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.