Feb 27 and 28

Yesterday we all left together – we separated at about 23K’s into the ride. One group went with Vince on a Railway Trail trip along the side of a mountain on an old railroad bed and through a couple of tunnels – i went with the other group along the wild coast line heading towards Wellington. Both routes would be highly scenic but the coastal track required more technical mountain bike skills. There was a pretty good headwind as the ten of us with Lindsay moved along a small country road towards the rough track we would follow along the coast. Q and I took turns in the wind the first portion. However, this wind was nothing compared to what we would experience on the coastal track. The area we pedaled through is a gated park which is kept wild – there are still small cabins located along this 40K stretch but they are just small fishing shacks left over from another era. We gathered together just before we got on the rough trail to decide where we would stop to wait for all just in case someone were to fall and get injured. I soon discovered that the chances of that were quite high. Usually when I hear about a difficult trail it usually falls into my experience level as something pretty doable but when these Kiwis say that it’s difficult you need to perk up and listen. It was really rough. Sandy, yet mostly very rough rocky stretches with a lot of rock added where washouts had occurred the trail was constantly twisting up and down. In mountain biking momentum is your friend to get through the rocky stretches and to keep up enough speed to push through the sand as well. This was pretty technical for a bike like mine with narrower tires, no suspension and the short quick road handlebars which made it hard to keep maneuvering straight when bouncing from one rock pile to the next. All of us had to get off and push, especially through the deeper sand. I wanted to take photos but soon had to give that up as it took all of my concentration to keep the bike moving. The process of taking out my camera and getting it back into the bike case just took too long. I did manage to get a few shots.

Every chance the wind had to move down from the north and into our path it took full advantage of. It blew through the openings along the coastal bluffs and buffeted both us and our bikes. You just could not stay on the bike when the wind caught you with full force. The speed of that force was over 100Km/hr. At one point Horst and I got blown off our bikes simultaneously and into the sandpits behind us. We were pelted with sand through our helmets, into our faces, and down into our clothing. Everyone had sand everywhere before we finished this ride. When the wind forced you off of your bike you had better have a very firm grip on it or your bike would blow out of your hands. It was literally blown sideways from your hands. What a crazy day.

Yet it was beautiful along this rugged coast, the sun was out, and spirits remained high among us. We stopped in a small shelter for our lunch break and waited till everyone was accounted for then pushed on again. About 20K into our rough track the surface improved considerably. No move piles of sand in our path, it became similar to a rough gravel logging road. Now these I am very familiar with and my bike actually does very well. So do I. The last stretch became a real gravel road that in turn became paved and we were well on our way into the city of Wellington, capital of New Zealand. Following a twenty minute ferry ride, Lindsay navigated us through the city and down to the bay near the airport where our motel awaited us.

We had about an hour or so to shower before Lindsay’s daughters and Vince packed us up into their vehicles and off to Lindsay’s house we went. His home sits above Island Bay and has a magnificent view of the harbor below. It is a large multi-leveled home which takes full advantage of its steep setting to bring one along the layers of different uses of the structure. Lindsay and his wife, Barbara, have two lovely daughters and grandchildren (not sure how many) who made sure that we were all made welcome. We waited for all to arrive as both of the daughters had set up an official Maori welcome for us. The women of our group were to be the first to enter – if the men entered first it would designate a war party. A greeting both in English and Maori started the ceremony then we all took turns shaking a hand while lightly placing our noses and foreheads together with each of our four hosts individually and sharing a breath. A wonderful spread followed of several cuts of meat, salads, bread and appetizers. Of course, there was wine for all as well. What fun for us to all gather and enjoy the hospitality as well as stories of the day. Three kinds of desserts ended our culinary experience and we all departed fully sated and ready for bed.

We all have a day off today – I had breakfast with Lee and Scott, Peter, Sam and Marco at a wonderful busy little restaurant just a block or so down the beach. After cleaning my bike, I found a taxi to take me to a photo shop downtown to get a charger for my camera. I had brought the wrong charger with me, got a shop to charge it in Hobart but now needed to get it back in order before we take on the South Island tomorrow. Off we go to Vince’s house tonight for another group feast. Since we are leaving at 6 am for the big ferry we are starting at Vince’s at 4pm today.

Feb 25 and 26

I awoke on Thursday feeling a little off – stomach not right and fatigued. This usually passes after I get on the bike but on this day it dominated. I had to push to keep my legs moving at speed. We had 136K to do with some hills at the end so I just had to tough it out. Out with Q and Bridget then Terry joined us after lunch. It was a cool overcast day which turned into sprinkles in the afternoon. My camera stayed in the front bike pocket. I did see more deer today but they were not the Red Deer we had seen the day before. Larger and with throats like bugling elk, I’m not sure the variety. All of them have been introduced here with hunting now a popular sport among New Zealanders. I could have had several from my bike – they just stood broadside. I couldn’t get the cattle going today. Perhaps they were having a down day too, or maybe they could feel my low energy.

