sure of his conditioning at first but proved to still be the strong rider he was on the sea-to-sea.
John- the mountain man from Alberta and rider of many tours proved once again that he was up to the challenge of NZ and had a great time except for the last day
Rita- my Rita that is, my stoker overcame her fears of mountains and curves and speed and will always be remembered for “Wim! NOT SO FAST”.
Joe-little thin Joe, consistant rider always upbeat and cheerful helping pull Rita at times and a great guy to have along.
Peter- man of patience. We all admire him for staying with his wife throughout the tour and helping her through it. There must have been a significant promise made sometime prior to the trip.
Kirk- who due to an old injury couldn’t make it but tried every way he could to complete the tour, was not present and missed by all.
We all had a great tour, no one had an accident, and the group got on well. The tour was long enough to give me a stripped tan on my forehead again. Heading north into the sun with the bike helmet on insures this will happen. We must now make the transition back to normal life. As Bernie has said though, this is normal the other life is not.
Comments from the Tour Participants:
Joe writes…..this has been a great experience – a dream fulfilled! I am amazed at how the Lord gave us the energy to climb the mountains every day again. What a thrill to see the beautiful landscape of NZ while riding a bike. What a blessing to have just great weather every day again. This will be an experience Margaret and I will never forget – so many fond memories – so many laughs. I feel so richly blessed to have been part of this group - the fellowship was great….What an awesome way to spend retirement!
Margaret writes…..what a privilege to be able to cook meals for this motley crew….no one ever complained about what was on the table – the food all disappeared and very quickly. Can’t find words to describe everything we experienced – even our pictures won’t capture the beauty of this country. What an awesome God we have! We rejoiced each day when all the cyclists had safely made it to their destination.
One last comment….whatever happened in New Zealand will stay in New Zealand!!!!
Rita Beerda writes….Wow, what an awesome journey!! How can I begin to describe this amazing experience: Now that the trip is done, it’s hard to comprehend what we have completed and that we actually did it. If I would have known how many hills we had to climb and that New Zealand is so mountainous, I’m not sure I would have signed up for this trip but now that we’ve completed our journey, I have no regrets. What a beautiful part of God’s magnificent creation! We have experienced so much variety in scenery and landscapes. In spite of some difficult days, it has been a wonderful month. We’ve made new friendships and had so much fun as a group spending this time together and supporting one another. Margaret and the support team did an awesome job of feeding us and making sure we all made it in at the end of each day. My thanks goes out to Bill for all the work he put into the planning and logistics of this trip. Every day was a new experience. This is a trip I will not forget for many years. I also thank God for all the prayers of our families and friends. The weather was awesome throughout the trip with only two rainy days and we were all arrived at our journey’s end in safety. Praise God!!
Peter writes….First of all I want to thank God for looking after each and everyone of us during the trip and bringing us safely to this point. New Zealand really is a beautiful country and we really experienced that along the way by the scenery and the people we met along the way. Each day was a new challenge for us whether it was the steep hills, the wind or the rain but we all rose to the challenge and felt good at the end of each day. It was great that Rita and myself could experience the trip together although we did lose patience with each other from time to time. It will be great for us to talk about this trip with our children and grandchildren for years to come. I had thought of sending a report to Church Council of everyone’s conduct during the trip but will refrain from doing so until such time that I need a big favour from someone. Thanks to everyone on the support team, to Bill and Rita for planning the trip and to my fellow riders for the great memories we will have for years to come.
Trish writes….What an experience!
If I let my mind go back over the last month it feels like looking into a kaleidoscope. Green hills, mountains, narrow roads-watching for cyclists-sheep-lakes-looking for cyclists-spotting one-small group-stopping-making coffee-peeling an orange-hearing the bell bird-different vegetation-tree ferns-gum trees-kiwi orchards-grape vines-stopping to buy food-noticing how wide, how narrow the shoulder is-big lumber trucks-cheering Rita up the hills-Ton’s special signal that he needs support, his hanky flying from his bike bag-Bill’s big grin as we pass him and Rita on a hill.
Mountains-always more climbs-wondering how they do it. Trying to keep track of the money pot-yes-me-a rather detail challenged person asked to keep track of the money. It went ok-with Margaret’s calculator-Anna’s money belt-Ton’s help-Bill’s computer keeping it straight. Teresa and Jesse our navigator and driver, we couldn’t have done it without them. Celebrating Ton’s 72nd birthday far away from home and family but doing what he loves, surrounded by a unique bunch of friends. The comradery, Margaret’s wonderful meals, seeing the dolphins in Milford Sound, the Mauri village, the hot springs, the hostels. Meeting Donna and Chris, the evening and delicious meal at their home at the ocean, ending each day with Bible reading and prayer. The gratitude felt by each member, the awe that we have such a wonderful God that He has given us the chance to experience his wonderful creation and that He was with us all the way in this amazing kaleidoscope experience of New Zealand.
Anna writes;
My job as part of the support team was tracker. It became easier as the month went on because I never knew any of them before the trip and now we’re almost as close as family. Observing the cyclists persevere in this hilly (actually mountainous) and windy country has given me great admiration for them all, especially considering all their ages. God has blessed us with no casualties, much safety, great weather and fun in a country whose landscape changes drastically within very short distances. I’ve gained a new appreciation for our Creator once again!!
In total we had 23 flat tires but I’m sure we’ve consumed many more “flat whites”.
Thanks to Bill Wybenga for organizing this wonderful vacation adventure for us.
Adrian writes:
I joined the biking trip to New Zealand with fear and trepidation. When I initially replied to Bill’s questionnaire I replied that my average speed was around twenty- five km. I really did not know my average speed. I had never biked 100km at any one time.
I came thinking I could always just take pictures and I would have enjoyed that.
On this NZ trip I clocked 2180 km on my Trek 3000.
It was an exhilarating trip. The views all around were breathtaking. .
Many times I just wanted to ride and sing much to the chagrin of Joe and Dora riding with me. For me it became a joy and challenge to ride each day. Having said this, if I do not see another hill or valley, this could be none to soon.
After some thought and reflection, I have come to the conclusion that this country would be wonderful to see in an automobile.
Tjisse writes:
We had a great adventure, found new friends; experienced a different method of traveling, stayed in a different hostel each night, and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. I hope I was helpful to the bicyclists. On the whole I had a great adventure
Teresa writes:
I was in charge of navigation for the support vehicle. It was always difficult to direct right or left when driving on the other side of the road, or staying stop because I can’t find the signs so fast. It has been a very interesting trip, finding stores for shopping, cafes for flat white coffees (which weren’t always at designated stops) and hostels for the night. Sometimes we had to return to find some straggling cyclists.
This was a good way to see most of New Zealand, in a way that most people miss.
Dora writes:
Unfortunately all good things must come to an end and it is back to reality for everyone. This trip has been an amazing journey and each and every day brought on new challenges and experiences. I think the beauty of NZ that you see climbing up a mountain pass or going down the other side will always be etched in my mind. The sheep on the side of a hill, the unique bird sounds and the many samples of road kill will also stay with me for a long time to come. The beauty of NZ is unforgettable but so are the people that were on the tour. It was a great group and at the end of each challenging day we could sit back and relax and share some great times and some great laughs. For me the beginning of the trip started off with a challenge and the last day of cycling was also a challenge because of the weather more than the terrain. But I have totally enjoyed the whole experience and I am so glad I was able to be a part of this amazing journey!
Bernie writes:
This was a fantastic adventure. New Zealand may be a relatively small country but it has so much variety in terms of landscape, vegetation and fauna. I was surprised to see trees that although recognizable (cedar, oak etc.) were still slightly different. The cycling was tough at times (elevation gains, rough pavement and winds on the last day) but the scenery was always spectacular. The weather was exceptionally warm. I even got sunburn and needed to use sunscreen over 85 % of the time. We have come to appreciate “flat whites” (coffees) but don’t expect to get a flat white for less than $3.20. There are lots of things to see (sheep, cows, red deer, coast lines, snow capped mountains, rain forests, palm trees, hot springs, vineyards, orchards and road killed possums. Did I mention mountains? The camaraderie was a continuation of our Sea-to-Sea tour with lots of reminiscing taking place. John Koning and I rode together most of the time. He is an excellent climber and on the really tough climbs he left me behind. I’m anxious to weigh myself, as I’m sure that I perspired away a few un-needed pounds (kilos). In summary, I thoroughly enjoyed the physical challenges, scenery, people and group experience of cycling through New Zealand.
Yesterday, being Friday here we toured a knitting factory, courtesy of Chris and Donna –John’s friends in NZ and now all of our friends. The yarn used is a blend of merino wool and possum fur. The products made with this yarn are very soft and warm. We were able to buy products at the factory store.
In the afternoon some of us, most of the ladies and myself as driver, went to Auckland to see Kelly Tarltons Underwater World. He is kind of the Jacque Cousteau of NZ. We saw penguins, sharks, stingrays and many smaller varieties of marine life. The weather was another mixed day, rain, sun every 5 minutes and always wind. More typical than the weather we have experienced for the last month.
Around seeven (phonetic spelling for 7 here) o’clock we went across the road for a restaurant meal. Some short speeches of appreciation, to Rita and I for organizing the tour, Margaret for being chief cook, Jessie and Teresa for navigating and driving the van, and to the rest of the support team.
I went around the table with a comment on each rider as follows:
Ton- at 72 the oldest rider but 4th strongest and someone whom we all admire for his endurance and strength.
Adrian- hesitant to go at first not too sure of his riding ability but voted the most improved rider on the tour, gaining strength as he went.
Dora- was not worried about the climbing but oh those down hills! She has had lots of practice now and says she is up to 18 km per hour now. Joe said that when her speedometer was broke she went much faster because she didn’t know when to be scared.
Rita- the other Rita that is, new to cycling but a very determined lady who we admire for her positive attitude and seeing the whole ride through.
Bernie- now retired after years of riding his bike 32km one way to work for years, not sure of his conditioning at first but proved to still be the strong rider he was on the sea-to-sea.
John- the mountain man from Alberta and rider of many tours proved once again that he was up to the challenge of NZ and had a great time except for the last day
Rita- my Rita that is, my stoker overcame her fears of mountains and curves and speed and will always be remembered for “Wim! NOT SO FAST”.
Joe-little thin Joe, consistant rider always upbeat and cheerful helping pull Rita at times and a great guy to have along.
Peter- man of patience. We all admire him for staying with his wife throughout the tour and helping her through it. There must have been a significant promise made sometime prior to the trip.
Kirk- who due to an old injury couldn’t make it but tried every way he could to complete the tour, was not present and missed by all.
We all had a great tour, no one had an accident, and the group got on well. The tour was long enough to give me a stripped tan on my forehead again. Heading north into the sun with the bike helmet on insures this will happen. We must now make the transition back to normal life. As Bernie has said though, this is normal the other life is not.
Comments from the Tour Participants:
Joe writes…..this has been a great experience – a dream fulfilled! I am amazed at how the Lord gave us the energy to climb the mountains every day again. What a thrill to see the beautiful landscape of NZ while riding a bike. What a blessing to have just great weather every day again. This will be an experience Margaret and I will never forget – so many fond memories – so many laughs. I feel so richly blessed to have been part of this group - the fellowship was great….What an awesome way to spend retirement!
Margaret writes…..what a privilege to be able to cook meals for this motley crew….no one ever complained about what was on the table – the food all disappeared and very quickly. Can’t find words to describe everything we experienced – even our pictures won’t capture the beauty of this country. What an awesome God we have! We rejoiced each day when all the cyclists had safely made it to their destination.
One last comment….whatever happened in New Zealand will stay in New Zealand!!!!
Rita Beerda writes….Wow, what an awesome journey!! How can I begin to describe this amazing experience: Now that the trip is done, it’s hard to comprehend what we have completed and that we actually did it. If I would have known how many hills we had to climb and that New Zealand is so mountainous, I’m not sure I would have signed up for this trip but now that we’ve completed our journey, I have no regrets. What a beautiful part of God’s magnificent creation! We have experienced so much variety in scenery and landscapes. In spite of some difficult days, it has been a wonderful month. We’ve made new friendships and had so much fun as a group spending this time together and supporting one another. Margaret and the support team did an awesome job of feeding us and making sure we all made it in at the end of each day. My thanks goes out to Bill for all the work he put into the planning and logistics of this trip. Every day was a new experience. This is a trip I will not forget for many years. I also thank God for all the prayers of our families and friends. The weather was awesome throughout the trip with only two rainy days and we were all arrived at our journey’s end in safety. Praise God!!
Peter writes….First of all I want to thank God for looking after each and everyone of us during the trip and bringing us safely to this point. New Zealand really is a beautiful country and we really experienced that along the way by the scenery and the people we met along the way. Each day was a new challenge for us whether it was the steep hills, the wind or the rain but we all rose to the challenge and felt good at the end of each day. It was great that Rita and myself could experience the trip together although we did lose patience with each other from time to time. It will be great for us to talk about this trip with our children and grandchildren for years to come. I had thought of sending a report to Church Council of everyone’s conduct during the trip but will refrain from doing so until such time that I need a big favour from someone. Thanks to everyone on the support team, to Bill and Rita for planning the trip and to my fellow riders for the great memories we will have for years to come.
Trish writes….What an experience!
If I let my mind go back over the last month it feels like looking into a kaleidoscope. Green hills, mountains, narrow roads-watching for cyclists-sheep-lakes-looking for cyclists-spotting one-small group-stopping-making coffee-peeling an orange-hearing the bell bird-different vegetation-tree ferns-gum trees-kiwi orchards-grape vines-stopping to buy food-noticing how wide, how narrow the shoulder is-big lumber trucks-cheering Rita up the hills-Ton’s special signal that he needs support, his hanky flying from his bike bag-Bill’s big grin as we pass him and Rita on a hill.
Mountains-always more climbs-wondering how they do it. Trying to keep track of the money pot-yes-me-a rather detail challenged person asked to keep track of the money. It went ok-with Margaret’s calculator-Anna’s money belt-Ton’s help-Bill’s computer keeping it straight. Teresa and Jesse our navigator and driver, we couldn’t have done it without them. Celebrating Ton’s 72nd birthday far away from home and family but doing what he loves, surrounded by a unique bunch of friends. The comradery, Margaret’s wonderful meals, seeing the dolphins in Milford Sound, the Mauri village, the hot springs, the hostels. Meeting Donna and Chris, the evening and delicious meal at their home at the ocean, ending each day with Bible reading and prayer. The gratitude felt by each member, the awe that we have such a wonderful God that He has given us the chance to experience his wonderful creation and that He was with us all the way in this amazing kaleidoscope experience of New Zealand.
