28 February

Tiny violets among the former coal mine site.

28 February

Denniston.  Isn't it amazing how coal co.panies get away with designating some place an historic site and just leave all the junk littering the landscape. It is interesting all the same and I am glad we went to look. What a life it must have been for the women.

28 February

These amazing carvings were on the way to Denniston.

28 February

Carter's Beach for lunch. These seals sat upon the stump they were carved from. Beetles had been eating them. Looked as though someone had shot them. We had lunch at Donaldos.

28 February

Raining this morning so it was a change of plans.  Cape Foulwind. And it really wasn't.  Hardly a breeze and quite warm even though it looked as though the rain would start again at any moment.

27 February

This afternoon we took a ride along a track right in Westport. We started at the bridge into town and went along the river, past the old wharf and rail yards, over the present lines and under a locked gate, part the new harbour area, along the foreshore which had been storm damaged but quickly repaired.  It was a bit rough there but still ridable.  And then we found where the beach reserve had been. It is now covered in driftwood, as is the beach. We saw a barbecue and table but getting to them would be difficult.  No shortage of wood for a fire though. Then along a nice single track to another beach area and home to the motorcamp. Good way to spend an afternoon. I think more people should visit Westport.
I wish the noisy members of the Citroen and Puegot club had visited on a different day to us though.
It's raining again.

27 February

Reflective.

27 February

There are many little falls at the roadside, most of which would not be noticed in a car. I like the red lichen in this one.

27 February

Kilkenny Lookout. One of tbe narrower parts of the road. The next is Fern Arch but that one has traffic lights. Pleasantly cool morning. It was misty but had lifted before we started. Still overcast though.

26 evening

There was some spectacular scenery today.
At a rest spot we met up with Michelle from Milwaukee and we rode together to Berlin's.  Had our evening meal together.
The tent has dried out but the forecast is not fabulous.
I went for a walk on the Old Ghost Road but didn't try to ride it.

26 February noon

The ride from Murchison was terrifying.  There was so much traffic and it is so narrow.  I was glad to reach the turn off to Westport and Greymouth. It is still busy but not the Highway 1 volume of traffic. And fewer trucks. Ron stopped in a layby and made me lunch. The sun is shining.  The bumblebees are busy. The sandflies are busier. All is right with the world.

26 February am

A very wet night. There was no rhythm to the falling rain. I think the drips from the birches overhead broke the rhythm.  They hit the taut fly of the tent and wounded like a flat drum and sometimes like a jandal slapping a sole. 
Morning dawned and it was still raining and dreary. Maybe a rest day? But just after 9 it stopped and the forecast was to clear so it was pack up the tent in record time and away.

24 February

Today we started from Richmond and got as far as Wakefield where we stopped at the Rhubarbe Cafe for coffee. The man there told us that the next part of the trail had been damaged by Cyclone Gita. We revised and went to Belgrove instead. We had lunch at the tavern there. What a lovely place
It would make a great wedding venue. The garden was beautiful and had little corners where it was private. The gates were made from bikes.
And then there was Bella. Bella was not giving her tennis ball to anyone but every now and then she would drop it nearby and then watch closely until one of us was silly enough to try to pick it up.  Then she was lightning fast and would snatch it away. This time she positioned herself a bit further away. She realised we were too slow. She wasn't expecting me to kick it though.
We again deviated from the route and decided to go to St Arnaud. I ran out of battery and luckily Ron came back to find me. St Arnaud was totally booked out. The receptionist at the hotelsaid I could charge my battery there and so we stayed at the DOC camp.  It was called Teetotal. Luckily we were there English because it filled rapidly. We had dinner at the hotel and realised that it was the first time we had gone somewhere for dinner since we left Kaikohe. Not counting fish and chips as going out for dinner.
Unfortunately there was a wet patch on the seat of the car and my pants were soaked when we arrived but the lovely young waiter brought me a towel to sit on and by the time I left I was dry again. And the battery was fully charged.

25 February

Left St Arnaud about the usual time.  The cloud had thickened all night and by this morning it was very overcast. Not quite raining though.  The ride from there to Kawatiri was fast and slightly downhill. After that the traffic got heavier. Car after car and heaps of buses and trucks.
I did appreciate the bus driver who slowed down when I was on a particularly narrow part. Unlike some who seem to think it is OK to pass as fast and close as possible.
It was encouraging when the young fellows in a car going the other way tooted and waved.
Today I was biking along and the world suddenly smelled like honey. I realised that it was the honeydew on the beeches. 
We stopped for lunch at the Red Barn Cafe and animal park. Lovely.
Tonight we are at the Kiwi Holiday Park in Murchison. They have quite a menagerie here: sheep, deer, chooks, emu, wallabies, horses, and ducks.
Nice spot.

