Saturday, March 19, 2016

March 19 2016 Fox Glacier to Hari Hari








There is a poem which is posted in several places on the West Coast which deals with how much rain there is here (see picture above).  We got that rain.  At 4:00Am it was hammering down so hard I thought that the roof was going to collapse.  By the time we got up it was still hammering down.  In addition the wind was just howling out of the north.  It didn’t look like a great riding day. 

So we drove up to Hokitika which was two rides up the road.  It is the only town of any size on the west coast.  This crosses the mountain range and we were hoping that the rain would be much less further north.  We would then ride back to Hari Hari this would give us a 73 kms ride with a howling tail wind. 

In Hokitika we went and found the bike shop which had been recommended by the Earniepedia.  It was great as we found some excellent New Zealand jerseys which have a great map of New Zealand.  It is the only place which sells them as they were special ordered.  I also found a replacement mirror. 

After the bike shop we wandered down the street to a jade carving shop.   As it turns out this shop is where Jos’ brother inlaw’s brother  is a jade craver there.  Agnes found an excellent piece of jade jewelry there.  It is called a “toki”

After a quick lunch we jumped on the bikes and headed south back towards Hari Hari.  Even though it all up hill we were just flying with the howling tail wind.  At one point we were flying along at 43 kms/hr.  I had the bike in the top gear and couldn’t pedal as fast as we were flying along.   We had a stop planed at the 25 kms point and we were down in just over 35 minutes.   The rain was holding off and so we pressed on.  At the 35 km mark the rain started again and by the 40 km it was just pounding down.  We pulled in at the 49 km mark at a place called the Bushman’s Center. It is place which should be on the top 10 most over rated places.  It is rumored they sell possum pie but they don’t. 

I was totally soaked and cold so I jumped in the van.  I had absolutely had it with the pounding rain.   Jos and Tom road the last 23 kms back to Hari Hari.

Tomorrow we will ride back toward Fox Glacier to complete the ride and the sag back to Hokitika for a rest day.   We have a very nice looking villa for two days.  It will be great to have a rest day.  Even better the storm front will have moved on. 

All in finding an excellent jersey and getting to ride down wind so fast you couldn’t keep up with the pedals more than made up for the pouring rain. 

Terry    

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds like you did some good contingency planning to make the best of a bad situation. You must have some smart guys on your team. If the rain is the only thing you are complaining about, the sand flies on the Wet Coast have obviously not developed a taste for you - yet. Keep up the excellent blog.

Anonymous said...

Great job of making lemonade! Well done to Agnes driving back and forth. I have always agreed with your assessment of the Bushman Center. In all my trips, I only stopped once, in 2002! But all the tours I have been on have talked about it and all the other riders oo and ah about it. Figured it was just me. But, I did and do always get a kick out of the world's biggest sand fly on the side of the building. Enjoy downtown Hari Hari. Glad you got by to see Nelson and get some jerseys. Later, Earnie

Jim said...

From Dallas, great reading about how you all bested the storm. Way to improvise.

Pino said...

Rain and sand flies but you keep your sunny disposition! Your pictures are great...!

Darryl Sabo said...

Excuse me - Did you realize your back tire is going forward? As long as it does not pass you going downhill at those speeds you'll be fine ! Nice to hear of your adventures - loved the 'Rain' poem as well. Reminds me of where we live - something about the West Coast and rain that help things grow. Perhaps you'll be a bit taller when you get back!?

Gail said...

We definitely need the name of the bike & jade shop for our January adventure. Gotta love tail winds that push you uphill! Sorry you have to ride in the rain, but it sounds like you are making the best of it by rearranging your routs. Keep it coming - love the poem, now I am looking on the internet for rain pants