Anna writes;
My job as part of the support team was tracker. It became easier as the month went on because I never knew any of them before the trip and now we’re almost as close as family. Observing the cyclists persevere in this hilly (actually mountainous) and windy country has given me great admiration for them all, especially considering all their ages. God has blessed us with no casualties, much safety, great weather and fun in a country whose landscape changes drastically within very short distances. I’ve gained a new appreciation for our Creator once again!!
In total we had 23 flat tires but I’m sure we’ve consumed many more “flat whites”.
Thanks to Bill Wybenga for organizing this wonderful vacation adventure for us.
Adrian writes:
I joined the biking trip to New Zealand with fear and trepidation. When I initially replied to Bill’s questionnaire I replied that my average speed was around twenty- five km. I really did not know my average speed. I had never biked 100km at any one time.
I came thinking I could always just take pictures and I would have enjoyed that.
On this NZ trip I clocked 2180 km on my Trek 3000.
It was an exhilarating trip. The views all around were breathtaking. .
Many times I just wanted to ride and sing much to the chagrin of Joe and Dora riding with me. For me it became a joy and challenge to ride each day. Having said this, if I do not see another hill or valley, this could be none to soon.
After some thought and reflection, I have come to the conclusion that this country would be wonderful to see in an automobile.
Tjisse writes:
We had a great adventure, found new friends; experienced a different method of traveling, stayed in a different hostel each night, and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. I hope I was helpful to the bicyclists. On the whole I had a great adventure
Teresa writes:
I was in charge of navigation for the support vehicle. It was always difficult to direct right or left when driving on the other side of the road, or staying stop because I can’t find the signs so fast. It has been a very interesting trip, finding stores for shopping, cafes for flat white coffees (which weren’t always at designated stops) and hostels for the night. Sometimes we had to return to find some straggling cyclists.
This was a good way to see most of New Zealand, in a way that most people miss.
Dora writes:
Unfortunately all good things must come to an end and it is back to reality for everyone. This trip has been an amazing journey and each and every day brought on new challenges and experiences. I think the beauty of NZ that you see climbing up a mountain pass or going down the other side will always be etched in my mind. The sheep on the side of a hill, the unique bird sounds and the many samples of road kill will also stay with me for a long time to come. The beauty of NZ is unforgettable but so are the people that were on the tour. It was a great group and at the end of each challenging day we could sit back and relax and share some great times and some great laughs. For me the beginning of the trip started off with a challenge and the last day of cycling was also a challenge because of the weather more than the terrain. But I have totally enjoyed the whole experience and I am so glad I was able to be a part of this amazing journey!
Bernie writes:
This was a fantastic adventure. New Zealand may be a relatively small country but it has so much variety in terms of landscape, vegetation and fauna. I was surprised to see trees that although recognizable (cedar, oak etc.) were still slightly different. The cycling was tough at times (elevation gains, rough pavement and winds on the last day) but the scenery was always spectacular. The weather was exceptionally warm. I even got sunburn and needed to use sunscreen over 85 % of the time. We have come to appreciate “flat whites” (coffees) but don’t expect to get a flat white for less than $3.20. There are lots of things to see (sheep, cows, red deer, coast lines, snow capped mountains, rain forests, palm trees, hot springs, vineyards, orchards and road killed possums. Did I mention mountains? The camaraderie was a continuation of our Sea-to-Sea tour with lots of reminiscing taking place. John Koning and I rode together most of the time. He is an excellent climber and on the really tough climbs he left me behind. I’m anxious to weigh myself, as I’m sure that I perspired away a few un-needed pounds (kilos). In summary, I thoroughly enjoyed the physical challenges, scenery, people and group experience of cycling through New Zealand.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Coromandel to Pukekohe
Dora came in shouting “It’s pouring” and sure enough she wasn’t kidding. It didn’t last long that first time but 2km down the road; when we were fixing our first blowout it was raining again. I only had one tube with me and foolishly hadn’t repaired it the previous night, so it was patch on the road.
We were OK for about 5 km and nearing the top of the first major climb when the rear tyre was going flat again. Ton had given me a tube for his bike as back-up but his tyres are much narrower than mine so I was hesitant to use it. At this point however it became a necessity and so I put it in. I had not been able to find any cause for these punctures in either the tyre or the rim. As I was inflating the tube Rita noticed a bulge on the sidewall and I decided that we shouldn’t ride it but that I should ride by myself keeping the weight off of the rear wheel. It is difficult to walk in my riding shoes and I had packed my sandals since we would not be sight seeing today. I would try to get to the first stop and send help or she would try to hitch a ride.
Riding a tandem by yourself is like driving a tractor trailer. The bike didn’t handle well on the downhill on the rough wet pavement so I had to descend very slowly. Once on the flats I was going along well when all of a sudden the front tyre went soft. I tried riding with it flat but that made the bike a lot more difficult to handle so I gave up on that too and parked the bike and waited.
It is amazing what you see waiting on the side of the road. It was garbage day and the green boxes had been emptied so two of those made a good seat. I was pretty wet from the rain but now it had stopped again and the wind was picking up. I put my seat in the ditch and leaned back against the steep outer grass bank and warmed myself when the sun came out from time to time. There was nobody home in the yellow and black snail shell at my feet. I marveled at the perfect form of this unique home, even thought about keeping it as a souvenir. The clouds overhead were going in two directions, a dog started barking when I clapped my hands to warm up. A young maiden with a big smile came walking across the road toward me, her arms were wide open. It was Rita who had go a lift to here. She continued walking down the road in order to stay warm and I continued to sit by the road and wait.
A while later along came the van and there was Rita again. She had got another lift and the van had been preparing to come back for us in any case. We loaded up the tandem and hitched a ride to the lunch stop. The bike store in Thames did not have the tire I needed so we packed in our ride for the day and for New Zealand. Too bad we couldn’t finish but we were the lucky ones.
The rain had stopped some time ago but the west wind had really increased. Just past Thames the road heads west across a flat area; which must be 10-15 km across. It had started to rain again. Last to leave Thames where Peter and Rita. Joe, Adrian and Dora had left shortly after we had arrived; Ton was ahead of them. Bernie and John we hadn’t seen but were also ahead. We met the threesome on the side of the road and left them with some food and drink. Ton was found almost across the flats still fighting the headwind. He too took on nourishment. We caught Bernie and John after the flats and back in the hills and left them with some extra food.
Auckland was not far away at this point and the highways were joining together with the main motorway about to start. The best road into Pukekohe from this point was not entirely clear on the maps. We wanted to check things out for the riders and it is good that we did because the road beside the motorway was small, curvy and very hilly. We posted people at the intersection to tell people to stay on the motorway instead while we went on to town to find the hotel and drop the trailer.
Margaret started preparing soup for the riders while the van returned to the route to find them. Bernie and John found a different and longer route to the hotel. The van found Ton and had passed him instructions and a map but he had a flat tyre about 5 km out and a compassionate motorist brought him soaking wet to the motel. A long tome later, after it was already dark the three-some pulled in on there own steam wet, cold and tired. Close to 7 the van showed up with Peter and Rita. They had wanted to continue but it was too dark and pouring rain again making it too dangerous so the support team pulled them off the road.
We had intended to go out for dinner but those plans changed to order in pizza. Peter and I went out to find some dessert and were successful in finding some large decorated muffins; which finished off the meal.
All in all it was not the day we had hoped for but certainly one we will all remember.
Dora came in shouting “It’s pouring” and sure enough she wasn’t kidding. It didn’t last long that first time but 2km down the road; when we were fixing our first blowout it was raining again. I only had one tube with me and foolishly hadn’t repaired it the previous night, so it was patch on the road.
We were OK for about 5 km and nearing the top of the first major climb when the rear tyre was going flat again. Ton had given me a tube for his bike as back-up but his tyres are much narrower than mine so I was hesitant to use it. At this point however it became a necessity and so I put it in. I had not been able to find any cause for these punctures in either the tyre or the rim. As I was inflating the tube Rita noticed a bulge on the sidewall and I decided that we shouldn’t ride it but that I should ride by myself keeping the weight off of the rear wheel. It is difficult to walk in my riding shoes and I had packed my sandals since we would not be sight seeing today. I would try to get to the first stop and send help or she would try to hitch a ride.
Riding a tandem by yourself is like driving a tractor trailer. The bike didn’t handle well on the downhill on the rough wet pavement so I had to descend very slowly. Once on the flats I was going along well when all of a sudden the front tyre went soft. I tried riding with it flat but that made the bike a lot more difficult to handle so I gave up on that too and parked the bike and waited.
It is amazing what you see waiting on the side of the road. It was garbage day and the green boxes had been emptied so two of those made a good seat. I was pretty wet from the rain but now it had stopped again and the wind was picking up. I put my seat in the ditch and leaned back against the steep outer grass bank and warmed myself when the sun came out from time to time. There was nobody home in the yellow and black snail shell at my feet. I marveled at the perfect form of this unique home, even thought about keeping it as a souvenir. The clouds overhead were going in two directions, a dog started barking when I clapped my hands to warm up. A young maiden with a big smile came walking across the road toward me, her arms were wide open. It was Rita who had go a lift to here. She continued walking down the road in order to stay warm and I continued to sit by the road and wait.
A while later along came the van and there was Rita again. She had got another lift and the van had been preparing to come back for us in any case. We loaded up the tandem and hitched a ride to the lunch stop. The bike store in Thames did not have the tire I needed so we packed in our ride for the day and for New Zealand. Too bad we couldn’t finish but we were the lucky ones.
The rain had stopped some time ago but the west wind had really increased. Just past Thames the road heads west across a flat area; which must be 10-15 km across. It had started to rain again. Last to leave Thames where Peter and Rita. Joe, Adrian and Dora had left shortly after we had arrived; Ton was ahead of them. Bernie and John we hadn’t seen but were also ahead. We met the threesome on the side of the road and left them with some food and drink. Ton was found almost across the flats still fighting the headwind. He too took on nourishment. We caught Bernie and John after the flats and back in the hills and left them with some extra food.
Auckland was not far away at this point and the highways were joining together with the main motorway about to start. The best road into Pukekohe from this point was not entirely clear on the maps. We wanted to check things out for the riders and it is good that we did because the road beside the motorway was small, curvy and very hilly. We posted people at the intersection to tell people to stay on the motorway instead while we went on to town to find the hotel and drop the trailer.
Margaret started preparing soup for the riders while the van returned to the route to find them. Bernie and John found a different and longer route to the hotel. The van found Ton and had passed him instructions and a map but he had a flat tyre about 5 km out and a compassionate motorist brought him soaking wet to the motel. A long tome later, after it was already dark the three-some pulled in on there own steam wet, cold and tired. Close to 7 the van showed up with Peter and Rita. They had wanted to continue but it was too dark and pouring rain again making it too dangerous so the support team pulled them off the road.
We had intended to go out for dinner but those plans changed to order in pizza. Peter and I went out to find some dessert and were successful in finding some large decorated muffins; which finished off the meal.
All in all it was not the day we had hoped for but certainly one we will all remember.
Hahei Beach to Coromandel Town
I was dancing on the sand trying to stay in the air with both feet at the same time, very difficult to do for a long period. Hot Water Beach doesn’t imply that the sand is hot too!
I had walked across the area where, at low tide, the boiling hot water seeps out of the ground and flows through and on top of the sand. Luckily it wasn’t very wide and I was able to move off of it keeping both feet more or less in the air. Once recovered I managed to find a more temperate spot, dig a hole just in the right place so that as I heated up another wave would come along and cool me off and so the cycle would repeat itself. The only problem was keeping my coffee out of the waves (see photo) and the time between waves was not always consistent. We all had fun but 2 days later the sand is still not out of my bathing suit.
In order to catch the low tide we had to be at the beach around 6:30 AM so we saw the sun rise over the ocean. We piled 14 people into the van for the 12 km drive to the beach enabling us to do it in one trip. After the beach we drove over to Cathedral Cove, well at least the parking lot but it was way above the sea level. It was a 45minute walk to the cove so the van went back to the unit as most people were still wet from the beach.
We had the morning to spend in the area but many of the cyclists went on their ride to Coromandel rather than return to the Cove after breakfast. Only John, Rita and I returned with our bikes and took in the walk to the beaches. Cathedral cove is very picturesque, too bad the day was a bit overcast, but from the photos you will get the idea.
The walk meant that we started biking after noon hour. It was to be 56km ride and it would have been had we not made a wrong turn. By the time we realized our mistake and got back on course we had logged an extra 12 km. My energy level seemed to die at that point. We had to take a short ferry ride on a small boat and had difficulty getting the tandem on to it. The only cafes we could find in Whitianga were closed so we ate lunch along the shore. The large steep hill directly after lunch was tough enough but the flat tire on the way down meant we had to stop again. It was a good thing the car in front of us was going slower than I wanted to go and that it was a slow leak so I had no trouble stopping the bike. A quick tube change and we were off again, still looking for a coffee shop with none in site. The sun was out now and it was quite hot. The last climb of the day a 350m rise was over 3 km long and pretty well all in the lowest gear. This was the easy side of the hill we found out as we descended the other side. The photo shows the start of the descent looking out over the Hauraki Gulf. For the descent I used the full drag brake and my hands were sore from pulling on the two caliper brakes. Some corners had to be taken at 15 kph.
The Anchor Lodge was a welcome sight. The hot tub went over especially well. The two Ritas, Peter and I were the last ones in so the beer was already chilled for us.
One more day to ride; and what a day it would be.
I was dancing on the sand trying to stay in the air with both feet at the same time, very difficult to do for a long period. Hot Water Beach doesn’t imply that the sand is hot too!
I had walked across the area where, at low tide, the boiling hot water seeps out of the ground and flows through and on top of the sand. Luckily it wasn’t very wide and I was able to move off of it keeping both feet more or less in the air. Once recovered I managed to find a more temperate spot, dig a hole just in the right place so that as I heated up another wave would come along and cool me off and so the cycle would repeat itself. The only problem was keeping my coffee out of the waves (see photo) and the time between waves was not always consistent. We all had fun but 2 days later the sand is still not out of my bathing suit.
