Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Pie Ride: Rest of the South Island

30-03-17
*Rest Day*
Pie Count: 1
Caramel Slice: 1
Cycle Tourists: 2 (technically I saw them last night, but after journal was done as they rolled in well past sunset)

Plans for today:
Breakfast: I ate at Big Fig. It was very good. I had a Gozleme, a little flat bread with spiced lamb, pine nuts, and spinach
Massage: 1 hour of body work to loosen my tight muscles
Bike Store: brighter red flasher
Laundry: wash and dry my stinky clothes
Grocery: Get some supplies for the next few days
Exercise: Walk around the lake front - didn't happen
Blog: posted blog post and images
Bike Maintenance: cleaned drive train and inspected bolts and tires

It was good to rest, but the body wanted to ride!

31-03-17
Pie Count: 1
Caramel Slice: 0
Cycle Tourists: 4

Left Wanaka early knowing I had a big day out. 140km and a big hill. The early kms ticked by as my legs felt great. While heading around Lake Hawea a headwind came out. This made it a little difficult on some of the climbs. Being mainly tourist drivers I was given a wide berth by most. I had a shouting conversation with the 1st cycle tourist I saw over the road for 10 minutes. He had been riding for 19 days for the 1st time in 15 years. He was also wearing a huge tramping bag. Lake Wanaka was nice from the other end and I pulled into Makarora to determine if I was going to continue riding or stopping for the day. As it was not yet noon, I determined to press on. I ate lunch, talked to an American Tour group, and their bus driver. He warned me about the Haast Pass descent and the hill between Fox and Franz Joseph Glaciers. He also recommended I tell other riders not to dress like ninjas and to get a mirror. The change from Otago to West Coast couldn't be more striking. Went from a grassland to a land of lush dense green vegetation. Haast Pass wasn't that bad and the summit was a car park for a lookout, some 30 minutes away. The initial descent was fine and I passed 2 German cycle tourists coming up. The later descent is terrifying. Super steep and brakes got a good workout. I could smell them as I fluttered the pressure. I ran into another cycle tourist, Adam, on the road to Haast. I rode beside him for a bit. We chatted about riding and living in New Zealand. He has been here for 4 weeks and has ridden most of the South Island. He only has a 6 month tourist visa so he is making the most of it. I then dropped him and put it back in the big ring. Time to hammer the last 30km to Haast. Strange little town with no mobile coverage. So I didn't know exactly where Beth booked me. SO I went into the 1st backpackers I saw and asked if they had a booking for me. My assumption was correct. I bought some data and could communicate via email and instant messenger with Beth about tomorrow's plan. Which is Fox Glacier, 120km away. There is about 900m of climb over the day, but it doesn't look that bad. The weather is supposed to turn later in the day so an early start is warranted.

1-4-17
Pie Count: 0
Caramel Slice: 0
Cycle Tourists: 2
Hitch Hikers: 2

Haast is a lazy town, but it has some cool things going for it. Lots of tracks and its on the edge of Aspiring National Park. The ride was a wet one. There was headwinds most of the day. Some mist. Some showers. All overcast. Ran into some Americans at Knight Point. I guessed Texas by accent, but from Alabama. The woman in the group called me fit as I'm cycling. I said or 'Insane'. The day was blotted with misty mountains and the occasional view of the coast. There were lots of tourists driving around and one wanker didn't yield when I was on the one lane bridge. After that I pulled into a cafe (60km) for lunch as my oatmeal has been burned off by then. They specialized in hot smoked salmon. It was very tasty. As I was leaving, there were 2 cyclists coming in. As it was pouring, I wanted to keep moving to get warm and they probably wanted some shelter and food. The road proceeded to gently climb for the remainder of the day I think. I stopped off at Lake Parangia and saw 7 Land Cruisers filled with camera happy Asians. Who then ran about taking photos. I don't know how they all fit in there. I ended up doing over 120km today and Beth booked a hostel for me as it is still raining. I'm going to look at the weather for tomorrow and may leave later if it helps. Otherwise, I was trying for Ross (130km) to start the West Coast Wilderness Trail.

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I don't know the guy, but I'm aware of him (Mike Hall). He was killed during a cycle race across Australia yesterday. Just made me think about close calls with vehicles here. Man vs Car, the car wins. I've been tentative around logging trucks but today I ended up riding off the shoulder a few times to give more room. Or just pulled over all together. My feeds were filled with the news and I couldn't help but thinking of him all day. He was instrumental in endurance cycling and can be see in 'Inspired to Ride'.

