2012-07 Biking Portland Area

2012-07 Biking Portland Area, a set on Flickr.

Andy Vogel and Doug Austin spending a few days in July of 2012 bicycling around Portland Oregon, up the Columbia River to Hood River, south and uphill to Government Camp and then back to Portland.

This is a link to Doug's flickr page where he has placed the first draft of the images he captured using his friend's DSLR. Doug really likes this camera and wants one of his own now!

Thanks Tammy for the loaner!

Mar 4 - Erasing 1,776 kilometers

DUNEDIN TO AUCKLAND

The silence of our first overnight at the hotel in Dunedin was broken at 3:30 am when a false fire alarm was triggered. The alarm being right outside Doug's bedroom door and the fact that the electrical room was right beside his bed and that there was someone at 3:45am hammering his way through the door was enough to grant us a complimentary continental breakfast at this establishment this morning.

We take our gift and then drag our bags and bike boxes into a waiting shuttle bound for the small but very lovely Dunedin airport. In one hour and thirty minutes, modern jet technology will wipe away four weeks of old technology pedalling. The view from the plane is great and we both watch the geography of many of the places we cycled past.

We land in Auckland, grab another shuttle to an arranged hotel in this very large and cosmopolitan city and then step outside to explore.

Andy has a contact here. Her name is Robyne and she worked with him at Ernst and Young about a decade ago. We meet up with her down at moderatley new waterfront development called "The ViaDuct". It is hopping down there. We go into a sports bar that puts Cafe Roma on the Drive in Vancouver to shame. Dozens of screens many the size of a house with an important Rugby match on and no room to move. When a goal that pleases the house happens, conversation pretty much comes to a halt as the noise is impossible to talk over. They love the Rugby and Cricket in this country like we love the hockey.

As a side note, we are hearing and seeing nothing about Vancouver now. It is more like being away and isolated now as the end of the Olympics are almost a week in the past.

Anyway, we raise a few pints and then have something to eat before we say goodnight to Robyne - but not before she promises a guided tour via a private vehicle tomorrow. Good score Andy!

Mar 3 - Albatross Hunt

OTAGO PENINSULA - DUNEDIN

This morning we take our bikes - sans our luggage that is normally strapped to the back - and head out for a 60 km return ride around the Otago Peninsula. If you look at a map of the Dunedin area you will notice that this peninsula juts out into the South Pacific creating Dunedin harbour. The ride is similar to riding the seawall around Stanley Park, but going in the opposite direction on the other side of the road.

We leave early, because we need to be back in town between noon and one o'clock for an appointment with Cycle Surgery, the only bike shop in town that would agree to box up our bicycles. This will be our last pedal adventure of our trip - so it is a bit emotional as well.

The ride was cited in our Lonely Planet guide to cycling in New Zealand as the authors all time favorite ride in the country so we couldn't pass up that kind of recomendation. It proved to be that for sure. There were many different moods to this ride.

First, cycling out of the city on bike paths that were literally just a meter or so away from the sea, passing tons of other bikers on their way into the city for work. Then, as the bike path connects to the peninsula proper the mood becomes very serene. We pass several small fishing villiages / tourist traps as we wind our way west. When we come to a village called Portobella we stop for a rest and regroup as the next part of the journey is a one way, no exit road to the very tip where there is an Albatross colony - complete with a tourist visitor centre, gallery and coffee shop. These albatross have it made.

Having had one around my (Doug's) neck for about 14 months, I wanted to cycle out and maybe shoot one - photographically speaking of course.

We pedal all the way there and back and we see a few of these creatures - nothing to write home about - oops I guess I am wrong there.

We stop again in Portobello for lunch and then begin a return ride via Highcliff road. The road name fits its character. Straight up for about 15 kilometers, but at the top we are once again rewarded. Getting home in time for our appointment is becoming an issue as Doug is stopping every hundred metres or so to take another picture or video. There are striking views of the Pacific from this height with large pastures of sheep and goats making up the foreground - and kilometers of old stone fences that demand to be captured. Check out the photos for this day and you'll see for yourself.

Then the downhill. That's the other reward that comes with struggling up a large seemingly endless series of hills. As we approached the apex of this ride, we could see Dunedin in the distance and we could also look down on the road that we travelled at the beginning of this journey. All very beautiful and to tempting for our camera to resists. Yeah, blame our being late on the camera.

We descend into Dundedin in record time - the roads were smooth and the corners were manageable for a high speed entrance into the city. Life is good on the road, as long as you don't end up on the road.

We arrive in time for our appointment, drop off our bikes and we are now officially on foot and our bike riding days in New Zealand are over. We will come back just before closing and lug these two boxes about ten city blocks to our hotel (it would have made an interesting if not embarassing picture but alas there is none to be had).

