Before Kaikoura we stopped in at a restaurant known as “The Store” which is run by David’s nephew Clive.  He was a very gracious host and the food was excellent.  He explained to us that the restaurant had once been a petrol station, but had fallen into disrepair and when the land was bought the government refused to allow it to continue as a station, as storing petrol so close to water could obviously have extremely detrimental effects on the environment.  So they decided to open a restaurant.  It is an ideal location commanding excellent views over a large stretch of unspoiled coastline.

Arriving in Christchurch was great; I always enjoy hitting a city after, what seems like, long stretches camping.  So when Jimmy and Amelia told me that they wanted to go rent a car and camp on the Akora Peninsula I went to the Tourist information and booked myself into a five star hotel with all the forbearance I could muster.  Perhaps I was over awed by finally being in a hotel after such a long time, the bed was huge, the shower was great and the Sauna made my taught muscles melt with pleasure.  I had a fantastic meal and after retired to the bar where I took my book and sat reading in a comfy chair while I was brought drinks.  Only once during the night did I contemplate the other two sleeping rough on the side of a hill.  When it came to checking out I believe I would have left nail gouges in the marble had I not got the iron will that I possess.  The Cathedral Square seemed to be the heart of Christchurch and put us in mind of Covent Garden in London.  We spent most of our relaxing day just sitting in a café, drinking, eating and reading.  I can’t think of a better way of spending my time than watching the world go by.

We are now in the mountains staying alongside Lake Tekapo.  It is a stunningly beautiful lake the like of which I have never seen.  It appears to shift between green, blue and turquoise.  Its colour is apparently due to something called rock flour.  The lake sits snuggly in-between encircling mountains, at a height of seven hundred metres.  We climbed up to nine hundred metres into a headwind to get here.  It was a very very long day and we didn’t arrive at the camp site till well after dark.  We were shattered, but I was determined to rinse the grime off of me before I went to bed.  I could have slept in the shower it felt so good to have warm water pouring down me.  Hopefully we’re going to be able to arrange a Helicopter flight around Mount Cook and landing on one of the Glaciers.  I’ll keep you posted on that as well as putting up some photos when we have them.  There is an amazing church here in the town, apparently a very famous church, called the church of the Good Shepherd and I can honestly say it is one that I wouldn’t mind going to Mass in. 

After Lake Tekpo we are heading down to Twizle, Queenstown, Invercargill and then Bluff.  We’ve estimated that we have another nine days of cycling ahead of us, one of which includes a one thousand metre climb, ouch.  Along the way to Twizle we are going to visit a salmon farm.  Perhaps we’ll buy one and stick it in the trailer.  How much can a fish smell huh?

Well the north island is complete and the south awaits invitingly. As we disembarked the ferry at Picton and began to cycle the difference in the two islands was almost immediately evident, perhaps not quantifiable but I felt a distinct difference between the two as we cycled. Of course, the south island is the main wine producing region of New Zealand, not a fact that I was ignorant of I can tell you. We’ve been staying with some friends who’ve been fantastic to have us and great fun to be with and were good enough to take us on a couple of wine tastings, there have been some hard places to leave, but to leave a wine region seems to go against the grain, still I am assured that there will be more wines to come, always a good reason to keep cycling.

Since arriving at Sue and David’s house we have had a wonderful cruise to a gorgeously secluded bay where we met some wonderfully friendly people and drank some wine. We’ve been wine tasting, strawberry picking and chocolate tasting. We have also been up in a helicopter, my first one in fact, and while I was nervous at the thought, the experience was indescribable, a fantastic way to fly.

Tomorrow however we are setting off and back on the road. We are heading south of course, to do some Whale watching and in around six or seven days we will hit Christchurch, following that we will wend our way towards Mt Cook and further down to Queenstown. We’ve increased the time we’re spending in New Zealand so we can take in Stewart Island, which we are informed is worth a stop. We’d love to do the west coast of the south island which we’ve also been told is fabulous, but it might be something we have to save for another time.

I have once again been told about the lack of photos on the Blog and so to satisfy everyone I have started a web page upon which I will dump photos and put in as many descriptions as I can, the link is below, I should put it under links, but it is late and I am feeling lazy.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35710408@N06/?saved=1

Although they’ve already been mentioned I’m going to talk about them again, because I can. Sue and David have been fantastic Hosts and their daughter Hannah equally so. They are great people and it has been a privilege to have met them. I must apologise for the briefness of the post, but as I have said, I’m tired and wanted to put down the main points. Thank you everyone for your messages and comments, it is always great to hear from you all and I hope to keep you updated as much as possible. Anything I’ve missed out tonight, I will try and fit into a post later during the trip.

