A day in Geraldine

Pictures at: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Zr4MGzaRLLTXBu7t9

This is a tribute to my cousin Geraldine...  Geraldine is a small town, a country village, of 3500 people in the central Canterbury.  Geraldine has atmosphere, with majestic old forests, early settlers cottages and little arts and crafts corners.


As you can see, Geraldine  is every where so we had fun riding through the town taking pictures "in" Geraldine.

Other than my cousin, who is Geraldine? Originally called Talbot Forest, Geraldine was renamed FitzGerald in 1857 after the first superintendent of Canterbury, the Irishman Edward FitzGerald. The name was finally changed to Geraldine, which was the FitzGeralds' family name in Ireland.

Peakakariki to Christchurch

Dec 16 - 26, 2009
Peakakariki – Picton – Blenheim – St Arnaud – Hammer Spring – Hununui - Christchurch
Distance: 458 km
Total distance: 1384 km
Pictures: https://goo.gl/photos/5eooVH5E2GRFA3D38
Pictures: https://goo.gl/photos/1nx9NwBCNsCPc2Ro7


Paekakariki to Picton (Dec 16th) 33km
The morning started with a 4 km climb (the Paekakariki hill) that led to a spectacular view of the coast. We then had a long and winding decent to Pimmerton where we caught the train to Wellington.

We may have spent 5 minutes in Wellington between train and ferry...here's why. We got to the ferry at 2:10 pm, the ferry leaves at 2:15 pm. As we rolled our bikes into the terminal, we were asked to get on but we hadn't even purchase our boarding pass yet...not much chance to make this ferry. The ground crew told us that we have 2 minutes...hurry up and get your boarding pass. Patti rushed to the counter, while, the crew held the ferry for us. Quick quick quick, no credit card or debit card accepted, the computers are down, Patti had enough cash to pay and we got on without a voucher or any proof of purchase, no time to wait for a receipt, the ground crew rushing us to the train deck, here we are on the 2:15 pm ferry on route for Picton...that was a close call! We'll spend time in Wellington wnen we return to the North Island.

Picton to Blenheim (Dec 17th) 41 km
A good back wind and mostly downhill all the way to Blenheim. We stopped at Annie's food factory to get some dried fruit. We then met Toni and chatted with her. After we informed her of the Christmas Cracker event happening in her own town that evening, within a couple minutes she then invited us to stay at her place. She is the owner of Fanny Adams Superior Underwear (http://www.fannyadams.co.nz/) . This evening, I got my Christmas present early, and played my new harp at the Cafe Cultura open mike night!

Blenheim - Wairau River (Dec 18) 42 km
Thanks to Dennis, we stopped in Renwick at Windsong Orchard where we met Jenny and Bob. After trying our hand at blueberry picking and then visiting over a great lunch, we had to battle a strong wind, gusting up to 100 km/h. We only got as far as the Wairau River Hotel, midway between Blenheim and St-Arnaud. After having dinner, I did not feel very good and I got sick, food poisoning, so I did not have a good night sleep...!

Wairau River to St Arnaud. (Dec19) 70 km
And easy ride, just a hill to climb about 12km before the turn off for the Rainbow road. For the rest, it was downhill all the way. At St Arnaud, we stayed at the Travers-Sabine Lodge. We stayed there an extra day, I took the next day off to recover, Patti went for a 25 km hike along Lake Rotoiti. There is only a general store if you want to get food at very high prices. We now learned that it is not the price anymore, it is more about if it is available...just like the Queen Charlottes Islands.

St Arnaud to Sedgemere Hut – Rainbow Road (Dec 21) 59 km
Sedgemere to Hanmer Springs (Dec 22) 62 km
According to our plan, we were supposed to keep riding toward Westport on the west coast but Patti read about an alpine route that crosses the Wairau Valley called the Rainbow Road.

