Fourth day

Today we traveled from Picton to Bulls. We shared a table on the ferry with a couple from Levin and the time passed pleasantly.  The sea in the sounds was green but once in the strait the water was  charcoal. Into Whanganui - a - Tara and the waters lightened again.
We had lunch in the Sunday market and went to Te Papa,just to see the Gallipoli exhibition.  It is a very emotional time. There is such an absence is speech. Few adults say anything.  There is mostly the voices of the soldiers telling their stories. Very little children, those too young to understand the gravity of war,and the raw emotions of adults, call to their daddies, and that actually adds to the pathos of it all.
Once I hot Ron into the correct lane I slept ad I had not slept at all well last night.
We arrived at this lovely little campground in Bulls just as the owner was about to leave to spend his new years eve elsewhere. Lucky eh.
And now,at 9 pm,it is time to prepare for bed,with the traffic roaring past regularly.  I am trusting that it will stop begore long. Surely people must all have something else to do tonight than to drive by our campsite.

Third day of northward travel

What a lovely way to wake this morning, by the sea. All night it sounded like wind in the trees and I had to keep checking that the walls o fthe tent were still. But it was just the sea rolling in. We packed leisurely and I wondered at the three vehicles that pulled up right in front of our site, almost blocking us in, but they were just waiting for us to leave so they could take our site.
We went to Omaka Heritage Aviation Centre - amazing place! We had coffee there. It came with a jelly plane. Not a jetplane, but in the shape of a vintage plane. Very cool.
Then we went to a lovely little gallery near the junction of the Nelson highway and Rapuara Road. We tried to find The Ned winery but without any luck, so we went to the Moa Brewery instead. It has changed since the last tme we were there. It is much bigger and much busier.

Day 2

The drive up the coast is as glorious as ever.  There are interesting changes and it would be nice to be able to stop more often. The water has changed from the beautiful blue green close to shore to a murky pale green.  It looks as if the rivers are flooding and pouring their silt into the ocean. But many of the rivers are only pools or trickles or have dried up completely. Even the mighty Clarendon looked less feisty than we saw it last.
Tonight we have stopped at Marfell's Beach,a DOC campsite. The sea is rolling in, breaker after breaker, a constant meditative backdrop.  It has cooled considerably and clouds are gathering. 

And we are starting

We finally packed and left Gore in beautiful sunshine about 12.15. Always there are those final things to be done which take a little longer than you expect.  We had a pleasant drive and stopped for lunch in Milton.  Ron has been thinking about learning archery in his retirement and,serendipitously, we spoke to a couple in the cafe who were part of an archery club in Balclutha.
We called in to see my friend who is home from England for a holiday. It is such fun catching up with old friends and meeting new ones.
Aunty Colleen was not at home in Timaru but we later found out she had a fall and was in hospital. 
My big brother was at home in Ashburton when we called for a cuppa. 
We stayed the night with Shona and Peter in Christchurch. Polly was pleased to see me.

Unexpected training

At the very hottest part of the day my family decided that the drunken talk of the night before should be made a fact. So off we went to Croydon Bush to walk to Grant's Knob. Just over 2km relentlessly uphill and just under 3 down. I am somewhat shattered it would be fair to say. The rata was blooming and the bush was scarlet.  It is flowering early this year.  All the trapping by the Tramping Club is having a good effect.  There is more rata than I have seen before and there was fairly constant birdsong.

The route

This is the route we will follow. We have books by the Kennett Brothers.  The Tour Aotearoa is a brevet which is done in between 10 to 30 days but we ae NOT going to try to do that. We intend to enjoy this. It is the break between work and retirement.  Sort of like a gap year in reverse.

Thank you

This morning I went for a radio interview with Cave FM. And Wendy put the Givealittle page on line last night. $250 already. This is quite exciting - and very daunting!

Marketing

Here is the link for the Givealittle page:  https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/ride-for-refuge

It is starting to seem quite real and very close now. Yesterday Wendy and I went to  the bank and opened an account for the Givea little page. All monies donated will go to the Gore Women's Refuge.
Wendy has also arranged a radio interview with Caveman Radio. 106.40FM to take place on the 21st. And now I can't sleep!

here: https://travellingwithcathrina.blogspot.co.nz/

Ride for Refuge - Givealittle

To help raise funds for the Gore Women's Refuge and to help stamp out domestic violence. - Givealittle is the place to donate and fundraise for causes and charities online.

