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.