In order to catch the low tide we had to be at the beach around 6:30 AM so we saw the sun rise over the ocean. We piled 14 people into the van for the 12 km drive to the beach enabling us to do it in one trip. After the beach we drove over to Cathedral Cove, well at least the parking lot but it was way above the sea level. It was a 45minute walk to the cove so the van went back to the unit as most people were still wet from the beach.
We had the morning to spend in the area but many of the cyclists went on their ride to Coromandel rather than return to the Cove after breakfast. Only John, Rita and I returned with our bikes and took in the walk to the beaches. Cathedral cove is very picturesque, too bad the day was a bit overcast, but from the photos you will get the idea.
The walk meant that we started biking after noon hour. It was to be 56km ride and it would have been had we not made a wrong turn. By the time we realized our mistake and got back on course we had logged an extra 12 km. My energy level seemed to die at that point. We had to take a short ferry ride on a small boat and had difficulty getting the tandem on to it. The only cafes we could find in Whitianga were closed so we ate lunch along the shore. The large steep hill directly after lunch was tough enough but the flat tire on the way down meant we had to stop again. It was a good thing the car in front of us was going slower than I wanted to go and that it was a slow leak so I had no trouble stopping the bike. A quick tube change and we were off again, still looking for a coffee shop with none in site. The sun was out now and it was quite hot. The last climb of the day a 350m rise was over 3 km long and pretty well all in the lowest gear. This was the easy side of the hill we found out as we descended the other side. The photo shows the start of the descent looking out over the Hauraki Gulf. For the descent I used the full drag brake and my hands were sore from pulling on the two caliper brakes. Some corners had to be taken at 15 kph.
The Anchor Lodge was a welcome sight. The hot tub went over especially well. The two Ritas, Peter and I were the last ones in so the beer was already chilled for us.
One more day to ride; and what a day it would be.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Waihi to Hahei Beach
Sorry to my readers but the computer this morning wouldn’t download text from a memory stick so that is why only the photos were posted. Today the computer charges are outrageous so I’ll have to wait one more day to post. Technology still has a way to go.
The first picture today was taken at the beach house on Monday night. That is Donna in the bare feet, our hostess for the night.
The day broke clear and warm, another perfect day coming. Before breakfast I went down to the beach to catch some morning light on the outgoing tide.
Only four of us took the side road to the scheduled coffee spot and what a beautiful side trip it was. For those of you haven’t seen much less tasted a flat white I thought I would post a picture for you. This is also so those on the trip can remember with fondness one of these little delights here. I could have spent the whole day on beach and surrounds in this little spot, perfect in so many ways, put yourself in the posted picture and imagine.
Oh yah the ride; almost forgot. A true cyclist will search out hills and curves. Well today was a day for true cyclists. All the other riders we saw on the road today also attest to this. We had to negotiate 3 major climbs of 200m, beautiful curvy roads on the way up and down, in addition to the numerous smaller hills over the course of the 103 km day. Rita is finally relaxing enough to lean into the corners with me and is not afraid that she will fall off the bike any longer. This makes cornering much easier. The good pavement and taking the whole lane made the descents a dream, with beautiful views all around. The temperatures were in the mid 20s or higher causing the sweat to drip constantly from my head as we climbed, out of the wind and in the sun.
As we approached Hahei beach we had another hill to climb before going down into the village. We could see the coastline in this beautiful area. The pictures show the cliffs and hills reaching into the water and between them fine sand beaches. The water temperature is nice but after a day in the saddle a dip in it really cools you down and both nights now I have had to put on extra clothes to keep warm as a result.
The chili, salad and garlic toast washed down by a beer or two really hit the spot. Early to bed tonight so we hit Hot Water Beach at low tide, 7:15 AM! Good night.
Sorry to my readers but the computer this morning wouldn’t download text from a memory stick so that is why only the photos were posted. Today the computer charges are outrageous so I’ll have to wait one more day to post. Technology still has a way to go.
The first picture today was taken at the beach house on Monday night. That is Donna in the bare feet, our hostess for the night.
The day broke clear and warm, another perfect day coming. Before breakfast I went down to the beach to catch some morning light on the outgoing tide.
Only four of us took the side road to the scheduled coffee spot and what a beautiful side trip it was. For those of you haven’t seen much less tasted a flat white I thought I would post a picture for you. This is also so those on the trip can remember with fondness one of these little delights here. I could have spent the whole day on beach and surrounds in this little spot, perfect in so many ways, put yourself in the posted picture and imagine.
Oh yah the ride; almost forgot. A true cyclist will search out hills and curves. Well today was a day for true cyclists. All the other riders we saw on the road today also attest to this. We had to negotiate 3 major climbs of 200m, beautiful curvy roads on the way up and down, in addition to the numerous smaller hills over the course of the 103 km day. Rita is finally relaxing enough to lean into the corners with me and is not afraid that she will fall off the bike any longer. This makes cornering much easier. The good pavement and taking the whole lane made the descents a dream, with beautiful views all around. The temperatures were in the mid 20s or higher causing the sweat to drip constantly from my head as we climbed, out of the wind and in the sun.
As we approached Hahei beach we had another hill to climb before going down into the village. We could see the coastline in this beautiful area. The pictures show the cliffs and hills reaching into the water and between them fine sand beaches. The water temperature is nice but after a day in the saddle a dip in it really cools you down and both nights now I have had to put on extra clothes to keep warm as a result.
The chili, salad and garlic toast washed down by a beer or two really hit the spot. Early to bed tonight so we hit Hot Water Beach at low tide, 7:15 AM! Good night.
Rotorua to Waihi Beach
By 8:30 all the riders had departed Trek’s Backpackers, an early start to the 155km day. Although this was the farthest distance for any day in the tour there was much less climbing than some days and so we didn’t anticipate a hard day. The sun was out and it was cool enough for a coat and leggings. The first flat-white stop was a short 20km away since this was the last town for another 30km. The morning ride was mostly downhill since we were heading for the coast again. In addition there was a tail wind for this first 50km stretch so my average speed was up around 35kph.
The plan was to tour a Kiwi growing operation for our first lunch break, but since it was a long riding day several of the group decided to keep going. Those who took the tour learned about why the volcanic soil combined with the local climate is idea for growing almost any fruit. The kiwi came from China in the early 1900s and the New Zealanders have genetically modified it to produce the Hayward variety we know today. One mature 7-70 year old vine will produce about 1000 pieces of fruit a year. They plant 1 male vine among 4 female vines and count on bees to cross-pollinate the plants. It takes 6-7 months for the fruit to grow. New Zealand has developed other varieties of the fruit; which are slowly being introduced to the market. New Zealand grows about ¼ of the world supply.
After the tour we had a mere 100km to ride yet but it was just past noon when we left so there was time enough. The wind seemed to be shifting a lot, sometimes for us and sometimes against us. The land was a little more rolling than we expected since we were riding close to the ocean. A short break to eat and rest the hindquarter and then another one within about 25km of our destination got us to Waihi Beach around 4 in the afternoon. The sun had not set behind the hill yet so after a quick beer I went for a swim in the waves. The water was a nice temperature and the salt didn’t taste much different than the water usually running down my face.
We were invited out to a fish fry at a beach house owned by an acquaintance of one of the riders and had a great meal and great company, learning more about the area and life in New Zealand.
By 8:30 all the riders had departed Trek’s Backpackers, an early start to the 155km day. Although this was the farthest distance for any day in the tour there was much less climbing than some days and so we didn’t anticipate a hard day. The sun was out and it was cool enough for a coat and leggings. The first flat-white stop was a short 20km away since this was the last town for another 30km. The morning ride was mostly downhill since we were heading for the coast again. In addition there was a tail wind for this first 50km stretch so my average speed was up around 35kph.
The plan was to tour a Kiwi growing operation for our first lunch break, but since it was a long riding day several of the group decided to keep going. Those who took the tour learned about why the volcanic soil combined with the local climate is idea for growing almost any fruit. The kiwi came from China in the early 1900s and the New Zealanders have genetically modified it to produce the Hayward variety we know today. One mature 7-70 year old vine will produce about 1000 pieces of fruit a year. They plant 1 male vine among 4 female vines and count on bees to cross-pollinate the plants. It takes 6-7 months for the fruit to grow. New Zealand has developed other varieties of the fruit; which are slowly being introduced to the market. New Zealand grows about ¼ of the world supply.
After the tour we had a mere 100km to ride yet but it was just past noon when we left so there was time enough. The wind seemed to be shifting a lot, sometimes for us and sometimes against us. The land was a little more rolling than we expected since we were riding close to the ocean. A short break to eat and rest the hindquarter and then another one within about 25km of our destination got us to Waihi Beach around 4 in the afternoon. The sun had not set behind the hill yet so after a quick beer I went for a swim in the waves. The water was a nice temperature and the salt didn’t taste much different than the water usually running down my face.
We were invited out to a fish fry at a beach house owned by an acquaintance of one of the riders and had a great meal and great company, learning more about the area and life in New Zealand.
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Taupo to Rotorua
Taupo to Rotorua
Our first and only disappointment for the day was that there was no café in Broadlands. This was to be our first stop for the morning at 32 km into the ride. The sun was out, although it was still quite cool at 9 AM, so cool that I borrowed Rita’s jacket having packed mine away in an overly optimistic moment. We had already ridden by numerous steam plumes coming out of fields and small lake sides.
A short 23km later we were at the lunch stop and major sightseeing spot for the day, the Waimangu Thermal area and site of many hydrothermal eruptions. The biggest of the recent activity was the 1886 Tarawera Eruption which completely obliterated all vegetation seen in the posted photo and for miles around. The hydrothermal activity present today and seen in the pictures started after that explosion. There is much more detail available and if you want to learn more you can check out www.waimangu.com.
The whole group took the self-guided trail down to Lake Rotomahana some 4 km away and not only saw but also felt and smelled the thermal activity. Inferno Lake is the hottest having a surface temperature of up to 80C. All were impressed by this awesome display of nature in this unsettled area.
The remainder of the ride was about 20km with the last 10-12 sloping down to the tourist mecca of Rotorua. This town has its own more compact geothermal park and also a Maori cultural center; around all of which a thriving tourism industry has been developed.
Tomorrow, Easter Sunday, we will attend a local church, where I hope to meet up with an old friend through work Alex Wood who some of the blog readers also know.
Our first and only disappointment for the day was that there was no café in Broadlands. This was to be our first stop for the morning at 32 km into the ride. The sun was out, although it was still quite cool at 9 AM, so cool that I borrowed Rita’s jacket having packed mine away in an overly optimistic moment. We had already ridden by numerous steam plumes coming out of fields and small lake sides.
A short 23km later we were at the lunch stop and major sightseeing spot for the day, the Waimangu Thermal area and site of many hydrothermal eruptions. The biggest of the recent activity was the 1886 Tarawera Eruption which completely obliterated all vegetation seen in the posted photo and for miles around. The hydrothermal activity present today and seen in the pictures started after that explosion. There is much more detail available and if you want to learn more you can check out www.waimangu.com.
The whole group took the self-guided trail down to Lake Rotomahana some 4 km away and not only saw but also felt and smelled the thermal activity. Inferno Lake is the hottest having a surface temperature of up to 80C. All were impressed by this awesome display of nature in this unsettled area.
The remainder of the ride was about 20km with the last 10-12 sloping down to the tourist mecca of Rotorua. This town has its own more compact geothermal park and also a Maori cultural center; around all of which a thriving tourism industry has been developed.
Tomorrow, Easter Sunday, we will attend a local church, where I hope to meet up with an old friend through work Alex Wood who some of the blog readers also know.
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Taupo
I ws not going to post today but here I am.
Eleven of us went on a 5 hour cruise on Lake Taupo today. The weather was magnificent as was the scenery. I have posted 3 pictures but as usual we saw many more cliffs and beaches. This lake is actually a volcano crater formed 1900 years ago by the biggest explosion know from such a source The volume of rock and earth moved was about 100 cubic kilometers (1oo km x100 km x 100km) Mount St helens was a puff compared to this. The lake is approximately 40x 60 km and over 1km deep in some places. It was formerly a mountain.
After the cruise we went to the hot stream comming into the main river from the lake. It was in a natural setting along the river. Sorry no pics of that, my batteries werre flat. We will have several more in the coming week.
Happy Easter to all. Kirk got home safely. The Tsunami (sp?) didn't affect us.
Eleven of us went on a 5 hour cruise on Lake Taupo today. The weather was magnificent as was the scenery. I have posted 3 pictures but as usual we saw many more cliffs and beaches. This lake is actually a volcano crater formed 1900 years ago by the biggest explosion know from such a source The volume of rock and earth moved was about 100 cubic kilometers (1oo km x100 km x 100km) Mount St helens was a puff compared to this. The lake is approximately 40x 60 km and over 1km deep in some places. It was formerly a mountain.
After the cruise we went to the hot stream comming into the main river from the lake. It was in a natural setting along the river. Sorry no pics of that, my batteries werre flat. We will have several more in the coming week.
Happy Easter to all. Kirk got home safely. The Tsunami (sp?) didn't affect us.
Napier to Taupo
The Indonesian dinner was great; 16 courses of various dishes including beef, pork, vegetables, mangos, bananas and rice. It had started raining before dinner but stopped in time for some to walk to the restaurant.
In the morning the skies looked rather threatening so we all prepared for rain before leaving the prison (see photo). We actually did sleep in the old cells for the night.
Everyone packed a larger than usual lunch and had more breakfast than normal in preparation for the 143km ride which I figured would take 7-10 hours depending on the rider and break frequency. We were the last to leave the jail at around 8:30. The road followed the ocean for the first 15 km before turning inland. Soon after changing direction we noticed the climb starting although it was irregular at this point. The winds were not in our favor at this point so we hunkered down for a long hard day.
My theory is that you should eat at least every hour starting an hour into the ride so that you don’t run out of steam. This has severed me well on the long rides across Canada when I used to eat every ½ hour. Rita however thinks you need to be hungry to eat and that is true under normal circumstances but this is far from normal. As a result I’m force-feeding her all the time and I get the usual protest every time “but I’m not hungry” and I say, “eat” in response.
The café at the first stop, 44 km out, was closed so we ate in the cold clouds outside. The next stop was at the top of the second major climb another 20 km down the road. They were open and we had our first lunch there shortly after 12 along with a flat white.