When it came time to leave Auckland after some well deserved rest, Sue very kindly agreed to drive us and all our stuff to Clevedon, just south of Auckland. There are those that might think it cheating we didn’t cycle through Auckland, but really they are comments I am happy to deal with as the roads around there were too dangerous to cycle and I would rather skip a section and still make it down to Bluff then insist on riding such routes. From Clevedon we cycled along a gorgeously sweeping coastline that glittered alluringly throughout the day. At lunch we gave in temporarily and ate beside the sea at Kawakawa Bay. It was a forty mile day, hard but pleasant none the less and possibly one of the most enjoyable rides so far. We eventually arrived, tired and ready for some food at a five star camp site in Miranda Springs, where, as the name suggests, were thermal pools we were able to bathe in. It is true, the smell of bad eggs was pervasive and though we shot each other some suspicious looks, we were fairly sure it must have been the spring.

The following day we once again packed the kit and set off. I must admit to my arse grumbling at me after such a long day of being on the bike the day before. Still, the road was flat as we cycled through the plains and there was no headwind, so the cycle was fairly easy. It was as we were leaving Piroa after lunch that we encountered a problem. Suffice it to say we found ourselves once more standing in a bike shop. It turned out that a bearing in Jimmy’s bike had broken and there was no replacement to be found. Feeling a little demoralised at having another equipment failure we looked for accommodation. As it turned out there were no camp sites around Piroa that allowed tents and there was a clay pigeon shoot that weekend so most of the accommodation was taken. However, we found a motel, I do use the term loosely and must admit it was one of the first times on the trip that I longed for my tent and my sleeping bag. The proprietor appeared to be a fan of what I have now learned are called stubbies, a throwback from the seventies, a very short type of shorts. I can tell you they are not a pretty sight. All that aside he was very kind and gave us an extra room free of charge, into which we were able to dump all of our kit, and we did sleep well that night.

In the morning we phoned around and managed to find someone who would be able to get us the bearing that we needed, but it would have to be ordered and because of the long weekend wouldn’t arrive till the next week. This left us with the problem of how we’d get to out of Piroa and where we’d stay. Our prayers were answered by Jane and Richard Coon, who appeared in their truck to whisk us and our gear to their house beside lake Ohakuri, half an hour outside of Rotorua. I can honestly say, with a heart felt certainty I cannot convey in words alone, that if I had to be stuck anywhere, here is where I’d want it to be. We are currently staying on a private, eighty acre estate, which includes the lake we overlook, and leaving is going to be made all the more difficult because of Jane and Richard’s great hospitality.

While we’ve been here we’ve pottered around Rotorua town and seen the famous lake. Even at its busiest Rotorua has the pace of perhaps an English town on Sunday. We also visited the Lady Nox Geyser and the thermal springs which were pretty fascinating and we were told that around Rotorua is the most active volcanic area in the world. We then spent an evening at Tamaki village, a Maori experience allegedly. I must admit to being under-whelemd. Although the night started off well with the choreographed dance it quickly seemed to lose cohesion and though it might have pleased some people off of a boat or coach trip, we’ve been meeting New Zealand’s people throughout our trip and learned a great deal more from them than we did from that night.

Although I started this as a record of my thoughts and feelings of this trip I have to say that I think I’m doing a poor job of conveying the spectacular beauty of New Zealand and now that I’ve reached Ohakuri I find my vocabulary inadequate to describe how incredulously outstanding this place is and more than that, how being here seems to effect people. There are a great number of gaps that I will try to fill at a later date.

The drive to Cape Reinga was a long one, (of course not as long as the cycle back). Cliff was a very interesting guy and filled us in on a little of New Zealand history and culture. Driving up to Cape Reinga also afforded us the opportunity to assess some of the roads that we would be cycling and better plan our route. The drive was worth it, Cape Reinga felt like the edge of the world, with sweeping views of nothing but a vast ocean, it certainly made me feel small.

One thing that Amelia said on many occasions, which I agree with wholeheartedly is, that the photos are no more than a record, and come nowhere near close enough to capturing the moment, but since they’re the best we can do this is what I shall post up.

This is another part of Cape Reinga

Unfortunately the road from Cape Reinga to the camp site, where we were going to stay, was not sealed and so we couldn’t cycle it. We got Cliff to take us to Cape Reinga and then drive us back down to camp where we had him drop us off and said our goodbyes.

The last time I went camping was with my school, so I must confess I was slightly tentative about my situation. This was a feeling only intensified by the onset of night and the arrival of possibly every mosquito in the southern hemisphere. Like the hardy campers we were, we wolfed down our food, drowned ourselves in insect repellent and withdrew with all the dignity we could muster into our tents. The wild flailing of my head torch as I tried to find things and get ready for bed, seemed to excite the mosquitos to fever pitch and I have no doubt that they were dive bombing the tent in an attempt to get in. Finally, turning off the torch, I lay panting in the darkness after having fought with a suddenly voluminous sleeping bag and listened to the sound of the insects, which put me in mind of thrumming electricity cable.