Terry picked up our pace and I took a few turns in front then just ran out of gas and fell back. Q fell back to help me along and I was quite happy to pull into Master’s Hall. I rang the bell then we waited. It seemed more like an institutional building than an accommodation. Finally a thickset man, well-dressed and clean cut, welcomed us and indicated we should proceed around the corner and he would meet us there. Around the corner we found ourselves surrounded by several wings Not sure what door to go to, we just parked in the middle to see which one opened. It turned out that this was a retired hospital and we were being put up in different wings. My room with Bridget and Peter was in Ward One, the dementia wing. Quentin was in the Maternity Ward – this could be a breakthrough in medical science. We told Terry that he was in the sex change section but let that go when we found out that he was just across the hall from us. I’ve never stayed in a converted hospital before but do find that it is just as confusing to get around in as a working hospital. And fewer signs. Terry and Liz made dinner for Peter and I – Bridget decided to go to town as she wasn’t fond of tuna pasta. It was nice to have a visit and hear some of the stories that Terry and Peter share about their bike trip through Eastern Europe a few years ago.

Sam had found me a bottle of Prosecco in town the day before. He knew i liked it when I was looking for a bottle in a previous town. Light and sparkly, it just seemed easier to start out with after a long day’s cycling than even our favorites whites, pinot gris or s. blanc. The bottle proved popular – it didn’t get by Lee, Sam and I before turning up empty. Actually, Horst got the last glass.

The trip to Greytown the following day was just the polar opposite of my low day – I woke up ready to go. We had just 101K’s and very little climbing. The route took us through a long winding valley through the bottoms of big empty hills which reminded one of Mongolia or Patagonia. Sheep abounded while we did come through cattle and a few horses as well. The wind was with us, the K’s flew by. and Bridget remarked to me at one point, “The bikes are singing today.” They really were. We arrived at lunch just as the lunch vehicle with new volunteer, Michael. Q, Bridget and i helped him set up and cut up some sandwich material. Then here came Lee, Scott, Wayne, Trish and a handful of others. We were all singing along today. At the 20K mark we had run into Sam, who was running all the way to lunch at 45K, then grabbing his cycle from the trailer and finishing up on the bike. I handed him my spare water bottle and got a couple of good photos of him running along before we left him. He’s a cool guy and adds a lot to our group. He’s leaving after the end of our North Island section to head home to North Carolina. That’s happening Monday.

Arriving in Greytown, we found our backpackers lodge to be quite nice, we are in the hotel section, and there is a pub on premises as well as a washer and dryer. What more could cyclists want? Q , Bridget and myself arrived too early for our rooms and ahead of the truck so we wandered down a block for a smoothie and soup in a cafe.

My legs are feeling a little weary today after 5 straight days of cycling. We have one more tomorrow then a day off in Wellington. That will be nice. It reached 30C today so I was happy to get done early before the heat of the day was upon us. No wifi here so will post this when I can as well as some photos.

Feb 23

Our ride to Okahune started in mist and rain and didn’t let up until we approached the end of the day. It was cool as we went up in elevation. We should have been looking at snow covered mountains all day but the clouds hung low over us and we couldn’t see much above a 50 foot ceiling. Most of the riders are from warm weather climates but yours truly felt comfortable in just his cycling jersey while Bridget, Quentin and Horst were cold even with cycling jackets or vest on. As usual, we were first to lunch and our great volunteer, Roger, had a brew going on the kettle as well as a great lunch laid out for us. After our initial climbs we had reached a long plateau which led to easy riding. The day ended with a nice descent and the rain let up. All was well again for all and the rain of the day soon forgotten.

We early birds found it difficult to find anything open in town with food available. Most of the restaurants opened later so we ended up in a small shop with only two people working – neither of whom were too excited to approach the counter to see what we wanted. The kitchen served both the shop we had settled into and a takeout shop in the adjoining shop just next door. I finally waiked over to the other shop and finally one of the employees acknowledged me, taking my order. Whew, we were hungry and wanting a drink, so accepted that this type of behavior was to be tolerated. I was just taking a cold drink out of the cooler when one of the women hollered to put it back – it was only for takeout. OK.

Kind of an odd town for an outdoorsy tourist town. There is a ski hill just above town and good fishing and other sports nearby. We headed back to our back packer accommodations, got showers, and chilled out. Later, Sam stopped by to see if I was interested in heading back to town for dinner. Much better luck this time. We had a great meal with seafood, chicken and venison. A man at the next table was married to a woman from Minnesota and also had gone to school in North Carolina where Sam is from. He lives on the Bay of Plenty which we had ridden along just a couple of days before and is an engineer on a building project here in this town. It was a nice chat with him and a good conversation with Sam as well. Sam is a manager in a software firm and is able to work out of a home office. In his forties, he has a bundle of energy, runs everything from 10K races to marathons, and rode the Cairo to Capetown cycle ride in 2011. The weather had partially cleared so we were able to see one of the snow capped mountains that had evaded us all day as we hiked on back to our home for the night. Also stopped to pet the horse that Lee had befriended. It was a pleasant end to a day that had challenged some.