The rest of the day is spent sitting around Dunedin's Octogon (a city central park-like area), soaking up the sun, drinking beer and eating more of the country's millions of sheep.

STATS:

Mar 2 - Welcome back to the South Pacific

MILTON TO DUNEDIN

Again as we retire for the night there are forecasted threats of wet weather, but we are getting used to these empty threats.

We arise early - not because we have far to go - our trip today should be less than 60 kms, but because by now it's hard to stay awake past 9 o'clock or so. So we sleep in to 7:00 am and once the bags are packed and we have breakfast in our room we are on the road by 8:00am.

It is to Andy's credit that while sitting around watching the closing ceromonies last night and studying all of our travelling reference material that we discovered a road less travelled that would get us to Dunedin via a road much closer to the coast. We decided on this one. And what a great decision it was.

About 10 kilometers outside of Milton at a place called Waihola (that's where the sneaker fence is), we turned right and headed towards the coast. We didn't know that we had to climb over a very large hill - the steepness of which rivalled just about everything up to this point. But as always a good steep climb has it's rewards and we cashed in on these rewards with breathtaking scenes of the lakes we had just cycled past as we exited Milton.

We carried on across this mountain and finally the coast of the South Pacific was in our sights. It was good to get back to the ocean as we hadn't seen it for almost 10 days.

The remainder of our trip into Dunedin was fantastic. To our left were large pastures with images of sheep being herded by a border collie, and other livestock enjoying the sunny day. To our right was the ocean - beach mostly - large expanses of smooth dark sand with large crashing waves, rough rocky cliffs and lush tropical vegetation. Not bad for a day's work.

We cycle into Dunedin, finding our way into this moderately large city with some degree of difficulty but we finally make it and find accomodations for the next two nights.

STATS:

Mar 1 - A Day in the Big Ring

ROXBURG TO MILTON

No worries mate if you don't recognize any of these town names. They are just stops on our way to Dunedin. But then you probably haven't heard of that place either. Dunedin is an old Scottish city with about 150,000 people in it and we look forward to some New Zealand culture over and above a local pub and a library with one computer and dial-up speed.

All kidding aside, today's ride only got me off my bike once to take a picture. Most of the landscape that went by was familiar - been there seen that - but the ride was a fast and a fun one. We stayed in our higher gears most of the way and covered almost one hundred kilometers in record time.

Also, there was a very high threat of rain this morning which never materialized so we were lucky on that front. It is very wet outside as I type this message so we our luck holds for tomorrow as well.

We tried to call home to check on the score of the hockey game as we were on the road at the time, but no one seemed to be able to answer the phones. I guess you were all yelling so loudly that you couldn't hear them ringing. Anyway, what a great finish for Canada. We're watching the highlights tonight from our motel room.

We will again rejoin the ocean coast tomorrow as we haven't seen the ocean for several days - ever since we left Queenstown. But we've seen lots of water in the form of many very beautiful lakes and rivers.

In Dunedin we expect to find a faster connection. We are sitting on a whole lot of cool videos that can't be uploaded based on conncection speeds. We'll see. If not, you're gonna have to wait until we return to Vancouver. I expect you'll have it all cleaned up by then.

STATS:
Distance: 96.7 km
Time: 4:42
Avg: 20.4 kph
Max 71.0 kph
Temp: 12-29C
Weather: Light Cloud

Feb 28 - Gorges Ride

QUEENSTOWN TO ROXBURG

We arise earlier than just about anyone else in town as per usual and get our bikes packed and away we go. Breakfast first and we've (or Andy has) researched where to go. It's a cool place called Joe's Garage - does anyone remember the Frank Zappa album of that name - well I think there might be a connection.

Cool space and great food and we are on the road by 7:30am. We have a long road ahead of us. We need to get to a small town called Roxburg which is not anywhere really but we are on a three day ride to Dunedin and Roxburg fits into our plans. Still, it's almost 150 kilometers from here.

We start by cycling up a road called Gorge Road. We now know why it's called that, and actually most of the morning is spent cycling along gorges. It requires a lot of steep climbs and thrilling descents. Also, the views were amazing and I think I overdid it a bit on the gorge pictures. Check them out when I get a chance to upload them.

The wind is not our ally this morning, but as soon as we hit the half way mark we turn 90 degrees and it blows us the rest of the way home. The scenery on this trip was great and for the last half of the ride we are literally sailing along the motorway - which makes for a fun day.

We get into Roxburg later than any day so far after putting over 7 hours in the saddle. Our beds will feel good tonight.

