March 9 Lake Tekapo to Owaka

It was a very long and busy day. We were in the van at 8:00 am this morning and pulled up in front of tonight’s motel at 7:45 Pm.  Where to start and what to talk about without leaving out some important things?

Do I include catching a glimpse of Mount Cook, the largest mountain in New Zealand?  We did see the very top from a distance however before we got up to it the clouds had closed in and it was obscured.

We rolled in to Oamaru and wandered down the street in the historic district which has been turned into an artist district.  There was everything from limestone carving, antique clothing stores, and the Steam Punk HQ.  I was really interesting seeing all the art works and the steam punk stuff was the junk yard welding art on steroids.   There was a penny farthing bike there which you could take for a spin.  I little bit of a climb to get on but lots of fun. 

For sure seeing the round concretions along the beach at Moeraki beach would have to count as a high light.  These are world famous and everybody who goes to New Zealand has to make a pilgrimage down to see these most unusual objects.   Very special conditions had to exist for them to form and for these concretions to be form happened only here. They are between 1.0-2.0 meters in diameter and are just in this one spot. 

Another highlight of today had to be having lunch at Fleur’s.  Fleur’s is an extremely highly rated restaurant. Top foodies from around the world say that there are only a couple of things to do in New Zealand and one of them is to eat at Fleurs.  Here is a link: http://www.fleursplace.com/  We had the Venison platter which had samples from all of her special venison recipes.  We also had the sea food platter which had samples of all of the sea food delicacies which were taken off the local boats this morning.  I was totally blown away with meal.  It was just incredible. Fleur was there and we had the opportunity to meet her.  I even got my picture taken with her.

It might not be a five star motel here in Owaka but I am glad to be here and bed is going to be welcome.

The Kiwi expression for today is “panel beater”   Nobody knows that one.

Terry                                                                                       

  

March 8 2016 ChristChurch to Lake Tekapo

We were up at 7:30 am this morning and had a quick breakfast of cereal and toast before heading downtown.  Jos had been surfacing the weather channels a suggested that we bring a jacket on our walk.  It sure didn’t seem necessary as it was nice and warm.  However you could see a very heavy low ceiling and a little wind would drop the temperature in a few minutes.

The walk downtown was only a few minutes.  However before we got there the first empty buildings started to appear.  There were ten story high rise condo buildings with broken windows and boarded up doors with huge cracks running up the sides.  By the time we were downtown there were whole city blocks where the buildings had been removed. The city cathedral had been damaged and they had built a temporary cathedral out of cardboard tubes.  It was a very unique structure.  We visited the 186 empty chairs which represent the 186 people killed in the big earthquake.  We decided that we would tour the earthquake museum in downtown rather than the main Christ Church museum as it was more unique. Looking at the pictures of the devastation of the city and reading about how the earthquake had destroyed the city were absolutely mind boggling.  This earthquake destroyed something like 70% of the downtown buildings.  However they had a time line and it looked like the ChristChurch had been hit with a 7.0 to 8.5 earthquake every 5-7 years so I guess this one just hit in the right place.

After the earthquake museum we had a quick lunch and headed back to the van.  It was none too early as a light rain had started to fall.  The low ceiling had moved down and was almost right from the ground up.  I was glad I had a coat and was back to the van.

We headed south through a lot of low flat farming areas.  There were lots of dairy farms and sheep herds along the road. Agnes took the wheel and practiced her right hand driving skills.  She seemed much more confident and relaxed.  The Rakaia Gorge which was highly recommended by the Earnie-apedia was pretty much rained out.  We took a detour to visit Jos’ parents who live in Timaru.  It was very nice to meet them.

Back on the road again we had a 60 mile drive over to Lake Tekapo.  There was quite a climb over a pass.  Once over the pass the clouds were gone and we were in brilliant sun shine.  Lake Tekapo is a summer lake cottage town and a stop for the Japanese tour buses.  There is one tiny strip mall which closes a 6:00Pm.  The lake views are incredible.

Tomorrow is a big day so up early and on the road.

Terry 

March 7, 2016 Blenheim to Christchurch

Today was a drive day.  We loaded the van and were on the road by 9:30 am.  Blenheim wasn’t much of a town so we headed straight south. 

The first detour was a salt works down at Lake Grasmere.  While we were driving to the facility we met some other tourists on their way back on the wrong side of the road. It was pretty scary as it highlighted how easy it would be to make a mistake.    The salt panning was really quite a large operation as the salt pans must have covered several square miles.  The sea water was flooded into successively more concentrated pans until it was let into the last pan and then the salt was scraped up with large front end loaders and loaded into rail cars.  The salt looked quite gray so it must be forwarded to another facility for final processing.  