23 February

On the Great Taste Trail today.
I spent the day visiting. First Wendy, then Lorna and Ron for lunch, and Judy for afternoon tea.
It was a pleasant ride of 50 km which didn't seem to be far as I stopped so often.
There was a disaster at lunch though. As I put the beetroot container back in the centre of the table the bottom dropped off and beetroot went everywhere.  Most embarrassing.

23 February

It rained steadily all night and stopped about 8 am. We left at 10 and carried on up the road. And there is quite a lot of up between the Rai Valley and Nelson.
At one stage a truck almost put me into a culvert. It did not move across the road at all - or slow down.
There was a very random Christmas tree on the roadside, a litter with tinsel.
Other than that I am glad I took the road route because I would probably have struggled on the Tour route.  And it would have been very muddy.
Once on the cycle path in Nelson it was a breeze. I had intended to stop at Macashins Brewery when I got to Stoke but missed it. Never mind.  I found the Eddyline Brewery and Pizzeria at Richmond instead.  After a very tasty pint I carried on to meet Ron at Neville and Joan's place.
It is so good to be able to catch up with friends. And to be able to clean and dry clothes.

19 February

Last night was wild. The tent shuddered and, at times, the walls bent inward to touch our heads as we slept. Well Ron slept. The zips unfastened themselves. Oddly, when I got up and went outside it was a beautiful warm starry night. At times the wind died away completely,  but not often.
We packed up and left Featherston bound for the ferry. It was with some trepidation on my part. I have never ever had a rough ferry crossing and I have crossed Foveaux Strait,  Cook Strait,  Bass Strait,  and the English Channel.
And we had the smoothest crossing ever. No white caps. No wind. But slow.  We were an hour late getting in. We tried the backpackers, given the forecast,  but they had nothing,  so we went to Alexander's Campground and set up the tent. About 9 o'clock we were told we could use a cabin but would have to share it. We were in with a young Polish couple.  They sensibly took their tent down. We didn't.  It started to rain about 10 pm.

16 February

Changed our plans today. It was looking a bit thrratening for riding so we went to Wellington instead. We found the Chinese Embassy but it is closed until the 20th for Chinese New Year. So I will have to rethink  how to get a visa.
I also got a new phone as mine had died. Such a pain. My contacts did not move across and neither did my memos which held all the info I need to reopen the apps.
It was a lot wetter in Wellington than it has been in Wairarapa so hopefully we will get another ride in tomorrow and then have Sunday to sort ourselves out again. We cross the strait on Monday.
The sky is still looking wild. At least it is not so windy tonight. Last night I couldn't get to sleep.  Every time I was dropping off the tent wall would crack again and wake me up.

15 February

We took the train to Wellington on the 14th and biked back to featherston over two days. I have to say that it was not easy t get out of Wellington. There are no cear instructions that we could find on how to get to the trail. We could see it on th eopposite side of the four lanes of speeding cars but there was no way over. We must have mised a turn somewhere. We finally got off at Lower Hutt and then just kept asking util we got directed to the Esplanade. After that it was relatively easy, except that we chose the Hutt River Trail on the wrong side of the river and then had to figure out how to get across.
As we were biking along the Esplanade I thought I saw a familiar face but it was not until Ron called me back that I realised that it was Rachel, the English girl from Taumarunui.
Today we carried on from the Holiday Park in Upper Hutt and got on the trail, off the trail, on the trail, etc for quite a while. We saw a bit more of the Tunnel Gully trails than we should have before we finally got settled into the Remutaka Trail. This was generally a very pleasant ride, except for a roughish bit at Siberia. The trail was clear and well signed. It was just getting to it where the signage was a problem. Photos will follow later.

13 February

I decided to bike from Te Wharau to make up for the bit I missed. I managed just over 80 km today but it was hard. There was a head wind most of the way. We stopped in Martinborough for a coffee and then carried on to Featherston.
It was hot and the sun heated the pines so that the warm spicy scent delighted the nostrils.
We are going to take the train into Wellington and bike from there out to here.
This time the phone is not just plying up. I think it has totally died!

11 February

We left Eketahuna in fine weather and travelled along a little valley parallel to the main highway. We crossed the road and travelled down another parallel valley. Much further ths time. There had to be a day when we took a wrong turn and this was it. Two of them! The first came when the intructions said to turn down North Road. They did not mention that there were two North Roads. Luckily we met a lady walking her dog and she set us right. She also told me about a little Lutheran church, built by Norwegian settlers in 1881 and still in use. Sure enough, futher along we found the correct North Road and then the church. It is set high on a hill, a very small, plain church, wit the original organ still in use.
Periodically there would be a light shower, nothing to worry about. Then we took the second wrong turn. This brought me out onto the main road much sooner than I should have been. These busy roads are downright scary at times. The traffic is in such a hurry and a lot of people do not seem to understand the 1.5 metre rule. It would not be so bad if they slowed down before they passed a bit close. And then, oh joy! It started to rain heavily. In moments I was wet through. The puddles became deep enough that the water cam up over my feet on the downstroke of the pedals. By the time I got to Masterton the gutters were like small rivers and in some places the drains could not cope and the water was boiling up again.
I stopped and we loaded the bike onto the car and went for a hot chocolate. Then we drove out to visit Steve and George at Te Wharau. The school has gone since I was there last and I missed the turn. The weather forecast was not good so we stayed two nights. It was a lovely visit. No internet though.
My phone is still playing up so no photos either.

