Time to Get Re-Inspired

February 28th, 2009 Nelson

Im not going to lie- I hit sort of a low point lately. I really havent been able to put my finger on why exactly. I got off the bus in Nelson a few days ago, and there was a bit of a continuous pissing down rain, which irked me after the week of typhoon, but it did clear away and I was able to ride for a half day. I wouldnt say it was hot, but it wasnt cold, and although Nelson is a city of the arts and bookshops and espresso cafes, I couldnt help but think it looked exactly like Seattle; especially with the rain.

I found a lovely beach along the coastline leading westward towards the two major national parks: Abel Tasman and Kurahangi. There are dozens of long distance hikes that go through this region; thus, heaps of backpackers and travelling types with enormous bags. However, I didnt feel the least bit curious or even willing to chat, smile or strike up a conversation. Someone asked me where I was headed and I said I couldnt remember. Someone else asked me if I was afraid, and I said "Of what?" I posted my tent up as far away from anyone in the campground, and was thoroughly annoyed when two girls parked their van right next to me! Cursing them from within my tent, I read through "Twilight" in a night, and lucky for them they moved their van.

The next day was actually brighter, and didnt have to wear a jumper (thats a jacket/sweater for you yanks) and I had no reason to feel tired, but I was. I was tired even though I enjoyed riding after being sick for a week. Bite after bite of 300g of dark chocolate, energy drinks and smoked fish sandwiches, I still couldnt shake the feeling I was damn uninspired. I picked up a new book called "Broken" in the campsite TV lounge about spousal abuse and divorce. The next day was pouring down rain, I was depressed and caught the next bus back to Nelson.

Rain, rain, rain. What the hell am I doing back in Seattle?!?

Stuck in Nelson in the rain after the last bus left for the ferry to the north island, I had a couple of choices. Continue to be grumpy or find a little light of pleasure. I bought a sandwich, not bad, then a double ice cream cone, getting better, then a wonderful uplifting new book "Eat, Pray, Love," hoorah! and met some friendly cyclists and followed them to the hostel for camping where they bought me a beer.

At last, I bought some Indian food, initiated my own conversation with a fellow cyclist at the bar, and am so excited to curl up with my new book and my little dream on the horizon. Could I also publish my own book of arm-chair travel one day...Could it happen in this global economic crisis? Are we allowed to dare to dream with this economic climate? Maybe not; but I need something to get me going and so far chocolate bars isnt cutting it. Stay tuned...

Another bus ride and ferry across Wellington, I finished my book and decided the thing to do would be to see Dad in Auckland. First, I will ride the East Cape.

Sisters of the Travelling Pants

February 23rd, 2009 Karamea

There are a few rules of the road- sometimes you have to take a ride, sometimes you have to wait for the rain to stop, sometimes you do get sick and sometimes you have to let a stranger become a friend. I have been travelling now with Laura for a few days. There have been many laughs in swanky B & Bs along the way. With the typhoon on top of the west coast for these last few days, I have counted my blessings many times, especially the throes of agony with stomach pain. There is nothing worse than being sick on the road, and meeting Laura really is luck of the road in the truest sense. I dont suppose I have been much of a companion doubled over in pain and throwing up every gourmet meal, but somehow she seems to enjoy my company as well. We must both be totally desperate for some company.

We arrived at our final stop Karamea- which really is the end of the road. From here you cant go any further on sealed roads, and in many ways the town has been protected from development for that reason. My strength was finally back today, enough anyway, to take a walk in the rainforest along the beach. The sandflies were thankfully lessened by the storms and we emerged on a beach you only imagine.

I climbed a rock and got sort of stuck up there. She took my picture.

The poison of my illness finally passed through my body yesterday, and I do feel a greater sense of peace than ever before. As if I am finally able and willing to accept everything that has happened and be positive about the future. It certainly helps to have some rays of sun breaking through to warm our skin; there is nothing worse than rain.

Getting Sick on the West Coast

February 20th, 2009 Haast area West Coast (lots of sand flies)

I havent written lately because I have been a little lost, but then Laura Green picked me up yesterday. haha...see my Stewart Island entry if you didnt catch that...

Actually, I went over the pass out of Queenstown in hotter than normal weather; I suppose 4 days off the bike, drinking too much coffee, eating too little, not drinking enough water sort of did me in. A young German kid attached himself to me about half way through, and I found myself heading to the campground with him still in tow since we were going the same clockwise way round the island. He made a nice dinner which he shared with me despite the fact I had become sick. I was shivering, sweating, hot, cold, nauseous all night. A miserable existence in a small tent. At least he was sort of quiet, and kept me company for a few days more- handing me chocolate at appropriate moments and pointing out points on the map. It probably kept my mind off of how terrible I felt.

