Tag: pictures

Current Location: Queenstown, Aotearoa

I honestly wasn’t too impressed with Dunedin, perhaps it was because I rolled in there on the day that St. Patrick’s day was going on so I rolled into frat boys sitting on their roofs drinking beers and throwing taunts left and right. Add to that the fact that the weather was miserable and I ended up leaving in a headwind (which lasted for 3 days.) Suffice to say my impression of the place wasn’t the fondest. But I’ve decided to give it another go now that I’ve hit Queenstown I’ll continue on and do the central Otago Rail Trail which will put me smack dab back into Dunedin when I’ve finished it. The other thing I really wanted to do while in Dunedin was go on the Speights brewery tour (I skipped it due to lack of funds,) thats something I’ve been looking forward to ever since trying their dark beer (in my mind it rivals Newcastle.)

I finally hit slope point yesterday, it was a great feeling to be there finally but i’m not sure I can fully explain why. It was a great ride through the Caitlins with lots of little stops here and there for short walks. Curio bay was kinda neat but I kinda wish I hadn’t stuck around for the 1.5hrs to see 1 little penguin make an appearance 100yards off. Other than that the days were filled with lots of gravel roads and wind again. Hopefully now that i’m heading north the wind will be in my favor but I am not counting on it. I think my total milage has rolled over somewhere in the neighborhood of 3400km (a little over 2000 miles)

I ran into 3 british cyclists who were just finishing their ride up in Invercargill (actually they were going to ride to Bluff the day I was leaving and then come back to Invercargill.) I wished them well as I left in the morning and felt a bit jealous that they were done, but I reminded myself that soon enough I’ll get to say I’m done as well. We traded books and I got a Lance Armstrong book which I then devoured that night in camp since it ended up being an easy ride. They also told me about a pizza place in Queenstown which I must try since I’ve been craving pizza for a solid 2 weeks.

I wrote the above 2 paragraphs while I was in Invercargill 3 days ago but couldn’t finish the post due to money constraints. It’s funny when I got down to my last $100 I went into a money save mode where the only thing I could spend money on was food and one night at a hostel because I really needed to take a shower. But I managed to make it to Queenstown in one piece and with a spare jar of peanut butter in tow.

The ride into Queenstown was amazing and something that most people don’t do when they come to New Zealand. The road was a 80km gravel road that dead ends into a lake which is where having a bike comes in handy because I could take the SS Earstlaw Steamer across the lake into Queenstown. A nice treat after a long day on gravel. Although the other benefit to it was I saw a total of 5 cars all day long until arriving into Queenstown so it was a very peaceful ride.

I’ve been seeing a lot of lakes for the past few days which I think will basically continue for the next few weeks, I apologize in advance for the amount of ’scenery’ pictures that will soon take up space in the gallery but some of them defy taking pictures of because I can’t fully capture what it looks like to be here riding with giants on either side of me.

Pictures tomorrow as I’ve forgotten the memory card today.

Slope Point 

Edit: Pictures Added

Current Location: Dunedin, Aotearoa

Ever since I left Mt. Cook it has been cloudy every day. I wake up usually around 7am to try and get an early start on the day but it’s harder to get up when everything around you is a misty white. In case you’re wondering the translation for Aotearoa is today’s title, if the maori landed on the southern part of the islands I can see why they would have named it as such. The clouds do finally disappear at around 6p in time for the stars to make an appearance.

The trip to Mt. Cook was great although I may or may not have broken my bottom bracket, I won’t be able to take it into the shop as my credit cards are still blocked at the moment. For the moment I can still turn the pedals and it doesn’t feel harder to push them but from time to time I hear a metal on metal sound which doesn’t sit well with me. Other than that it was a perfectly peaceful trip through the mountains. I took roads that had signs that say road closed but I pay them no mind and just walk my bike around the barriers. Camping in that area was a snap, just about anywhere was an option to camp and I’m getting used to camping on my own now, I just have to have a book or my iPod charged.

I also realize I forgot to post anything about Akaroa, I guess I did this due to it being such a traumatic day for me. But honestly the architecture was about the only thing that struck me. Reminded me a lot of Mackinac Island and I struggled to find anything French about it besides the street names and the names of some of the buildings. I’m not sure what I was looking for but something more than just a French facade. It was certainly a nice place to visit.

I also managed to spend an extra day in Temuka waiting for the police station to open (I got back there from Mt. Cook on a Sunday) which was good so I could rest up. I think the current plan is to get out of Dunedin in a day or two and hit up slope point among a few other things down that way. Then off to Invercargill. After that I’m not sure exactly how it’ll play out but I may end up trying to go to Queenstown and then to the Central Otago Rail Trail and then take a train back to Dunedin where I can meet mom and dad in Christchurch (I promised the folks at Thornton Grange i’d visit them again). The other option being blasting my way through the west coast, I figure it would take me 6 days to make it back to Picton once I’ve left Invercargill. At this point I don’t want to predict one way or the other which way i’ll go, time will tell.

Todays ride was a lot of fun. I started at Full Day Bay where I had the whole beach to myself last night. The ride was punctuated with two large hills which made for a fun ride into Dunedin. The last hill was 8km up and 7km down, for whatever reason I hummed the Indiana Jones theme the whole way down the hill. I think some of my confidence is returning after the fall as more days go by the more I open up the brakes on downhill segments.

I added pictures a few days ago.