Agnes took the wheel and had her first open road experience on the left side.  She did very well negotiating what was a very narrow road by North American standards.  Agnes felt like it was pretty stressful.  Jos said she did very well and will have no problems with a little more experience.

We traveled along the coast line watching the sea crashing along the beach. There were lots a great spots to stop and see the seals along the coast.  The road was incredibly twisting and had a bunch of really small single lane tunnels.  There were signs advising that passing trucks was not allowed in the tunnels.  How that would be possible is hard to imagine as the tunnels were no more than 10 wide.  There were some high black clouds which were looking really menacing and which obscured the mountain tops.  However it did not rain and even though it was pretty windy it was still nice and warm.  We stopped at the Ohau stream walk and walked in about one kilometer to a great water fall.  The stream is where New Zealand Fur seal pups are nurtured during the winter months.  There were only 4 pups in the stream as breeding season has not started. 

We are in great three bedroom apt tonight.  It is an Airbnb and is extremely well equipped.  Jos and I ducked out to get beer and saw some lamb chops in the supermarket.  So Jos and I cooked supper. We had grilled lamb chops, sautéed mushrooms, corn on the cob, and baby potatoes.  Lamb chops were a real treat for us. Getting good lamb in Canada is not a real possibility.   What a great supper topping off a great day.

Bet nobody knows what a “trundler”  is.

Terry

March 6 2016 Wellington to Blenheim

This morning was busy; Tom wanted to find a rain coat and some water proof gloves so we headed off downtown to hit some bike shops and to get the rental van.   At the bike shop Tom found a great rain coat for only $140 and a pair of paddling gloves for $80. What a steal!  We then grabbed the van and when back to Jos’ place to load up.

The ferry was delayed so we had an extra hour to get ready and we used every minute of that hour.  The ferry ride was absolutely beautiful.  The sky was pure blue and the ocean was almost dead calm.   Jos said that the Cook Straight was never as calm and beautiful as we had it today.  It was beautifully warm and sunny and being out on the ocean was perfect.  Often being outside on ferry rides is cold and blustery but not today. 

Because we didn’t leave until 2:30 we didn’t dock until 6:00 and then we had to drive down to Blenheim.   We arrived at 7:00 Pm and Tom, Amy and I headed off to a pub and Jos took Agnes off for a driving lesson.   We were just finishing the first round, when Agnes and Jos rolled in.  Agnes had passed the driving lesson.  She had found the traffic circles a little confusing but was good on everything else. 

A wonderful day of touring and a great ferry ride.

Terry 

March 5 2016 Wellington

This morning we did a lot of bike preparation work.  Jos is loaning Tom and I bikes, so there was a changing of pedals, mounting of bike bags and adjusting of saddles.  Tom was quite concerned that the top tube length was too long however after the seat height was set and we got Tom on the bike he decided that it was fine.   I am going to ride Jos’ Avanti which is the bike Jos rode across America in 2012.  It is equipped with Ultergra drive train.  I am convinced I got the best bike.

After the bike assembly and fitting we went for spin.  The hills in Wellington are really steep and it was kind of a big change as all of my training has been in Phoenix where a big hill is an overpass.   It was a real adventure riding on the wrong side of the road.  Following Jos was the ticket to no making a mistakes.

After our little bike adventure Jos took us down to this restaurant which is on a tub boat in the Wellington harbor.  The fish and chips were fabulous. 

We returned to the National Museum in the afternoon.  We had just over 3.5 hours which was hardly enough to walk through the place.  There was a very interesting displace on the earthquakes.  They also had a lot of displays on the natural flora and fauna.   I thought the stuff on the Mauri was very fascinating.   They arrived in New Zealand only 600-800 years ago.   This compares to Hawaii which saw the first humans arriving about 2500 years ago.

Back at Jos’ place we had a wonderful supper of grilled salmon.  Liz and John Pfahlert who were on the Orient Express came over for supper. It was great seeing them and catching up with them.

Tomorrow we pick up the rental car and are off to the south island.

Terry  

March 3-4 2016 Vancouver to Wellington

The Air New Zealand old bird turned out to be a very nice new 777 plane.  Agnes was able to trade our two separate seats for two side by side seats.  After a very nice supper and a beer the lights are turned off for the flights.  We watched the new Star War movie.  There was some old goof who wouldn’t shut up and I had to go talk to the stewardess. After the third talking to by the stewardess he finally shut up and we got some sleep.  A nice breakfast,  the new James Bond movie and+ we were in Auckland. 