The following days ride was the best of the trip so far. Scott and Lee joined Bridget and I as we got an early start. Peter had a flat in camp so missed his usual first out position. The route took us along the Whanganui River on a very small paved road which wound wonderfully down the river valley through beautiful forests interrupted only by occasional small pastureland. More down than up, it seemed effortless. We encountered almost no traffic but were surprised by a group of Red Deer stags with tall racks of horns early on. It was fun to see wild animals in a land which had no mammals or marsupials other than the seals and walruses of the sea when the Maori people arrived 900 years ago. Flightless birds, reptiles and songbirds did abound then. Soon we passed a herd of cattle which I got to run along beside us – Lee also encouraged them behind me. It’s fun to ply Rawhide with these domesticated animals. Just before we got to the lunch truck we found a mass of sheep being pushed forward by a herder on a four wheeler with help from his three sheep dogs. A narrow bridge just ahead caused a bottle neck. The sheep seemed as one writhing unit flowing through the opening and on up the roadway ahead. We watched in wonder then all grabbed for our cameras to catch this amazing sight. The dogs worked the animals into an enclosure just past our awaiting vehicle with Roger and our table of sliced sandwich materials. Roger had seemed surrounded by the white wooly mass. It was great. Sometime after we left our lunch stop a neighboring pig came to visit but we weren’t aware of this part of the entertainment until later that evening. We did pass three magnificent race horses just a few K further on – beautiful animals. Scott and Lee had fallen back but Bridget and I were joined by Horst and Quentin for a nice photo at an overlook of the river valley below. We then pedaled into our nights accommodations in Whanganui. A barbecue was organized after our usual beer and wine club revue of the day. It was a wonderful day.

Feb 21 and 22

Our motel rooms in Rotorua were located on the waters of Lake Rotorua with the town’s Events Centre Park just a half a block away. There was much activity on the Pavilion in the park because the annual free Aukland Symphony performance was happening that night. We had eaten early since our lunch had happened on the road at most people’s breakfast time and the wine club meeting had also dispersed as most of us were dressing up in our quite relaxed informal best to head over to the concert. The town has a predominately Maori population and a party atmosphere prevailed. Food vendors lined the outer areas and people floated in and out of the grassy area during the whole event. There were two large screens on either side of the stage allowing everyone to see the individual musicians – this was more like a rock concert than a traditional symphony performance. I wandered through the milling crowd to the center back area for the best sound and settled in on this pleasant night. There was a lot of talent on that stage. We heard everything from show tunes to jazz singers to opera performers. I am not an opera fan but good music is good music. The Symphony itself was great. Having had a full day I wandered back to the motel at least an hour before the concerts conclusion but then was treated to a wonderful display of fireworks as I sat on the balcony at the end of the music. Pretty cool end to a really nice day.

Rotorua is a big outdoorsy town which depends on active tourism and has the largest mountain bike trail system in New Zealand. Years ago the area had been planted in redwoods and Eucalyptus trees (non-natives) which became a large playground for hikers, bikers, fishermen, kayakers, etc. Thermal pools, geysers and hot springs abound throughout the area and also have added to the tourist base of the higher end outdoor center. I had a few chores to do on our day off including getting my bike to the shop for repairs. When we had arrived the day before I had located a Specialized bike shop and set up an appointment for 10am. Vince was organizing a carful to go to a “hot river” as he called it but was leaving before 10 so I had to pass. They had a great time swimming in the hot springs area of the river and wandering through the thermal pools and sulfury mud pools. I got my bike back in good condition. Lee and Scott came with me – Lee got some good advice from the folks at the bike store and ended up with a new bike seat. We are all hopeful that the new seat will help Lee on the upcoming rides.

Bridget and I had a nice walk part way around the lake. The pathway around the entire lake is 42K with much of it tree-lined and shady. We enjoyed the birdlife as we moved along, particularly the black swans who added a little serenity with the graceful movements through the water. Our walk ended when we reached Sulphur Bay – the prevailing odor there prompted our return.

The following day’s 132K ride to Taurangi started with Quentin, Bridget and I moving along at a reasonable pace. Bridget feels a little tired, Q has some issues with his backside after the long days in the saddle and I am doing a little more spinning to favor my sore knee. We are still pedaling along at a pretty good pace. Suddenly Terry came flying by. He is “flushing out the carbon” as he says. Terry is a highly skilled strong rider who has been racing all year in Australia. We pedaled many thousand K’s together in South America in 2014. When we got to lunch Terry was sitting there waiting for us. Bridget, Terry and I had a very pleasant afternoon biking together along the shores of beautiful Lake Taupo, one of the world’s best Trout lakes. The weather was perfect and the scenery was spectacular. What a great day.

The area around Lake Taupo and Taurangi is also a great outdoor destination. Fishing is the biggest attraction. I watched a number of fishermen plying the waters of Lake Taupo with their flies as we worked our way here yesterday. Much of the same activities are found here as in Rotorua but not as developed. The largest ski area in NZ is located just a few K’s away – Whackapapa on Mt. Ruapehu and the nearby Tongariro National Park is a World Heritage area. Wish we had more time to explore but we are back on our bikes this morning. Last evening we had another group barbecue with Scott and Wayne being the chefs and Vince the main attraction telling stories. It was fun.