STATS:
Distance: 148.18 km
Time: 7:15:48
Average: 20.6 km
Max: 75.8 kph
Temp: 10-29C
Weather: Cloudy and Windy

Feb 27 - Highest Sealed Road in NZ? Can Do Mate!

WANAKA TO QUEENSTOWN

Today's trip, even though it is only 80 km in length is one that we have been mentally preparing for. Today we climb higher than we have ever and will ever on this trip. We are crossing the pass through Crown Range. It is billed as the highest sealed (paved) road in the country and it comes in at 1079 meters above sea level.

We leave the nice tourist town of Wanaka with it's pretty lake and perfect parks and start our ascent at once. Just getting out of town was a bit of work.

The climb is then very gradual. The sky is a bit cloudy but we start later (just after 8am) so the day has a chance to warm up. The scenery doesn't get us off our bikes too often for picture taking and even with a mild head wind we are able to average about 17 kph.

This goes on for about two hours. The last hour is where all the work and the height happens. We've climed over 500 meters hills and then up to 900ish, but this one seemed to go on for ever.
I don't type that like it's a bad thing. We met many local cyclists who were out on a day ride going up and down both sides of this hill. It was exactly the same as seeing a fully laden touring bike cycling to Horseshoe Bay when we are on a day ride back home.

The day turned hot, there was a slight breeze at our back and the scenery kept getting better and better and we climed higher and higher. The road was built on the path that was laid down centuries ago by a small river so we followed it up almost to the top. We would pass over it several times and it's healthy volume and gurgling sounds were refreshing.

Atop the pass, we stopped for picture taking, rest and some food to prepare for the big pay off. The BIG descent. And it was. For 4km we whipped down this hill, not allowing our bikes to go the speed they wanted to. That would surely result in me not being able to type this update - unless you can do that sort of thing while in traction these days - but I suspect not.

Restraint notwithstanding, it was super fun. After that joyride, we rode along a flat road and then another crazy drop with some hairpin turns. I shot a video of Andy doing this one. You can't go very fast at all but it challenges your bike handing skills around turns for sure.

Then an uneventful ride the rest of the way into Queenstown. As I am typing this, Canada is playing in the semi finals of the men's Ice Hockey Semi-Finals in Vancouver. Andy is back in the hotel room watching, but we're going to convene in a pub downtown overlooking the lake and watch it with some brews in hand (like real Canadians) as soon as I finish up here.

Thanks for listening. Tomorrow we head east on a three day journey to Dunedin.

STATS:
Distance: 79.69 km
Time: 5:00
Average: 16.2 kph
Maximun: 66.6 kph
Temp: 9 - 35C
Weather: Cloudy then sunny

Feb 26 - Lindis Pass? - No Worries Mate!

Omarama to Wanaka

Again we made breakfast in our motel room this morning because we wanted to get on the road early. We had another big day ahead of us. We will conquer Lindis Pass today.

It was very cold as we were on the road before the sun peeked over the mountains to warm things up. But off we went, a steady climb out of Omarama for the next 35 km or so until the pass. Check out the pictures.

The last couple of kms before the highest point of our day were fairly steep but other than that we did okay. Once at the top we stopped for bite to eat, took a celebratory picture and began an exciting descent. The drop took quite a few kilometers and was thrilling. The scenery may have been nice, but we weren't looking at the time.

As you can tell by the pictures until we started to get into some lower countryside, there wasn't much in the way of trees at all. At the top of the pass, the land was very barren, but it was beautiful non the less.

Our faster ride continued right up to noon when we stopped at a cafe for lunch. Then we turned and travelled inland for an additional thirty km to Lake Wanaka. The wind picked up at this point but we were able to make reasonable time. Again, great scenery with horses, trees and as we neared out destination we saw some parachuters enjoying a nice ride down from xthousands of feet. That would be fun.

It's nice here. A nice lake, in a nice town with nice shops and nice tourists. Very nice. Have I mentioned it is nice?

STATS:
Distance: 116.15 km
Time: 6:20
Average: 18.32 kph
Max: 62 kph
Temp: 6-30C
Weather: Sunny

Feb 25 - Best Bike Path in the World

Lake Tekapo to Omarama

The latter part of our night in Lake Tekapo was one of uncertainty. It was still blowing really hard - hard enough to shake the building we were in, so gale force for sure. And it was raining too.

The forecast called for the weather to clear and for gale force winds to continue tomorrow. So we were not sure whether or not we would actually be able to head out tomorrow. We did not want a repeat of the battering we got today for sure.

As the night played out, it did clear up and the stars came out. There was an amazing half moon and the stars, as I knew would be the case, didn't match anything I have ever seen north of the equator. No big or little dipper, no north star. Even though it makes perfect sense, it was still neat to see.