The plane was a few minutes late and our suitcases were the last off the plane so it was a mad rush over to the domestic terminal but we made it.  Who is sitting there but Tom and Amy whom we are traveling with.   The short hop to Wellington and we are there.  As we are walking hall to luggage pick up there is Jos.  He has made the trip out to the airport to pick us up.  Once out in the parking lot I made the first wrong side move and walked up to the driver’s side.   This is going to take some getting used to.

Jos drove us around the town on the way to his place and up to Mount Victoria view point to get us oriented.  Talk about mess up the sun is in the north.   Jos says that it still rises in the east and sets in the west.  It was absolutely beautiful.  From this view point you could see the entire city.   We then went back to Jos’ for a quick clean up.  He lives just outside of down town in a really interesting neighborhood.   Not to judge but this side of the globe is kind of upside down even the clothes dryers are upside down.

We walked down a pathway from Jos’ through a bird sanctuary and had a great lunch in a begonia conservatory. From there we wandered downtown and along the quay.  Wellington is a really beautiful natural harbor.  It was perfect day for strolling.  We wandered into the national museum which has a special showing of New Zealand’s participation in the Gallipoli fiasco.  From there we took the cable car back up the hill to Jos’ place.  This cable car was built in the early 1880’s.  It has been updated but is still a famous land mark.  The cable car is the most photo’d thing in Wellington. 

A long day but great to be here.

Terry  

March 2 2016 On the way

We had dropped Ajax off last night so the house seemed empty this morning when I got up.  No big cold wet nose telling me it was time to roll out and let him out.  Nobody getting in the way looking up wanting his breakfast.  It sure seemed strange.   However there was no time to sit and miss him as there was lots of last minute tasks to perform. 

Agnes was busy rethinking the luggage situation.  The Air New Zealand carry on restrictions and luggage rules have us in a flap trying to figure out what we can take.  So after a final repack I wound up with the lap top bag and a small duffle and Agnes a large purse and small duffle. 

The taxi was there before we knew it and down to the airport.  Lucky thing we had left plenty of time as there was a ticketing malfunction at the Air Canada counter. However the ticket agent straightened it out and we were off, to the little turbo prop airplane which would shuttle us over to Vancouver for the big flight to Auckland. 

In Vancouver we have a 4 hour layover so we have a nice lunch. The plane is sitting out on the runway and she looks like kind of an old bird.  Maybe it is just the gray overcast of Vancouver.

This is my first time across the date line so I lose a day.  Leave here on March 2 and arrive March 4.  I am not sure how this actually plays out and how it will work on the blog thing does this mean that there is no posting for March 3.  What actually happens to that day? Why am I the only person this happens to when everyone else in the world gets a March 3? 

Terry 

Aotearoa Pre-trip Getting ready in Kelowna

We are off on a bike adventure to New Zealand, and I say we as Agnes is joining us this time.  She is going to drive the support vehicle for the tour.  However I am getting ahead of myself. First I should begin by telling you about the trip. 

 

The trip is called Aotearoa which is a Maori name for New Zealand.  This tour was Jos’ brain child from last year’s Rockies III tour.  We were riding along and Jos said I think we should do a tour in New Zealand, spend at least a month, do a great tour, not a week or ten days but a great tour.  Scenery is great and there are lots of things to see and roads to ride.  I said you put it together and I will come.  So over the last several months Jos has been busy mining ideas, putting routes together, making reservations, renting vehicles, and looking after the thousand other details it takes to make a successful tour. 

 

There are going to be five of us on this tour.  Agnes driving support with Amy riding shot gun and providing navigation.  The riders will be; Tom who is a friend of mine from way back when we rode Crossroads together.  Jos, host and guide extraordinaire, whom I meet on the Orient Express (Paris to Istanbul) and who has accompanied me on lots of other adventures, and bringing up the rear will be myself. 

 

The plan is to fly into Wellington where Jos lives, spend a couple of days getting sorted out and then head across to the south island where we will spend most of our time. After that it is across the ferry to Picton and down the east coast by van catching a few short rides and doing some site seeing.  We will drive all the way to Bluff which is the very southern tip of the south island were we will begin the ride in earnest up the west coast through all the mountains back to Picton.  So it will be an end to end ride. Short sightseeing tours not counted the end to end tour will be 1200m kms (750 mi) and have 11,000 meters (36,000 ft) of climb.  A short and al too brief drive up the north island and fly home from Auckland.  Not quite the month as we arrive March 4 and fly out April 1. 

 

Agnes and I are really looking forward to the trip as New Zealand has been on the radar for several years. 

 

A quick note on the pictures.  It was snowing yesterday morning as I did my first trial pack..   In the suit case you can see my bike bag and bike shoes. 

 

Terry