Feb 19 and 20

We left Papakura heading for Te Aroha – 144K’s but not much climbing. It would be a day of flat peddling through pastureland and along the seacoast. It seems that the terrain here is constantly changing every 15 minutes of every day. There are a few sore behinds in our group as we have started out our journey with some pretty long distances meaning a lot of time on the saddle. Quentin is having problems now and I am hearing it from a number of other riders. Of course, I have mentioned Lee’s problems earlier. She is taking a couple more days off and then will have a rest day in Rotorua. I have been holding up well that way but I have been having some soreness in my right knee. Perhaps some tendonitis from overuse. My bike does not have real good climbing geometry so I do put more strain on it. I’m going to re- measure my seat height on our day off to be sure that that is not contributing.

The ride itself went well at least until the last bit. Bridget, Scott, Quentin and I started out together but Quentin took off after lunch since his behind was not good and he wanted to get done and off the bike as soon as possible. Bridget left us at 100K. She was going to visit friends from her Africa ride who lived in town and she would spend the night there. It was at this point that Scott and I turned off the road and got onto the Rail Trail for the balance of our day. They have very small gradients since trains don’t do big hills. However, they have frequent little bridges and quick turns around barriers to allow for crossings for cattle, farm equipment, roads and other trails. So there is a lot of speeding up and slowing down. We are enjoying the ride tho. Going across one somewhat tricky little barrier turn and quick down, the rear end of my bike slid into something and I felt and heard a sharp little collision against the back of my bike. Two seconds later I knew I had a flat tire. The little collision was hard enough to break the bead on my tire then pinch the tube. Scott didn’t notice and kept on trucking. I pulled the tire off and got out a new tube to get the process going. Four farmers had pulled up in the field next to me on a couple of pieces of machinery and volunteered their help. After explaining that it was kind of a one man operation, they pulled out their lunches and proceeded to be entertained. The old boys had a variety of tips for me, friendly chatter and questions about where I came from. I had a little trouble getting the bead back on the rim. Scott had returned and leant his hand to the final part of the effort and I was back in business. Off we went again.

Arriving in the small town, we pulled out the map to help locate our hotel. A bicyclist stopped beside us and offered to help. He was from the tourism bureau and was on his lunch break. Of course, this meant a tour of the town before we were brought to our hotel door. Nice guy, he was busy giving us the full line about the virtues of town and how we should enjoy it. Scott was thirsty for a beer. We did find out that the lush beautiful rainforest covered mountain just above town was a downhill mountain bike paradise. I could see why. Steep sided and heavily wooded, it would make glorious runs for those crazy people who fly fast through trees down mountainsides.

Since the truck was not there yet with our bags, we found Quentin and headed across the street for the Tavern for a couple of beers. Q is a shy guy who is slowly opening up to me. Bridget is his only friend so far. She knew him because he was on the same Cairo to Capetown ride through Africa. I did find out that he is retired, had been with the special forces in South Africa, and lived just north of London. I would say he is in his early fifties or late forties.

That evening Lyndsay had arranged a group dinner at a local restaurant. We had fun as a group but the dinner didn’t turn out so well. We waited almost two hours to get our food. Keeping hungry cyclists waiting, especially when it had been arranged the day before, will not make them happy. I sat next to Vince, one of the organizers of the trip. He is a gregarious larger man full of nervous energy and great stories. He has no patience for waiting for anything. His son Michael had been helping by driving the vehicle and helping out at lunches. He had had to return home the day before. I learned from Vinnie that his son had been one of the best downhill mountain bike riders in the world. He had come in 23rd in the World Cup and had started racing when he was 13. He was now 26 and had had to move on with his life but still did compete occasionally. It is a dangerous sport and requires amazing strength and reflexes. Vince told me that Micheal’s mother was very athletic but I could also see that Vince had been a hell of an athlete too. Then Vince told me that the best racers in that sport were dyslexic and Michael was too. I kind of looked at him funny and he declared that dyslexia helps you see around corners. It was hard to not start laughing but Vince was dead serious. Not long after this, Vince ran out of patience, cancelled his meal and took off for the hotel. Probably was happy to have a couple more beers for dinner. Beer is a complete food group on its own. Vince is an engineer and is in charge of the mechanical well being of the ferries in the ferryboat system here in NZ.

The following morning I took off with Scott biking the 107K’s to Rotorua, a real outdoors and adventure town. Bridget was a little late coming in from her friends so Quentin waited and Scott and I left at our usual time, around 730. It is nice scenery but not spectacular. We had many turns, moving from small quiet roads to busier highways (still small roads compared to our freeways). Lindsay has done a great job routing us mostly on quiet pathways. We got to the lunch stop at 930 am so we had little interest in eating sandwiches and had breakfast at a cafe instead. Sometime in the afternoon, Horst rode up beside us. He is an extremely athletic German who has raced in big biking competitions and it shows. His technique is so close to perfect that he seems just like a model of efficiency. He is a project manager of an automobile component firm who sells their units to car manufacturers around the world. Their largest buyer is Volkswagen so we had a few laughs about VW’s current problems. Horst is fun and doesn’t take himself too seriously despite his technical approach to cycling. He wanted to ride behind me to see if he could learn something. I just started laughing. We rode up a big hill together and he told me that he was so surprised that I could do it and still talk normally without getting winded. I must be in great shape. I still just laughed. I know I worked harder than he did.