The wind carried on into the middle of the night and then just stopped. So when we arose the next day, it was picture perfect.

We decided to take an alternate route which took us along a sealed road beside the canal the connects the water from Lake Tekapo to the water of Lake Pukaki. Upon entering the second lake all that is required from the Lake Tekapo water is that it generate a whole bunch of electrictity. And also to house a few salmon farms along the way. It seems not to mind these requirements and carries them out nicely.

The ride was great. The road was closed to traffic, so we just walked our bikes around a couple of gates and away we went. We had the road practically to ourselves, the scenery was stunning with snow capped mountains in the distance, and since we were following the canal and the water was flowing WITH us we were on a slight downhill.

Now the wind was still our foe. It was blowing hard against us, but it was steady and predictable so it wasn't dangerous, just difficult.

Once we came to the end of the canal road, we joined the regular highway into Omarama. We had tail winds and downhills for a very fast end to our ride. Again, great views along the way. Overall, a wonderful day in the saddle.

STATS:
Distance: 89.5 km
Time: 4:25
Average: 20.23 kph
Max: 67.5 kph
Temp: 10-29C
Weather: Sunny and Windy

Feb 24 - Another Dust in the Wind Day

GERALDINE TO LAKE TEKAPO

This day started out GREAT! We were up early because we knew we had another long day and a big climb though Burke's Pass to get behind us.

So it was basically an all day uphill climb and Burke's Pass is 709 metres above sea level.

We were well rested and started our climb full of energy. The wind was good and we were making good time. We climbed over Mr. Michael going through MacKenzie's Pass and continued to climb. The sun came up, warmed up the day and we stopped quite often to take pictures. One of the main reasons we do this is to roll past amazing countryside while enjoying some personal solitude. This day was delivering.

After about five hours we finally ascended all the way to the top. The final km or two were very steep but it seemed like a slight breeze was giving us a helping hand. The scenery along the way was stunning with vistas overlooking large farm pastures and the mountains in the distance.

That's when the day went sideways again. The wind from the Northwest hit us and hit us hard. This time even worse than yesterday.

We found ourselves on a very expansive and barren plain at this altitude. There was nothing to stop the wind and it came at us with a force that either of us can recall being so severe.

For about 90 minutes we pedalled as hard as we could but only could maintain maybe 8 or 9 kph at the most. There was nothing to do but continue and the road ahead of us stretched out like it seemed forever.

Then the view changed and we were privy to a most amazing lake that we knew was in the works and had heard great things about. There was an amazing downhill into the town of Lake Tekapo and the beauty of the scene was again ALMOST worth the work.

We were cycling into an area high in the mountains that has been transformed by the creation of a number of lakes, all which are connected with canals that stretch for hundreds of kilometers. We had arrived at the first of these lakes, Lake Tekapo. There is some suspended plant life in the lake that gives it an charming light blue colour.

But today, the wind had whipped the lake into a fury. The waves were large enough to surf on and some para-surfers where totally taking advantage of the wind and the waves. They were having a blast. Para-surfing is when you get yourself on something like a snowboard, and attach a para-sail onto a harness onto yourself and go for a wild ride in the water. You can jump up over waves tens of feet into the air.

We got ourselves into our pre-booked villa, cracked open some beers and rested.

STATS:
Distance: 93.5 km
Time: 5:42
Average 16.36 kph
Max: 61.44 kph
Temp: 10 - 25C
Weather: Clear and Windy

Feb 23 - Getting Blown off Course - Almost

DARFIELD TO GERALDINE

This was the first day we experienced the Northwesterly winds that we have been told about. Upon leaving Darfield we were 200metres above sea level.

We had another 300 to climb before heading through the incredible Rakaia Gorge. As we climbed closer and closer to the gorge, the wind from the Northwest was being channelled through this landscape and was being directed at us very strongly and mostly from the side.

For a couple of hours we struggled, not only to get through the wind and up the hill, but to actually stay on our bikes as the wind when it came in unpredictable gusts would threaten to knock us off our bikes. We struggled to keep them going forward and in a straight line.

It was very exhausting and stressful but we never fell down and carried on to the top. The views were almost worth the effort.

Through the gorge, up and down we went until we came out the other side. We stopped at the Alford Forest Cafe for a well deserved lunch and then carried on to Geraldine, a most pleasant township about 60 km down the road.

The road to Geraldine was mostly downhill and we actually had the wind in our favor so we flew into town. It was a very hot day with the tempreature hitting about 35C.

