Wow! What a day, I blew out 130kms and walked off my bike feeling I could blow another 130km. I’m sitting in the Amberly Hotel still buzzing from the endorphines from today’s ride. The Statistics So yeah, 130kms in 11 hours. Admittedly, I had a big pig out stop at…
Day 5 – Great Friday (Better than Good) brought me Angels and Saints
The Statistics Angels and Saints Angels: Big E – Evan MacClure Big E (Evan) drove past me as I was leaving Isolated Flats. Evan had just finished the 8 March wave and was just driving past. Big E gave me an apple and an Easter Bun – it was only…
Thinking About a Rest Day
I’m thinking about a rest day, and consulting the weather. It looks like Monday is going to be a shocker. It’s Saturday today, and that will get me to Amberly. By end of Sunday I’ll be in Christchurch, which sounds like a place to stay over the Monday.
Day 4 — Up
Today, I earned every kilometer I travelled – it was one hell of a push of a day. Breakfast was a bit light, and I paid for it all day. But, I’m now in the high country and tonight I’ll be sleeping under the stars. This is what I wanted…
Day 3 – Land of the Cow Stops
Now I’m getting the handle of this new cycle computer, here’s the most interesting set of statistics for the day: the co-plot of elevation and temperature. Note the hottest part of the day was as I was climbing Taylor’s Pass, where the temp kicked in a sizzling 31 degrees. Over…
Day 2 – A Day of Doing The Business
Some of you have noticed yesterday’s blog was slight of hand. I didn’t actually go that far…. in fact, according to the official record, I only did 28 kms before the flat tire struck. So today was about delivering to the hype. As my mother used to say, “Piss on…
Day 1 – Traveling in James Cook’s Footsteps
Lunch at Ferneaux Lodge Lunch at Ferneaux Lodge made everything better. I got in there about 1:00pm and enjoyed their drink and food. and then… Disaster! Well.. it wasn’t that bad 🙂 Not like screwing up the distinction between a left and right peddle. I was trucking along quite nicely…
People I’ve Met on This Trip: the Canadian Pilots
So one of my trip goals for this ride is to meet people, and talk to strangers. I’ve given myself the goal of chatting with three people each day, finding about what’s the haps in their world and what’s their background. Janet and Susanne Janet and Susanne are a couple…
Lessons in respect
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….
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…
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 am So 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…
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…
Analysis and Story
There’s a difference between analysis and telling a rollicking good yarn designed to move people.Good analysis draws from the scientific methodology of making falsifiable statements about the world, and testing whether they’re wrong. For example, economics sets up a logical mathematical model as a simplification of the world, and draws…
Market Structure: Rewarding Political Control and Funding Non-Market Redistribution
Addendum – 23 February 2023: Nobody say “super-normal profits”: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/484767/how-air-new-zealand-went-from-crash-landing-to-stratospheric And still nothing was said about monopoly pricing by the mainstream media. Let’s assume nothing in this world comes for free.If you want something – food / shelter / your hip fixed / your water drinkable – these things are…
Unobtrusive and very interesting
More on my current fade of reading signs. Recently, I was working on my boat over at Evan’s Bay yacht club, and I came across this sign: In the early days of flight, landed airports were the exception instead of the rule when it came to flying. More often, planes…
Leadership
I’m currently reading this book: I strongly recommend it. I’m up to Lee Kuan Yew. I wish New Zealand had this type of leadership. Let me quote the good Professor: In Lee’s perception, excellence meant much more than individual performance: the quest for it needed to permeate the entire society. Whether…
Scoundrels and rogues
Thank you, I have just come back from a very lovely lunch with my H2R recruitment consultant, Sharyn Saxby.And on the way, I came across this sign about Edward Wakefield one of New Zealand’s “Founding Fathers”:Here’s a picture of Ed:The signs are located on a unassuming concrete wall, at 90…
Low pass rates in trial of NCEA literacy and numeracy tests alarm principals
From here: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/474261/low-pass-rates-in-trial-of-ncea-literacy-and-numeracy-tests-alarm-principalsIn response to concerns that New Zealand school students are leaving school all NCEA qualified, but without having even basic literacy and numeracy skills, the Ministry of Education is rolling out a test.A recent trial of the test found: “some of the schools with poor results had good…