We pulled into the hotel and were somewhat surprised to find Bridget and Quentin sitting there waiting. Scott, Horst and I had stopped in at a Blueberry shop for about a half hour, so that is where they had caught and passed us. Bridget said “We peddled so hard to catch you and now here you are – how did we not pass you somewhere?” They had left at 8. Bridget looked perhaps a little hung over from her last night’s party – she did say that the second bottle of wine perhaps should not have been opened.

Feb 16 – 18

We left Opononi knowing that the day would bring us through a Kauri forest and we would see one of the largest trees in the world. After my experience with the giant Eucalyptus in Tasmania I was not sure that I would be impressed. I was so wrong. Bridget, Quentin and myself cruised out of the motel early and spent a pleasant morning moving through more and more forest when we came to the sign and walkway for Tane Mahuta. Off I sauntered down the path, saw a Maori woman standing in a bend in the planked walkway so I went up to talk to her. She said hello and then asked me to turn around and look. My God, what a tree! It was immense. Over 4 meters wide and very little taper as it rose into the sky. I was amazed.

We took a few photos as I listened to our Maori guide. This tree is over 2000 years old and a larger one just 400 meters down the road checks in at over 2500 years old and is the 4th largest tree in the world. It may be the most massive. The rainforest here is magnificent. We had climbed this morning and now were rewarded with a wonderful winding descent of several K’s through this lush tropical rainforest. Wow. This is a beautiful place.

This would be a day of ascents – over 1700 meters of climbing and 134 K’s. Our lunch stop was at 58K’s and I decided to wait for Scott and Lee there. Lee is having some real discomfort from too much time on the bicycle seat – discomfort is not a strong enough adjective for what she is going through. But she wants to continue so off we go. It was a long afternoon of riding – a headwind came up making going a little tougher than we had hoped. I broke the wind for Lee wherever I could but we didn’t arrive at our hotel until late in the day. Lee is a real trooper.

There are a lot of cattle, cows and bulls throughout this part of the NZ countryside. They don’t hang out together so when I do run into a group of cattle I’ve found that I can get them going by just encouraging them to get up and get going – pretty soon they are running alongside keeping right up to us. That only lasts until they get to the next fence but it’s really fun till then. They watch us as we ride by and are curious so their response to me shouting,”C’mon you guys, let’s go” doesn’t really surprise me.

When we got into our lodgings I grabbed my bags and headed towards to my room – there was the older woman host and her grandson with a two wheeled card and Marco’s bag loaded on it. Marco was walking just behind them giving them directions. At first I thought what the hell, here is a healthy cyclist having an older woman and a young boy moving his bags when he should be doing just that himself. Then I started to laugh. Marco is so Latin, he just expects that the world revolves around him and that these things should be done for him. It was pretty funny. He also has the heaviest bag, we are all wondering just what he has in it.

The following day Scott rode with Bridget, Q and I. Lee was sitting this one out which was a very smart decision. Time to heal. We just cruised. It was lightly raining all day and the scenery was nice but not a good day for photos. We arrived at our hotel at 1:30 despite the 118K’s and some hills. Tomorrow we will take a bus down to Aukland (40K’s away), drop people off in town who want to shop and eat, and then head to a suburb hotel just south of the city. It is our first day off from the bike.

Tomorrow back on the bike for 144K’s including a trail on an old railway. No traffic and great scenery there.

Feb 14 and 15

Yesterday was the official start of our bike trip from the northern most tip of the North Island down to the southern most tip of the South Island. It would be a long first day. We left Paihia promptly at 7am for our 3 hour bus ride to Cape Reinga, our starting point. Bikes and luggage filled the lower compartments our our bus with six bikes taking up the back of the bus and all remaining seats with excited cyclists. As the scenery flashed by and the time passed a few heads started to lower and eyes closed. Buses will do that to you. We had one stop for coffee and a bite to eat since Marco (Italy) had eaten no breakfast before our departure. It was eleven before we found the parking lot at the top of the cape on the top of New Zealand. The landscape on the ride up consisted of sharp hills, pastureland and dotted forests that were quite tropical. There were quite a few small herds of cattle, bulls and a few scattered herds of cows taking advantage of the lush grasslands.

From the top of the headland we all gathered our gear and transferred it into the trailer that Vince, Kay and Michael (Vince’s son) would be pulling behind their SUV. The bus would head home empty now. Then all of us cyclists along with the crew took a hike down the trail to the official signed area of Cape Reinga. It was a great view of the end of the Cape and also of the meeting of theTasmanian Sea with the Southern Pacific Ocean. The difference in water temps and currents left a swirling vivid line off the end of the Cape. Pretty impressive. It was time for ;photos with the patient Kay working her way through everyone’s camera and phone. Terry mentioned that his smile was not as sincere towards the last of the shots. It was a buoyant group ready to get going. By noon we were on the road for 120K’s down the Coast and onto the Ninety Mile Beach to bring us into Apiwara, a coastal village and our next nights accommodation.

Cape Reinga is a sacred place for the Maori, the original people of the country. It is a place where their Spirits lift up to meet the Maker.

