Sunday, February 21, 2016
Lake Taupo
Today was extra-exquisite, with a tailwind and flat - yes, flat! riding. That was after starting off through the world's largest planted forest, a bit on a bike path to keep us off the highway and some meandering around on quiet back roads. After lunch, we pedalled on to Taupo, and some of the group decided a beer stop,was in order at a waterfront bar, but that didn't seem like a good idea with 50 km to go so I had a lemonade and Wayne had a flat white.. I need all my wits riding in the traffic! Some other bar patrons pointed out "Mt Doom" across the lake - we are in Lord of the Rings country. No doom on today's ride - the last 30 km or so was like driving in the Shuswap, with the beautiful blue lake and green mountains all around. Green is here in every possible shade, and now I'm off to the green grass outside the motel room for some outside yoga....aaaah!
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Relaxing in Rotorua
What a great day's ride we had yesterday! Yes, it was hilly, but I don't think there's anything flat about this country, but no big hills. And somehow, we managed to sneak in those climbs that you don't really notice while you're doing them ( well, not much) but put together , it turns into a thrilling, twisty, turny downhill joyride. Most people in our group have now learned to pass me on the downhills since I am that cyclist who actually brakes on the downhill instead of going flat out.
I am starting to realize how riding here is challenging but not in the way riding through Africa was. Drivers are mainly courteous, Internet works(!) there are washing machines at every motel we stay at, toilets flush and showers have hot water - sometimes scalding like here in Rotorua with all the geothermal action beneath us. So our big concerns are covering up from the sun and getting the riding done. Simple and satisfying! However, it is a little more difficult to make this blog as interesting....every post could be "long ride, stunning scenery, great stops along the way for delicious food and coffee, interesting town to stay in". But I resolve to find something interesting for every blog post to keep you readers entertained!
Yesterday we arrived in Rotorua and heard there was to be a free concert in the park across the street from the motel - with the Auckland Philharmonic, various Kiwi singers and entertainers and what a fine night of music it was. We sat on the grass and poked fun at the people we saw wearing down jackets, but at the intermission we had to go back to the motel for extra layers! The grand finale was a pretty fine fireworks extravaganza, which we enjoyed lying on the grass gazing up at the Southern Cross and the almost-full moon. Today, our rest day activity was a drive with Vince and Lindsay ( our Kiwi friends organizing this great tour) and a few others to a geothermal river, where we had a swim and soak and my silver bracelet turned quite dark. That can be fixed though, and we followed that up with a coffee and meat pie stop - Wayne had a mussel pie and I went with the more traditional beef. Meat pies are ubiquitous here!
Coming up, we have a six day stretch before our stop in Wellington, so that means quite a few kilometres to cover. It certainly helps having a shower, a bed and good food to make the way easier. Now it's time to enjoy a glass of Wayne's sister's friend Megan's wine - local goodness!
I am starting to realize how riding here is challenging but not in the way riding through Africa was. Drivers are mainly courteous, Internet works(!) there are washing machines at every motel we stay at, toilets flush and showers have hot water - sometimes scalding like here in Rotorua with all the geothermal action beneath us. So our big concerns are covering up from the sun and getting the riding done. Simple and satisfying! However, it is a little more difficult to make this blog as interesting....every post could be "long ride, stunning scenery, great stops along the way for delicious food and coffee, interesting town to stay in". But I resolve to find something interesting for every blog post to keep you readers entertained!
Yesterday we arrived in Rotorua and heard there was to be a free concert in the park across the street from the motel - with the Auckland Philharmonic, various Kiwi singers and entertainers and what a fine night of music it was. We sat on the grass and poked fun at the people we saw wearing down jackets, but at the intermission we had to go back to the motel for extra layers! The grand finale was a pretty fine fireworks extravaganza, which we enjoyed lying on the grass gazing up at the Southern Cross and the almost-full moon. Today, our rest day activity was a drive with Vince and Lindsay ( our Kiwi friends organizing this great tour) and a few others to a geothermal river, where we had a swim and soak and my silver bracelet turned quite dark. That can be fixed though, and we followed that up with a coffee and meat pie stop - Wayne had a mussel pie and I went with the more traditional beef. Meat pies are ubiquitous here!
Coming up, we have a six day stretch before our stop in Wellington, so that means quite a few kilometres to cover. It certainly helps having a shower, a bed and good food to make the way easier. Now it's time to enjoy a glass of Wayne's sister's friend Megan's wine - local goodness!