GIVEALITTLE.CO.NZ

Gold Creek

Today took me out via Gold Creek and then back to town. I met our neighbour, Bill, on the other side of the bridge on my outward journey and he told me I was a long way from home. I pointed out that he was further from home than me.
I discovered where the fire yesterday had been when I saw a burnt out hay shed. It was still smoking and the smell stayed with me for about a kilometer. When I turned on to Gold Creek Road it was a case of onwards and upwards. And just when I thought I had got up the hill... there was another bigger and better.
The horses that I passed yesterday were in a different paddock today but they still listened when I talked to them. There was another which I thought was hurrying down the paddock to  meet me but he was just running to meet his friends in the next paddock so that they could share their news. Being horses they are far to well bred to simply gossip!
It's a great view from Palisade Road across over Gore.
Coming back into town I passed a display of vintage farm machinery. It looked quite busy and should, I thought, have been more widely advertised.
The river is very low. I don't think I have seen it so low so early in the summer. It does not bode well for the rest of the season. A mother duck and her seven ducklings hurried down stream as I came close. She looked disgusted when I drew up beside her and she had to turn back upstream into the current.
As I returned across the bridge I stopped to watch a fly fisherman casting. Hs companion was on the bridge giving directions as to where to cast. A little unsporting,  I thought. The fish was quite large and very well camouflaged.I hope it was catch and release. While I was watching I felt a spot of rain. I had been considering adding a few extra kilometers, but decided that the shortest route might be best. Up Johnson and Thistle Streets, no stopping, a lot of puffing, and only a little bit wet. My hi vis jacket is not waterproof. It does cut the wind though.

I just love the clouds we get in Southland. This is a view of the Hokonui Hills from the Gold Creek Road.

Otamita Bridge Ride

Lovely morning for a ride.  Not too hot. There was a surprising amount of traffic on the road though.  I hate those big utes,often with trailers on, that don't pull out to pass. And it always surprises me that people towing horse floats don't give a lot of room either. They would hate it if a vehicle didn't give them room when they were riding. Share the road.
And while I am having a moan I have to mention litter. What is it with people that they think it is acceptable to chuck out bottles, fast food packets, plastic, etc on the roadside. It is not so noticeable when in a car but on a bike you see it all.
But the birds still sing,the sun still shines,and the stock still watch me pass by.

Did I mention that I have had my ride pimped? New stem to raise the handlebars and a slightly wider seat for my very well padded rear. It does allow me to ride in a more upright position and my neck does not get quite so sore. It lifts that front bag right away from the wheel too - no rubbing.

Why?

Why have I decided to do this ride from Cape Reinga to Bluff? 
I like cycling but haven't done enough to look like a cyclist.  In fact, I think I look like someone who has led a rather sedentary life and who enjoys food. 
When I decided to retire I thought that I did not want to just slide into retirement and vegetate. I needed a plan. 
I had been going to the gym and on the loop of songs there was one about living a life you will remember. It was written by Nicholas “RAS” Furlong.
What was I going to do in my life that I would remember. I certainly didn't want to do the same as the video, which involved a lot of jumping off very high places. 
So ride New Zealand it was. And if I was doing it then it needed an even greater purpose. If I can raise some money for the Gore Refuge then that will be a bonus. 
My husband, Ron, is going to be my support. We start the journey south on the 7th January. 

The last day

Today was my last day at work. I cleared my desk and washed it down, took my photos off the wall and said goodbye. I managed fine until I had to say goodbye to Mary. We have had our differences over nine years but we have managed to get over them. Mary has been a great and knowledgable colleague, always ready to share her sharp brain. We complemented each other.
Mary, Lynne and I went to Mandeville for a lovely lunch. How pleasant to be able to relax together. For so much of the time we have been like ships that pass in the night - only it's day time - with one coming into the office as the other leaves. And when we were in there at the same time we were each busy with our own work. Time to build relationships is vital. We need to appreciate each other because there is not a hell of a lot of appreciation given in the job. Still I did enjoy it.
I started in education in 1957 and I finished a full 60 years later in 2017. 11 years at school, 3 years at training college, and the rest teaching with a bit of time out now and then to raise a family but always relieving except for 1989 when I did not go into a classroom except as parent help.
I will miss this but I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO THE RIDE.

End of an era.