Monument to Richard Pearce 

I think I should stop predicting when I’ll be leaving Christchurch as I’m still here. I got my wheel back again yesterday, this time it’s as true as it’s going to get I think. The last thing I have to do to the bike is to put on the new brakes and it’s ready to roll. I am starting to get worried about the weather, to the point where I don’t think I’ll stop in Dunedin and just roll on through there to try and make it up part of the west coast before having to meet mom and dad. I’m not sure if many people would appreciate that one of my wheels is now chromed, bling for my bike as they might say.

I added a few pictures from around town with Anne (I do have to apologize, her name is not Anna, but Anne) We spent far too much time at a place called the Twisted Hop which is a brew pub here in town. Bryan and Franziska both recommended it to me when we were talking about beer one day and I’ve been there enough to know the owner and all of the wait staff, definitely too much time spent there. I’ve also taken Alex there and he enjoyed it as well, it’s really a hidden gem because it’s tucked away in the back of an alley and you mostly just find locals there.

I guess I should write down stuff about the crazy German I’ve been working with for the last week and a half. The day I met her was the day after my fall so I wasn’t feeling 100% up to snuff but we mucked out a paddock as our first job. In that hour she managed to call me a girl and a wuss, I got zero sympathy from her. Which is what I think I needed at the time, because feeling sorry for myself wasn’t going to fix anything. It’s been great ever since then. Shes here to work on her English which is fun for me because I get to laugh at her mistakes and she teaches me some German, which I’m hopeless at. The two things I’ve learned from her are doodlesack and a phrase that I think means I eat rabbits. Both of which I’m sure I’ll find wildly useful if I make it to Germany. Anyway her two months in New Zealand are up and she is heading back to Australia for more backpacking adventures. I wish her luck and happiness while there.

Once again I think the plan is to head to Akaroa, I can’t have cycled that far last time and not made it there to give up now, spend the day wandering around town and then head South. Slope point here I come, for real this time.

Bikes going uphill 

Current Location:Christchurch, Aotearoa

After finishing up a 40k ride this morning with a headwind that just wouldn’t quit it’s nice to be what I consider a third of the ride done. I’m not sure how I get to the conclusion that it’s a third done, but it seems to fit.

I’ve met a few more tourers now that I’ve started the south island in earnest. I cycled with a couple of girls from the UK but they ended up taking a break day in Akaroa while I’ve been pushing on to get to Christchurch. Another fellow from New Zealand was just starting his first ever cycle tour and he reminded me of me when I was starting my first cycle tour back in Seattle. There wasn’t much I could say to him but to keep it up, it’ll start paying off for him in a weeks time I’m sure.

It’s fitting that i’ve been reading Dune again as I entered the Canterburry area it got hot, one day it hit 40 degrees (the day we got into Akaroa) I was planning on taking a cycle trip out to the peninsula but decided against it and took shelter at a pub and had a few beers instead, a much more reasonable decision in my opinion. I’ve also been thinking I could use a stillsuit that they wear in dune, that way I wouldn’t have to carry as much water with me. Anyway the riding got pretty easy yesterday as things got either really flat or downhill most of the afternoon yesterday which had me piling on the kilometers.

I really enjoyed the Peddlers Rest though I do realize I missed the Saw Cut Gorge which was a 4hr hike up the road from there (I didn’t realize it existed until after I left) so I may detour on my way back north and head back down there for another night and do that hike. After talking to the UK girls for a while we came to the conclusion that there are so many amazing things to do in New Zealand that you really have to pick exactly which ones you want to do.

The reason I’ve been pushing for Christchurch is so I can go and see the International Buskers Festival which looks downright amazing. Max up in Pongaroa put me on to it so it has been a target of mine since then. Alex had some doubt that I could hit the mark but I was fairly certain that I could make it in time. So i’ll run off and catch some of that today and try and line up another wwoofing gig to hang out in Christchurch for a while.

I’m still looking for a computer that can work with my pictures, i’ve been getting stuck with Vista machines as of late and I can’t tell you how frustrating it is getting one of those to work on when it comes to pictures.

Edit: Pictures added, finally

I’ve learned more about cows in the last week than I ever thought I’d learn in my entire life and it’s been an interesting experience through and through. I know gained a whole new respect for bull riders, not that I’ve been up against a bull but I have felt the strength of a cow now and have a healthy respect for them. When the vet was here to check in on one of the sick cows I was instructed to stand at the head of the cow while it was getting it’s shots. It’s head was in the yards so it was restrained, to an extent. I soon learned that I was a bit too close as it lowered it’s head and lifted me off the ground as it went up again (not something I expected.) It also butted me in the chest a few times, enough to leave a mark. Other than that they all have personalities which makes it interesting to work with sometimes.

Other than sick cows we had a water crisis on the farm where we were running without water for a few days which had me digging holes around the property (somewhat at random) in hopes of diagnosing the leak. And hand carrying water with Max from one trough to another trough so the cows would have water. In the end it ended up being a problem with faulty assumptions that led to the problem.

Random tasks have started popping up to the list of things to do which is kinda nice as scrub cutting would get a little boring. So we’ve taken to fixing fence line, adding water lines, adding troughs, moving stock around (can I add the title of shepherd yet?) We continue to eat well at meals, includes at least 2 bottles of wine each night (aunt Karen would fit right in at the dinner table.) Things move along nicely here, quiet and calm.

I added a few pictures from Napier on south.