2-4-17
Pie Count: 1
Caramel Slice: 1
Cycle Tourists: 8
Hitch Hikers: 2

The hostel was funny as there are dirt bags who hitch hike and won't contribute to fuel, but asked me about skydiving and bungee jumping. The gall of some people. The eggs benedict @hobnail was especially good. The caramel slice was lacking a good slice/crust bit. The ride out of Fox was ugly. There was 3 climbs, that I was working hard to get to the top. Then I was scared on the descents as the roads were wet, curvy, and there was sun glare off the roads. It took 1:30 to reach the first sign for Franz Joseph then 1:40 to reach the town. The bus driver, from the day before, said it takes him an hour. I ran into 2 cyclists from Holland and he happened to break his brake pad on the last descent. He probably can't get a replacement until Greymouth. Which means, he'll have to be careful on Mt. Hercules, which was just brutal after my previous couple days. My legs can hammer the flats, but for the climbs my legs just feel dead. I passed through Wharatoa which seemed interesting, but Hari Hari had a cool tile showcase and a unique craft store. I'm camping at Lake Ianthe with the sand flies. The sunset was amazing. Tomorrow its onto Ross and then part of the West Coast Wilderness Trail before finally ending up in Greymouth then onto Barrytown, to make a knife. The campsite has 2 other cyclists and a couple camper vans at it. More cyclists showed up at twilight. It is time to stretch and get ready for sleep. Tomorrow I should get up early and head out as bad weather is on the horizon (3 days away).
Dad's Pie from 4 Square was ok.

3-4-17
Pie Count: 2
Caramel Slice: 1
Cycle Tourists: 2
Hitch Hikers: 0

Packed up early from Lake Ianthe and started me way to Ross. Few little hills to wake the legs up a long with some mist to start the morning. Got into Ross and searched for food. Had a pastie and a peppercorn steak pie. Meh. Not enough filling and the crust was hard. Stopped by Roddy Cafe and Museum afterwards for a 2nd pie, steak and cheese. Didn't taste any cheese and the filling reminded me of spag. sauce. Not a winner. Wondered the museum for a few. It was mainly Harley Davidson stuff. Then onto the West Coast Wilderness Trail. Just have to look out for the orange signs. From Ross to Hokitika, it was a combination of paved and gravel roads with some trails and a boardwalk. Not all that enjoyable. Grabbed a photo on the beach with the Hokitika sign then got fluids at New World, where I ran into 2 Brits heading out on the trail. Never saw them again. The trail from Hokitika to Kumara (where I'm staying in the Undertakers backpackers, it was the residence of the town's undertakers) was more gravel than paved roads with some trail. It was a warm affair. The sun was out and you were pretty exposed. This was more fun as there was some flow to the track and would be fun at speed on an unloaded bike. I'm sure the mtb riders, I saw thoguht I was nuts rolling past Cowboy Paradise loaded up as they were eating and drinking. I got bad news that the knife making in Barrytown wasn't going to happen, but there is another place in Wakefield that we are contacting for a Friday Session. If all goes to plan, I will be in Wellington by Sunday. Just seems like I just started riding down here, I guess it will be over 2 weeks of riding with a couple days off. Tomorrow I head to Reefton. No longer going to Westport as the knife making isn't going to happen.

4-4-17
Pie Count: 2
Caramel Slice: 0
Cycle Tourists: 0

Left Kumara after some oats and a good sleep. A German mom and daughter showed up late, but I ended up chatting for a bit in the morning over breakfast. The trail to Greymouth wasn't all that fun. Just wandering through industrial parts and the wind was awful. It was a crosswind coming from the East, which would later become a headwind once I turned toward Reefton. The beach looked drab as well. Greymouth had a decent pie even though the girl didn't recommend the Nacho Pie, when I ordered it. Stop in to Do Duck in Bakery. The Nacho Pie reminded me of the mad mex pie from One Tree Bakery in Mt Maunganui. I wandered around town for a bit then left, but not before I bought some new brake pads, as I knew it would be a struggle today. High winds out of the East, no shoulder, and lots of trucks. I slagged through it. I did manage to stop at a few places, an old mill site, a rest area with a train engine, and the most amazing campsite, Slab Hut. It had a wood fire oven and 2 wood BBQ. Right next to a stream which you can gold panning at. Beth stalked me when I diverted to the campsite to go to the bathroom. I was already booked at the Old Bakery Hostel. This place is ran by a busy fellow who also likes to chat. He was running around all day as he's a reporter. He recommended the bar down the street for food. I got a good feed for $52: soup, garlic bread, T-bone steak with fries & salad, a ginger beer, and a cream freeze sundae. I got a few weird looks as I was ordering. After that I came back and swapped out the front brake pad. It was worn down and glazed pretty bad. Tomorrow I'm off to Murchison then Glenhope then Nelson. Hopefully the rain will come late. Just going to eat in the morning and get back on the road.