Today a farewell was held for me by my colleagues. They told me many things about myself that surprised me and moved me. It didn't make me sorry that I was leaving though. This is the right time and the right decision. I can't wait for the next step. I am not sure when I will ever wear fishnet gloves or go shopping with oversize yellow glasses but there may be an occasion. You never can tell.

A happy Friday

One week to go until retirement. Today I rode down to Mataura and joined some school children on a ride to Gore. It was lucky that Dana put the time forward an hour because it was hot enough at 10 am. It was a great relief to have the Fire Brigade waiting at the race course to douse us all. And again when we reached the trout. Thanks also to the people at South Gore Dairy who supplied ice blocks and cold water. It was good to have a police escort. Thanks to Sally and Fenton.
And then I managed to bike up Johnson and Thistle Streets without stopping!

         

The cows gathered at the fence with great interest in this crazy old lady on a bike.

The thunderclouds were growing and this reminded me of a flying pig.

It was hot and luckily I got home before the clouds decided to cool us down.

32.5 kms today around Waimumu, Stopped off and called in to see friends on the way.  Almost bit off more than I could chew I think.

25 November

Early in the day it was overcast again. Just right for a ride in my book. So off down Broughton St. No traffic. Just lovely! And then out past the cemetery and onto Terrace Road and then right to Friend Road. The first hill as Friend turns into Humhrey Road is a stinker. By the time I got halfway up it ws time to get the jacket off and be thankful that the sun was not out yet. It was lovely though. A skylark sang it's way down to the paddock. A duck burst out of the long grass in front of me. The trees on either side of the road made a cool tunnel with only the crunch of the gravel under my tires to disturb the silence. Down Lady Charlton Road and then comes Newton's Law - the one that says for every down there is an up - or similar anyway. In places the tar on the road had been running nad left ripples. Nearly home and a blue heron flew across in front of me and then landed in the water table. Unfortunately my camera was in my pocket on the back of the bike. I passed Ron too and he told me later he had seen the heron too. I wsn't fast but I enjoyed my 27 km.

Next stage

I am starting to get quite excited.  Only three weeks to go until I retire. We have booked a trip to China,on to the UK, and back via Sri Lanka and Melbourne in time to look after Simon and Rosa's children.  There is so much to do between now and Christmas and I am sitting watching Say Yes to the Dress.

October 29

A lovely day for a ride today.  The sun was shining and just a gentle breeze. The trees are flowering and riding past the hawthorn brings a lovely perfume. I started out down Broughton St and felt my hair lift as I built up speed. Damn! No helmet. So I had to turn around and bike up the hill. Managed fine then. But the hill beat me coming home an hour and a half later.

Back again

Again weeks have passed. I have not been well but seem to have got over the worst of it and am looking up again. However I have lost any fitness I had. We took 10 days and went to Twizel for the school holidays.  We biked a bit, did a jigsaw, read books and ate the local cheese. The cheese came from a lovely spot up Ben Ohau Road. Isabella loved the Aorangi Tangy. It was lovely to have Simon,Rosa,Taia and Isabella come and join us. Also Peter and Clare. 

When we rode the upper part of the A2O the mountains were spectacular.  It is quite deceptively flat looking. There was a head wind too so heading up alongside the Tasman RI've was a bit tough for the unfit. However the views made it worthwhile. 

Oh my Goodness

Oh my goodness, it is such a long time since I have been here. The black dog has been following me all year and finally caught up with me. My happy left. So I have had time off work, given up training, had no interest in writing. But now my medication has been doubled and has finally kicked in and I have my happy back.
Next week I will go back to the gym and get into it again.

