Beaten by the Bike

Hellooooo!

I am dead tired. I left Nelson yesterday morning on an old bike that another WWOOFer and I fixed up (well, he fixed it up while I retrieved screwdrivers and wrenches and got in the way). My plan was to cycle for two weeks halfway down the west coast to Greymouth, where I could catch a train over the Southern Alps and make it to Christchurch. Two mistakes were made in this planning process, if not more. One is that New Zealand is bigger than I expected! Next to Australia on the map and compared to the USA, it may not be so large. In actuality, however, it is rather sizable! The roads are not like the roads in the States: the pavement is much older and rougher, rotaries interrupt the main highways in each town, and few of the roads have extensive straight stretches. Especially the ones I've chosen to travel. Another key factor in preparing in a cycling journey is, well, preparation! I've never really biked long-distance before, unless you can count the trip into the Dairy Frost in Brunswick where I used to work. It's awfully tiring to take down camp, bike many kilometers and not a few hills, set up my tent at a campsite, pull together a meal, and stretch out my aches and pains! The sun here is relentless and I've had to be very aware about finding shade, using sunscreen and hydrating. I'm afraid I've bit off more than I can chew and I'm already cheating- I'll be catching a bus up to the next large town in a couple of hours, from which I can (hopefully!) cycle into Kahurangui National Park. There I'll be able to do a bit of tramping and escape the noise of traffic before I return the bike to Nelson.

On a brighter note, the trip to Motueka (where I am now) has been beautiful. My trip started out alongside huge vineyards, olive and apple orchards, and the occasional cow farm. The route mostly follows the beautiful northern coastline and I cooled off yesterday with a plunge into the sparkling turquoise waters of Ruby Bay. It feels good to spend about 80% of the day outside, and fortunately the weather has been agreeable! Let's hope that holds true for a little longer.