By lunchtime we had already climbed around 1100m. It turned out that the second part of the first climb was the steepest, a steady climb for over 3 km in the lowest gear at 7-8 kph. The second climb was about 400m high but we managed to go up it in second gear at 8-9kph. The total climbing I use is only the major climbs of the day not all the little undulations in between of which there are many as you can see from the various photos. Very little of this country is flat. The decent from the first climb was rather steep. I had my drag brake on full and if I released the hand brakes the bike was soon going over 60kph and my stoker starts to complain over that. It was not safe going into turns at that speed on a wet road not knowing what is around the corner either. With the bike stationary it is very difficult to turn the rear wheel with the drag brake on so it is quite effective.
The second part of the ride had one remaining major climb at 300m high but was not a continuous climb, more insteps of varying steepness. The wind direction changed from here on to a tail wind of about 20-25kph, which helped on this climb. We followed along the plateau for a while till we got to our second lunch stop (the café here was also closed!) at the 105km mark. After eating copious amounts of peanut butter sandwiches we set off again. We had met up with Bernie and John at every stop and they had gone off ahead of us here. Another 10 km of fairly flat road at speeds of around 45-55kph (see what peanut butter will do for you) before the gradual decent into Taupo over the remaining 30km. The Rumba has excellent gearing for speed, with 60kph being quite doable in the highest gear and I used all of it.
When we entered town Bernie and John were waiting for us because Bernie had changed shirts part way through the ride and left his directions in the wet shirt. Together we made our way to the hostel where we are staying for the next two nights. Total riding time 6:24 and total elapse time about 7:15, average speed 22.2kph.
The other Rita decided quite early in the day to let her husband Peter have a more challenging day on his own so Peter rode with Joe, Ton, Dora and Adrian for the rest of the day.
Tomorrow we have a day off. Some of us will take a boat cruise and others will find other sights to see.
I do not expect to post tomorrow.
The Indonesian dinner was great; 16 courses of various dishes including beef, pork, vegetables, mangos, bananas and rice. It had started raining before dinner but stopped in time for some to walk to the restaurant.
In the morning the skies looked rather threatening so we all prepared for rain before leaving the prison (see photo). We actually did sleep in the old cells for the night.
Everyone packed a larger than usual lunch and had more breakfast than normal in preparation for the 143km ride which I figured would take 7-10 hours depending on the rider and break frequency. We were the last to leave the jail at around 8:30. The road followed the ocean for the first 15 km before turning inland. Soon after changing direction we noticed the climb starting although it was irregular at this point. The winds were not in our favor at this point so we hunkered down for a long hard day.
My theory is that you should eat at least every hour starting an hour into the ride so that you don’t run out of steam. This has severed me well on the long rides across Canada when I used to eat every ½ hour. Rita however thinks you need to be hungry to eat and that is true under normal circumstances but this is far from normal. As a result I’m force-feeding her all the time and I get the usual protest every time “but I’m not hungry” and I say, “eat” in response.
The café at the first stop, 44 km out, was closed so we ate in the cold clouds outside. The next stop was at the top of the second major climb another 20 km down the road. They were open and we had our first lunch there shortly after 12 along with a flat white.
By lunchtime we had already climbed around 1100m. It turned out that the second part of the first climb was the steepest, a steady climb for over 3 km in the lowest gear at 7-8 kph. The second climb was about 400m high but we managed to go up it in second gear at 8-9kph. The total climbing I use is only the major climbs of the day not all the little undulations in between of which there are many as you can see from the various photos. Very little of this country is flat. The decent from the first climb was rather steep. I had my drag brake on full and if I released the hand brakes the bike was soon going over 60kph and my stoker starts to complain over that. It was not safe going into turns at that speed on a wet road not knowing what is around the corner either. With the bike stationary it is very difficult to turn the rear wheel with the drag brake on so it is quite effective.
The second part of the ride had one remaining major climb at 300m high but was not a continuous climb, more insteps of varying steepness. The wind direction changed from here on to a tail wind of about 20-25kph, which helped on this climb. We followed along the plateau for a while till we got to our second lunch stop (the café here was also closed!) at the 105km mark. After eating copious amounts of peanut butter sandwiches we set off again. We had met up with Bernie and John at every stop and they had gone off ahead of us here. Another 10 km of fairly flat road at speeds of around 45-55kph (see what peanut butter will do for you) before the gradual decent into Taupo over the remaining 30km. The Rumba has excellent gearing for speed, with 60kph being quite doable in the highest gear and I used all of it.
When we entered town Bernie and John were waiting for us because Bernie had changed shirts part way through the ride and left his directions in the wet shirt. Together we made our way to the hostel where we are staying for the next two nights. Total riding time 6:24 and total elapse time about 7:15, average speed 22.2kph.
The other Rita decided quite early in the day to let her husband Peter have a more challenging day on his own so Peter rode with Joe, Ton, Dora and Adrian for the rest of the day.
Tomorrow we have a day off. Some of us will take a boat cruise and others will find other sights to see.
I do not expect to post tomorrow.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Ormondville to Napier
First let me appolgize for the lack of road picture for yesterday. The day before I had set the camera for movie mode and forgotten to rest it for still photos so all my shots were movies with poor reolution and not worth posting.
Ormondville to Napier
Dinner last night was enjoyed by all. We had a lamb roast; which Val explained was a meal eaten here on special occasions, much like we have a turkey meal in Canada. Dessert was Pavlova; which is basically egg white whipped and a topping added. We met and talked with a few of the locals in the adjoining pub before and after the meal. The picture shows the room and everyone eating.
We were warned that the trains would be running throughout the night and at several intervals the cabin along the platform would start rumbling as the trains rolled through. This made the experience all the more authentic and didn’t keep me awake long.
The sun rose around 6AM and the sky was quite nice; the close-up picture of the station was taken shortly after that time. We said goodbye to our hosts after taking another group picture and set off for the day.
The route today was somewhat complex and all made notes on which way to go at the first coffee break. Rita and I were among the last to leave and found the correct road off of SH2 but we never passed any of the others. Ton was following us after making an incorrect turn and then retracing his steps. As it turns out all the others that left before us missed the turn and so were off the route. Bernie and John were behind us and did find the correct route. The 5 of us met the van at the designated spot outside of Hastings North, had lunch and continued with the van ahead to guide us through the town as planned. The van filled with anxious wives went on a search and rescue mission after that and managed to locate the other riders in two different places. All eventually arrived at the Napier Prison where we are staying for the night. The accommodations tonight are in the actual cells of this old prison. Dinner tonight is in another restaurant, this time Indonesian food, and a favorite of people of Dutch background as most of us are.
Tomorrow will be the toughest day of the whole tour. It is long at 140 km but also has by far the most climbing. From the coast we climb 700m then drop down into a valley 400m deep then right back up the 400m again and then down again before climbing back up to a plateau at around the same height. A total of 1400m of serious climbing! At least the route is simple and no one should get lost. Judging by the determination I have seen so far in this group I expect all will make it to the end. More on that tomorrow.
Ormondville to Napier
Dinner last night was enjoyed by all. We had a lamb roast; which Val explained was a meal eaten here on special occasions, much like we have a turkey meal in Canada. Dessert was Pavlova; which is basically egg white whipped and a topping added. We met and talked with a few of the locals in the adjoining pub before and after the meal. The picture shows the room and everyone eating.
We were warned that the trains would be running throughout the night and at several intervals the cabin along the platform would start rumbling as the trains rolled through. This made the experience all the more authentic and didn’t keep me awake long.
The sun rose around 6AM and the sky was quite nice; the close-up picture of the station was taken shortly after that time. We said goodbye to our hosts after taking another group picture and set off for the day.
The route today was somewhat complex and all made notes on which way to go at the first coffee break. Rita and I were among the last to leave and found the correct road off of SH2 but we never passed any of the others. Ton was following us after making an incorrect turn and then retracing his steps. As it turns out all the others that left before us missed the turn and so were off the route. Bernie and John were behind us and did find the correct route. The 5 of us met the van at the designated spot outside of Hastings North, had lunch and continued with the van ahead to guide us through the town as planned. The van filled with anxious wives went on a search and rescue mission after that and managed to locate the other riders in two different places. All eventually arrived at the Napier Prison where we are staying for the night. The accommodations tonight are in the actual cells of this old prison. Dinner tonight is in another restaurant, this time Indonesian food, and a favorite of people of Dutch background as most of us are.
Tomorrow will be the toughest day of the whole tour. It is long at 140 km but also has by far the most climbing. From the coast we climb 700m then drop down into a valley 400m deep then right back up the 400m again and then down again before climbing back up to a plateau at around the same height. A total of 1400m of serious climbing! At least the route is simple and no one should get lost. Judging by the determination I have seen so far in this group I expect all will make it to the end. More on that tomorrow.
Masterton to Ormondville
Masterton to Ormondville
The sun was already shining brightly when I awoke. We spent the night on the second floor of a large building in the center of town. The tandem was supposed to be ready around 8:30. Now I can use the complete set of gears in the low range, something that will come in handy for the big climbing day coming up on Thursday. By 8:40 we were ready to start riding, all the others had left already.
Outside of town we were introduced to the wind for the day, a rather strong headwind, in fact we had trouble staying at 20kph! First break was at a bird sanctuary where they have successfully reintroduced some of native birds back into the wild. This includes the Kiwi bird and several other non-flying species, which were almost wiped out due to habitat loss, and non-native species hunting them or eating their food supply.
After that the wind was more from the side, the flat white kicked in and we were rolling along at over 30 kph. This got us to the lunch stop rather quickly. After lunch we weren’t as energetic or maybe it was the wind change again but the speed was definitely down. At 100km we had been riding for 4 hours. The contours here are pretty flat except for Mount Bruce just before the bird sanctuary. Ice cream, beer or coffee was enjoyed at Dannevirke. This left us with 15km to go and once we found the secondary road to Ormondville it was a pleasant change from the constant traffic on Highway #2. There were a few anxious moments as we tried to find the station, but following the tracks was the right thing to do an eventually after passing through some pretty valleys Ormondville and the station appeared.
We are sleeping in the old railway station and some workers huts situated around it (see photos). The trains still rumble through here but there is no longer any passenger service. Everyone loves the place even though there is only one shower. Dinner tonight will be prepared for us, an authentic NZ lamb dinner.
The sun was already shining brightly when I awoke. We spent the night on the second floor of a large building in the center of town. The tandem was supposed to be ready around 8:30. Now I can use the complete set of gears in the low range, something that will come in handy for the big climbing day coming up on Thursday. By 8:40 we were ready to start riding, all the others had left already.
Outside of town we were introduced to the wind for the day, a rather strong headwind, in fact we had trouble staying at 20kph! First break was at a bird sanctuary where they have successfully reintroduced some of native birds back into the wild. This includes the Kiwi bird and several other non-flying species, which were almost wiped out due to habitat loss, and non-native species hunting them or eating their food supply.
After that the wind was more from the side, the flat white kicked in and we were rolling along at over 30 kph. This got us to the lunch stop rather quickly. After lunch we weren’t as energetic or maybe it was the wind change again but the speed was definitely down. At 100km we had been riding for 4 hours. The contours here are pretty flat except for Mount Bruce just before the bird sanctuary. Ice cream, beer or coffee was enjoyed at Dannevirke. This left us with 15km to go and once we found the secondary road to Ormondville it was a pleasant change from the constant traffic on Highway #2. There were a few anxious moments as we tried to find the station, but following the tracks was the right thing to do an eventually after passing through some pretty valleys Ormondville and the station appeared.
We are sleeping in the old railway station and some workers huts situated around it (see photos). The trains still rumble through here but there is no longer any passenger service. Everyone loves the place even though there is only one shower. Dinner tonight will be prepared for us, an authentic NZ lamb dinner.
Monday, April 2, 2007
Wellington to Masterton
What a difference a day makes! The old Cambridge Hotel was in the middle of the Saturday night revelry that surrounds an international ruger game here when New Zealand is playing, especially on a Saturday. Never the quietest corner of town this past evening was particularly boisterous till late at night. Rita uses earplugs to sleep because if the noise isn’t coming from outside it is from snoring on the inside when in dorm facilities (not from yours truly) so the noise didn’t bother her at all. As for me, I can sleep through almost anything. Last night, Sunday, the hotel was quiet with only the inner city garbage pickup occurring during the middle of the night.
April 1 brought out some fools in our group, but the debate is who the fools were. Dora has had the pleasure of choosing between three different men to sleep above most nights for the last few weeks. She usually takes the upper bunk you see. Well Anna and Dora decided to do some room cleaning yesterday in Dora’s dorm and make out like all the stuff had been removed from their room. The guys came home and were a little upset, so much so that the front desk person told them their stuff was safely stored. John and Adrian quickly picked up the gag and played along, got into bed and pretended not to notice anything was wrong. Now Dora’s stuff had also ‘disappeared’ but she couldn’t get into bed, having no nightclothes. When I met them in the lobby Dora and Anna where trying to figure out what to do next. The tables had been turned, how could they salvage some self-respect out of this? Dora finally found her stuff but the boys couldn’t get out of bed claiming nakedness so Dora finally had to get their stuff too. The problem with all this is that there are two more weeks to go. Who will get the last laugh?
Oh Yah the ride! I put the fear of the Rimutaka hill into the others Sunday night; steep, narrow, winding, windy, trucks. Oh did I mention it was long?
It was a nice sunny morning with a few clouds and not the strong winds we had the last two days. We had to reassemble the bikes (photo 1) first. Then the tandem led the bikes through the early morning rush hour traffic in downtown Wellington, along the 4-lane highway through Lower Hutt and eventually Upper Hutt, all the time holding a speed of about 26 kph (see photo 2). After 30km it was our intension to have another flat white but the support crew couldn’t find the coffee shop so we had a stop along the highway. This spot was strategically chosen because it was just a few km from the start of the big hill.
Refreshed we set off at our own pace for the hill. Now from this side it comes in two stages, the first being only a climb of 150m then going down 50m and level for a bit before starting the real climb of 330m. As I told Rita the secret to a big hill is finding the right gear so that the work you do is sustainable for a long time. The difference is that for strong riders this is faster than for others but if you have the right gear you climb virtually anything. Also don’t let the hill intimidate you. Signs like these…….
Mind over matter or in this case mind over hill!