I did do some travelling during this time. I took two of my grandchildren and we went on a road trip to the North Island. We were so lucky with the weather. It was just lovely all the way up. beautiful views through the Arthur's Pass area and down the Shenandoah Valley. A perfect crossing on the ferry. We left Wellington in blue skies and sunshine. By the time we got to Mamaku that night the ferries were no longer sailing, the Desert Road was closed because of snow and accidents. Obviously mayhem followed in our wake. to say nothing of the mayhem in the car with children fighting. Why can't sisters get on?
The rain caught us in Rotorua so we went to the Polynesian Pools for a swim and got caught in a hail storm. Fortunately there is cover so we were able to luxuriate in the warm water and watch the children scooping up balls of hail. Then it snowed and we nearly got stuck in Mamaku but luckily we managed to get to Minginui Forest to stay with my eldest son. And it rained! All day! Like a waterfall! The following day dawned bright and clear so it was off to Waikite Valley hot pools where we stayed most of the day. Glorious.
The Desert Road was still closed when we left but it had reopened by the time we got to Taupo. It is really magical driving the road with the snow piled up either side and the volcanoes glowing with their fresh white blanket.
Fine days in Wellington saw us go to the zoo. The girls were actually more excited by the Capital Food market where we went for dinner each night. They couldn't quite understand why the young man was in his sleeping bag on the footpath and why he was so quick to eat my left over food.
Another beautiful crossing.
We had a reasonable day to travel south and stopped at Hanmer Springs. Much fun was to be had on the water slide and the superbowl.  am so glad we went. As we got closer to Christchurch it began to rain steadily.
We stayed with son number 2 and it rained heavily all night. Next morning we went to visit my neice and drove through quite a lot of water. When we returned we drove through quite a lot more water. My poor little car was nearly drowned when a truck passed by. We had only just got back when the road closed.
So there we were. Stuck in Prebbleton for the foreseeable future. we finally managed to get home the day before work started again.

Tara was obsessed with bras.

Two little posers at the Wellington Zoo.

Ruapehu looking fabulous.

The Minginui waterfall.

Fun and games on the Edwin Fox at Picton.

Bit of a scrubber here.

A perfect day in Picton. And there is our boat coming in.

A tad chilly this morning. It's the first time since the double glazing was installed that I couldn't see out the living room windows for the frost on the outside. zit was a lovely day though and the fog cleared quickly. I thought I would head out to Maitland and back through Knapdale but as we headed along Hamilton St we could see the fog drifting across that way and every turn of the pedals the temperature seemed to drop so we took a side street and headed back into town and down the river road. It is lovely biking along there listening to the tui singing in the trees. Then it was out through Charlton and around the half marathon in reverse.
i have noticed that Ron bikes behind me, drafting, all the time until we come to a hill when he powers past pretending he is Nairo Quintana. Or when there is someone to see us, then he leads.
I must say I am feeling better with every ride. Nearly 29 km today easily  in under 2 hours

Belief vs religion

Sometimes travelling by bike leaves you open to philosophising.
After the Manchester bombing I was thinking about the difference between belief and religion and religion has a lot to answer for.
Belief can be anything and anybody. We all have some system of belief which governs our lives. Some call it faith and link it to a god, others think it comes from themselves and it is just decency as human beings.
Religion on the other hand is a man made thing. (And here I use man as a generic term for a human.)
It doesn't matter what the god is called - Allah, Yahweh, The One God, The three in one, Zeus, Buddha, - the name is made by man and the rules that go with that religion are man made.
 Christians actually have hedged their bets because they believe in one god and then say that it is the father, the son, and the holy ghost, and intercession can be made through Mary, mother of Jesus. Sounds pretty polytheist to me.
Then of course each religion has to have priests who keep the lower class believers on the straight and narrow - and sometimes the path is very narrow. It is all about control.
The con is such that the conned think that it is their idea that they wear 'modest' clothing, that  hair is covered in case it should drive men mad with desire. What a load of cobblers - men should be able to control themselves, whether a woman is dressed or not!
I noticed that Melania Trump did not cover her hair when she went to the Middle East where that is the norm, but when she was in Rome and met the Pope she made sure that she was dressed in accordance with the customs of the Roman church.  This is hypocritical in my opinion.
The other aspect of the control is monetary. A rule about giving to the church regularly. The church is usually obscenely rich and has huge, elaborate buildings, often in places where the general populace is living in poverty.
Religion causes war! Men believe that their way is the only way and any other way is evil. How can anyone ho declares a belief in a god murder people in such terrible ways and such horrific numbers!

28 May
Oh my! What a cold day! The fog rolled in before I got up and stayed most of the day. It did clear and Ron and I headed off for a rod only to find it has just cleared in our little patch of town. We rode through fog for much of the way around the half marathon track. My fingers froze - new full fingered gloves are the next buy. On the plus side when the fog cleared it was a beautiful crisp day. I even biked right up Broughton St hill without stopping! It's been a while since I managed that. Not a long ride but it is still a ride.