5-4-17
Pie Count: 2
Caramel Slice: 1
Cycle Tourists: 0

The stay at the Old Bakery Hostel was good. Only 1 other guest and she was being sponsored by the Council as her Council flat needed fixing. I had a 3 person room to myself and free wi-fi for $25. So I ended up watching/listening to youtube most of the night instead of my mp3 player. The fire kept the building surprisingly warm all night even with the backdoor open all night. I rode into the main street and had a pie for breakfast. It was ok. Then it was on to the 85km ride to Murchison. The road started with a little hill then a long downhill section. No so many trucks out this morning. It was just a bit cool so leggings were on and after not too long so were the sleeves. The scenery was a blend of hills and farming. I stopped for a long time in Inangahua at the General Store and Cafe. I had a slice which was ok and a tea. I got to talking to the owners about pies and pie ride and they said that there is a place in Havelock known for their mussel pies. So I've got to find it. They then said theirs are World Famous as well. I had to admit that their sausage roll threw me for a cinnamon roll when I first walked in. So I went back up to the counter for another tea, a steak and cheese pie, and a sausage roll. The pie was very good. The filling was flavorful and the pasty held up and was still flaky. I would have liked the pasty to have been cooked a little more as it was a little doughy. However, the sausage roll shaped like a cinnamon roll, and not like a log, with BBQ sauce is a winner. I'm not typically a fan as its ration of meat to pastry is off in my opinion. This felt right. I could have eaten a dozen. The owner said that truckers will call ahead to have them save rolls in the back for them as they sell out. After leaving there I passed Lyell cemetery, which over looks the gorge. Very nice final place. Then Chubby had to tease me by posing with the Old Ghost Road trail sign. I would have loved to ridden it right now, Greta and Thomas from Taupo are riding it tomorrow, but better suited for a lighter loaded and a different bike. The ride through the gorge was pretty bad. Lots of trucks and no shoulders. Almost had an incident with a truck on a descent. He had given me room, but then an oncoming van made him reclaim the lane. I hit the brakes at 60kph and put it in the grass shoulder. I was a bit shaken but had to continue to Murchinson. This is the type of ride that ages you. The gorge being beautiful but probably ride when fewer cars are expected. The turn off to Murchison picked up more traffic and I spent a lot of time pulled over to let people pass. Then there was construction so long queues. The Lazy Cow is a quaint little hostel on the edge of town had a homey feel. I made use of the jacuzzi tub to massage my weary muscles. The dorm has 2 Germans and 2 yanks. Ben is from Oregon and finished the TA recently having taken over 4 months. The pizzas there are pretty good. I would recommend them. Tomorrow is a shortish day to Glenhope about 40km. I have to bring all my food as there is nothing out there but it is a mecca for bike packers. Then its 80+ km to Nelson. The weather held out today, but was a little chilly.

6-4-17
Pie Count: 1
Caramel Slice: 0
Cycle Tourists: 0
Hitch Hikers: 1

Talked to 2 guys this morning. Both live in Texas, but one was born and raised in Blenheim. They are scouting out spots for their scout troops. So they asked for track recommendations. I said Great Walks for beginners and then start looking at Hollyford or Copeland for more experienced groups. Then the Dusty (doubtful sounds area) for advanced. We then talked BBQ for a long time. So Bri got accepted to Grad School. The American guy, Ben, mentioned he got in as well. So I was giving him the pros/cons of MN.
I ate at the local Tea House in Murchison and the pie was awesome. Big chunks of meat, flaky yet portable crust. It ticked all the boxes. The stack of blueberry pancakes were pretty awesome as well. It fueled my short distance, but lengthy ride. I ended up pulling over for traffic a lot and I stopped at all look outs to see what was there. The Hu Ha Farmstay is pretty cool. Big open floor with a couple rooms with various bunk configurations. There is a friendly dog and wandering chickens. It being a farm, there are other animals, but they are fenced in. At the moment, I'm the only person booked in. Tomorrow I got 84+ km ride to Nelson then on to Picton. Lets hope the weather and traffic cooperate.

Chatting with Martin as he is doing the TA2018 and asked about my setup. I typed up an email about the bike. I'll be able to give a better review at the end of the next month as I'll have done a lot of the course in reverse. So far the bike is handling everything I've thrown at it without a problem. If I were to do the TA I would opt for a frame bag and maybe a seat post bag to centralize the weight and minimize the width bulk. Doing this would also limit the amount of stuff you could carry. So you can't just bring it just because. The bike setup is not that good for single track as its too wide.