There is a lot to write down, so in this post I just want to give a quick mention to Jimmy and Amelia who’ve been great to be on this trip with. We have worked well as a team and sharing these experiences with them has been a pleasure. They both have fantastic qualities which have helped to drive this trip and make it what it is, and for that I am grateful to them, but don’t let them know that.

We arrived at four thirty in the morning, but by then our body clocks were spinning around out of control and even now I’m not sure they’ve recovered. We are staying with some friends of Jimmy’s Martin and Charlotte who very kindly agreed to allow us to crash, with all our stuff, in their home. Although with two very active and very curious young boys, I’m pretty sure they’re no strangers to chaos, but I am very grateful that they have allowed us to add our own dimension to it.
Martin took the time to take us for a drive around Auckland to see some of the sights, but I’m afraid my fifth gear syndrome hit and I only remember a few of the spots we visited. I’m almost ashamed to admit that it was my own snoaring that woke me up.

I’m still finding it hard to believe that I’m actaully in New Zealand. It’s a country that I’ve wanted to see for such a long time and I feel like an idiot to keep repeating it, but I still have to take a breath and realise that I am here. The weather here is amazing and the sun is very strong, fear not however, for I have sun cream.

After we had our fill of staring at the ominous monstrosity (the appeal of large and distant edifices, no matter what their past, fades quickly), we went to see the sea lions which apparently come to the pier due to the plenitude of herring and shelter they receive because of the breakwater.

Our view of the Golden Gate bridge was brief. We were under the impression our bus drove over it and stopped on the other side….We were wrong. Doubtless it is an impressive structure, the arches, I am told, are over seven hundred feet in height and the bridge is so large that it must be constantly painted. However the bus drove on and our last glimpse of the world famous bridge was in the buses rear view mirror. Still, the bus did take us to the Golden Gate park, apparently one of the largest urban parks in the United States. Quite what is meant by ‘urban park’ was a matter of some discussion. It was a very picturesque park and at its heart was a lake which lent the park a welcome air of tranquility. There was a building in the park whose name escapes me, but nine floors up there was a viewing platform, off of which the onlooker\ is afforded a three hundred and sixty degree view of the park and city.
As I am sure you have gathered by now my opinion of our accommodation was not high and although it was a short walk to the main shopping centre, the location we were in was less than salubrious. One thing that struck us all was the sheer number of homeless people, they seemed to be everywhere, and yet if you moved just three blocks over they had disappeared, it was quite a surreal experience.

At some time during the afternoon we all gave in to the market pressure and became hapless consumers. Sitting down in a cafe inside the main shopping mall we talked and put the world to rights. Where I believe I was quite vehement on having a nice meal out as I was determined not to spend another sober night in the hotel room. The restaurant was very plesent, as of course was the company. Make of it what you will, but the bill at the restaurant came to more than the price we had paid for two nights in the hotel.

it started at five in an attempt to beat the London traffic and get to the Airport on time. It was good that the three of us finally all met up, starting the trip we had casually suggested so many months ago. I believe I knew that the trip had started when I knocked over an entire display of products in boots. I stood in shocked horror as i watched it teeter and rain down lilac coloured boxes of who knows what. It did occur to me that I could turn away and pretend it hadn’t been me. My body was ready to jump into action, unfortunately my brain was still reeling at all the boxes falling around me.

Other than some rather rough turbulence, the flight was uneventful and long, though seemingly shortened somewhat by the large selection of films available. However, after the flight there were some developments which would have been nice had they not occurred, but doubtless will be things that stand out in our memories. After collecting our luggage we went to retrieve Jimmy’s bike which, as it turned out, had been broken during the flight. After several discussions with people who clearly didn’t know what was going on, we were finally put on the right track and told to go upstairs. We said thanks and went off in the direction they’d pointed us in, this meant we had to get past customs, a much harder task than you’d expect. My view of the lady customs officer is perhaps somewhat colored by her exicrible treatment of us, not to metnion pointing out that if we had stepped across thel ine in other countries they would have tasered us. She was the stereotypical customs officer, obviously a stanch advocate of the crispy cream diet and quite aware that she could make us unpack all our bags if we displeased her. While this was going on of course I was attempting to get through to my parents with the SIM that I purchased the Sim4travel. None of then umbers I’ve tried are allowed and the card is active so it is yet something else to sort out.

However at the end of the day we are in San Francisco and willing to give it a good try in the morning. The weather is nice and the hotel room looks great when you switch the lights off. I would continue but I am very tired and written down most of the important points

Now all that I really have left to do is pack the contents of my wardrobe into a suitcase and make sure it weighs less than twenty eight kilos. I’ve also been tweaking the Blog so now if anyone would like to leave a comment you have to register. I know it’s a little more effort, but it means that I don’t get spam comments which, while I’m not able to get to the Blog, would just sit there advertising for who knows what.