Christchurch and educating tourists NZ style

I first visited Christchurch as a backpacker in the spring of '05. I stayed at the backpackers accommodation just south of the city to be within a short walking distance to the bus stop as I had quite a load to carry on my back and across my chest. After a peacful night in an empty dorm, what a pleasant surprise to wake up next morning to see snow falling outside the window. I prepared for the day, had breakfast and headed off rather cautiously along the snow laden footpath. It did not take long to find myself horizontal on my back after slipping on ice and to be greeted by a senior woman looking down at me asking "Am I OK?". I replied jokingly but not rudely "I'm OK madam, just enjoying the view".

Well, the view now is broken in parts. Strong earthquakes on this scale have a reputation for destruction and loss of ives. Most of the city core is has been classified as a no go area called the Red Zone. Having said that, I can happily conclude that the Christchurch spirit is not broken. The local communities, Government, business community and insurance entities are no doubt working through each project and task to rebuild Christchurch infrastructure, in particular the city domain. There have been those that have left and not returned but there will be many who return and new arrivals assisting with the reconstruction process.

I went looking for a particular coffee shop I remember from last time only to find it as another casualty of the seismic event. The little grassy park next to it and the English oak tree were still there so I pulled out my emergency backup thermos of tea and half a fruit bun to enjoy while nearby a lone worker cuts timber on his circular saw to rebuild a local car park ticketing booth. In this case the structure is timber and looks quite arty.

At the fringe of this Red Zone I came across a recently completed building - Enterprise Precinct and Innovation Campus (EPIC). This has been established as part of the business recovery and provides a new home for startup IT innovators. The innovators group had lost its 'home' after the earthquake.

What impressed me as I walked through the Campus was the visually appealing design and structure - all timber and I suspect quake proof as the building rests on a pier structure. Great open space inside with common kitchen and meeting areas along the hallway which is cavernous. Great to see bike only parking at the front and rear of the building.

 

 

Here is a shocking introduction for tourists camping NZ style. Three American tourists and one German tourist travelling in two camper vans in the Nelson area were confronted by a severe storm.

They decided to shelter withe the vans under a bridge on a dry river bed and strapped the vans together for support. Oh dear, this does not bode for a good ending. The next morning around 9:30 am one of the travellers was woken up by water entering the van. They could not move the vans as they had tied them together the night before.

The group has quickly gathered as many personal belongings only to have them taken away by the strong current with one of the tourists swimming after them, only to put himself in more danger. They all survived with major embarrassment and it was reported that the two very expensive camper vans were later sighted, floating happily down the river.

And that's it for this 1,683km journey - now cycling my way to the airport and back to Australia to rest in preparation for the Europe spring to autumn ride. Thank you for reading and maybe some of you cyclists and would-be cyclists are at least passed the curious stage if not inspired. Just be mindful of the traffic and no freedom camping policy here. The Kiwis, both imported and indigenous have been most welcoming and generous with their hospitality and advice. Their ice cream is to die for!

If you would like to comment or ask questions about the trip or my cycle touring experiences and gear you're more than welcome to contact me at jcp.tas@gmail.com.

 

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More Lord of the Rings and the Southern Alps - Aoraki/Mt Cook

The principle of leaving the best till last certainly rings true here for my last week in NZ. There is something quite awe inspiring and indescribable about viewing a mountain that just rises straight in front of you from a flat valley, especially when it's peak is about 12,000 feet. The immensity of this glacial terrain and its rivers is hard for my small mind to grasp. It's Mother Earth showing off and she has every right to do so. It annoys me when I hear the phrase 'taming the wild'. We have no right to think we should and quite arrogant to think we can.

Like the Canadian Rockies, the Southern Alps are also a view to behold, rain or shine. Fortunately, you don't have to trek for kms to at least get close to the foot of Aoraki/Mt Cook. The road is flat'ish and bitumen all the way into this part of the Southern Alps National Park which is great for cyclists and you can either base yourself at the Dept of Conservation (DOC) campsite or do the credit card tour and stay at one of the lodges in the village. I've been using DOC sites a lot so it was a no brainer for me. It's also where most of the walks begin.

I also decided to walk up the small Mt Sunday located in the Hakatere National Park south west of Christchurch.