You can see that weather was excellent and the view outstanding as we climbed higher and higher. The other traffic on the road was very co-operative and because of the curves it was not moving too fast either. Rita and I set an easy pace so that my breathing was no harder than it had been on the ride earlier in the morning. The contours varied so that I was switching between my lowest 3 gears during the climb.
We were all looking forward to a coffee at the café at the top but it was closed on Mondays much to our disappointment. We ate lunch and waited for the others to arrive, cheering them to the top.
In preparation for the descent Rita and some others put their jackets back on. I set the camera for ‘movie’ mode, set the drag brake and away we went. A larger freight truck had crested a few minutes before we set off and part way through the 7.5 km descent we caught up to it and the cars behind it. Bernie and Joe were also in the pack. John had passed it earlier. At a wider spot the truck pulled over momentarily and the two of them slipped by but the cars ahead of me did not. Later at another wide spot I got by too. Rita had been only too glad to be in the traffic behind the truck at the slower pace. Now wind in the helmet and both hands firmly on the brakes to control the speed in the corners we sailed down what was left of the hill. It was all too short although the brake hands didn’t mind that the road straightened out and the highest gear was engaged for a run out at 55kph. I did manage to shoot a few movie clips, a couple of which are posted.
We had agreed to meet in Greytown, about 14km from the bottom. Coffee time was now over and we enjoyed a cool Oranjeboom beer (Dutch beer what else?). After relaxing for a while and waiting for the others to catch up we set off again toward our final destination some 25 km away riding at a steady (in several ways) 30kph.
I decided to take the Rumba (tandem) into the bike shop there to have the chain shortened some so that I could use more of the gears in my low range. The shop owner is a tandem rider who has a racing tandem with aero bars (not something you eat but use to lower your wind resistance). This gentleman, now about my age, is the holder of the time record for biking from Auckland to Wellington in just over 19 hours at a speed of over 34 kph that is over 600 km!
Everyone made it all the way, and felt real good about the accomplishment. Rita confesses she had nothing to fear after all those restless nights. With another perfect cycling day behind us; we ate too much at dinner as usual.
April 1 brought out some fools in our group, but the debate is who the fools were. Dora has had the pleasure of choosing between three different men to sleep above most nights for the last few weeks. She usually takes the upper bunk you see. Well Anna and Dora decided to do some room cleaning yesterday in Dora’s dorm and make out like all the stuff had been removed from their room. The guys came home and were a little upset, so much so that the front desk person told them their stuff was safely stored. John and Adrian quickly picked up the gag and played along, got into bed and pretended not to notice anything was wrong. Now Dora’s stuff had also ‘disappeared’ but she couldn’t get into bed, having no nightclothes. When I met them in the lobby Dora and Anna where trying to figure out what to do next. The tables had been turned, how could they salvage some self-respect out of this? Dora finally found her stuff but the boys couldn’t get out of bed claiming nakedness so Dora finally had to get their stuff too. The problem with all this is that there are two more weeks to go. Who will get the last laugh?
Oh Yah the ride! I put the fear of the Rimutaka hill into the others Sunday night; steep, narrow, winding, windy, trucks. Oh did I mention it was long?
It was a nice sunny morning with a few clouds and not the strong winds we had the last two days. We had to reassemble the bikes (photo 1) first. Then the tandem led the bikes through the early morning rush hour traffic in downtown Wellington, along the 4-lane highway through Lower Hutt and eventually Upper Hutt, all the time holding a speed of about 26 kph (see photo 2). After 30km it was our intension to have another flat white but the support crew couldn’t find the coffee shop so we had a stop along the highway. This spot was strategically chosen because it was just a few km from the start of the big hill.
Refreshed we set off at our own pace for the hill. Now from this side it comes in two stages, the first being only a climb of 150m then going down 50m and level for a bit before starting the real climb of 330m. As I told Rita the secret to a big hill is finding the right gear so that the work you do is sustainable for a long time. The difference is that for strong riders this is faster than for others but if you have the right gear you climb virtually anything. Also don’t let the hill intimidate you. Signs like these…….
Mind over matter or in this case mind over hill!
You can see that weather was excellent and the view outstanding as we climbed higher and higher. The other traffic on the road was very co-operative and because of the curves it was not moving too fast either. Rita and I set an easy pace so that my breathing was no harder than it had been on the ride earlier in the morning. The contours varied so that I was switching between my lowest 3 gears during the climb.
We were all looking forward to a coffee at the café at the top but it was closed on Mondays much to our disappointment. We ate lunch and waited for the others to arrive, cheering them to the top.
In preparation for the descent Rita and some others put their jackets back on. I set the camera for ‘movie’ mode, set the drag brake and away we went. A larger freight truck had crested a few minutes before we set off and part way through the 7.5 km descent we caught up to it and the cars behind it. Bernie and Joe were also in the pack. John had passed it earlier. At a wider spot the truck pulled over momentarily and the two of them slipped by but the cars ahead of me did not. Later at another wide spot I got by too. Rita had been only too glad to be in the traffic behind the truck at the slower pace. Now wind in the helmet and both hands firmly on the brakes to control the speed in the corners we sailed down what was left of the hill. It was all too short although the brake hands didn’t mind that the road straightened out and the highest gear was engaged for a run out at 55kph. I did manage to shoot a few movie clips, a couple of which are posted.
We had agreed to meet in Greytown, about 14km from the bottom. Coffee time was now over and we enjoyed a cool Oranjeboom beer (Dutch beer what else?). After relaxing for a while and waiting for the others to catch up we set off again toward our final destination some 25 km away riding at a steady (in several ways) 30kph.
I decided to take the Rumba (tandem) into the bike shop there to have the chain shortened some so that I could use more of the gears in my low range. The shop owner is a tandem rider who has a racing tandem with aero bars (not something you eat but use to lower your wind resistance). This gentleman, now about my age, is the holder of the time record for biking from Auckland to Wellington in just over 19 hours at a speed of over 34 kph that is over 600 km!
Everyone made it all the way, and felt real good about the accomplishment. Rita confesses she had nothing to fear after all those restless nights. With another perfect cycling day behind us; we ate too much at dinner as usual.
Sunday, April 1, 2007
The Big One
We had a nice relaxing day off, found the local Reformed church and
talked with a lot of people there after the service, wandered around
this windy city on a nice sunny afternoon. Tonight most of us went out
to a Malayan restaurant for a nice meal.
After church we talked to people and they asked are you going up the Rimutaka Hill? There is that word again Hill; used rather loosely around
here I'm afraid. This is the 500m climb 40 km outside of Wellington. I
wrote about it on the way down. It is a twisty narrow bit of road which
climbs over a 7 km stretch of road and then goes right back down again
for over 500m. This is probably going to be the toughest climb of the
trip. Will everyone make it up? How long will they take to climb it?
What will the weather be like at the bottom or the top?
talked with a lot of people there after the service, wandered around
this windy city on a nice sunny afternoon. Tonight most of us went out
to a Malayan restaurant for a nice meal.
After church we talked to people and they asked are you going up the Rimutaka Hill? There is that word again Hill; used rather loosely around
here I'm afraid. This is the 500m climb 40 km outside of Wellington. I
wrote about it on the way down. It is a twisty narrow bit of road which
climbs over a 7 km stretch of road and then goes right back down again
for over 500m. This is probably going to be the toughest climb of the
trip. Will everyone make it up? How long will they take to climb it?
What will the weather be like at the bottom or the top?
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Blenheim to Wellington
Blenheim to Wellington
An easy, flat, short 28 km to the ferry today, right! By mid morning the north wind was howling down the road between the hills, straight into our faces. The road seemed ever upward except for about 1 km out of Picton when we had a nice downhill. All others had their cycling clothes on except me. I figured that for a 7 hour journey with 1 hour of riding it was not worth staying in spandex all day. Mind you I look better in spandex than some of the others but Rita was with me anyway so what was the point.
We arrived in Picton well before the ferry loading time so that we could repackage our stuff. We had already managed to get all the luggage and food into the trailer and so now we had to put 5 bikes into the van. Kirk’s was already strapped to the top of the trailer and after removing the front wheels from 4 more we got them into the van. This meant that we didn’t have to pay extra for each of those bikes to go across. After all this was done we went to the bar to have the usual, flat white coffee.
The ferry crossing was smooth sailing and we enjoyed the scenery from the perspective of the water. One picture shows the bikes strapped down in the ferry and the other some of the ladies on deck.
Wellington is a fairly large city, in fact the largest that we will be cycling in. The road to the hotel passes right through the downtown area and it was late Saturday afternoon at this time, busy traffic. Since Rita and I had explored the city while waiting for the ferry on the journey south; we led the way for all the rides and the van to the hotel. All went well except for U-turn between two one-way streets where I ended up on the wrong side of the road and all others followed.
Tonight’s hotel is right in the downtown area; an old city hotel which has both hotel and backpacker accommodations. Kirk prepared his bike for the trip home and was sorry to have to go back home. Because there is no place to keep the bikes we put 5 into the empty trailer, 4 into the back of the van and laid the tandem across the seats. We will take the tandem out tomorrow and put it in the hotel room when we use the van for taxi service to church.
The backpacker’s kitchen here is rather small and crowed but we enjoyed a meal of beef stroganoff all the same.
An easy, flat, short 28 km to the ferry today, right! By mid morning the north wind was howling down the road between the hills, straight into our faces. The road seemed ever upward except for about 1 km out of Picton when we had a nice downhill. All others had their cycling clothes on except me. I figured that for a 7 hour journey with 1 hour of riding it was not worth staying in spandex all day. Mind you I look better in spandex than some of the others but Rita was with me anyway so what was the point.
We arrived in Picton well before the ferry loading time so that we could repackage our stuff. We had already managed to get all the luggage and food into the trailer and so now we had to put 5 bikes into the van. Kirk’s was already strapped to the top of the trailer and after removing the front wheels from 4 more we got them into the van. This meant that we didn’t have to pay extra for each of those bikes to go across. After all this was done we went to the bar to have the usual, flat white coffee.
The ferry crossing was smooth sailing and we enjoyed the scenery from the perspective of the water. One picture shows the bikes strapped down in the ferry and the other some of the ladies on deck.
Wellington is a fairly large city, in fact the largest that we will be cycling in. The road to the hotel passes right through the downtown area and it was late Saturday afternoon at this time, busy traffic. Since Rita and I had explored the city while waiting for the ferry on the journey south; we led the way for all the rides and the van to the hotel. All went well except for U-turn between two one-way streets where I ended up on the wrong side of the road and all others followed.
Tonight’s hotel is right in the downtown area; an old city hotel which has both hotel and backpacker accommodations. Kirk prepared his bike for the trip home and was sorry to have to go back home. Because there is no place to keep the bikes we put 5 into the empty trailer, 4 into the back of the van and laid the tandem across the seats. We will take the tandem out tomorrow and put it in the hotel room when we use the van for taxi service to church.
The backpacker’s kitchen here is rather small and crowed but we enjoyed a meal of beef stroganoff all the same.
Some more on Berlins
Berlins
The Berlins Hotel and BBH was established in the 1800’s during the gold rush in this area. The north part of the west coast from Ross to here was mined for gold. The rivers still give up flakes and nuggets after a storm. People still have claims that they work from time to time.
The Buller River has quite a volume of water running in it with the typical shallow areas but also some deep up welling areas. They have earthquakes in this area since there is a major fault line running through here. They also get slides coming off of the hills along the gorge. The river has become blocked at times like this and major floods have occurred. In 1968 it rose over 11m above the normal level. Local photos of earthquakes show the roads ruined with large cracks running down them.
The Town of Berlins now consists of 1 hotel, all the other buildings have disappeared.
Our hostel tonight has 16 beds, 1 room with 3 bunks, two rooms with 2 bunks and 1 with a double bed. This is a normal arrangement for these smaller backpackers places.
The Berlins Hotel and BBH was established in the 1800’s during the gold rush in this area. The north part of the west coast from Ross to here was mined for gold. The rivers still give up flakes and nuggets after a storm. People still have claims that they work from time to time.
The Buller River has quite a volume of water running in it with the typical shallow areas but also some deep up welling areas. They have earthquakes in this area since there is a major fault line running through here. They also get slides coming off of the hills along the gorge. The river has become blocked at times like this and major floods have occurred. In 1968 it rose over 11m above the normal level. Local photos of earthquakes show the roads ruined with large cracks running down them.
The Town of Berlins now consists of 1 hotel, all the other buildings have disappeared.
Our hostel tonight has 16 beds, 1 room with 3 bunks, two rooms with 2 bunks and 1 with a double bed. This is a normal arrangement for these smaller backpackers places.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
St Arnaud to Blenheim
As I awoke it was starting to get light out, I thought I could see the outline of a mountain out of the big picture window. It was not raining so that was good. As the light level increased I discovered that it was a branch on the tree not a mountain outside but the rain was gone and that was the main thing. It is quite amazing what a hard ride will do. Usually is up and eager to eat, make lunch and be off but not today. It was around 8:30 by the time everyone was seriously preparing to leave. The lady who ran the place was quite insistent that we should not leave town without going down to the lake. Rita and I took the tandem down quite a hill and then of course had to pedal back up again. The first picture today is of the lake. You can see there is still a lot of cloud just above the hills.
When we got on the road it was quite warm and very humid so the first thing we did is take off a layer of clothing. After about 8km we were over the top of the divide and going down hill basically for the rest of the day about 730m and another 90 km of road. Average speed for the day was over 30kph for us and all the others were also enjoying the downhill ride. The road follows the river valley and more and more farms both dairy, sheep and toward the end vineyards. We decided to take a tour though one and that is another of the posted pictures. Everyone managed to ride after the tasting, even in a straight line.
Accommodations tonight are quite luxurious and tomorrow is an easy ride for the six day of consecutive riding, the longest week of the tour.
When we got on the road it was quite warm and very humid so the first thing we did is take off a layer of clothing. After about 8km we were over the top of the divide and going down hill basically for the rest of the day about 730m and another 90 km of road. Average speed for the day was over 30kph for us and all the others were also enjoying the downhill ride. The road follows the river valley and more and more farms both dairy, sheep and toward the end vineyards. We decided to take a tour though one and that is another of the posted pictures. Everyone managed to ride after the tasting, even in a straight line.
Accommodations tonight are quite luxurious and tomorrow is an easy ride for the six day of consecutive riding, the longest week of the tour.