However, yesterday we did the Haast Pass and it was only 500m but it about did me in. I hadnt eaten in days and barely made it over, almost collapsing at the top. I had to encourage him to carry on without me, and then found myself muttering "I just want to get there" which is the death of any trip.

When who should appear but LAURA! Yeah, she pulled over and I meekly accepted a lift, despite not wanting to cheat, I really had no choice. She was bouyant and it seemed too serendipitous to say no since the day we met on Stewart Island, and then missed each other in Queenstown, only to meet in the tourist center in Wanaka when I couldnt ditch the German boy, and at last again en route to Haast Junction.

Turns out she is on an all expense paid trip around the island, with pre-booked luxury B & Bs which have just enough room to squeeze in a lowly cyclist; so despite puking up my guts, its gourmet food for me in the Lake Moeraki Wilderness Lodge! Here I am with with free internet, free laundry, breakfast and lunch, hob nobbing with the silver haired elite downing gallons of wine in the lake front lodge. Being the only two under 50, we are glad to have found each other- the two Laura's. Its too much fun...

With my touchy stomach, I will be accepting just a bit more of this life until I can keep down my regular meals of muesli from the bottom of the pannier. So until then...

Hang Gliding!

Queenstown, NZ

In the adventure capital of the bloody world, I felt obliged to do something more exciting than curl up with a magazine in my tent. There was so much to choose from: jet boating, para-gliding, sky diving, canyon swing, bungy jumps of various terrifying heights...I opted for hang gliding because I thought it would be more relaxing than having a heart attack on a bungy cord, plus I wouldnt want any "embarassing accidents" in my shorts, so I signed up.

Just an aside, that all I did was call and the van swerved by to pick me up. there was no waiver, no paperwork and barely any instruction. Basically, I put on the gear and held on the Swedish guy as he started running off the cliff...and lift off! We werent too high up so I wasnt really scared at all, in fact, it really was just flying like a bird.

But gusty drafts lifted us up higher and higher over the mountains. And then he asked me to steer, which was really not a good idea, and he demonstrated going faster and slower, and I must admit I was squeezing my eyes shut a couple of times. But it was a wonderful clear day and lovely to see the sames things from above.

So I ticked at least one adreline pumping adventure off the list...

In Fiordland

February 16th, 2009 Monday

New Zealand is a surprising country with lots of twists and turns; you never know what the geography has in store for you up ahead. The south west tip of the south island is the Fiordlands, and is a world heritage site as it is one of the wonders of the world. The jagged coast has been carved by glaciers and the original forests have been preserved, with extensive efforts to eradicate the invasive plants and animals. There are a number of well known "sounds" (erroneously named by European explorers) such as Doubtful Sound and Milford Sound. These areas are deep water inlets with impossibly high rock walls carved by moving glaciers, called Fiords.

I booked a kayaking trip in Doubtful Sound, the smaller and often overlooked of the two, and with great luck it was a wonderfully bright and sunny day. It has been really cold lately and I was getting grumbly about this, but thankfully the weather turned. Our group was small, and we had to take two vans and a boat to get to the put in area. There we paddled around the water, getting the hang of working in tandem, and the guide described the plants of the area. It was a perfectly beautiful day. My partner was a hilarious British guy Phil, who had me in laughing fits with his dry sarcastic humor. He offered me a lift over to Milford Sound in the evening, and since I didn't want to ride this steep and shoulderless road, I accepted.

On Sunday, I took a small boat cruise into the Milford Sound and enjoyed the cascading waterfalls, seals, and spectacular views of the sheer rock cliffs. It really is something you have to see in person to realize. I am so glad I didn't skip it.

Since having the wheels and company was a needed break adding some variety to both our solo "soul searching" journeys, and he didn't turn out to be a mass murderer which I so appreciated, I accepted another ride on to Queenstown. We picked up a friendly Swiss hitchhiker along the way, and thus we were three. We swapped tales of travelling and adventures next to come, and there was a nice spirit to the journey.

So here I am in Queenstown- the adventure capital of the NZ. I was well prepared for the over development and over hype so I am not too disappointed. Every shop is either an "extreme bungy" booking place or a retail therapy clothing store for showing off your adventurous bod. As we strolled around last night craning our necks like country mice, it was sort of funny to see some of the same people we had seen before. The island gets small after awhile.

