In town I looked explored every street in the CBD checking for bike shops or sports stores. The gloves I bought as I passed through Indonesia are very close to dead (probably well past it by most people's standards). It's about time to start looking for something new. I buy a pair very similar to my existing ones - well selected materials in sensible places, mesh on the back for air flow, towel on back for wiping sweat off your forehead, leather for the grips. These can go in the bag now til the old ones are really really dead.
To the Blenheim Library to upload some pics to the web and attach some to the earlier blogs. To the supermarket to top up supplies.
In celebration of the successful passing of Molesworth and Awatere tonight I eat at an Indian restaurant - it's nice to have a properly prepared meal after days of camping food.
The blue sunny sky has dried the clothes nicely, but the next morning the weather decides it's time to change. I awake to the patter of rain starting on the tent, I quickly pack the bags load them on the bike - by the adjacent willow - and collapse, fold and roll the tent. It's wet, quite wet but could have been worse. I don my plastic pants, faded yellow (formerly hi vis) rain jacket and head off to one of the camps communal kitchens to eat my breakfast under a real roof. My initial plan was to wait for a break in the rain and head back again to the library to finish what I started yesterday, but the forecast is for the rain to develop as the day progresses, so when I leave I head to Picton. Red tail light flashing, orange hi vis covers on my black panniers.
My memory of Picton is that of being surrounded by hills, so I'm pleasantly surprised that the Blenheim to Picton road is remarkably flat - just one bit of a rise in the last few km, dropping again as you enter the town.
In Picton it's way too early to try and check-in anywhere so I head to the Picton Library to fill in some time on the computers. It's seems that this is a very popular idea in Picton when it's raining outside. A dry public space and full of people with backpacks. When my time expires on the PC I head to the camping ground where I've booked a room (good weather for a room). A mistake in my booking means I end up with a more expensive room - at my expense -with its own bathroom this turns out really well, as a portable blowey heater pointing in the door of the bathroom makes it into a wonderful drying room. In no time my clothes, shoes, pannier covers are dry and I decide to give the tent and fly a try. Spread over a shower door frame and shower door these items also dry very quickly and so in only a couple of hours everything is packed up inside my bags all as normal ready for the ferry to Wellington the next morning.
The forecast for the morning is for showers on and off, so my plan is to be ready early and take any available rain-break to ride the 1 or 2 km to the ferry terminal. The weather turns out better than forecast it's not raining but I still head there early, as I can just as easily eat my breakfast under their roof. The rain holds off until we are all aboard and about to sail - excellent.
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| Rain when leaving Picton |
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| Hilltop cloud on arrival Wgtn |
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| the next day - wellington |
Disembarking the ferry I would have been first vehicle off but for a too narrow gap stopping me from moving forward as requested by crew. I'm off about 5th and ride around to the terminal building looking for a friend Dave who said he'd pick me up and drive me, the bike and all the luggage back to his house at the top of Mt Victoria :-)
(I knew Dave and Nina from Tararua Tramping Club back when I lived in Wellington 1997-2000)
Dave, Nina, Sam and Ben are my hosts for my Wellington stay and you can't get better service.
Fortunately my route out of Wellington takes me back past the ferry terminal so I'm not missing a bit of NZ in the middle of my ride.
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| Breakfast with Dave & Nina |
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| Original Siemens Office Willis St |
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| Old Siemens Hse - Courtenay Place |
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| Opposite the old Siemens Hse - all closed due to earthquake |
I spend 3 nights in Wellington, ride around town a lot visiting old haunts, buildings where I used to work, both Siemens offices and Telecom, my old flat in Thorndon, visit Te Papa Tongerewa - Wellingtons museum, and pass a now empty block I used to walk past everyday, that had an office building on it until last years earthquake. I do ride Mt Victoria, but am able to do so without the fully loaded panniers which is nice.
I take the opportunity in Wellington to see about a lump that's been growing on my back as I travelled and becoming increasingly uncomfortable, a sebaceous cyst that I get cut and drained of its goo, agreements between Aus and NZ mean I pay NZD$105, well worth the investment and maybe not worth the hassle of an insurance claim.
Before leaving Wellington I needed to find out if Ngauranga Gorge is classed as motorway and off limits to bikes. Fortunately no, so my route north is up the Gorge, out through Johnsonville, Porirua and up state highway one.
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| Leaving Wgtn |
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| Nick at home - one night from Wgtn |
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| Hedge trimmers |
I finish up my days ride with more hosted accommodation at Daves fathers place, and narrowly miss contacting another Paul ex Siemens who lives just down the road. No day of any of my trips has been so full of reunions.
That was yesterday, and today it's been "back to normal", get up, breakfast, ride, ride, lunch, ride and then settle in a motor camp in Bulls.
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| Air show Practice - near Bulls |
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| beyond Bulls on SH1 |
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