What a morning!So my sailing at 2:00 am got cancelled and Rebecca and I rushed down to the terminal to rebook.The lovely Maddie rebooked me. And I turned up again at the terminal at 7:00 for a 7:15 check in.The terminal was madness! Lots of angry people. The lady in…
No freaking way!
I got this at 9:30 pm on Saturday.I’m so angry with bluebridge! Next steps: reschedule So I immediately got on the phone only to learn that “I had called them outside office hours”, meaning the only way I could reschedule was to actually pony-up at their terminal. So, at 10:30pm,…
The Weather Outlook for Sunday
Looks like I’m going to get a wet arse in the morning at Ship’s Cove on Sunday, but sunny days with tail winds all the way to Christchurch!
Nothing is easy
Of course…I’ve been able to rebook on the next available sailing which is Sunday 2 April leaving at 2 amSo I leave Wellington at 2 am, get into Picton at 5:45 (ish), and catch the ferry at 7:00 am and do the Queen Charlotte track.Vic suggested I cycle to Portage…
Preparing for Launch!
Both John and Victoria have completed their Sounds to Sounds ride – John in 11 days, and Vic in 16. Both of them said was hard. Real hard. Harder than the Tour of Aotearoa.Much anticipation 😊 Here’s a bit of lowdown on what I’m taking and planning while I’m in…
Vic Sefton and John Keene Ride Again!
Yes fellow bike-packers, its CYCLE TIME!!!This time, its the fabulous Sounds to Sounds cycle ride: https://sounds2sounds2023.maprogress.com/Please follow both Victoria Sefton, John Keene and myselfVic started today (3 March), John starts on the 8 March, and I will start on the 2 April.Vic has her own blog: https://vicseftons2s.wordpress.com/ which is awesomeAnd…
Cycling Belmont Regional Park
Sunday 4 September was a glorious day, for no other reason than the sun was out for the first time in what felt like months.But I had another: the day before I had just brought a brand new carbon fibre mountain bike.So, of course, I had to take it out…
Follow Vic Sefton on the Tour of Aotearoa
Last year, Victoria Sefton was one of my regular blog readers while I was doing the Tour of Aotearoa. This year, she’s going to be pumping her own peddles and doing the hard kilometers.Follow her travels and support her: https://vicsefton.wordpress.com/home/vic-sefton-tour-aotearoa-blog/Also, every tour rider contributes to a charity. Feel free to…
The Rimutaka Rail Trail
I finally got back on my bike yesterday to do some decent kilometers in the saddle. John Keene and I decided we’d ride the Rimutaka Rail Trail.IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT It WAS a dark and stormy night! I woke up at 2:00am with the sound of rain…
Thank you for Supporting Camp Quality
Now the dust has settled on my Tour, I’ve gone back and checked the Give a Little page set up for my ride.Wow!!! From your combined generosity, you all have donated $1,001 to Camp Quality, a charity that brings joy to outdoor experiences to children with cancer. That you have…
Bugger… But thank you for all of your support 🙂
Last night, I’d mapped out my next 15 days to plan how I’m getting home to Lower Hutt. There’s no way I’m going to make the entire country in 30 days.My best alternative was to cycle the North Island and save face.BOLDLY GOAnd today started off with so much promise….
The wonders I’ve seen…
My name is John Crichton… I’m lost…An astronaut… shot through a wormhole…In some distant part of the universe… trying to stay alive…Aboard this ship… this living ship…Of escaped prisoners… my friendsIf you can hear me… bewareIf I make it back… will they follow?If I open the door… are you ready?Earth is unprepared… helplessFor the nightmares I’ve seenOr should I…
Lessons Learned
So, I’ve made some rookie mistakes on this tour. I thought I’d write these done for the next rookie who comes along. Don’t do this alone Probably my biggest mistake. I’ve got lots of people rooting for me, but out on the road its a lonely hurtful place. You (I)…
Crossing Auckland
I’m starting to really like Auckland as a city. Yesterday’s cycling effort started at Parakai at 7:30 in the morning, after my brother Greg dropped me off. Greg lives in Massey, and the TA course runs straight past his house. Cruising from Helensville to his place was fantastic – such…
No Stop to Brooklyn!
The journey from Dargeville to Pouto Point started off well. Avi and John had dropped me 12kms out of Dargeville, where they found me, and I did the easy ride into the town itself early morning.In fact, given how my previous day went, that’s how I was planning on treating…
Big Day – 135km to catch up
Wow! What a day! The whole thing kicked off with my really bad sleep and worry that I’d be the ugly duckling and left behind. The insightful reader might have detected a trace of worry in my words.Gulzar (the Broadwood General Store GM) picked me up on the side of…
The mental pressure is real
I had a horrible sleep last night, worrying about getting back on track for the Tour. I kept looking at my satellite location relative to everyone else’s and panicking about how far behind I am. I might have gotten 3 hours sleep, max. All of the yoga breathing techniques in…
Lazying on a Sunny Afternoon…
Yesterday I was pretty upset. Everything had gone to shit on me. I was in the middle of the whop-whops, my bike had bust, there’s was no way I was going to make it to Opononi.…there might have been tears…But, thanks to the VERY kind of assistance from both Broadwood…
A horse with no name…
So… now I’ve got some time on my hands, lets fill in the first day details – the Cape Reinga to Ahipara leg.Of course, things didn’t go to plan… 3kms after the Tour started, my chain broke. There I was – riding with the Pack. Me and the other wheeled…
EQUIPMENT FAILURE!
Bad luck beeches me!I’m in Broadwood, and my right pedal had come out. The thread the pedal guys into is destroyed.Through luck and kindness of strangers, Mr Singe, Monty and Danny have made a “fix” for my pedal. It’s thread is well and truly rooted, by Danny has drilled through…