STATS
Distance: 125.28 km
Time: 6:08
Average: 20.45 kph
Max: 55.41 kph
Temp: 22 - 35C
Weather: Sunny

Feb 22 - Getting out of Dodge

CHRISTCHURCH TO DARFIELD

There's really not much to tell here as can be attested by the lack of photographs or videos. It was a short ride but we had to subtract as many kilometres as we could from the next day which, if we didn't stop in Darfield would have totalled 170kms. And we didn't want that to happen.

Getting out of town was easy but took forever and there were countless roundabouts to get past. The only thing of note was that my new bike, the Surly Long Haul Trucker passed her first one thousand kilometre mark.

We stopped and took some pictures and then following a brief and touching ceromony, carried on.

Now my Long Haul Trucker is starting to live up to her name.

STATS
Distance: 46.41km
Time: 2:17
Average: 20.26 kph
Maximun: 27.46 kph
TempL 25 - 29C
Weather: Sunny

Feb 21 - Christchurch = Party Town

CHRISTCHURCH

We were right about last night and the odds of a good night sleep.
Christchurch has a large number of back-ally bar collections.

Take any average city block. Clear out and widen all the alleys into and out of the block and instead of loading docks and garbage bins create welcome entries into cool pubs and bars and restaurants. Add some lighting by stringing wires from building to building, construct some balconies, throw in some big screen televisions and invite several thousand men and women all between 18 and 35 years old and you have the scene that completley surrounds our lovely apartment here in Christchurch.

At 2:00am I find myself wandering through this environment. It was an amazing scene and back in my bedroom, the noise is deafening. But what the hell, it's not that I need to do anything on Sunday. It is our day off.

We take our unloaded bikes. They seem so light without all the baggage we normally carry around. Please take that literally. Thank you. We cycle around some amazing bicycle paths that the city has created. It really is a very bike friendly city. It's a good day.

It started cloudy and foggy, but by noon the sun burns it off and we enjoy our day off here.

We better get rested - the next few days will be brutal. We are moving inland and going up - WAY up. We'll try to keep you up to date, but as it was in the last few days, when you travel outside of the big centers, it is quite difficult to to find reliable internet access.

We saw a t-shirt yesterday that read: "NO CELL PHONE, NO EMAIL, NO WORRIES" over an image of New Zealand. It reads quite true to us.

NO STATS FOR TODAY. UNLOADED BIKE TRIP DON'T COUNT!

Feb 20 - Flat, Fast and Fun

CULVERDEN TO CHRISTCHURCH

The day started the same way it ended. Lots of blue clear skies.
But it started very cold. The coldest we've experienced yet. My computer is telling me it's 7C as we begin our journey.

But we are on the road just before sunrise so that is to be expected I guess. As we roll out of the breakfast spot and begin what is to be a fairly flat and fast ride into Christchurch, I am thankful for my motorcycle gloves keeping my fingers warm.

The sun slowly rises and the temperature slowly rises until finally it bursts above the hedges that invariably line the highways and cast a cold shade onto our roadway.

When it does appear it is warm and welcoming and the scenery, as beautiful as it is, is all the more beautiful as it is moving past us at a comfortable and steady 22kph.

The gradual climbs are easy and the descents are long and fun. But we keep the speed up as high as possible so we are still doing a considerable amount of work. The steadiness of it keeps the heart rate up and the muscles working.

We move from small town to town, stopping for sandwiches, cold drinks and and ice cream shake before we find ourselves in the comfortable suburbs of Christchurch and finally cycling into this most beautiful city on a hot Saturday afternoon crowded with locals and tourists.

A very inviting end to a very fun day on the road. Our plans call for a two night stay here and we are looking forward to exploring this old and charming place. Our hotel is right in the middle of a party hot spot we find out and we are surrounded by bars and pubs and the lot. Sleeping tonight may be a challenge.

STATS:
Distance: 102.4 km
Time: 4:53 km
Average: 20.9 kph
Max: 51.0 kph
Temp: 7 - 30C
Weather: Sunny

Feb 19 - Over Hill and Dale

KIAKOURA TO CULVERDEN

So much for the rotten weather and the shroud of gloom the was our mindset upon retiring to bed last night. We rise to a sky full of dark clouds BUT with a hint of clearing in the east.

We pack up. I don my long pants, long sleeved cycling top with coat and long fingered motorcycle gloves and off we go, expecting the worst. After a big breakfast we head out.

The terrain consists of long stretches of road with a ever so slight incline. Over 30 km we rise about 100 meters so not so bad. But the wind is our enemy and we struggle to maintain a reasonable speed. At this rate we will be riding hard all day.

Then we climb again. At the top of the mountain at Whales Back Saddle we will be 511 meters above sea level.