Mt Sunday - The small peak in the foreground

Mt Sunday was the location for Edoras, the Rohan Kingdom in the second and third parts of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. You can travel there via the township of Mt Somers which is where I based myself at the local camping ground. I headed off for the first bridge crossing on the Potts River only to discover the crossing washed away. During my time here since early Dec, the Southern Island, especially the west coast and the Alps have suffered constant deluges of rain due to the numerous south westerly cold fronts pushed along by the Roaring Forties. It has put a strain on many river structures and crossings, Milford Sound, West Coast Hwy and so on.

View from Mt Sunday summit

So I took off the socks and shoes to cross the river which was flowing strongly with the cold water numbing my toes instantly. i then trekked the 5kms to the next parking area and continued up to the summit of Mt Sunday to be met by the the strongest gale force winds I have ever encounteso. So strong that I had to hold on to the trig point structure to stay upright but what a view!
Tonight's music - Vagner's Ring Cycle - at least part of it as the full performance can go for three days!

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The east coast and orange cauliflower

The east coast came with its reputation intact - stunning coastline and warm summer days. The ride from Blenheim southwestish to Kaikoura was for most of the journey a visual joy but accompanied again with heavy traffic as this is the only highway or road for that matter south to Christchurch other than a diversion inland to Hamner Springs and the west cost via Kaikoura.

 

I found a sheltered night spot on the beach all by myself with the moon rising of the southern Pacific Ocean. I've noticed many new bird calls and one even sounding like an IPhone alarm tune repeating itself over and over. I knew it wasn't mine as I have only setup the IPad for Internet access and simply used a local phone card at the Telecom booths. I heard the same melody in another location the week before and I know it was not from another device nearby because I watched the bird making the calls (whoops a pun there).

The alps and the sea meet.

Crocodile wood or that's what it looks like

The IPad has been an awesome travel companion for navigating my way around using the inbuilt GPS, planning the daily journey, learning about the various locations along the way, booking accommodation, managing budget, emails and of course, updating this blog. I can upload photos from the SD card or IPhone and resize them for the lblog and emails. No need for a laptop and it keeps my travelling weight down as well as it having longer battery life.

The smallest train station in the world? Must be for da leetle peeple Liam.

 

I may as well mention on the quirks here in the food regime. They sell orange cauliflower in one of the major supermarkets. I've cooked for many years, in fact for over ten years in an Adelaide restaurant but never had the need to serve up orange cusliflower as a dish, and could not imagine something like blue tomatoes in a salad. I would love to know the story as the store worker did ot know either. You could use it in a curry, though if it's flavour neutral.

 

Tonight's music - Joseph Haydn - Symphony No. 45 in F# minor.

 

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Nelson Lakes National Park and west coast weather

I was longing for some alpine space and human space so I headed south from the Abel Tasman Park and arrived via several good hills at St Arnaud.. It's a small alpine village and gateway to the stunning Nelson Lakes National Park. An excellent cycle repair chap in Nelson said that the quiet cycling route to Murchison is via Wakefield and St Arnaud. The DOC camping ground is right on the Lake and has good grassy areas for people with tents and a camp kitchen with a view across the lake.

Dramatic vista and the cold front arrives with rain, rain and rain

The next morning and a short break from more rain

People constantly tell me to visit Queenstown but never mention this location which is definitely on my backpacking/hiking trip next time. The view across Lake Rotoiti to the south peaks reminded me of the view across Lake Louise in Alberta, Canada. This area was formed by glacial activity. Lake Loise has a glacier at the other end. This park has numerous opportunities for overnight trekking with many alpine huts for shelter.

I enjoyed the short stay there and included a lake walk through beech forests

The four-day cold front brought with it constant waves of rain and sunshine so my plan for the west coast was halted as I'd arrived here soaked and tired. The idea of heading into strong westerly s and another three days of rain did not appeal so I decided to head east to Blenheim for the journey down the east coast. As it turned out it was a wise choice as the rain did persist on the west coast for three days. In fact one part of the west coast highway washed away, including the bridge as the area received three months of rain in 24 hours. Apparently the river has now completely changed its course.

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Lord of the Rings country

As a cycling tourist you have to be strategic about the places you travel when you are on a time plan. You cannot make the odd side trip at will as you can with a car. I'd heard about the must see 'three volcanos' park in the middle of the north island.