I took off with Scott, Lee, and Bridget. Bridget is a very athletic friendly woman from South Africa. She had also ridden the Cairo to Capetown trip a couple of years ago that was her connection to the people on this ride. She had raced that trip and done quite well, following it up with a solo trip down the Continental Divide from Canada to the Mexican border. The track is known to cyclists as the Great Divide. It is tough and long – 2700 miles. She ended her trip after she reached Boulder as she has a niece there and still had a nephew to visit in Milwaukee. After just a few K’s Bidget pulled up to us to say the Lee was having some problems with the winds on the descents. They can throw you around a little and be quite frightening. After determining that the bike itself was OK they continued their ride. Bridget and I kept on moving, finding Quintin dawdling long enough for us to catch up. He is from the UK and a strong light cyclist who has no problems with hills. With the headwind we experienced for most of the day, Quintin was a big help. Both of my riding partners have Garmins which track our route and displqy in on the units mounted on the handle bars. They make it unnecessary to stop to check the map and really save time. It was a tough long day with the unfavorable wind and the late start. When we were approaching our turn to the Ninety mile Beach at Kilometer 98, the wind had died down and our spirits lifted. The beach itself was such a welcome sight – not only because it was beautiful and exciting to have our bikes moving on the hard sand, but also because we knew that only 20Ks remained in our day. When we reached the motel just above the beach, we found that we had beaten our support vehicle and all the other cyclists in so there was nothing to do but find the bar and have a couple of cold refreshments.

When I saw that Scott and Lee had arrived i went out to see how the rest of their ride had been. Lee said awesome!, and I gave her a big hug. What an accomplishment for her, having never done a ride like this, never having ridden this kind of distance, and only being able to train on an indoor cycle trainer before she left. She was shining! Scott had a big grin on his face too. It turned out to be a great day despite the adverse cycling conditions. Everyone was tired and hungry – there would early bed for everyone tonight.

Bridget, Peter and I are roommates. Peter is a good friend of Terry’s from Wollongong, the same city where my buddy Barry resides. He is a manager at the prison facility and oversees a crew of 55 prisoners who make the bread for the whole state’s facilities. He and Terry had done a 4 month ride together through Eastern Europe a few years back. He is a fun loving Aussie with a great sense of humor and maybe just a little extra around the middle. The first couple of weeks or so will be Peter’s training ground as he gets into cycling shape.

Today we got up early and ready to cycle. Bridget was anxious to get going. She doesn’t like to wait around and neither does Quentin. So off we went about ten minutes ahead of the rest of the crew. Today’s conditions were great for cycling and the K’s just cruised by. Reaching the 35K coffee and lunch spot at 9am we decided to just keep going. Certainly not hungry after only a little over an hour of riding. The terrain was much like the previous day with lush forests interspersed with pastures of herd animals. I have been told that NZ is the largest producer of dairy in the world. Haven’t looked it up but we are seeing a lot of dairy cows as we move along. At the 60K mark we stopped at a nice little cafe for lunch, having not seen the lunch vehicle go by. We waited for either the vehicle or other cyclists to arrive but as both of my riding mates wanted to get going, off we went again. While waiting at the ferry just a few K’s later, Michael, Elizabeth and Marco pulled in. They told us that we had missed the lunch truck, as though we weren’t aware of that having cycled 30K beyond that point. It is a help for the crew to tick us off the list at the lunch stop so they would be aware that we weren’t somewhere behind and be waiting for us. However, Kay was aware of when we left as were several other cyclists. So we were fine.

The beach town we are in tonight is called Opononi. While Scott, Peter and I were having a refreshment at a nearby outdoor pub, we learned from an old drunk that Opo referred to a dolphin who used to come into the bay years ago and play with the local kids. That was prior to people knowing much about dolphins so that friendly behavior made that particular fish quite famous.

It’s early to bed for most of us as we have a big day tomorrow.

Feb 13?

It’s a good sign when I’m not sure what date it is. Really don’t know what day for sure.

Paihia is a nice little beach town on the Bay of Islands here on the North Island of NZ. It faces the Pacific side and we are staying about a half block from the beach. Terry, Peter and Elizabeth as well as Lee and Scott and I went on a shakedown bike ride this morning to Russell , another vibrant little community on an island just about 9K’s away. After a short ferry boat ride we headed out on a roller coaster bike trip to Russell. The hills and capes require steep but short uphills and nice little downhill romps which is a great way to test the bikes and legs for our upcoming trip. The foliage is lush and tropical. We are on small winding roads and the trick for Scott and Lee is to remember to look right first! They are traveling on the left side for the first time. Roundabouts are a little nervy the first time but the most dangerous moments are in crossing the streets while walking because that is so automatic for us.

Our original planned route on Terry’s GPS was take a trail to Russell but the sign indicated no bicycles allowed so we just improvised on the roadway and ended up in the little town. A steep winding road put us on a great lookout over the broader ocean for photos then a fast down and we were at the quiet little beach on the opposite coast (Pacific) from Russell. The bikes were temporarily put to rest and into the ocean went this group for a swim. It was a hot day and the refreshing water made everyone pretty happy. Great views in every direction, beautiful scenery, nice cool water and good friends. What’s not to like.

