Stormy weather

I did not blow away Now that was a night to remember, I knew there was a big front coming my way but I did not quite expect it to be this big. I turns out that Auckland had it a bit worse than me. I was amazed that I went to sleep quite well…

Milestones: 5000 Miles

Five thousand miles, last milestone in New Zealand. So here are the facts and figures for these 1000 miles. Cycling Continents: 1 (Oceania) Countries: 1 (New Zealand) Nations: 1 (New Zealand) Cycled distance so far: 5000 miles (8045 Km) Climbing so far: 196,304 feet (59,833 m) Cycling Days: 24 Rest days: 9 Longest day: 72.10 miles (114.42 Km) Average per day: 49 miles…

Cape Reinga

Good things come to those who wait To say that I was in two mind about today is really an understatement. I had initially not even scheduled a leg toCape Reinga and only changed my plan shaded by Shirley and Andrew. The reason I was not sold on the idea was that I very much…

ANZAC day

Least we forget Without really trying to I have started going faster. I seem to put in the same milage and the same elevations but get to the destination earlier in the day. The thing does not bother me, I am getting to the point where, apart from some notable exceptions, I feel I have…

Dodge the rain

Walking between the raindrops As per usual it started to rain at approximately 6 in the morning. I thought it was only going to be the nuisance rain that forces me to pack the tent wet, but this time it was not. The weather has obviously changed and the autumn is shoehorning its way in…

The Bay of Islands

Beauty is there for those who can see it. The picture below was the first thing I saw this morning coming out of hibernation. It rained a bit before I got up and that meant that I was late in leaving allowing some time for the gear to dry up. When I got going though…

Northland starting to impress

Dinner with a beautiful woman Long day today but the legs have shaken off the four days of relaxation in Auckland and it went very smooth. The day started with a bit of a headache, not sure if due to the irregular sleeping pattern or to the beer that I was offered last night by…

Paragliding syndrome

Never o.d. on great, after that, good will just not do. What a strange day, I cycled for 45 miles and really saw nothing terribly memorable. The photo count was incredibly low but the advantage is that I have spent very little time editing and I’ll get extra time for reading and resting. Route 2,986,342 –…

On the move again

Intelligence from great people I am on the move again. After four days in Browns Bay I have today started the last leg of the New Zealand Tour. I will ride all the way to Cape Reinga, the northmost  point of the north island and then go back to Browns Bay for a a few…

A sort of homecoming

We’ll build a bridge across the sea and land Rain again, as soon as I was awake, it sometimes feel like it waits for me to have to pack up and then it pours down. It was short though and it did not trouble me too much. As I was packing up I felt somehow…