Things improve drastically and we are thankful. The wind falls to our backs and the sky clears and becomes inspiring. Half way up the mountain our spirits have lifted and we are wondering what all the fuss was about. We are two lucky guys, able to spend time in our lives travelling across unknown terrain doing what we love - riding our bikes. It doesn't get any better than this.

Besides, there are no big screen televisions on the ride.

Once we hit the 70 km mark of our ride, we enjoy a lot of long descents and clear blue skies. We sail past Waiau which was going to be our original stop when planning this trip and ride another 22 km to Culverden - a small community with a motel a gringy pub and a cafe.

We settle in for the evening, retire early as another long day ahead tomorrow will complete our three day trek into Christchurch city.

STATS:
Distance: 107.8 km
Time: 6:12
Average: 17.4 kph
Max: 54.3 kph
Temp: 20 - 29C
Weather: Overcast and Sunny

Feb 18 - The First LONG Ride

BLENHEIM TO KAIKOURA

After a few days of rest of and a relatively short bike ride yesterday, we are in good shape for our longest ride of our biking tour so far. We have 130km to go and the highest mountain to climb is only 200 metres tall.

So we get up before the crack and we have gone to the grocery store and bought some supplies for breakfast and for lunch since there doesn't seem to be much in the way of anything on the first half of our journey.

We are on the road at 6:45am. It's pretty much still dark and quite chilly but we have kms to put behind us.

We begin our big climb of the day almost at once. All the way up to the 200 metre mark in the first 20 km. We are working hard but the sky is clearing, and the sunrise is amazing. Once we arrive at the top, the sun is out and the scenery is spectacular. You can check out the pictures.

Our trip down the north eastern coast ranks as our best ride of the trip so far. The wind was in our favor so we are making great time. Lots of stops for pictures for sure and the huge waves and the rugged coast make it hard to concentrate on the road. And it's important to concentrate as the road is busy. Lots of BIG double trailer trucks roaring by at 100 kph along with a strong wind make handling a loaded touring bike a handful.

The last 40 km of the ride was quite different. The wind, once our friend is now our foe. We struggle into the beach resort of Kiakoura with little energy left. And it is getting cloudy and misty.

So by the time we nail down accomodation we have little energy for much. We walk to a eatery and it begins to rain in earnest. We are wondering about tomorrow's weather. We have another 100km plus day tomorrow and a 500 metre climb. Doing that in the rain doesn't sound like much fun. Time will tell. We are asleep by 9:00pm. Party animals, I know.

STATS:
Distance: 130.3 km
Time: 5:51
Average: 22.2 kph
Max: 77.3 kph
Temp: 20 - 28C
Weather: Mist, Cloud and Sun

Feb 17 - Olympics on the Boat

WELLINGTON TO BLENHEIM

Since Wellington is on the bottom of New Zealand's North Island and Blenheim is about 30 km down the coast of the South Island, a ferry ride is in order.

We get up early and cycle to the Ferry Terminal. It's certainly not as flashy and squeaky clean as BC Ferries, but it certainly gets the job done. This ferry also ferries trains from Island to Island and the train deck is where the bikes are stored. So we get our bikes lashed to the hold and upstairs we go for our 3.5 hour ride to the South.

We had an interesting ride. There were two super big flat screen television sets in the main lounge but non of them were offering any Olympic coverage and we knew that the women's SnowBoard Cross was happening at that very moment back home. Andy is twitching in his seat as a cooking show is being presented.

He asks the women at the coffee machine if it is possible to change channels. She makes some calls and learns that the network carrying this coverage (PRIME) is not available on those monitors.

Unrelenting, he moves around the ship looking for any other television sets, and he finds a small one. He searches through the channels available and finds coverage. So we sit and watch it live. SnowBoard Cross is a pretty exciting event as as the athletes were being disqualified and the medal run was looming nearer and Canada's hopes were looking better, more and more people gathered around this tv set with us.

It was great fun, and Canada won gold and the both of us were great Canadian ambassadors on the ferry to South Island that day.

On that note: When travelling a long way from home, usually you lose track of your home country and city. Once in a while, maybe, you will hear on the news or read in the paper of an event from your home country or city. This vacation is quite a bit different that that. Walking around the towns and cities on our travels - glancing at all the big screen televisions that are around these days - results in images of our home city almost constantly. There is certainly mixed feelings that result - and even some home-sickness.

The money shots from Vancouver are looking great from here.

STATS:
Distance: 34.1 km
Time: 1:41
Average: 20.1 kph
Max: 57.8 kph
Temp: 18 - 26C
Weather: Mostly Cloudy

Feb 16 - A Day in the Capital

WELLINGTON

Not much to report here. We wander around, take pictures, check email, upload videos and images etc. We find some great pubs and attempt to go to a Fringe Play but just as we get to the ticket window we see a sign that says the main actor's role is being played by an understudy so we bail on that.