Terry is a 55 year old retired prosecutor from Wollongong, a coastal city just south of Sydney. He’s a strong cyclist, a great guy and a natural leader. Also just a lot of fun. I met him on the South America trip in 2014 and his invitation is the reason that I am here. Peter is a good friend of Terry’s. They spent several months together on a bicycle trip through Eastern Europe a few years ago. He is a manager in the prison system and also lives in Wollongong. He also has a great sense of humor – I know he’ll be easy and fun to hang with on this trip. Elizabeth was also on the South America trip though only for part of it. She works and lives in Sydney and is a good cyclist. She and Terry became good friends during that time. Of course, Scott and Lee are such good friends of mine, I’m so glad they were able to come on this trip. It’s great. Most of the people on this trip know each other from a bike trip from Cairo to Capetown a few years ago. Tour D’Afrique put that ride together and the people here just refer to them as TDA.

Early on our ride Scott noticed that my rear derailer cable was hanging on the inside of the wheel instead of the outside where it belonged. I stopped to take a look and saw the that was causing the cable to rub against the sprocket and was damaging the cable. I had to pull the tire off, take the derailer off and move the cable outside to prevent further damage. Thank God Scott was paying attention or I would have had to deal with a bad cable and been looking for a bike shop before we even started our real ride. We also saw our first Kiwi but unfortunately a car had met the bird first.

After a lunch in Russell, we caught the ferry on that side to head on home to Paihia. A barbecue has been planned for this evening for everyone to get to know each other better and talk about logistics for the trip. Lindsay Gault, who was also on the Cairo to Capetown ride, is the volunteer organizer of this adventure. He has just arrived and it will be fun to meet the man with all the emails. It’s a big undertaking even though we are all experienced and being as helpful as possible. This is a ride where we more or less are just throwing money into the pot. It’s a ride with friends.

It was very near here (2K’s away) where the 1840 Treaty between England and the indigenous people of New Zealand, the Maoris, was signed. The treaty gave England sovereignty over New Zealand and give the Maori protection as subjects of the Crown.

Time for me to take a catnap before the big barbecue this evening.

Feb 11

I said my goodbyes to Tassie a couple of days ago. What a wonderful, comfortable, beautiful place to visit. I feel so lucky to have spent this time there. Dave, Amanda and Barry made it that much more special as they are great friends. We all owe Barry a very big thank you for the great job he did setting up our accommodations and helping sort out the route. It was really well done.

Tassie itself, as I said earlier in my blog, is just like one big small town. The largest cities, Hobart and Launceston, have beautiful old buildings and are very easy to navigate. Tassie is sparsely populated and no one is in a hurry. The island has great beaches. Uncrowded. Wild in many places. Wilderness is also a big part of the country. The west side is quite mountainous, contains lush dense rainforests, and consists of small friendly towns. Traffic is certainly no problem anywhere. It’s a place with a very high quality of life as far as I’m concerned. I will come back here.

I met my good friends Scott and Lee Bergstrom yesterday morning at our hotel in Aukland. I had arrived late the previous night while they had had the day before to check out this very modern upscale city. We were only a few blocks from the waterfront and wandered down among all the boats both big and small. So many yachts you wonder about all the money sitting here bobbing in the water. The two cruise ships in the harbor were quite simply immense. We all speculated on just how crazy the logistics and scale of supplying such a boat would be. Hard to imagine.

Aukland is quite a contrast to Hobart or Launceston. The Tassie cities are very laid back, consist largely of very old, beautifully maintained stone and masonry buildings while Aukland is a place of tall architectually modern steel, glass and concrete structures. The skyline downtown is dominated by the Sky Tower, a needle like structure 328 meters high. It has three viewing towers you can elevator to and a place to bungee jump off of if you feel the need. I was quite happy on the sidewalk below.There was a some real adjustment here for me in this bustling busy metropolis after almost a month of such a tranquil life in Tassie. Each has its beauty and place. When I arrived at our hotel it was after midnight and there was no one at reception. They had an intercom which I buzzed to no avail. My shuttle driver waited for me to try to get in so I tried again and finally got an answer from someone who gave me a code to a lock box where my instructions and key were located. i was feeling a little jangled with all the security and a cold looking glass dominated new home where I didn’t feel at home. I knew that in the morning it would all be fine but yet I wasn’t quite ready for this change.

We all hopped (17 of us) into a large tour bus the next morning for the three hour ride up to Pahia, a pleasant beach town on the Pacific side of the North Island. We had all loaded our bike boxes into a trailer which would follow us up there. This town is lovely and a world apart from downtown Aukland. Yes, now I feel back in my element. Scott, Lee and I have been busy meeting all of the folks we will be riding with, and after a lunch on the wharf with some of them, all three of us felt really good about our group. People from South Africa, Germany, New Zealand, Australia and Canada as well as America were all mixing together with cycling the common thread. This evening we will assemble our bikes and tomorrow morning take a little shakedown ride to be sure everything is working well.

All for now.