The Rainbow Road is a 115 km gravel road that crosses private land between St Arnaud and Hanmer Springs. The road was built in the 1950s when the electricity pylons were built through this area to supply electricity to the Nelson and Buller regions. It is a spectacular road that takes you to the heart of the mountains and lonely landscape. The views are stunning while following the Wairau River. About half way, we stayed at a DOC hut for the night and finished the crossing the next day. The second half of the ride is mostly downhill but not before climbing to 1350 m to the Island Saddle pass. For the rest, it is a gently down hill all the way down to Jack Pass, just before Hanmer Springs. After climbing over Jack Pass, not that hard of a climb, there is a steep, very steep 6 km descent to town on gravel...be careful and hold on to your breaks, it is steep!

The road can be rough on the bike and equipment so be prepared and bring extra spare parts for potential breakdowns. Patti's rear rack brackets broke. Luckily enough, I had bought a spare one in Canada (can not find the same bracket in NZ...it doesn't exist). At Hanmer, we met Kevin, a Kiwi who used to live in LA. He works at the bike shop. We decided to go mountain bike the next day with him since he offered to take us to the trails.

Hanmer Springs to Hununui (Dec 24) 56 km
9:00 am, we hired MTB and took off with Kevin on the trails. Kevin is a former MTB racer in the states, who just moved back home to NZ two weeks ago.. We took off for a good 2 1/2 hours going up and down on single tracks. It wasn't great until we decided to interchange the break cable on the bikes. Yeap, in NZ, front break is right and back brake is left, the opposite of what we are use to on our North American bikes. ..can you imagine...we tried to adjust but going down on a steep hill at full speed, no time to thinks about which is front and back. We had a great time, great trail, it was a good rush!

We than decided to keep on going on our trip and cycled to Hununui, about 60 km out of Hanmer Springs toward Christchurch. We found a great campground, 5$ a night, not heavily use by tourists, mostly locals. Fully self-sufficient except for one major thing...toilet paper. I (Yves) had to ask a camper for TP. Shari, offered to give us a roll so we followed her to her camp site where the whole family (Mom and Pop, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces) gather for Christmas for the last 5 years. We ended up having a bubbly and a fuzzy and got invited to their Christmas Brunch on Dec 25th. Toast, bacon and egg, that was so good. Later that evening, we had pudding with the whole gang. On Dec 25th, I slept most of the day and Patti went for a soak in the river and exploring the area on foot.

Hununui to Christchurch (Dec 26) 95 km
Easy easy ride, a great 95 km downhill with a back wind, we flew all the way to Christchurch. After checking out all the downtown bike stores, we stopped and hung out at the Square for the evening. We finally booked a room at the Stonehurst Lodge , walking distance from the Square. We decided to stay another day and need to figure out if we will go to the West Coast or take the inland road (weather dependent). We also took the time to do a major bike clean up...chain, gears, etc.

Taumarunui to Paekakariki

Dec 6 -15, 2009

Taumarunui - National Park – Ohakune – Pipiriki – Otumaiare – Wanganui – Foxton – Levin - Paekakariki
Distance: 437 km
Total distance: 926 km
Pictures: https://goo.gl/photos/C9wnrvj2zGuwTsge7

Fine cuisine : For burger lovers, you will be pleased to know that you can get in NZ a burger that covers all the meals of the day. It comes with a beef patti, bacon, a steak, an egg, brown sauce (HP), salad, tomato and of course, fries plus at certain restaurant, a green salad. Talk about a burger...mmmmmm good.

At National Park, we took a day off and went for a 8 hours tramp, 21 km, (tramping is hiking in NZ) to do the Tongariro crossing. See pictures at: https://goo.gl/photos/dVVxJuze1G6ssDho7

At Ohakune, we went up the “Old Coach Road” To ride through the Hapuawhenua Tunnel build in the 1920's. It was a good ride up hill to get there, no panier, super light. The next day, we rode to Pipiriki - a fantastic road that goes through valleys, loose gravel that threw me off my bike. Luckily no damage to the computer or me. We set up camp at Bob's coffee shop for free but not before having a swim and ice cream. We kept on going on the Whanganui River Road that follows the river - narrow, single lane and gravel for some good variety. We camped at a DOC (Department of Conservation) camp site. The following day, we completed the ride to Wanganui where 3 kids on BMX bikes escorted us through town to local bike shops...all of them were closed!