Overall, a relaxing day in a very busy city. We book our trip on the InterIslander as tomorrow we head to the South Island.

NO STATS FOR TODAY EITHER!

Feb 15 - Bikes and Buses don't seem to mix

ROTORURA TO WELLINGTON

We've been on the road for almost a week now and are looking forward to taking some time off. Our saddles have not been that good to us if you know what I mean.

So we've decided to book transport to Wellington, the second largest and the capital city of New Zealand. Booking a ride for two guys and two bikes is more difficult that we imagined.

First of all, our booking is "tentative" and whether or not we travel is totally up to the bus driver who shows up with his bus at the time of travel. The driver's decision is based on how much luggage there is in the hold, as bikes take the lowest priority over anything else.

Also we are trying to book a hotel in Wellington but it is difficult to do if you don't know for sure when you are going to get there.

The bus arrives at 11:00am and the bus driver gives us the thumbs up and we place our bikes in the baggage compartment. We travel for about 90 minutes to the next town where we need to change buses. The new bus driver apparently doesn't like bikes very much and insists that there is no room on his bus for our bikes. So we must wait for the next one.

For some reason in the next few minutes of confusion he says he will take them and for us to hurry and get them into the hold. My recollection of the event is of Andy deep inside the cargo compartment trying to get his bike stored over a big spare tire, and of me following while the driver is panicking over the fact that we are holding up his schedule.

But enough about that. We get on, we ride to Wellington and cycle to our hotel which turns out to be very nice. Tomorrow we will explore this city.

NO STATS FOR TODAY

Feb 14 - What Smells?

TAURANGA TO ROTORURA

This is our sixth day and we will be taking a bit of a break after this one. We slept in a wee bit and after a BIG breakfast headed out to Rotorura.

That meant climbing to 500 metres - hence the BIG breakfast.

We had fun last night watching the opening ceromonies even with the cloud of dispair and controversy over the luge track incident - nothing another pint won't fix.

Heading out of this surfing town -uphill all the way when the rains start. Donned we now our wet weather gear ( I prefer my gay apparel anyday ) and upwards and wetwards we went. The climb was not overly steep but it went on for a long time. There were some heart-stopping steep sections but it seemed the higher we went the clearer the skies became.

After Andy replaced his tube (that's two flats in two days - the roads here are a bit rough) the sun came out and we pedalled atop a mountain for a while until the wonderful decent into this town of Rotorua. It's basically a big warm lake in the middle of the country. The warmth is mostly due to the fact that the whole place is sitting on a whole bunch of geothermal activity.

Every open hole here gurgles like a percolator. And it smells of sulfur - a lot. Steaming water drifts from open holes. Hey, my kind of place.

Today we bus to Wellington. The Capital of this great land, and believe me, New Zealand so far is getting two thumbs way up as far as we are concerned. This place is lacking in nothing. The landscape, the people, the towns and cities - all in excellent shape.

THE STATS:
Distance: 66.7 km
Time: 3:47
Average: 17.5 kph
Max: 64.6 kph
Temp: 21 - 30C
Weather: Rain and Sun

Cheers Mates,
Doug and Andy

Feb 13 - We Love the Crack of Dawn

WHANGAMATA TO TAURANGA

We have arrived at the Bay of Plenty (http://www.bayofplentynz.com/)

Our first question is: Do you get to keep the cool blue garbage bags they hand out when you shell out a grand to attend the opening ceremonies?

All kidding aside, we got up "before the crack of dawn" and were on the road from Whangamata at a dark and cool 6:45am - just so we could be in Tauranga, settled in our hotel room and have time to find a seaside bar with a large tv screen to watch those ceremonies.

And we succeeded! There were quite a few people in the bar, but we were really the only ones interested. Even when the Kiwi athletes entered no one bothered to look. But we were there cheering on the Canadian arrival. Check out the video of this event whenever we can get it uploaded.

The trip on the bike - this is a biking blog after all - was eventful. We biked into the sunrise and that was wonderful - it was a great time to be on the road. There was a major climb to 265 metres and and great descent. But then for the first time we got wet. Half the sky was clear and sunny, but as luck would have it, the part of the sky that was not was what we were getting.

And then the head wind. That also slowed us down. And the flat tire. But those are the tribulations of a biking tour.

This is a great town. It's the biggest town we've visited so far and it's hopping! Lots of great bars etc along the beach and the weather tonight is excellent.