The company has been fun for the last couple of days, as well as the easier view from the campervan, but I have also confirmed that cycling is my preferred method. Slower, and you remember more of your journey on the road because you earn each and every mile. Upcoming plans will be to cross the southern alps (that makes it sound tough doesn't it?) and get over to the west coast for the next week of riding. I can expect glaciers, cold beaches, wind, rain and black flies, as well as, hopefully, spectacular coastline and interesting scenery.

Stewart Island

February 12th, 2009

To Invergargill and beyond

I decided to take a day to see Stewart Island, which is off the tip of southland, about a 1 hour ferry from Invergargill or a 15 min flight. I called to book the flight, preferring to be in a small plane and see everything from above. The guy took my name, and then when I got down the desk in the wee airport, he weighed me and put my bike in the back. He issued my ticket and then lead the 6 passengers out on the tarmac to the plane. We all squeezed in, sort of giggling with the cramped conditions and the whirring propellers right outside the windows. I was wondering who the pilot would be, when the same guy hopped in and started flipping switches! There was an Italian lady next to me, and we were laughing about how this guy really did it all!

When we landed, an older gentlemen stepped into our crowd of passengers and said, "Who is Laura?" I thought that was weird, so I said "me!" at the same time as the Italian lady. She was headed to a B&B and I was headed to the park bench for a few hours, and she convinced the B&B host to take me on the tour she had booked. As we rode back to the beautiful home for tea and cookies, we started chatting about why we were travelling, and it turns out I wasn't the only one named Laura leaving it all behind.

We toured the island in the van, learning about the Maori history and European settlement, including the flora and fauna. Just so you know, NZ has no land mammals, except for the bat, and was basically isolated for 70 million years, which allowed a wide variety of birds to evolve, especially flightless birds. Also, I think the diaspora of the Polynesians in the various islands is really interesting- Hawaii, New Zealand, etc...

It was peaceful place where people leave their cars running and doors unlocked and of course everybody knows everybody. I suggested that Laura call me when she gets to Queenstown, and she mentioned that she sometimes changes her married surname "grenberg" to "green."

Whoa- we were both named "laura green."

well, I hope I hear from her; but if not, there seems to be one or two interesting people a day that i meet- from Switzerland, Montreal, Germany, US, Australia, etc...They are sort of short-lived meetings, but you get the essence of the person and the purpose of the meeting for that day, and then they take their road. So far, I like it that way...

Headwinds from Hell

February 10th, 2009 To Invergargill

The last couple of days I have felt I have "turned a corner" in more ways than one. First of all, despite the hard riding- hills, wind, rain- I do feel I am getting stronger. Also, I reached the southernmost area of the south island and it really feels different- so remote, rainforest, and with cool antarctic winds- I do feel I am at the bottom of the globe. Other than that, the sadness that was plaguing me before has started to ebb away and I feel I am beginning to really enjoy myself and become myself, again.

I was in a lovely bay yesterday. It took a long hard rainy ride to get there, but I toughed it out and camped even though I was soaked. I was about to take a cabin when I thought about the damn tent I am carrying and figured I had better use it. All I really needed was a warm (hot) shower, so I made it through the night. In the morning, I was reading the plaques above the bay and how the dolphins swim there, and how not to disturb them. The sign said "love us from afar or lose us forever" as human encroachment has pushed them to extinction. I thought I wouldnt have the good luck to see any, when suddenly I spotted a cluster in the water! Yeah! Their fins broke the surface as they dove and swam.

Then the guy who I was standing near took off down the beach and tore off all his clothes and jumped in! What an *&^%!! Not only is this disturbing them, its f-g freezing! I couldnt believe it. But, I thought it was pretty cool. So that goes to show you how remote it is.

Now I am in Invergargill which is the last city before heading north to the sounds, and Queenstown, West Coast. I dont think I will spend much time here because the city really seems like some backwater Deliverance meets High Noon kind of place; I think I will take a flight to Stewart Island and then start riding to Te Anua.

HOWEVER, the winds blow from the south west and they are STRONG. You cant escape these winds- never experienced anything like it! How I wish I had a tailwind. This Scot cyclist I met had one and he said they were practically blowing him up the hills without even pedaling. I guess he wanted to rub it in...

100KM per hour winds and hills...

February 8th, 2009

Dunedin to Balclutha- 90 Kms. You know with a title like the above I was hating life today...The route elevation detailed a few hills of note, but those hills were deadly- straight up and then downhills into a head/cross wind. You may think thats funny but I couldnt even control the bike from almost hitting the ditch or going off the ledge into a paddock of scared sheep. I was cursing the world, the weather and grumbling to myself bloody murder.

