On the Road Again….

Saturday afternoon, we headed out on our next adventure—three action-packed weeks in New Zealand. Technically, we’re going to the Entrepreneur’s Organization conference in Queenstown, but that’s really only an excuse.
I was really dreading the flight: 5 hours to LAX, then 12+ to Auckland, then another short hop to Christchurch on the South Island. It turned out to be better than expected, but still a terribly long couple of days. One highlight of the trip was the Air New Zealand safety video. Now, we have long been fans of the Delta video, watching attentively while our friend Frank demonstrates proper seatbelt technique and Deltalina works her dominatrix mojo to stop smoking on-board. But I have to admit, Air New Zealand wins hands-down for the most wondrously wacky safety video. They have smoking hot All Blacks. They have body paint (consider yourself lucky, Frank!). But most importantly, they have Richard Simmons, in all his spastic, thinning afro, inappropriately short shorts, glory. Richard Simmons—epic!
We finally arrived in Christchurch and picked up our rental bikes and touring gear. After quickly reorganizing our enormous amounts of stuff, we set out for our B and B, in the central city. Of course, that was more adventurous than expected, since we were riding on the other side of the road and with loaded bikes for the first time. We made it without incident to the lovely Orari B and B. It was actually challenging to find lodging in Christchurch, since so many properties in the central city were destroyed or severely damaged by the earthquakes in 2010 and 2011. There is still a large section of the city cordoned off and inaccessible due to the instability of the buildings. We saw a number of beautiful, historic structures that have been irreparably damaged or will take years to repair. We didn’t see that much in Christchurch—we walked around the city center for a bit, then through the Botanical Gardens, which are truly spectacular. Unfortunately, we were too tired from the trip to really enjoy the city.

Turret in Christchuch earthquake zone.

Christchurch Botanical Gardens Conservatory.
Currently closed due to earthquake damage.

Christchurch Botanical Gardens.

The following morning, we set out in the rain to the train station to catch the Tranzscenic Alpine train across the South Island to Greymouth. This is considered one of the most spectacular train trips in the world. Unfortunately for us, it was a dreary, rainy day, so many of the mountains were obscured by clouds. It was still pretty spectacular, though, and I would highly recommend the journey. 

View from the Tranzalpine Train from
Christchurch to Greymouth.

View from the Tranzalpine Train from
Christchurch to Greymouth.

Viaduct on the Tranzalpine route between
Christchurch and Greymouth.

Once we arrived in Greymouth, it was time to hop on the bikes and head south to Queenstown. Fortunately, we started with an easy, flat, 40km pedal to Hokitika. For much of the ride, we were going along the coastline, watching the surf crash into the beach. We’re planning to camp for the biking section of the trip, so we headed to the Hokitika Holiday Park.

Coastal view between Greymouth and Hokitika.

Taking a break en route to Hokitika.

Hokitika beach sign.

It’s in many ways like being out on the trail again. There are loads of other cyclists touring here, and it’s great to meet other folks. Unfortunately, it’s also far too like the beginning of the hike. We feel like we’re starting over in so many ways—figuring out our systems, organizing our gear, adjusting to a very different physical activity. Today, we were supposed to go 134km to Franz Josef, one of the large glaciers here on the South Island. We didn’t quite make it, instead pulling up early in Hari Hari. We have a lot of pains today. Legs, butts, backs, you name it, it hurts. So now, we’re behind schedule, but we’ll figure something out. Happily, there is bus service all along our route to Queenstown, and we may have to avail ourselves of it. For the moment, we’re enjoying some local cider in the pub at the Hari Hari Motor Inn and I’m sure it will be an early evening. Much like the AT, 6:30PM is a perfectly acceptable time to go to bed.

En route to Hari Hari.

Pancho on the move.