STATS:
Distance: 93.1 km
Time: 5.06
Average: 18.02 kph
Max: 59.0 kpm
Temp: From 21C in the morning to 29C later in the day.
Weather: Sunny, Cloudy, Misty Showers

Feb 12 - Another WH'N town!

WHITIANGA TO WHANGAMATA

Greetings from Whangamata.

Today was a shorter but not necessarily an easy day. We had two fairly large climbs to conquer and most importantly we had yesterday's difficult day to recover from.

Whitianga was a great place to visit. Very beach and surf oriented and we enjoyed some good food, beer and laid-back vibes. We slept in (see above about how hard yesterday was) and departed around 10:00am.

To get out of that town required a very short ferry ride which was charming. As soon as we crossed we were met with some very beautiful scenery on a less travelled road. Then we hit the more travelled road for the rest of our trip. The trip was uneventful - two mountains to climb and some great descents.

We are now in the second WH'N town and again the theme is all about surfing and beaches and fishing. There's a large fishing tournament in town so every second vehicle is hauling a large boat.

As soon as we have the time and the proper internet connection we will upload some more pictures and videos. We have some great ones so hopefully tomorrow that will happen as we are pedalling into a much larger town.

We need to get to our destination tomorrow by 3:00pm because we want to be able to view the Opening Ceremonies of the Vancouver Spring Olympics. We'll be cheering you on over some local New Zealand brews.

STATS:
Distance: 67 km
Time: 3:40
Average: 18.27kph
Max: 62.6kph
Temp: 30C
Weather: Mainly Sunny

Feb 11 - Firth to the Left of Me, Mountains to the Right

THAMES TO WHITIANGA

We were out late last night. But we are up early this morning.

We leave Thames after a big breakfast. We are winding our way up the Western Coast of the Coromandel. This road turned out to be the highlight of the trip. We are hugging the coast and the huge trees to our left arch over the highway creating long tunnels made of tree as we cycle under them.

We climb over a 200metre mountain and arrive at noon at the town of Coromandel where we eats a lot of food.

Then the real work begins. We head out to our final destination, Whitianga a beautiful beach and surfing town on the north east corner of the Peninsula. To get there however, requires a climb over a mountain almost 400meters high and then two smaller but stupidly steep hills.

We arrive - our longest day in the saddle so far. This town is wonderful. When the town has a "Surf Street" and long expanses of sandy beach, it can't be that bad.

STATS:
Distance: 101.2 km
Time: 5.47
Average: 17.5 kph
Max: 75.0 kph
Temp: 28-30C
Weather: Sunny

Feb 10 - What Road are we On?

PUKEKOHE TO THAMES

We leave Pukekohe (just try to pronounce that - I bet you don't do it right!)

The maps and the advice from strangers are all confusing. For a while we think we are on the wrong road and might have to back-track and start over. OH NO! Not that it's a problem for me, but I worry about Andy.

But it was not to be. Andy's excellent directional skills proved to be accurate and we arrive in Thames mid afternoon.

It was a great ride. The weather is in the high 20s and the skies are clear.

Tomorrow we start to circle the Coromandel Peninsula. Google it if you want to know where we are.

The internet connection here is slow so I have not been able to upload videos.

STATS:
Distance: 85.3 km
Time: 4:04
Average: 20.9 kph
Max: 72.6 kph
Temp: 28-30
Weather: Sunny

Feb 9 - Where Did Monday Go?

AUKLAND TO PUKEKOHE

We have arrived!

No jet lag at all! We get on a plane at 7:00pm on Sunday night, are served dinner around 8:30pm and then fall asleep until about 4:20am when breakfast is served.

The plane lands about an hour later and we get on with our day. The only strange thing is that it is Tuesday. So Monday never happened.

The Boomtown Rats would love this!

Anyway, we assemble our bikes and we are off.

No problems navigating our bikes on the left side of the road. We easily adapted. At least we are not learning to drive a vehicle with all the controls on the other side. The bike operates the same here as as it does at home.

We only travelled 45km to a place called Pukekohe where we stayed at the TouchWood Motor Lodge. We are starting out a bit slow as Andy didn't get a change to exercise for the 2 weeks prior to his visit. I don't mind, I've been remiss myself in that regard prior to my trip.

It is good to be in summer again. The weather is wonderful. Tomorrow we head to Thames.

TODAY'S STATS:
Distance: 45.4km
Time: 2:16
Average: 20.0 kph
Max: 41.7 kph
Temp: 26-28C
Weather: Sunny

NEW ZEALAND BY BICYCLE

With some of the world's most varied and dramatic landscapes, New Zealand is a cyclist's dream. From the lush semi-tropical bush and geothermal wonders of the North Island, to the glaciers and icy-blue river of the South - all this is just over the next hill or around the next corner.