Berlins to St. Arnoud
Jessie yelled "seven kilometers to go" out of the van window as he passed the other way. These where welcome words. My odometer had quite working due to the rain we had experienced for the last 70km. We had been on a very flat stretch of road for about 1/2 hour working on the last 25km stretch for the day after eating a late lunch. We had now been on the road for 5 hours, the wind was in our face and the sunshine we had experience in the rainy part of the South Island was now gone as we entered the dry east side of it!
Bernie and John were ahead of us with all the others well back. The others had stopped for an extra break. The ride up to this point had been hard in a different way, up and down and more up as we rode along the
We had no idea what the last 25k would bring as we had lunch but we knew we had to go up another 280m. As we got into the ride the road plateaued and this is the straight as a prairie road we were on now. We couldn't get the bike over 20kph (before my unit crapped out) No brake on, Rita claimed she was working, I certainly was; so it had to be the wind and incline of the road, steadily climbing. The rain kept coming and going.
A light rain is no problem, the heat from your body keeps you somewhat dry and warm but if it picks up a lot you do get chilled. It was the "longest 7 km" Rita had ever seen but eventually we got there.
All the others arrived in due time tired and wet. Kirk had to give up for the day because of the continuing knee problem he has been having. A bowl of warm soup was waiting for the riders and then a warm shower. Several riders had flat tires (the rain always makes it worse).
We are in a ski area, just about on the divide for the
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Greymouth to Berlins
It was a grey day when we set out shortly after 8 AM on this somewhat long day of 135 km.
The ride was along the coast for at least 1/2 of the day but quite hilly as the road went up and down along the coast. We stopped at Pancake Rocks and took lots of photos of this unique spot (sorry I can't post from here tonight).
After we left the coast we started a steady climb along the buller Gorge (also some pictures for later posting). The place we are staying in is along the river with the cliffs behind.
I haven't mentioned Sand Flys yet but these little critters are all along the West coast here. They are worse than Manitoba Mosiquetoes. Rita and I stopped once and were almost eaten alive . They are about the size of fruit flies but suck your blood like mosqitoes.
Anyway I have to go now. Will try to post tomorrow again. Bill
Monday, March 26, 2007
Franz Josef to Greymouth (2 days)
Kakapotachi River to Greymouth
This perfect weather is really getting boring and we are over budget on sunscreen! Three riders had left early in order to get a couple of bike repairs done in Hokitika before we arrived. Adrian and his brake/rear shifter and Ton with an alignment problem with his rear shifter still not right after the accident with the trailer. It was already 17C when we left at 9:20. No major climbs today and after the town of Hokitika it followed the ocean about 300m away from it but close enough to hear the waves on the beach.
The lunch stop was in Hokitika. On the photo you can still see the snow capped mountains just above the white van. This seemed like a nice town with the main industry being the gold panning in the nearby rivers for the tourists and making/selling jewelry to those who didn’t have the time to pan.
The afternoon ride was uneventful along the flat straight road along the ocean. We have noticed an increase in traffic from yesterday and some change in vegetation.
Franz Josef to Kakapotahi River
As usual breakfast was finished at the scheduled starting time, riders eager to go. The first group left at 9, air still cool but only light cloud and little wind. We pulled out 15 minutes later. Everyone felt strong after a day off. The first stop was 32 km away and it turned out there was a nice coffee shop there. We all arrived within a few minutes of each other as planned. Coffee here is always fresh, no such thing as a pot. You order a short or long black, a flat white or a latte. It is then freshly made and brought to your table when ready. It tastes good but is not cheap, usually $3.50NZ or about $3 CDN.
The ride for the day was 90km so 1/3 was down, another 30 to our lunch break, but in order to get there we had to climb Mount Hercules which rises about 250m above the surrounding area. This was the main climb for the day and of course we had to go up the steep side. The wind never blows on these climbs in the trees and your going slow so you don’t create your own breeze. My glasses come off so that I can wipe the sweat off of my brow before it reaches my eyes. I had orders to take it easy on this stretch since the first section had turned into a bit of a fast ride, averaging over 30 kph.
Most of us left at about the same time for the third section, and after a while a line 5 bikes formed behind the Tandem. A few hills broke up the group with 2 going ahead and one dropping back. Everyone had a good ride today.
Old Church Backpackers, is an old church; which was moved to this site and renovated to become a hostel. It is nicely situated beside the river in which some of us dared to wash. The water temperature is less than 10C since all the rivers here come from the ice fields.
This is a very nicely kept place and all are enjoying the facilities in this somewhat rustic setting. We have 5 separate bedrooms so most couples will have their own space tonight.
This perfect weather is really getting boring and we are over budget on sunscreen! Three riders had left early in order to get a couple of bike repairs done in Hokitika before we arrived. Adrian and his brake/rear shifter and Ton with an alignment problem with his rear shifter still not right after the accident with the trailer. It was already 17C when we left at 9:20. No major climbs today and after the town of Hokitika it followed the ocean about 300m away from it but close enough to hear the waves on the beach.
The lunch stop was in Hokitika. On the photo you can still see the snow capped mountains just above the white van. This seemed like a nice town with the main industry being the gold panning in the nearby rivers for the tourists and making/selling jewelry to those who didn’t have the time to pan.
The afternoon ride was uneventful along the flat straight road along the ocean. We have noticed an increase in traffic from yesterday and some change in vegetation.
Franz Josef to Kakapotahi River
As usual breakfast was finished at the scheduled starting time, riders eager to go. The first group left at 9, air still cool but only light cloud and little wind. We pulled out 15 minutes later. Everyone felt strong after a day off. The first stop was 32 km away and it turned out there was a nice coffee shop there. We all arrived within a few minutes of each other as planned. Coffee here is always fresh, no such thing as a pot. You order a short or long black, a flat white or a latte. It is then freshly made and brought to your table when ready. It tastes good but is not cheap, usually $3.50NZ or about $3 CDN.
The ride for the day was 90km so 1/3 was down, another 30 to our lunch break, but in order to get there we had to climb Mount Hercules which rises about 250m above the surrounding area. This was the main climb for the day and of course we had to go up the steep side. The wind never blows on these climbs in the trees and your going slow so you don’t create your own breeze. My glasses come off so that I can wipe the sweat off of my brow before it reaches my eyes. I had orders to take it easy on this stretch since the first section had turned into a bit of a fast ride, averaging over 30 kph.
Most of us left at about the same time for the third section, and after a while a line 5 bikes formed behind the Tandem. A few hills broke up the group with 2 going ahead and one dropping back. Everyone had a good ride today.
Old Church Backpackers, is an old church; which was moved to this site and renovated to become a hostel. It is nicely situated beside the river in which some of us dared to wash. The water temperature is less than 10C since all the rivers here come from the ice fields.
This is a very nicely kept place and all are enjoying the facilities in this somewhat rustic setting. We have 5 separate bedrooms so most couples will have their own space tonight.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Franz Jozef
Franz Josef
The morning sun was out by the time we got up. The first picture is of the ever-present glacier and tourist business in this town. It is all tours and adventure experiences of every kind.
We had our own church service; since neither the RC nor Anglican buildings in town have regular services, ably led by Bernie and Anna. We continue to be in awe of the beauty that is around us and gave thanks again to our creator for it.
At 12:30 we went on a glacier walk and the other posted pictures are of that. The Franz Josef glacier is one of the fastest moving in the world advancing about a foot per day at the bottom. This is because of its steepness and allows it to exist within the rain forest; which surrounds it. The top of the mountain receives some 25m of snow per year; which feeds this glacier. Unlike some other glaciers this one has actually been growing since 1983 after receding since it was ‘discovered’ in the 1750s.
Tomorrow we resume our bike trek northward along the west coast of New Zealand. There is no official internet available in the place we are staying but I will try to post from the hostel’s computer, but no guarantees.
The morning sun was out by the time we got up. The first picture is of the ever-present glacier and tourist business in this town. It is all tours and adventure experiences of every kind.
We had our own church service; since neither the RC nor Anglican buildings in town have regular services, ably led by Bernie and Anna. We continue to be in awe of the beauty that is around us and gave thanks again to our creator for it.
At 12:30 we went on a glacier walk and the other posted pictures are of that. The Franz Josef glacier is one of the fastest moving in the world advancing about a foot per day at the bottom. This is because of its steepness and allows it to exist within the rain forest; which surrounds it. The top of the mountain receives some 25m of snow per year; which feeds this glacier. Unlike some other glaciers this one has actually been growing since 1983 after receding since it was ‘discovered’ in the 1750s.
Tomorrow we resume our bike trek northward along the west coast of New Zealand. There is no official internet available in the place we are staying but I will try to post from the hostel’s computer, but no guarantees.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Haast to Franz Josef
Haast to Franz Josef
Everyone knew that this would be a hard day. The prospect of riding 145 km with about 700m of climbing in the last 20 km was daunting for some and enough to be taken seriously by all. I had warned the group the night before to eat constantly throughout the ride. The support crew had bought extra snack bars and bananas. Breakfast was set earlier than normal at 7:30. Alarms started going off at 6:15 and as usual people were eating breakfast ½ hour before the set time. Most people had an extra helping of porridge. Lunches and breakfast were all finished by 7:30. Peter brought to our attention a brochure he had found which said that the distance was 165 km not 145 and broke this good news to us during breakfast.
Most riders have nervous stomachs before such a ride and so the bathrooms are quite busy in preparation for the day.
Outside it was quite foggy and cool so early in the morning and near the ocean. The first riders set off just after 7:30, the last riders –Rita and I- set of at 8. We had decided not to have any official lunch stops today so that people could make their way at their own pace. We set out with leggings and jackets on.
The first road sign we came to, just a few kilometers into the ride, said that indeed our destination was 142 km away. I’m sure that as each rider went buy that sign they felt relieved.
About 20 km into the ride we had to climb a series of large hills, as the road swung away from the coast, with a total climb of about 200m. By that time the fog had lifted, the sun was out and there was no wind. I had decided to stop about every hour in order to eat and give our rear ends a rest. This time came at the top of one of these hills; which overlooked the ocean.
I wanted to take a few movies today of the downhill rides. I got some good footage here but the lighting was poor and affected the quality as I found out later in the ride so I would have to wait for another 110 km before being able to try again.
On route we met a group of American tourist who were on a week long professionally organized tour. The group consisted of about 20 people but it was easy to tell that they were not true cyclists. They did however give us the unofficial name of the climbs at the end referring to them as “triple bypass”. The ones we talked to had been bussed to a point past the climbs.
The second break was at Lake Paringa, the 3rd and 4th river bridges. Rita was feeling quite full at the last stop but since I knew what lay ahead I insisted that she eat more. This 4th stop was about 35 km from the end or 10-15 from the serious climb. A little further along we had a Power Gel, carbohydrate electrolyte blend with Double Latte flavour. Then we waited for the climbing to start and waited and waited. I thought don’t tell me I read the chart wrong and the small incline was the hill! As we passed though the town of Fox Glacier there was a sharp turn in the road and the climb lay ahead or so we expected. We had been riding for 5 and ¼ hours by this time with another 20km to go. The road led into the ever-present forest, so unlike the previous Crown Saddle climb where you could see a long way up the hill, here you could not get a sense of what lay ahead. After a couple of turns we knew that this was it but never the extent of the climb. Because of the constant trees on both sides of the road there was very little breeze but often-full sun. Neither could you see down the hill as we continued to climb the first of the three peaks. As we crested this 410m peak we headed straight down again for 200m, the road followed the mountain contour and so was very curvy. This is where the posted video was taken. At the bottom the road went up for another 200m as quickly as it had dropped off at the top. Then one more saddle followed but this was only a 50m climb before dropping off about 200m. One more climb before reaching Franz Josef put us on the river plane. The view crossing the Bailey bridge was spectacular and certainly worthy of the posted photo.
Total riding time was 6 hrs and 45 minutes at an average speed of 21.4 kph when we arrived at the Glow Worm Cottages almost 8 hours after leaving Haast. The hot tube was well used by our group. All the riders came in on their own except Rita B. who rode farther than she had ever done but the series of hills at the end was just too much. Adrian had a brake/gear shifter come apart on him and jury-rigged a piece of fence wire so that he could brake coming down the steep grades. Kirk came in with a swollen knee, which had been bothering him for several days now but not as much as today. My Rita had never ridden this far either nor had I on the tandem. She likes to say that it is I doing all the work but there is no way that is possible. She definitely pulls her own weight. The most common complaint from the riders at the end was “oh my sore butt”
Tomorrow is a well-deserved day off after 4 days of riding. We are now 559 km into our 2200 km journey or ¼ of the way. Next week we ride for 6 days straight before a day off in Wellington.
Everyone knew that this would be a hard day. The prospect of riding 145 km with about 700m of climbing in the last 20 km was daunting for some and enough to be taken seriously by all. I had warned the group the night before to eat constantly throughout the ride. The support crew had bought extra snack bars and bananas. Breakfast was set earlier than normal at 7:30. Alarms started going off at 6:15 and as usual people were eating breakfast ½ hour before the set time. Most people had an extra helping of porridge. Lunches and breakfast were all finished by 7:30. Peter brought to our attention a brochure he had found which said that the distance was 165 km not 145 and broke this good news to us during breakfast.
Most riders have nervous stomachs before such a ride and so the bathrooms are quite busy in preparation for the day.
Outside it was quite foggy and cool so early in the morning and near the ocean. The first riders set off just after 7:30, the last riders –Rita and I- set of at 8. We had decided not to have any official lunch stops today so that people could make their way at their own pace. We set out with leggings and jackets on.
The first road sign we came to, just a few kilometers into the ride, said that indeed our destination was 142 km away. I’m sure that as each rider went buy that sign they felt relieved.
About 20 km into the ride we had to climb a series of large hills, as the road swung away from the coast, with a total climb of about 200m. By that time the fog had lifted, the sun was out and there was no wind. I had decided to stop about every hour in order to eat and give our rear ends a rest. This time came at the top of one of these hills; which overlooked the ocean.
I wanted to take a few movies today of the downhill rides. I got some good footage here but the lighting was poor and affected the quality as I found out later in the ride so I would have to wait for another 110 km before being able to try again.
On route we met a group of American tourist who were on a week long professionally organized tour. The group consisted of about 20 people but it was easy to tell that they were not true cyclists. They did however give us the unofficial name of the climbs at the end referring to them as “triple bypass”. The ones we talked to had been bussed to a point past the climbs.