Another lovely weekend in Queenstown. No bikes but on Saturday and Sunday I went for a walk on the Frankton Arm Trail. I really must go up sometime and go for a ride to Mt Rosa. It will be good training.
    Frankton Arm looking towards the Remarkables Looking toward Cecil and Walter Peaks.

I also drove over to Cromwell and spent the afternoon with my brother. It is ages since I have seen him and I can't remember the last time it was just him and me having a yarn.

This is his front garden.

On Sunday we went for breakfast at The Boatshed. I was welcomed with  a glass of champagne for Mother's day. I can highly recommend The Boatshed as a place to eat. It's a bit tricky to find though. Ask a local.

Holiday

I don't think that I am very good at this blogging business. We have just had Easter and spent the  school holidays  away up North.
I managed one big ride during Easter, out through Pukerau and then up to Kaiwera and down Diamond Peak. I was shattered!
We spent time in the Bay of Islands over the July break from school to attend a wedding. While there we went kayaking and for the rest of the time we sat in the sun and read. Aches and pains disappeared.
I did check out the terrain for our big ride and it does look quite hilly. But we will be fitter by then and thus more able.

Recovery

Just a short ride today. It's a lovely day but cool. At least I went out. I did notice the nether regions were a little tender but that settled quickly. I think we saw a young tui in the garden last night and I thought I heard one early this morning. It would be lovely to have tuis nearby. Ron thinks it might be a hard winter this year so we will have to keep the birds fed. There was a blackbird in the glasshouse when I got back and it was in a right panic.

Whew!

The danger of Cyclone Cook passed with a whimper in Southland and today was a pleasant morning to go for a ride. By the time I got out the wind had cone up a little and I'm not fond of wind. However I decided that I have to train myself to enjoy wind. Relish it even. So off I went with the wind behind me. I figured that if I rode to Pukerau then the head wind would be from Kaiwera and down Diamond Peak. At least I would be going downhill into the head wind. I had conveniently forgotten how far it was.
I scooted out to Pukerau quite quickly for me. I stopped at Camp Colomba and took a photo of a tiny waterfall.  Then onwards and upwards.  By the time I came over the top into the Kaiwera basin I was beginning to feel tired. I thought of ringing Ron to come and get me and then thought I had done all the work getting up and I didn't want to miss the run down.
By the time I turned onto the flat of River Road I had talked to myself and decided that fitness is as much mental as physical and I had better develop some mental stamina.
I didn't manage to ride up the last hill to home though. I was knackered. 
44 km isn't really far but it was for me.
Now that I have recovered somewhat I am quite pleased with myself.

Injury and a party

Gently getting back into the burn and there was a beautiful day. Te sun was shining, I had on my summer dress (might be the last chance for a while) and my pretty shoes with a bit of a heel. Leaving a school I stepped off the kerb and onto the road and a little stone. Whoops a daisy! Over on the ankle and I hit the road - not in the way I wanted either. They say that you know you are getting old when you fall over and people rush to help instead of laughing. I guess I am getting old. Rats! I spent most of the day with ice on it and resting between appointments. The physio kindly strapped it for me in the afternoon with no appointment. By Friday morning it felt much better but no gym for me. Stayed very quiet all weekend - except for the party I had with my twins. Our birthdays are actually on the 5th but we had it on the 1st so we could all be there.  All happy at a combined 129 years.

It wasn't possible to have all the family here but there was a selection.

Rest week

My body has been aching. So I decided to take some advice and rest a bit. I have had a few days off and today I went for a 27km ride. I had forgotten how many hills there are coming up from Friend Road to the Lady Charlton corner. And I forgot to put on sunscreen. Pity this isn't me - there is more of me than that. And the map shows the fastest bit down past Aunty Mary's place and that was not the case. The fastest part was down Broughton St hill. It always is.

The Starting Point

The idea for a journey began a long time before.
One day was the mantra.
Well, one day is getting closer.
Retirement is getting closer.
The countdown is on.

How am I , at 100 kilos and not very fit going to manage to bike thousands of kilometers?
Just thinking about it makes my body ache, my knees hurt, my shoulders tense.

Answer: join the gym, start biking.
So that's what I did.

Keeping on.

I have been going to the gym regularly. I have discovered that many classes are FREE to members. That's me I thought.  I have coped.  Not too much pain. Until today!  Oh my aching hammies.  And I have lost absolutely no weight despite all this extra work. I have even foregone my usual bikkies.  Oh the sacrifice!