'Mount Doom'

I can hear the Uruk Hai coming over the hill

I'd just clocked up 600 NZ kms ion the north island and decided to rest for a few days, albeit hiking up Mt Tongariro in the Tongariro National Park just south ot Lake Taupo. It's pretty much the dead centre of the north island and Mt Nguaruhoe just a few kms to the south of Mt Tongariro was used by Peter Jackson to represent Mt Doom in the LTR trilogy.

It took me two years to read the full LTR trilogy as I read it on the weekly bus trip to my classical guitar lessons in Adelaide in the early 1980's. This followed a reading of the Hobbit which my friend at the time, Anne said it was perfect for me and my 'space'.

It certainly has an eerie quality and looks impressive against Mt Tongariro which is currently emitting sulphur clouds from its Te Maari crater.This walk has been promoted as one of the best in the world and is certainly spectacular especially on a clear sunny day.

 

 

Oh, and by the way I saw The Hobbit in 3D in Wellington, this city being the 'home' of the LTR journey, so I could not miss it really.

Tonight's music Walter Piston - Violin Concerto No 1.

 

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Bay of Plenty and rail trails

One of the drivers for choosing places of interest when travelling by bike is the distance or terrain you have to encounter. New Zealand's north island is approximately 1000km from top to bottom with plenty of significant slopes to ascend and descend. I'm glad I took local advice and headed out of Auckland straight for the Coromandel Peninsula.

 

It's a great introduction to the flora, fauna and towns with a strong history of expats from the UK. They do like their sheep and dairy here and European travellers tell me that NZ lamb is highly sought after in Europe, especially France.

 

Bay of Plenty

A 'sticky' situation

The Bay of Plenty was next on my list so I headed down the east cost to the Hot Water Beach. By the way, the weather has been superb for cycling. This will be my first paid camping night as I prefer to camp in a quiet forest and can easily manage without hot running water or a shave for a few days, provided there are good water sources along the way. Along some roads clean water has been flowing down spring fed holes in the hillside and it's nice and cold for the morning wash.

The Hot Water Beach is named for its hot water pools sourced from Earth's hot crust rising to the surface just off shore in this spot. You can hire a spade or take your own (though not likely to have one) and dig a hole in the hot spot and enjoy the warm sea 'spa'. It can reach temp of 65 degrees Celsius so be careful or you'll get more than a warm backside.

 

 

 

Thankfully there is some relief from the horrendous constant traffic on the north island as you can use rail trails for some of it. I think there are as many cars on the road here as there are sheep but sheep do not overtake on double lines on blind crests or bends and in some cases nearly collecting oncoming traffic. The drivers appear to have complete disdain for cyclists as if they were an unrecognizable foreign object. Local cyclists agree with me and shake their heads in dismay.

 

Cycling the rail trail at Karangahake Gorge

Maggie and Daniele

Anyway this provided me with great relief and finally able to relax and enjoy the sublime scenery and listen to peaceful classical music on the IPod. I met up with fellow cyclists Daniele and Maggie from Germany who joined me for some flat km's before we parked for the night at the next town.

Tonight's music - Bach Brandenberg Concertos

 

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Nau mai, Auckland tornados and Coromandel Peninsula

Nau mai is Welcome in Mauri language and the native New Zealander's have been very welcoming and provided wonderful tips and directions along the way. Auckland has quite a mix of Mauri, Chinese/Asian and Indian/Fijian Indian along with the European settlers. It's no different from the melting pot of major Australian cities and there is always plenty of choice for food, especially up the top end of town at the hilliest part of Collins street.

Wild rosé everywhere but stunning

The metro bus or train is easy to use but interestingly the trains are pused or pulled along by diesel locomotives, no electric trains here. Auckland is a big city with a large wharf promenade and interesting maritime exhibits. I actually arrived the same day as the tornado but found shelter in a campsite south and east from the tornado. I recently avoided large bush fires in Tasmania so I hope no volcanoes erupt in NZ as I head south soon.

My little hobbit hole in the forest

At the moment I am travelling through the stunning Coromandel Peninsula which is about one and a half hours driving south east of Auckland, or in my case a good day's ride but worth it.

Riding north up the Coromandel Peninsula

Across the top - up and over the mountains

It reminds me very much of Vancouver Island due its rugged coastline with weathered pine trees clinging to the rocks and ancient forests coming right down to the water line. Aucklanders head for this space just like Canberrans takeover Bateman's Bay for the weekend and holidays.

Tonight's meal - Fish and chips at Hot Water beach.

Tonight' music - Scubert's 'Death and the Maiden'

 

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