The second break was at Lake Paringa, the 3rd and 4th river bridges. Rita was feeling quite full at the last stop but since I knew what lay ahead I insisted that she eat more. This 4th stop was about 35 km from the end or 10-15 from the serious climb. A little further along we had a Power Gel, carbohydrate electrolyte blend with Double Latte flavour. Then we waited for the climbing to start and waited and waited. I thought don’t tell me I read the chart wrong and the small incline was the hill! As we passed though the town of Fox Glacier there was a sharp turn in the road and the climb lay ahead or so we expected. We had been riding for 5 and ¼ hours by this time with another 20km to go. The road led into the ever-present forest, so unlike the previous Crown Saddle climb where you could see a long way up the hill, here you could not get a sense of what lay ahead. After a couple of turns we knew that this was it but never the extent of the climb. Because of the constant trees on both sides of the road there was very little breeze but often-full sun. Neither could you see down the hill as we continued to climb the first of the three peaks. As we crested this 410m peak we headed straight down again for 200m, the road followed the mountain contour and so was very curvy. This is where the posted video was taken. At the bottom the road went up for another 200m as quickly as it had dropped off at the top. Then one more saddle followed but this was only a 50m climb before dropping off about 200m. One more climb before reaching Franz Josef put us on the river plane. The view crossing the Bailey bridge was spectacular and certainly worthy of the posted photo.
Total riding time was 6 hrs and 45 minutes at an average speed of 21.4 kph when we arrived at the Glow Worm Cottages almost 8 hours after leaving Haast. The hot tube was well used by our group. All the riders came in on their own except Rita B. who rode farther than she had ever done but the series of hills at the end was just too much. Adrian had a brake/gear shifter come apart on him and jury-rigged a piece of fence wire so that he could brake coming down the steep grades. Kirk came in with a swollen knee, which had been bothering him for several days now but not as much as today. My Rita had never ridden this far either nor had I on the tandem. She likes to say that it is I doing all the work but there is no way that is possible. She definitely pulls her own weight. The most common complaint from the riders at the end was “oh my sore butt”
Tomorrow is a well-deserved day off after 4 days of riding. We are now 559 km into our 2200 km journey or ¼ of the way. Next week we ride for 6 days straight before a day off in Wellington.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Makarora to Haast
First let me explain that email was not available last night and tonight the system will not allow uploading of photos. Tomorrow night in Franz Josef facilities are supposed to be better and I will catch up Sunday sometime with the photos and preveous days story.
Today was another spectacular day going throught the rain forest. The Suiside hill was pretty steep but we were going down it. I applied the drag brake prety well to the max and used bioth caliper brakes to control the descent on this curvy piece of road. I had no time to take my hands off the brakes to take a picture. The other day I used my chin to click the picture on the way down but I didn't get things ready in time to do that today, besides I was not sitting in a low position using my body to catch some wind and help slow down.
The problem with any photo in this area is that the views are so large that a camera can not possibly take it all in. We stopped at several falls, well more like catracts but pretty never the less. The river valleys are wide and as always filled with rounded stones as show in one photo.
The climb up to the top of the pass was not a steady climb but a bit down and more up following the river.
Everyone made the whole ride without a lot of trouble today even thought there was a stiff west wind in our face for the last 15 km. We are now on the Tasman Sea between Australia and NZ. You can feel the cool breeze coming off of the ocean.
Tomorrow is the longest and toughest ride yet in the tour and the 2nd or 3rd hardest day of the tour. The major climb is at the end of the day. Tune in again. Bill
Today was another spectacular day going throught the rain forest. The Suiside hill was pretty steep but we were going down it. I applied the drag brake prety well to the max and used bioth caliper brakes to control the descent on this curvy piece of road. I had no time to take my hands off the brakes to take a picture. The other day I used my chin to click the picture on the way down but I didn't get things ready in time to do that today, besides I was not sitting in a low position using my body to catch some wind and help slow down.
The problem with any photo in this area is that the views are so large that a camera can not possibly take it all in. We stopped at several falls, well more like catracts but pretty never the less. The river valleys are wide and as always filled with rounded stones as show in one photo.
The climb up to the top of the pass was not a steady climb but a bit down and more up following the river.
Everyone made the whole ride without a lot of trouble today even thought there was a stiff west wind in our face for the last 15 km. We are now on the Tasman Sea between Australia and NZ. You can feel the cool breeze coming off of the ocean.
Tomorrow is the longest and toughest ride yet in the tour and the 2nd or 3rd hardest day of the tour. The major climb is at the end of the day. Tune in again. Bill
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Addendum To Crown Saddle
A few statistics for you which I missed yesterday. The total climbing for the day was about 850 m. Going up the saddle at 6-7 km /hr is like jogging up a ski hill 2x higher than Blue Mountain, or about 900 ft, with a 30 pound pack on. The winds on the way down are quite normal as the prevailing westerlies make their way through the passes. We can expect more of the same as we continue in this direction for the next 3 days.
We are heading out of town now and I am not sure of how much internet access we will have over the next few days but stay tuned. Bill
We are heading out of town now and I am not sure of how much internet access we will have over the next few days but stay tuned. Bill
Queenstown to Wanaka
Queenstown to Wanaka- The Crown Saddle
Last night after giving a summary of the choices for today’s ride; Adrian suggested we all try the BIG climb and those who couldn’t make it could get a lift up with the van. It can take 3 bikes and riders so we figured we could manage. All the riders agreed some with reservation but all were in.
I managed to get some missing parts for my camera holder mount for the front of the bike before the ride. I figured that I would need it today and it sure came in handy. It allows me to take pictures as I ride without fumbling with the camera. All the shots posted today are taken with the camera mounted on the bike.
We set off at 9:30, a rather civilized time –not like the Sea to Sea- but it was cool. The early part of the ride was to be the easy part but turned out to have a lot of short but fairly steep hills in it. Then we came upon a detour, the start of which is shown on the first picture, and a very steep hill. Several riders walked a good part of it. This new route added 3-4 km to our trip. By the time we reached Arrowtown- a former gold mining town now restored so the tourist will have another place to spend their money-everyone was ready for a coffee or break. Many of the people we talked to in this town knew or had been on the HILL and so were telling us more about it and encouraging us. We toured down Main Street (2nd photo) after that and set out for the hill.
As we approached the HILL we could see cars snaking their way to the top. Well not really the top, let’s say until they went out of sight. Turing off of the main highway we saw signs –not recommended for cars with trailers, no heavy trucks-good in one way but another testament to how serious a hill this is. The Crown Saddle rises more than 600m above the valley in 3 stages over an 11km distance; 3km steep, 5 steady but not steep and then a final steepest section of 3.5 km to the top.
The front changer on the tandem was working fairly well and it was a good thing, we started at 3 gears from my lowest and switched between this bottom 3 depending on the grade. The sun was out; visibility was excellent as you can see from the pictures and there was very little wind. John, mountain man from Calgary led the way up. Riders were stretched out so we really couldn’t see anyone. Ton (nearly 72 years old), who thought that maybe he wasn’t in good enough shape made it all the way without stopping. Bernie thought that he had stripped his rear ratchet mechanism ended up taking a ride to the top then it seemed OK again so got a ride back down and then rode up on his own. He and John were up in about an hour; Rita and I didn’t stop either and took about 1hr 8 min. All the other took breaks as they came up. Only one rider took the van other than Bernie. So it was a great effort by all and a great confidence builder.
The route down is not as steep but is straighter so it would allow more speed, BUT there was a wind howling up the canyon of 40-50 km/hr. This means that the bike and rider are experiencing about a 100km/hr wind if doing 50km/hr going down. I had the drag brake on fairly strongly (this is a hub brake on the tandem which can be adjusted to a given setting and stays there). We hit 60kph on the first steep downhill, but after the road leveled out somewhat the bike seemed to slow down even when I released the drag brake. I was not in my highest gear and working pretty hard trying to maintain 40kph. I finally stopped to check that this brake was not stuck on. Finding it OK I finally realized that it was the strong wind doing it even on this fairly steep hill. All the riders experienced this disappointment in not being able to go as fast as the road would allow because of the wind. I explained to Rita afterward that this is supposed to be the reward after climbing a hill, the thrill of coming down.
In this case there was another reward in the form of a nice hotel/pub 15 km down the hill where we had agreed to meet up again. All the riders who came in while we waited were beaming. Dora, who doesn’t like downhill riding, was especially happy that she had made it all the way up and down without walking (although she did take a few breaks). The downhill on this side is 40 km of pretty much all downhill but the wind did not let up so it was work to maintain 30-35kph. The remaining 25km was very nice and all the riders rode in a straight line too.
Margaret and her assistants went to town looking to buy dishes/cutlery/pots and such since the kitchen here didn’t have any of these. The dinner minute was changed to accommodate the last minute surprises and we all had a great meal with enough to eat.
Everyone agreed that we had a great day coming over the highest pass in New Zealand, the Crown Saddle
Last night after giving a summary of the choices for today’s ride; Adrian suggested we all try the BIG climb and those who couldn’t make it could get a lift up with the van. It can take 3 bikes and riders so we figured we could manage. All the riders agreed some with reservation but all were in.
I managed to get some missing parts for my camera holder mount for the front of the bike before the ride. I figured that I would need it today and it sure came in handy. It allows me to take pictures as I ride without fumbling with the camera. All the shots posted today are taken with the camera mounted on the bike.
We set off at 9:30, a rather civilized time –not like the Sea to Sea- but it was cool. The early part of the ride was to be the easy part but turned out to have a lot of short but fairly steep hills in it. Then we came upon a detour, the start of which is shown on the first picture, and a very steep hill. Several riders walked a good part of it. This new route added 3-4 km to our trip. By the time we reached Arrowtown- a former gold mining town now restored so the tourist will have another place to spend their money-everyone was ready for a coffee or break. Many of the people we talked to in this town knew or had been on the HILL and so were telling us more about it and encouraging us. We toured down Main Street (2nd photo) after that and set out for the hill.
As we approached the HILL we could see cars snaking their way to the top. Well not really the top, let’s say until they went out of sight. Turing off of the main highway we saw signs –not recommended for cars with trailers, no heavy trucks-good in one way but another testament to how serious a hill this is. The Crown Saddle rises more than 600m above the valley in 3 stages over an 11km distance; 3km steep, 5 steady but not steep and then a final steepest section of 3.5 km to the top.
The front changer on the tandem was working fairly well and it was a good thing, we started at 3 gears from my lowest and switched between this bottom 3 depending on the grade. The sun was out; visibility was excellent as you can see from the pictures and there was very little wind. John, mountain man from Calgary led the way up. Riders were stretched out so we really couldn’t see anyone. Ton (nearly 72 years old), who thought that maybe he wasn’t in good enough shape made it all the way without stopping. Bernie thought that he had stripped his rear ratchet mechanism ended up taking a ride to the top then it seemed OK again so got a ride back down and then rode up on his own. He and John were up in about an hour; Rita and I didn’t stop either and took about 1hr 8 min. All the other took breaks as they came up. Only one rider took the van other than Bernie. So it was a great effort by all and a great confidence builder.
The route down is not as steep but is straighter so it would allow more speed, BUT there was a wind howling up the canyon of 40-50 km/hr. This means that the bike and rider are experiencing about a 100km/hr wind if doing 50km/hr going down. I had the drag brake on fairly strongly (this is a hub brake on the tandem which can be adjusted to a given setting and stays there). We hit 60kph on the first steep downhill, but after the road leveled out somewhat the bike seemed to slow down even when I released the drag brake. I was not in my highest gear and working pretty hard trying to maintain 40kph. I finally stopped to check that this brake was not stuck on. Finding it OK I finally realized that it was the strong wind doing it even on this fairly steep hill. All the riders experienced this disappointment in not being able to go as fast as the road would allow because of the wind. I explained to Rita afterward that this is supposed to be the reward after climbing a hill, the thrill of coming down.
In this case there was another reward in the form of a nice hotel/pub 15 km down the hill where we had agreed to meet up again. All the riders who came in while we waited were beaming. Dora, who doesn’t like downhill riding, was especially happy that she had made it all the way up and down without walking (although she did take a few breaks). The downhill on this side is 40 km of pretty much all downhill but the wind did not let up so it was work to maintain 30-35kph. The remaining 25km was very nice and all the riders rode in a straight line too.
Margaret and her assistants went to town looking to buy dishes/cutlery/pots and such since the kitchen here didn’t have any of these. The dinner minute was changed to accommodate the last minute surprises and we all had a great meal with enough to eat.
Everyone agreed that we had a great day coming over the highest pass in New Zealand, the Crown Saddle
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Milford Sound
What a day off! Eight hours of driving and 5 of sightseeing. We saw some of the most awesome country today. A picture says a 1000 words but believe me this is one of those places where pictures do not come close, especially on my little camera. The drive to Milford sound is breath taking, again shown by some picture. When we got there the clouds were low in the sky shrouding the peeks but as the 2.5 hour cruise proceeded the clouds lifted. The boat followed a school of dolphins for at least 15 minutes. There appearance in the fiord is rare and so it was special to see them do flips to our cheers. The excommunicated young male sea lions were interesting too.
Everyone had a great day, the weather was very good for this area which get 28' of rain a year and a drought is no rain for a week.
Tomorrow we tackle the highest road in NZ, the whole group has decided to give it a go, a real test of mental and physical endurance. More on this tomorrow.
Everyone had a great day, the weather was very good for this area which get 28' of rain a year and a drought is no rain for a week.