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
How to finish ahead of most of the pack
i got into lunch a couple of days ago and right away Kay asked me if I had the phone (the NZ phone our friend Nix gave us) or if Wayne did. Apparently, Wayne had blasted down a hill and right past the lunch truck, so since I had the phone with me, Kay's call saying "you've passed lunch" was gong to be unheeded by Wayne. In fairness, the trailer with all the lunch stuff and our bags in it IS mostly green - easily missed in this lush green land. However, I really can't explain how Wayne managed to be stripped down and lathering up with hand soap form the dispenser (he didn't have his own) in the LADIES shower at our cabin accomodation! Maybe an eye test is in order. The cabins we stayed in were quite basic but the dinner we had lined up at the cafe down the road was outstanding. Chicken, a whole leg of ham, stuffing, veggies, salads and fresh warm bread....just the thing after a loooong day on the bike. I'll just go on a bit more about food - we've had a coupe of barbeques, which I understood last night to be burgers but also included lamb chops, sausages and chicken. Animal protein is front and centre at meals here. So I eased off at the winery lunch today and had a nice mushroom risotto and some green veggies.
We are back on the bikes tomorrow, with Auckland behind us!
Sunday, February 14, 2016
We got a little bit lost.....
...but only for about 5 km or so. It didn't seem right to follow the sign saying Something Road, No Exit but it wasn't pointed in exactly the right direction so we keep going. Soon the truck and trailer with all our gear on it came along and Kay and Michael told us to stop, because they thought they were on the wrong road too. We all got sorted out and carried on - I was pretty glad it was a 90 km day and not tomorrow's 134 km day!
Lovely riding today with gentler hills, lots of green all around us to shelter us from the sun (there's a great big hole in the ozone layer over NZ so sunscreen is crucial), some cooling showers, which was not like riding in a rain shower at home when the temperature automatically drops about 10 degrees at least, and a ferry ride. I rode into the town where the ferry docks and found a bunch of our group at the cafe, having coffee and snacks before the ferry departure. Great! I thought to myself, finally, a coffee stop - first cup of the day (it was just after 12:30). So I ordered my usual long black, paid and was given a number to place on my table. There was about 20 minutes before ferry time. This was not a Tim Horton's, a good long black takes time and there were other more complex orders in front of mine. So then I ordered it to go, thinking I could either ride holding onto it the short distance to the ferry or stick in my water bottle cage on my bike. Eventually, it arrived and although I really wanted to enjoy it right then and there, it was time to go, so it went in my bottle cage. Three km to the ferry with about 12 minutes before it sailed - that seemed doable. Then I passed the sign that said FOUR km to the ferry. Yikes! Pedal faster! But all was for naught - it must have been filled up with cars so it left early! Like Wayne said, "what kind of country is this - the ferry leaves early?" So we lounged in the grass, did some yoga and stretching and snacking and got on the next one. I didn't even notice what time that one left - it didn't matter any more, we were on it!
Lovely riding today with gentler hills, lots of green all around us to shelter us from the sun (there's a great big hole in the ozone layer over NZ so sunscreen is crucial), some cooling showers, which was not like riding in a rain shower at home when the temperature automatically drops about 10 degrees at least, and a ferry ride. I rode into the town where the ferry docks and found a bunch of our group at the cafe, having coffee and snacks before the ferry departure. Great! I thought to myself, finally, a coffee stop - first cup of the day (it was just after 12:30). So I ordered my usual long black, paid and was given a number to place on my table. There was about 20 minutes before ferry time. This was not a Tim Horton's, a good long black takes time and there were other more complex orders in front of mine. So then I ordered it to go, thinking I could either ride holding onto it the short distance to the ferry or stick in my water bottle cage on my bike. Eventually, it arrived and although I really wanted to enjoy it right then and there, it was time to go, so it went in my bottle cage. Three km to the ferry with about 12 minutes before it sailed - that seemed doable. Then I passed the sign that said FOUR km to the ferry. Yikes! Pedal faster! But all was for naught - it must have been filled up with cars so it left early! Like Wayne said, "what kind of country is this - the ferry leaves early?" So we lounged in the grass, did some yoga and stretching and snacking and got on the next one. I didn't even notice what time that one left - it didn't matter any more, we were on it!