7-4-17
Pie Count: 1
Caramel Slice: 1
Cycle Tourist: 0

Woke up on a cool farm stay, where I ended up the only person there. I listened to several of their records the night before and stretched in front of the fire. I heard them adding a log to the fire this morning at roughly 6am. This let me get going early on the chilly morning. It was probably 9 degrees in the shade and probably 5 more degrees in the sun. My legs felt great right out the gate. It was a combination of short distances and then stretching and massage. The first test was a 200+ meter climb to Hope Saddle. I seemed to fly up it and then I was able to hammer at a much more road pace then my previous days. The kms just flew by, but I slowed down as the area started to smell like autumn. The road became the Great Taste Trail right before a big hill and I got to rip gravel again and go through the 5th longest tunnel. You need to have a light as its 1300+ m long. After that the trail bounces back and forth across the road and even disappears all together. I think I would opt to ride the road if I did this again. I stopped in Wakefield for a pie and a slice. The pie was stuffed, but it fell apart after the first bite. The slice was bad. No blend of flavors, just a thick slice. I talked to Jake for a while about his trip in a couple weeks. He is going to have the bike sent to Taupo for pick-up rather than trying to bus with it. We are still talking about some logistics, but I'll be back in Wellington this weekend and we'll hammer them out. Nelson has some cool cycle ways around town, but just picking one I ended up having to Google directions as signage wasn't always thaty great. I'm sure if I rode them more, they would make sense. That being said, there are a ton of bikers here. Anything from commuters, roadies, mtb, kids, recumbent, and just errand runners. I ate at Catalina's Cantina and it was tasty. I would definitely go there again. Tomorrow's plan is to ride to Havelock and then decide whether or not I'm going to push on through to Picton that afternoon. The ride should be just over 110km with about 1300m of elevation. Today I sat in a 'hot' tub and massaged my legs for a good while. Hopefully tomorrow they will feel like they did today!

8-4-17
Pie Count: 0
Caramel Slice: 0
Cycle Tourists: 4
Hitch Hikers: 2

Woke up early in Nelson and was rewarded with re-breaking my toe. I originally did this dodging a Banu hug before Northern Circuit. I did it this morning by kicking the kitchen bench while making breakfast. Ouch. I felt sorry for an English girl this morning. There was some sleazy dude, who called himself 'monsieur chocolat' or Mister Chocolate and put on a British accent. He even told her it was fake and that it was a bit rude to do so. He asked for her name so he could Google here. When he finally left, I said that was a bit creepy. I then talked to a Belgian kid who is traveling around named Witze. He'll soon be following my adventures via Strava. He is a triathlete and is contemplating cycle touring here for a bit. After my 8 slices of toast I hit the road just after 7 am. The first few kms felt really good then the big climb sprung up. I just kept spinning and spinning. If I stood up my toe throbbed. Body was sweating hard and my clothes were soaked by the time I got to the top. Now they were damp and cold and the descent was awful. I had to switch to a wool top and ride glove-less. The views were of mainly pine trees but also of logging and construction. I stopped off in Rai Valley for a quick bite to eat and then continued up the climbs. Having pulled into Havelock, I looked for the mussel pie, but didn't find it so I opted for a burger. The waiter was from Indiana and asked about the Surly. I made the decision to push on to Picton as it was roughly noon. The ferry was scheduled to leave at 6:45. Plenty of time to hit the Queen Charlotte Scenic Route. The 2nd time hitting the road was so much better. No car sickness. Of course, I wasn't being whipped around turns by Lance (from the dive trip). I hit a lot of look out points to snap pics. At one, I talked to an older lady, who happened to live on Whites Line East before getting married. Her son still lives in the area though. Then 2 French cyclists popped up. They were heading to Havelock so I gave them some info. Oh that reminds me I met 5 people from Colorado doing the TA Northbound. I talked to them for a bit and they wanted to know more about the trucker as they want to give cycle touring a go next. I received a message from Constantine about 'saving' a bed for me at a hostel in Picton, but broke the news that I would be sleeping at home tonight. I've offered our couch to him tomorrow night though. While waiting for the ferry I had a chin wag with the workers loading the rail freight. On the ferry, a girl, Holly, and her mom, Laurie, asked to sit across from me. We talked the entire ride about life and travel. They are/were from Michigan. Holly having just worked in Melbourne. I recommended a few things to do and gave me contact details in case they had questions. I've got a 15km ride home. Where a shower, shave, Beth, and a bed await. The next couple of days are filled with tuning up the bike, job interview, eating, repacking, laundry, and resting up the body. The next leg will be solo up to Taupo where Beth might take me gear and travel with me over Easter weekend. Then it will be 2 weeks with my brother, Jake.

Saturday, April 1, 2017

Photos are coming

I'm adding photos that aren't on Instagram to the link in the upper right, but to whet your whistle:
NZ South Island Pie Ride Part 1 I've got more images than can go into an album and I've got to modify the backup folders as I've gotten duplicates with items that have been posted to Instagram.