Our longest ride so far was from Wanganui to Foxton (110 km). Initially, we had to cycle on highway no.1 with a super strong back wind that took us to Bulls in no time where we stopped for our first North American fast food at ...McDonalds. Now full of carbs, we made it to Foxton not without battling another strong wind that blew us off road when gusting. Change of plan, we decided to get off the highway and take back roads to Foxton which made the day a little bit longer. As if it wasn't enough, the wind danced with heavy rain that soaked us to the bones, So wet that at Foxton, we broke down and checked in to a motel....ah so good!

Now fresh and clean, we road the next day to Levin, we arrived at 11:30 am. This is the day where the equipment started to fall apart. Patti's front rack broke just before Levin. I had to improvised a support with zap-strap and electric tape until we made it to Levin. We found an engineering company that specializes in welding aluminium and had our front racks fixed. Now it is my freewheel clutch that starts acting up...darn! Levin has has a great bike shop who took my bike right away and fixed it. It is now 4:30 pm, we are still in Levin... we decided to stay for the night and rented a cabin at the “Levin Motor camp and Holiday Park” From Levin to Paekakariki, after riding the no. 1 highway for about 30 km, we got on the Kapiti Coastal Cycle Route that takes you along the Coast through residential areas with beaches and wonderful ocean views. We finally stayed at a Backpackers hostel for the night.

Raglan to Taumarunui

Dec 1-5, 2009

Raglan - Kawhia - Te Anga (Hotel) – Waitomo – Te Kuiti - Taumarunui

Distance: 298 km
Total distance: 478 km
Pictures: https://goo.gl/photos/C9TBeTffZGu9XR286

About New Zealand

In New Zealand, we quickly found out that there are two kinds of hills, steep and F@#$% steep! For reasons that only Kiwi understand, instead of building roads around the hills, they build them straight up...and straight down. No kidding, these roads are absolutely great for cycling, the climb is challenging and demanding with fantastic views and the descent is so exciting, sharp curves, narrow roads at top speed up to 70 km/h...men what a rush!!!!!

Also, food is expensive in NZ....more expensive than Queen Charlotte Islands... and pop is also more expensive than wine. A 750 ml bottle of Pepsi or Coke sells at $2,40 but you can buy a bottle of wine starting at $5.99...go figure!

Camp sites are also expensive, $15 to $20 per person but the “Top 10” rated campgrounds offer great facilities such as full kitchen, hot tubs, pool, laundry room, etc. Very clean and well maintained, you can't go wrong with them. In smaller communities, campgrounds offer sites for $10 per person. It also possible to rent a small cabin for $45 to $80. In Te Anga, the owner of the Hotel let us sleep...in the hotel (bar). Since there was no campground to be found and it was pouring rain, late afternoon, she offered us to sleep in the hotel. After a few beers with Patti, she walked back home leaving us alone in the bar, we only had to lock the doors and sleep on the carpet for the night.

Police are not armed, it was very strange to talk to a police officer that looked “bear”. No gun, no teaser, not handcuffs, basically, no belt with all the bells and whistle.

In NZ, you can drink in your car if you are not the driver and you can also drink in public.

As we cycle the country side, it is amusing to see the herd of cattle and sheep running away from us...they are use to cars, not cyclists. Patti also found out that the fences are electric...no need for more explanation. As for myself, the kiwi accent is hard to understand, Patti has to explain the meaning of certain words...I just don't get it!

The people we met so far are very friendly. We had the opportunity to sleep in a real bed in Buckland and Te Quiti and on the Tavern floor in Te Anga.

Since Dec 1st, we ha a lot of rain...did I say a lot of rain?...pouring rain but we manage to keep the gear dry. The tarp does a wonderful job over the tent and staying in houses also helped.

We are now use to the “left driving (riding) thing” since I almost died on the 2nd day of the trip. Crossing the street, I looked in the wrong direction, the small pickup truck slammed the breaks, locked all four wheels and stopped at less than 1m from my bike...a very close call but no one got hurt...thank God! The driver told me “you are a very lucky guy”, I told him “You are dam good driver!”