Feb 7

I had planned on climbing Mt. Tim Shea today but after chatting with Derek and Anthea last night I have altered my plans. I’m heading 21K further up the Gordon River Road to the Florentine Valley to see the site of a 6 year battle between preservationists and logging companies as well as local loggers. I had written previously about the conflict in the nearby Styx River Valley where I visited the big trees yesterday. That conflict erupted in 2003 when a logging sale threatened the newly famous Christmas Tree in the Styx location. This 80+ meter giant was decorated in 1999 with over 3000 fairy lights and a large fluorescent star placed on its top by local people to draw attention to the endangerment of the big trees in the area. An application was made to the Guinness Book of World Records to recognize this tree as the tallest Xmas tree in the world. It was turned down because it didn’t meet the criteria of being a northern spruce. At that time this tree and many others in the area were due to be cut down. That started the protests, sit-ins, etc. at the Styx site. Anthea and Derek’s daughter was involved in another preservation battle begun in 2006 when another very large timber sale was let in a large tract of old growth timber in the nearby Florentine Valley.

In 2006 the Forestry Department in Tassie let a sale out to a timber company that included 15 – 50 acre parcels in the heart of the old growth forest of the Florentine Valley. Preservationists and many local citizens had been trying for years to have the Florentine and Styx old growth forests protected. The timber company started moving equipment to the area and began operations. First locals came to protest, then many more from all over Tassie, then came more folks from mainland Australia, and then with the participation of the Wilderness Society and finally Greenpeace, people from all over the world were coming to march, sit-down in front of logging equipment, sitting in the trees themselves, and in general trying to halt the cutting of these big trees. The presence of the Wilderness Society brought satellite internet and mobile phone service to the site. They also built platforms in the trees which they called Global Rescue Stations. Camp Floz was born and the media informed the whole world. Some people lived on these platforms for two and three years. A Tasmanian woman named Miranda Gibson spent 451 days straight on one of the platforms. Ropes and pulleys were used to get supplies and wastes down. Miranda completed her doctorate thesis while on this platform. She later moved over to the Styx River Valley site when that conflict was heating up. She was forced out of her tree there in 2011 when someone started the tree on fire. It was a crazy time.

Only 10 percent of the old growth forest that was in Tassie when Europeans arrived in 1800 is still standing today. I learned a little more since my previous blog about this topic. The tallest redwood is 115m tall and over 1000 years old. Most of the tallest Eucalyptus trees left in Tassie are around 600 years old and several of the largest here where I have been walking are just slightly under 100 meters high. The largest Eucalyptus ever measured was found in Victoria on mainland Australia in 1872. It had fallen and was found to be 130m on the ground. Upright it was estimated to have been around 150m high.

A compromise was reached in 2013 after the whole region was declared a World Heritage Area. The loggers would be able to still cut replanted sites in the new WHA but the old growth areas would be protected from logging. There is a lot of logging going on here now as I’ve seen riding my bike through the Styx and Florentine River roads.

My 21K ride to the former Camp Floz was mostly uphill but really beautiful. I had great views of all of the peaks along the way and the roadway was heavily forested. This is a rainforest and the vegetation below the forest canopy is lush and varied. I hear many birds as I move along and am especially intrigued by the Gallahs which move in flocks and settle in the upper canopy as I pedal past. They are large noisy birds which are mostly white but have light orange and green around their necks and heads plus a white crown that they extend like a cockatoos. The site entrance is now called Timb’s Track and it is obvious from the trail that it has not been widely used. The side trails include little treks to some of the largest trees. The second trail goes to the main site of the protests and tree platforms and is called Lungs of the Earth. The trail there would be really difficult to follow if it were not for the occasional orange ribbons. Timb’s Track continues all the way to a cabin named after its owner, John Churchill. It’s about a 3 hour walk. More on that later.

As I walked through the Lungs of the Earth, I tried to imagine the big platforms 60m up in the forest canopy above me. A string of ribbons between two giant trees signifies the former presence of one such site. Overall, though, there is almost nothing left here that would give you a clue about its significance as a world wide effort to protect this area. I guess the only real important things left are these magnificent trees.

I intended to follow the Track all the way to Churchill’s Cabin but after a side trail to a lookout, the route became confused in fallen timber and dense undergrowth. This track has very seldom been used. Even though is was established only a few short years ago, nature is already taking it over again.
So with a look at the little pamphlet Anthea had given me, I headed back the 21K’s I had ridden this morning and now biked an additional 14K down the Florentine River Road to try to find a trail into the cabin from that side.

In 1936 the last Tasmanian Tiger known to man died in a Hobart zoo. It had been trapped here in the Florentine Valley by a man named Churchill and held at his cabin in the forest until transport to the zoo. I just wanted to see that little cabin and get a feel for the type of forest around it where the Tiger lived. Although there have been a number of sightings over the years, like the Yeti, none have been verified. In 1986 the Tasmanian Tiger was officially declared extinct. It had been hunted, trapped and poisoned till there were no more.

After a ride in the heat of the day to a gate on a side road I walked further up the road until I found a trail headed in the pamphlet- described direction and twenty minutes later I found the little cabin. Very small, it was a typical trapper’s shack. Nothing too special about it except its place in natural history.

I had had a long day of pedaling, had run out of water because of the heat and just had to stop at the tiny little corner store just before my cabin for a cold bottle of raspberry flavored soda. It was another very good day.