Don't throw away that old microwave!
Well that was an epic day! A 120 km introduction to New Zealand's hills - they go up, they go down, so we did too, into a steady headwind that never really left us. Except for a 5 km stretch to get us onto 90 Mile Beach - gorgeous! for a sweet 15 km ride over the hard-packed (thank goodness) sand. Beautiful finish to a challenging day. And all that riding happened after a 3 hour bus ride to the north end of New Zealand, to Cape Reinga, unloading the bikes, fussing about with our new jerseys and taking the "before" photo. Tomorrow I think we'll try for starting a tad earlier!
So about those microwaves...you can use your old one as a mailbox! We saw a couple of those today along with little house-shaped ones with corrugated steel roofs just like the big houses, and of course the kind that must come from whatever the New Zealand equivalent of Canadian Tire is.
....but now it is past time for bed....tomorrow is another ride!
So about those microwaves...you can use your old one as a mailbox! We saw a couple of those today along with little house-shaped ones with corrugated steel roofs just like the big houses, and of course the kind that must come from whatever the New Zealand equivalent of Canadian Tire is.
....but now it is past time for bed....tomorrow is another ride!
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Another day in paradise....
It really is ridiculously beautiful here, and "here" for today is Paihia, in the Bay of Islands. We rolled in about noon on our air-conditioned bus, after leaving Auckland this morning. Our pickup point was in a park across the street from our Auckland hotel; this made it easy to cross the street with the boxed bikes and the duffle bags, as the rush hour traffic was pretty much at a standstill. I should clarify - it was easy for Wayne to do all that. But I did wash up the breakfast dishes in our tiny hotel room kitchen so I wasn't just sitting around sipping coffee. Oh, coffee! We have learned to speak Kiwi when ordering coffee - I have a long black and Wayne has a flat white. No snickering now! They do make excellent coffee here, along with delicious wine and Wayne hasn't complained about the beer at all - and of course the fish and seafood! And the lamb! It seems they have good food and drink figured out.
But back to the Bay of Islands. After last night's reunion dinner, we have widened the circle of friends to include the other cyclists in the group, some other TDA 2011 participants, friends of the organizers, and friends of friends! All in all making an interesting group, and we got to know some a bit better over lunch in a cafe overlooking the lovely blue water. It was a busy afternoon, going to the beach and in for swim. That's it - but we have busy days ahead so I guess this is the tapering part.
I should go and see how Wayne is doing with getting our bikes put together, but it sure is nice just sitting on this deck with a cool breeze blowing! Tomorrow we get to be tourists, then we start early Sunday morning with a 2 hour drive up to Cape Reinga and then we begin the ride with a long stretch down 90 Mile Beach.
But back to the Bay of Islands. After last night's reunion dinner, we have widened the circle of friends to include the other cyclists in the group, some other TDA 2011 participants, friends of the organizers, and friends of friends! All in all making an interesting group, and we got to know some a bit better over lunch in a cafe overlooking the lovely blue water. It was a busy afternoon, going to the beach and in for swim. That's it - but we have busy days ahead so I guess this is the tapering part.
I should go and see how Wayne is doing with getting our bikes put together, but it sure is nice just sitting on this deck with a cool breeze blowing! Tomorrow we get to be tourists, then we start early Sunday morning with a 2 hour drive up to Cape Reinga and then we begin the ride with a long stretch down 90 Mile Beach.
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Beautiful Place!
We are here! It didn't take long for us to figure out why everyone who visits here loves it - this is a wonderful land! We went to Waiheke Island today; its other name is Island of Wine -perhaps not an exact translation from Maori,but it definitely fits, there are vineyards everywhere! Our bikes have to stay boxed up for transport to the north end of the island so we rented bikes and away we went to try out the New Zealand hills and practice riding on the left. Our rental bikes came with handy "stay left" stickers on the handlebars
It was a good day with gorgeous views, a vineyard lunch and a stop on a beautiful nearly deserted beach, we plan to return to when we have our rest day here next week! Walking back to our hotel we passed a yacht named "Selina Louise"! Too bad it was misspelled!
It was a good day with gorgeous views, a vineyard lunch and a stop on a beautiful nearly deserted beach, we plan to return to when we have our rest day here next week! Walking back to our hotel we passed a yacht named "Selina Louise"! Too bad it was misspelled!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)