Happy New Year!!!!

The start of a new year - the start of new beginnings! I wish all of you a very healthy and prosperous 2008 and that all your plans may come true!!


As far as my (and Marco's) trip is going since Christmas Day:

In Kaikoura we knew the following day would be a tough one so we set the alarm clock early. But in the night my self-inflatable mattress broke down, so not a good night's rest this time and moreover, a strong storm starts blowing - time to use the earplugs! In the morning however on the positive side: the bakery next door is open, so we can have a coffee and take some extra supplies for the long trip. We have to cycle with a headwind and then we start climbing into the hills and it starts raining - no fun! And when we have cycled to one of the tops where we know there will be a restaurant, unfortunately this one is closed for Boxing Day. We take a rest anyhow, but get very cold with the southerly that is coming up and the rain that goes with it. We cannot stay here and move one. It is getting very cold with the strong wind and rain in our faces - we wear our sunglasses to protect the eyes from the rain. When we finally - after 6.5 hours effective time on the bicycle - arrive at our destination, Waiau, we are lucky the shop/takeaway (only shop of the village)is open, so we can enjoy some good fast food. At the campground there is even a cabin available so we decide to have a luxury night after a hard and cold day. Adding to this a nice, hot shower and the day is good again!


In general campgrounds in NZ are very good. We always enjoy clean facilities, hot showers, equipped kitchens and full laundry facilities.


The next day we go to Hanmer Springs to relax our muscles in the hot pools. We spend an extra night here, to fully enjoy this luxury. At night we make a real Nasi Goreng (the Dutch national dish that actually is Indonesian) that Marco had brought with him from Welly as a surprise.


After that we enjoy a very easy ride (downhill) to Waipara, one of the wine regions of the South Island. The Backpackers/Campground here consists of old railway wagons and is a nice and quiet location. We decide on some wine tasting (a nice holiday pastime) but unfortunately after one winery I have a flat tyre and head back to the campground to fix it. This takes a bit of time, because it is the rear tyre (why does it always seem to be the rear!?). But surprise: the next morning there is freshly baked bread in the kitchen (Esther/Steven: what a terrible smell early in the morning, isn't it?!) and freshly laid eggs. A real treat.


Then we head to Christchurch where we see the first traffic lights since leaving Wellington. We do not spend a lot of time in this city, since we have been around here quite a bit last year and head on to Akaroa on the last day of the year 2007. This will be a great day in the end and to give you a better idea of live on a bicycle in Aotearoa I give a more detailed report of this day:

• alarm clock at 6:15 am


• breakfast (bread with jam / tea) at 6:45 am


• break down tent - packing bags


• leave campground at 7:30 am


• 12 km touring in Christchurch to get to the highway out to Akaroa


• another 35 km without any cafe/restaurant open


• all the time head wind


• fruit shop open at 10:30 - buy an ice cream and some potato chips (good combination of suger and salt)


• first open cafe: 11:40 am (60 km on the teller)


• lunch and coffee


• 13:00 am leave for the next stage


• after 2 km first climb - 6.5 km from 0 to 476 metres (around 7% gradients on average)


• magnificent views over the harbour and the settlements including Akaroa (a great reward)


• 5 km downhill


• another 4 climbs - each of 600 metres to 1 km but with gradients of around 8%


• finally a sign for the camping - 90 km on the teller


• 3:00 pm pitching the tent - nice hot shower
• a cold beer in town
• fish&chips
• a bottle of wine
• 10:00pm sleeping - vaguely we hear some fireworks in the distance, but we slide into the New Year without even really noticing

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all of you.
Below is a short outline of my whereabouts during the last days.

18 December:
On Sunday 16 December I left Wellington on the ferry to Picton. The weather was great and the crossing of Cook Strait went very smoothly. From Picton I cycled with a tail wind to Blenheim; as easy as it could be a mere 30 km that passed by very fast. The sun came out and sunblock was needed straight away. Although there were cars and trucks on the road, the difference with traffic on the North Island was enormous and soon I was in a very laidback holiday mood - wooow!


The first week of my stay on the South Island was not spent on the bicycle a lot, because I was staying in Blenheim to relax a bit and to soak in the atmosphere here (explanation to follow later). On Monday the weather was gorgeous and I was able to explore this little town, that is far bigger than I had remembered it. Unfortunately, on Tuesday it rained in the morning and it still rained on Wednesday afternoon (that's why I am at the internet cafe to write a small story). Luckily I have some nice books with me, so I could unwind a bit although I rather have the sun. The locals here however are very happy with the rain, since everything started to dry out and the risk of fires had become huge. So, I just need to survive this weather in the tent on the campground and hopefully soon it will improve.


21 December:
The weather has improved and I have been exploring the town a little bit more. It seems not too dull - there even is a real cinema around here! where I have been twice already. Only a handful of other people at the movie - how relaxed. Since I had a broken tooth, I also visited a dentist; yes, also that was available here, however, less luxurious than the one in Wellington but also far less expensive. A lot of things seem to be cheaper here, but food and coffees are about the same price as in Wellington and house prices seem to be on going upwards still as well.

The temperature is still not great, but over the weekend it looks promising. Today and tomorrow I want to explore a bit more of the surroundings on the bicycle until Marco arrives on Sunday afternoon from Wellington.

25 December:
On Sunday Marco arrived in Blenheim from Wellington and the day after we started our cycling trip (Marco will be joining me for the first two weeks during his Xmas Holiday). We went to Ward with a great tail wind and some clouds, around 20 degrees, so perfect cycling weather. We stayed on a large farm with the sheep around the tent (pictures will follow as soon as I have another internet/computer). Today we arrived in Kaikoura via an amazing road along the Ocean. We saw heaps of fur seals, ate crayfish, made a lot of stops to enjoy to scenery. Luckily two shops were open in Kaikoura on this day, so we could buy some extra food and even have a beer on a terrace. So, this was another perfect day.

We will be heading to Hanmer Springs in two days from tomorrow onwards. The weather prediction is quite bad, but that is all in the game. I will try to keep this up to date - so get back to you soon!

Anita (and Marco)

Cycling around

Welcome to all readers of this weblog!

This weblog will be about my adventures on the bicycle on the South Island of New Zealand starting in December 2007. I will try to keep you up to date via this weblog at regular intervals, but I will be limited by the number of internet locations, so it can be quiet for a while.

Why do I want to cycle around? New Zealand is such a beautiful country; the scenery is spectacular, especially on the South Island; there are hardly any flat roads - so it is hard to get bored; while cycling I experience the nature intensely at a pleasant speed. The only drawback are the cars that want to use the road as well :-(

Anita