Of course its useless to get mad at a thing such as weather, but I didnt have anything better to think about. I had to give up my sugar-free diet today- damn that coca-cola was dee-licious! I had a fun couple of days in Dunedin. I took a boat cruise in the harbor and spotted some fur seals (including pups) and various birds. I also had some enlightening conversations with some older Brits...I think I need to branch out into more adventurous activities to meet some younger folk! Alas, I dont think bungy jumping will be on the menu, but I could seriously consider hanggliding, or the hot air balloon trip which I missed, and yes, DEFINITLY I will need to kayak- for crissakes!

With the many miles ahead, I have also begun to sketch an extension of sorts to my trip...Now that I am so close to australia, I think I had better go there. I figured I can cycle from melbourne to brisbane in about a month. That is just a hop skip and a jump- something like from NY to Florida. It looks so short on the map! Then I can fly to either Hong Kong or Singapore for something new and different, before spending some time in Taiwan (a month). I have become enchanted by the idea of Asia because I feel I am so close (not really) and trying to figure out where would be a relatively safe entry point. Those options seems doable, and I am sure I can pick up Chinese in a couple of days. Its like Spanish, right?

PS I dont have photos here but I have been adding them later on so you might want to read the actual blog to see what I have been able to upload. Well, hope the wind dies down tomorrow so I can start cycling in a straight line...Later

WWOOF WWOOF!!

February 6th, 2009

WWOOF: willing workers on organice farms. I suppose the idea of "organic" encompasses much more than farms/gardens that dont use pesticides, but rather the movement of alternative health/sustainable living/pursuing dreams that are in balance with the environment. I stayed for 2 nights and 2 days total at a small home in North Otago, south of Oamaru. The couple, Peter and Glynis, moved from suburban life and the 9 to 5 to the 4 acre lot complete with 4 sheep and 20 fruit bearing trees. They were in essence, pursuing the dream of a more meaningful existence in life and work, and while pulling weeds for a few hours, I discovered how much I romanticized this life as well. Yet, it isnt easy! I barely even got my fingernails dirty before realizing how turning land into something productive takes a lot of work, which is why they have WWOOF throughout the year.

Peter was interesting as he is a modern day "alchemist" mixing flower essences and essential oils into mixes and sprays for certain ailments of modern life. As he toured me through the garden with the wicker basket picking up a dandelion leaf here and a carrot there, beet root leaves and chives amid the bushes and weeds, we gathered a salad of which I have never known. Not only did I eat healthier than I have in years, I knew where my food came from and ate a wide selection of foods. I must admit that my nutritional knowledge is desperately lacking. Perhaps my next endeavor will be to go no-sugar in the diet and see how that influences my energy levels.

Now I am in Dunedin, and the city seems interesting. I will update you with what I discover here...

Little Blue Penguins

February 3rd, 2009

I cant remember the last area from which I blogged, oh yeah, it was before entering the Mt Cook region. I wish I could post the photos because the glacial blue water of the rivers, lake, canals is just unbelievable. I think it is really one of the most incredible colors produced by nature- and offset against the peaks, glaciers and ochre brown hills- well, its hard to believe such contrast can exist.

The region became quite flat afterwards, and although the elevation looks like a downhill slope, it never feels like it when on a bike. I like how all the towns have tried to creat their own specialty- Twizel "town of trees" Omarama "city of light" Methven "town of hot air ballooning" Koch "birthplace of NZ social security."

I guess some of these are pushing the limits of attraction, but Oamaru's penguin colonies are pretty original! I went to see them come out of the ocean last dusk. They come in on rafts on the waves, floating up on the rocks in the breakers, fluffing and waddling up to their nexts on the beach. The more amazing thing was all the well-behaved tourists who were banned from taking photos, and which they obliged silently, cooing in and murmuring at the wildlife display. If you look at this coastline picture above, there are 3 penguins on the shore....haha

Once again, NZ has managed to preserve and protect something original in a non-Disney-esque way.

Despite the lovely scenery and cycling accomplished thus far, I must admit I am weary of the road. Although I would love to take a day of rest, I will bike a bit farther to a wwoofing stop where I can exert myself in a new way and hopefully also join in a conversation of longer than 2 minutes!

Oh yeah, and those are my legs- part of my everyday thinking and scenery. Totally sunburned orange with the worst biking shorts tan ever. I never thought I could be this color, sort of like a spray tan gone horribly wrong...