10 February

We left Levin this morning.  Thank you Colin and Adrienne for making our stay with you so pleasant. 81 km later we have pitched camp in Eketahuna. This is a cool little campground,surrounded by trees.
I think we got lost for a while today. The instructions did not seem very clear but it didn't matter because we got to where we should be.
My phone is playing up so no photos.  I did take some but on the other camera. There was a magnificent view from halfway up Polson Hill, out over Palmerston North and miles further. It was quite a hill. We traveled down the Mangaone Valley but I don't think we went far enough and ended up coming in to Eketahuna on State Highway 2 which was very busy.

8 February

We went back to where I left off and started again.  It wax odd weather.  Sometimes there was a head wind.  In places there was no wind and in others a tail wind. There would be a warm patch and then it would cool. When I got to Ashurst we stopped for lunch.  I did feel for the farmers along the valley baking in the sun and the rain sweeping across the Ruahine Ranges. So near and yet so far.
At Ashurst I decided to keep riding to Levin where we are going to stay with Ron's cousin Colin and Adrienne. By the time I got there I had completed my first ever 100 km ride and still had 2/5 battery left.
No photos today.  The phone kept rebooting eah time I tried to open the camera app. Most frustrating.
Tomorrow we are resting before returning to Palmerston North and another restart.

6 February

I rode out of Castlecliff about 8.30 and followed the road around to Taupo Quay where I joined the bike trail again.
I got to the Durie Hill elevator about 9.15 but it didn't open until 10. So it was bike up the hill instead. The elevator is a tunnel and is a more direct route. Great views from the lookout at the top.
From there it was all by road to Huntersville and,as I still had some battery life, on further. Only about 10 km further but that will be 10 km less tomorrow.  All up I did about 80 km. The battery ran out halfway up a hill . I carried on a bit further but had to get out of the way of a stock truck. So I rang Ron to come and pick me up.  We went back to Huntersville and are spending tonight at the Station Hotel.

5 Feb

We decamped again from the Top 10 Holiday Park and took the bike to Velo Ronny.  I explained the problem I had with the computer and they ran a diagnostic test on it.  While that was happening we went to the waterfront and explored the museums and art galleries. The old buildings in the area are beautifully preserved. Some of them have murals.  I particularly liked the hourglass with Viva Frida.
Back at the bike shop Shaun explained that the fault had been made in the factory.  It could be fixed but not quickly.  So,if I was agreeable, they would replace the black bike I had bought with a beautiful red one. We would have to wait while they personalized it. Had we been to Virginia Lake? We hadn't so we went. What a lovely park! We took a leisurely stroll around the lake after lunch admiring the waterfowl and gardens.
By the time the bike was ready it was too late to leave.  We changed camps and tonight we are at Castlecliff in a cabin. The wind has whipped the sand into a stinging frenzy so we have not been right to the sea.
It has been good to relax.

4 Feb

I left Ron to complete packing the car and carried on biking.
Last night was beautifully moonlit. Goats bleated on the cliffs above the camp.  Moreporks called regularly. And a pesky possum chirred and tried to investigate the tent. I suppose it could smell food.
The campsite was in full shade when I left,as was the road. It was quite cool.
It's a lovely valley.  It was a shame the river looked so dirty.
We have often seen these beautifully neat green hives as we have traveled around.
Thd highest hill as we left the valley is called Gentle Annie.  The long views are looking from the top.
There were an incredible number of shells embedded in the stratum at the Shellrock cutting. The cliffs were very interesting with their layers of rock showing geological history over millennia.
This afternoon we are sitting in such a busy campground, all washing done and drying and the battery on the charger so it will be ready for tomorrow.

3 Feb

Today we picked up the new bike and went to Pipiriki.  We got there about 1.30 and decided it was too early to make camp. I changed and jumped on the bike. There are some teething problems which will need sorted on Monday.  But what a difference.  It made riding such a pleasure. I stopped at all the points of interest along the way. There were some great views of the river. Unfortunately it is quite dirty. There must have been heavy rain in the headwaters as the little side creeks were running clear.
We are freedom camping tonight just north of Atene (Athens). There are a couple of others cars here too.
The road was mostly sealed and very narrow in  places. There were several other cyclists, three pairs on tandems, and traffic was generally good. The scenery is fabulous.