Tomorrow we tackle the highest road in NZ, the whole group has decided to give it a go, a real test of mental and physical endurance. More on this tomorrow.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Getting There is Half the Fun by Dora VanderWoude and the other two reports here are out of sequence. Sorry
I was really looking forward to starting my holiday in New Zealand. Little did I know that there was an adventure waiting for me before I even got there! My flight itinerary for the trip was to fly from Ottawa to Toronto at 11 a.m. and then leave Toronto at 2:00 so I would be in L.A at 4:35 to meet up with the rest of the group. Our flight from L.A to Auckland NZ left at 10 p.m. Seems pretty straight forward but for circumstances beyond my control – it wasn’t! My flight in Ottawa was delayed because of engine trouble. So I was put on the next available flight; which was at 12:10 and arriving in Toronto at 1:10. I was assured this was plenty of time to make my connection. But the plane didn’t leave Ottawa until 12:35; which brought me into Toronto at 1:35. I had to get my luggage and bike and go through U.S. customs first before I could get on my flight to L.A. While I was standing in line at customs I told someone I had a connecting flight at 2:00 and she radioed someone about the flight. Then she told me I had missed the flight! (These words were going to become quite familiar over the next little while.) I was put on another flight to L.A. that would leave Toronto at 6:10 and arrive in L.A. at 8:35. Again the plane left later but the winds were favorable so we arrived on time. Again I had to get my luggage and bike and then find the Air New Zealand counter to check in. It was 9:40 by the time I was at the counter and I heard for the second time, you have missed your flight! By this time I was ready to quit and just fly back home. But I knew that wouldn’t be very sensible so I let them put me on another flight. The next available flight had a stop in Tahiti and another one in the Cook Islands and then on to Auckland. That sounds pretty good but when you are tired and frustrated it’s not all that great! However when I was actually there and it was nice and warm it was pretty good. By the time I finally reached Auckland I thought that now things are finally going right. I got my luggage and my bike, went through customs and found an Air New Zealand counter to check in for my flight to Christchurch so I could meet up with the rest of the group.
I already had my boarding pass for the flight so I thought all is well. The man at the counter looked at my card and said those dreaded words; you have missed your flight. Apparently an hour is needed to process the check-in and I was there only about a half hour before. So I had to take a 12-minute walk to the domestic flight terminal so they could put me on another flight. I was supposed to arrive in Christchurch at 4 p.m. and now it would be around 4:50. I was in tears by this time and the man at the counter was very nice and phoned the place where we were staying to let Bill and Rita ( I didn’t think to mention another name from the group) know when I would be arriving. He was told they had checked out. I forgot they were driving the van to our cycling starting place and the rest of us would fly there the next morning. So I thought I was going to arrive in Christchurch and not know where to go from there. (Can it get any worse?) I was prepared to sleep in the Christchurch airport overnight because I knew the rest of the group would be taking a morning flight from there to Invercargill to start cycling. But finally something went right and Peter was at the airport to meet me. I was overjoyed! I had been in 5 countries over 2 days. I told the rest of the group that I decided to take the scenic route. I was able to get a good nights rest and start cycling the next day to start my next adventure. Before we flew to Invercargill I warned everyone there might be a slight chance that we could miss the flight!!!!!
The First Day on the Bike
The wind can be your friend or foe on a bike. In the parking lot it is your foe if you are putting bikes together. The photo shows the assembly area but not the wind. All went well on the trip from Christchurch to Invercargill, the van arrived before the plane and the plane was on time. We set off around 1 PM after the group photo was taken in front of the airport. The wind was at worst from the left side and at best in our back; which was a welcome relief for our first day. The land was fairly flat with only one steep longish hill. The end of the 80km ride was a welcome sight for all the riders. The dinner of noodles and meat sauce when down real well.
At the end of the day most riders could feel that they had been off the bike for a while. There was incident where Kirk and Adrian showed too much affection and knocked shoulders but no one went down. A few needed A535 to get going in the morning.
Day Two to Kingston
What was a nice morning changed to showers and serious rain during breakfast so we stretch it a little. By the time the pre-agreed pullout time of 10AM came, the rain had stopped and although it was windy at least it was dry. I put the sunscreen on as instructed and sure enough the sun came out. From the pictures you can see that it was still cloudy, but also the lovely scenery as we rode up the valley between two ridges. The views reminded John of Alberta only with rain, Trish thought she was in Ireland but without the rocks, others just enjoyed New Zealand. The wind was mostly in our back so the gradual upward slope was hardly noticeable. Kingston is located on Lake Wakatipu; which is well over 100km long. Tomorrow we bike along it all the way to Queenstown. Dinner tonight consisted of; sausages and chicken done on the barby, potatoes, coleslaw and green beans. We had our own mini worship service after dinner and broke up early for a good rest. A light drizzle persisted through out the evening.
I already had my boarding pass for the flight so I thought all is well. The man at the counter looked at my card and said those dreaded words; you have missed your flight. Apparently an hour is needed to process the check-in and I was there only about a half hour before. So I had to take a 12-minute walk to the domestic flight terminal so they could put me on another flight. I was supposed to arrive in Christchurch at 4 p.m. and now it would be around 4:50. I was in tears by this time and the man at the counter was very nice and phoned the place where we were staying to let Bill and Rita ( I didn’t think to mention another name from the group) know when I would be arriving. He was told they had checked out. I forgot they were driving the van to our cycling starting place and the rest of us would fly there the next morning. So I thought I was going to arrive in Christchurch and not know where to go from there. (Can it get any worse?) I was prepared to sleep in the Christchurch airport overnight because I knew the rest of the group would be taking a morning flight from there to Invercargill to start cycling. But finally something went right and Peter was at the airport to meet me. I was overjoyed! I had been in 5 countries over 2 days. I told the rest of the group that I decided to take the scenic route. I was able to get a good nights rest and start cycling the next day to start my next adventure. Before we flew to Invercargill I warned everyone there might be a slight chance that we could miss the flight!!!!!
The First Day on the Bike
The wind can be your friend or foe on a bike. In the parking lot it is your foe if you are putting bikes together. The photo shows the assembly area but not the wind. All went well on the trip from Christchurch to Invercargill, the van arrived before the plane and the plane was on time. We set off around 1 PM after the group photo was taken in front of the airport. The wind was at worst from the left side and at best in our back; which was a welcome relief for our first day. The land was fairly flat with only one steep longish hill. The end of the 80km ride was a welcome sight for all the riders. The dinner of noodles and meat sauce when down real well.
At the end of the day most riders could feel that they had been off the bike for a while. There was incident where Kirk and Adrian showed too much affection and knocked shoulders but no one went down. A few needed A535 to get going in the morning.
Day Two to Kingston
What was a nice morning changed to showers and serious rain during breakfast so we stretch it a little. By the time the pre-agreed pullout time of 10AM came, the rain had stopped and although it was windy at least it was dry. I put the sunscreen on as instructed and sure enough the sun came out. From the pictures you can see that it was still cloudy, but also the lovely scenery as we rode up the valley between two ridges. The views reminded John of Alberta only with rain, Trish thought she was in Ireland but without the rocks, others just enjoyed New Zealand. The wind was mostly in our back so the gradual upward slope was hardly noticeable. Kingston is located on Lake Wakatipu; which is well over 100km long. Tomorrow we bike along it all the way to Queenstown. Dinner tonight consisted of; sausages and chicken done on the barby, potatoes, coleslaw and green beans. We had our own mini worship service after dinner and broke up early for a good rest. A light drizzle persisted through out the evening.
Kingston to Queenstown
The rain from the preveous night had dissapeared, replaced by sun and broken cloud, a nice day for cycling except for the wind which was blowing straight down the lake from the direction we were going. Today was a short ride with the road following the lake edge but going up the side of the mountain now and again. I would call it short but tough. At one point I was taking pictures while riding and the batteries fell out of my camera, we stopped and soon a bunch of others stopped too. I wasn't having much luck finding the green batteries, since I'm green colour blind and Rita was in the bushes doing other things which need to be done, but the the others found them and we all carried on. Ton wanted to get to Queenstown and get his bike into a repair shop. The night before the trailer accidentally rode over the rear of his bike bending the wheel, luggage rack and gear changer. I managed to straighten the changer and with the brake baked off he was able to ride for the day. The shop worked overtime to fit his bike in and was able to straighten the wheel so he is ready to go again.
Queenstown is a bit like Cannmore Alberta a real adventure sport town and just as touristee, construction is booming, real estate is expensive, you can ski in winter and have the lake in the summer. The holiday park we are in is very nice, we have a lodge unit for all 16 of us and pretty much have the communal kitchen to ourselves.
Queenstown is a bit like Cannmore Alberta a real adventure sport town and just as touristee, construction is booming, real estate is expensive, you can ski in winter and have the lake in the summer. The holiday park we are in is very nice, we have a lodge unit for all 16 of us and pretty much have the communal kitchen to ourselves.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Moderator Update.
Hello everyone. This is your friendly moderator. Just a note regarding the photos. They can be found to the right by clicking on the 'Flickr Photos' link. Also, when you are viewing a photo, it can be enlarged by clicking the 'all sizes' link above the photo. Cheers.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
The East Coast of South Island
We had a gorgeous day today driving down the coast from Blenheim to Christchurch. The photos attest to the fine weather and the scenery speaks for itself. We did turn inland for a while where we encountered more narrow twisty roads but not as challenging as yesterday. We do not ride the bikes along this side of South Island which is the flatter and drier side because the prevailing winds are from the west. If I had to describe it to anyone in Canadian terms it would be the Alberta foothills with the Cabot Trail shoreline with a few seals thrown in.
Tomorrow we pick up the group, drop them at the hotel and drive another 5 hours south.
Tomorrow we pick up the group, drop them at the hotel and drive another 5 hours south.
The Trip South
As we endured another gust,fighting with both hands on the wheel,I checked to make sure that the trailer was still upright and following me. Sheets of rain being rain at us for awhile and then sun but always wind.
Rita is thinking. "What have I got myself into? Riding in this is impossible, this will be the end of me!"
Then she says out loud "well I'm not impressed with New Zealand weather so far!" An hour earlier she was not impressed by my laughing as we spent what seemed like a half hour climbing Rimutaki Hill. I was laughing at the shear glee of imagining what it would be like to climb and descend this 500m high "hill" on the tandem. In Ontario we use the term mountain rather loosely, not to say that climbing Hamilton Mountain or Blue Mountain is not a tough ride but these are only 150-200m of climbing and usually a straight wide road, this is a continuous curve, hugging the side of the hill and about 7m wide. It will surely test the legs on the way up and the brakes on the way down. I can smell them already.
We spent last night in the Napier Jail. It was intentional as it now a hostel and the group will be here in about 3 weeks for a night. From Napier to Wellington and Ferry is a 3 day bike ride. We gather it is usually windy at the top of "The Hill" and we saw a wind mill farm on the mountains near where we passed which although impressive is never a good sign for a cycilist, but the locals told us that the weather today was exceptional, exceptionally bad that is. The papers said they were expecting wind gusts of 130kph. Tomorrow is supposed to be nicer.
As we endured another gust,fighting with both hands on the wheel,I checked to make sure that the trailer was still upright and following me. Sheets of rain being rain at us for awhile and then sun but always wind.
Rita is thinking. "What have I got myself into? Riding in this is impossible, this will be the end of me!"
Then she says out loud "well I'm not impressed with New Zealand weather so far!" An hour earlier she was not impressed by my laughing as we spent what seemed like a half hour climbing Rimutaki Hill. I was laughing at the shear glee of imagining what it would be like to climb and descend this 500m high "hill" on the tandem. In Ontario we use the term mountain rather loosely, not to say that climbing Hamilton Mountain or Blue Mountain is not a tough ride but these are only 150-200m of climbing and usually a straight wide road, this is a continuous curve, hugging the side of the hill and about 7m wide. It will surely test the legs on the way up and the brakes on the way down. I can smell them already.
We spent last night in the Napier Jail. It was intentional as it now a hostel and the group will be here in about 3 weeks for a night. From Napier to Wellington and Ferry is a 3 day bike ride. We gather it is usually windy at the top of "The Hill" and we saw a wind mill farm on the mountains near where we passed which although impressive is never a good sign for a cycilist, but the locals told us that the weather today was exceptional, exceptionally bad that is. The papers said they were expecting wind gusts of 130kph. Tomorrow is supposed to be nicer.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Start of the Journey
This is a trial posting from the LA airport. It took me a while to sort out the codes but we are on a roll now. We have nice lounge facilities here so the 4 hour wait is not too bad. Air Canada and Air New Zealand are right beside each other so no switching of terminal either. We had a surprise at the check in in Toronto, they charge $50 for bikes now. The weight limit is 50 pounds, the bike weighed in at 51 but they were real nice and just charged me the $50.
Next posting will be from NZ in 3 days.
Next posting will be from NZ in 3 days.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Friday, February 9, 2007
Trip Preparations
The first posting on a new blog for a new C2C tour of New Zealand no less. Well actually we are going from Strait to Gulf but that doesn't sound as good.
We are 16 people, 11 riding 10 bikes, the others driving a van. Nearly everyone had some affiliation with the Sea to Sea of the CRC in 2005. The group consists of: Ton (R) and Trish Lobert, Joe (R) and Margaret DeWeerd, Peter (R) and Rita (R) Beerda, Bernie (R) and Anna Berghout, Bill (me) and Rita Wybenga (tandem R), Kirk Drew (R), Dora VanderWouda (R), John Koning (R), Adrian Kloet (R), Tjisse (main driver) and Teresa Kalverda.
I hope to post daily blogs with highlight photos starting March 13 for North American readers, which will actually be the 14th in NZ. At that time Rita and I will be driving the 11 passenger van, hopefully on the left side of the road, from Auckland south for about 1600 km to meet the group arriving in Christchurch by plane. From there I get to drive another 400km and the others fly to a little city called Invercargill which is located at the south end of the South Island. We will assemble our bikes at the airport and ride north for 4 weeks arriving in the Auckland area on April 12.
For your viewing pleasure I have inserted route maps of the tour.
We are 16 people, 11 riding 10 bikes, the others driving a van. Nearly everyone had some affiliation with the Sea to Sea of the CRC in 2005. The group consists of: Ton (R) and Trish Lobert, Joe (R) and Margaret DeWeerd, Peter (R) and Rita (R) Beerda, Bernie (R) and Anna Berghout, Bill (me) and Rita Wybenga (tandem R), Kirk Drew (R), Dora VanderWouda (R), John Koning (R), Adrian Kloet (R), Tjisse (main driver) and Teresa Kalverda.
I hope to post daily blogs with highlight photos starting March 13 for North American readers, which will actually be the 14th in NZ. At that time Rita and I will be driving the 11 passenger van, hopefully on the left side of the road, from Auckland south for about 1600 km to meet the group arriving in Christchurch by plane. From there I get to drive another 400km and the others fly to a little city called Invercargill which is located at the south end of the South Island. We will assemble our bikes at the airport and ride north for 4 weeks arriving in the Auckland area on April 12.
For your viewing pleasure I have inserted route maps of the tour.
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