Daily Updates and Photo Gallery

About to cross the Cook Strait

Always at work!

The Brotherhood van outside the Cornerstone Church in Christchurch

Breakfast before taking off

Wednesday 12th November 2008 (Cycling Day 1)

Bluff to Clinton, 123kms

First an apology for being a day early but like the old saying goes 'make hay while the sun shines' and it was certainly shining in Southland today.  As I stood under the Bluff signpost for my obligatory photo I was thinking there's no backing out now!  After an extra long hug with Tania (and I have to say probably both us had a tear in our eye) off I went.  I immediately thought it would have been a good idea to do the 33km ride from Bluff to Invercargill the night before, but too late.

Once outside Invercargill I found myself riding through some of the most gorgeous farmland New Zealand has to offer.  Beautifully trimmed hedge rows and immaculate fences and paddocks.  The only downside was I was faced with the monotony of flat straight roads, and into a head wind, although it was warm.  I noted it was 65km until I had my first downhill which gave my backside a welcome lift off the seat. 

I turned off at Mataura just south of Gore and took the back roads through to Clinton - 44kms of beautiful undulating countryside with a couple of nice hills.  It was nice to have a break from the long flat roads.  And other than being passed by a house on the back of a trailer that took the full width of the road travelling at probably 50kph it was a great ride. 

The trip so far has been a lot more comfortable due to the generosity of RoadCraft's sponsorship.  Looking at the other company's vans we see on the road, and in camping grounds, we think this has got to be one of the better ones available - extremely well equipped and laid out.  We have been having fantastic sleeps, so good in fact that this morning, the first day of the ride when nerves should have been at their peak, we slept in, waking up 15 minutes before we intended to start the bike ride!!! 

Tomorrow we are off to Dunedin, where as we drove through there only yesterday on our way down, I saw a couple of hills that were steep enough to make a grown man cry! 

Cheers, Rick

Thursday 13th November 2008 (Cycling Day 2)

Clinton to Dunedin - 114kms

Total kms to date - 237kms

The day started well.  Woke up with rain on the roof of the RoadCraft van.  After that gorgeous day yesterday I thought 'bugger it's raining'.  Still, the first 30ks was more undulating hills, but I'd rather that sort of riding than km after km of long flat road.

We had a light drizzle and a head wind for the next 78kms to Dunedin.  I had a welcomed stop at Milton with my darling wife who managed to buy me a low fat, low cholesterol, low salt, high protein, carb free good old NZ bacon and egg pie and a cup of coffee, and my God that tasted good.

About 30kms out of Dunedin, here I am cycling into a head wind on a busy road when I spot somebody coming the other way in a fluro vest and I was thinking this must be some mad bast**d out here but who was it... Tania! who had parked the van up ahead and rode back to meet me.  It made all the difference to have somebody to ride with and when we caught up to the van I was sad to see her go.  So come on you guys if you have a bike in the shed, dust it off and meet me somewhere.  I am happy to ride at your pace (as long as you're not faster than me).

Then on to Dunedin with a nice grinding hill to finish the end of the day.  Mind you, just before I got to Dunedin I knew I had hit the suburbs when I had two cars, one after the after, come close to knocking me off and then rode past the remnants of a head on collision, all within 300m of each other.  There was a nice fast hill down into St Kilda and the Dunedin Holiday Park right on St Kilda Beach with one of the best showers I have ever had.  Loads of pressure and loads of hot water which is what I needed after a day of being in the rain.

We went down to the Dunedin Browns AvantiPlus Shop where I had a set of aero bars put on my bike in anticipation of the long slow haul up the Canterbury plains and replaced the bearings in Tania's bottom bracket (that's on the bike!) which was clicking like a maniac and it sounded like she had a plastic hip.  Thanks to the team at Browns Avanti Dunedin for your prompt and friendly service - although I couldn't find anybody in that shop who wanted to cycle to Oamaru tomorrow - apparently quite a hilly ride!  

OK so tomorrow's ride is from Dunedin to Oamaru - only 80 something kilometres but apparently not that pleasant!

Cheers, see you tomorrow, Rick

The Brotherhood van and the Jesus car

The Clinton Monument

Riding the Black Stallion

Friday, 14th November 2008 (Cycling Day 3)

Dunedin to Oamaru - 120kms

Total kms to date - 357kms

The day started nice and clear and I got away just after 8am.  I rode through the City catching every red light on the way and followed a young guy on a mountain bike who could wheel stand from one light to the next and when he wasn't doing that he was riding on to the median barrier, jumping on and off and through the traffic!

I got to the first hill out of town - about a 2km climb.  I got to the top, stopped and asked an Asian guy waiting at the bus stop if this was the right way to Oamaru and he said he didn't know.  So I asked the bus driver who then informed me I had ridden up the wrong hill and that I would need to return to the bottom and take a left turn.  Bugger I thought!  Headed up that road a little way and thought I had better stop at a gas station for more directions, I walked in and asked the guy have you got any local knowledge to which he replied - 5th street on the right - Baldwin Street.  I said no I have been there and I was looking for the road to Oamaru.  He said keep going you are on the right track.  As I rode past the entrance to Baldwin Street, NZ's steepest road, it did cross my mind that I should try and ride up it but I thought with 120kms to go it was probably not the best thing to do.  I entered the 2nd climb of the day which was 7.5km along the old north road into Dunedin, a great piece of road with no cars, quiet and with a beautiful view over Dunedin Harbour from the top and the upside was I had an 8km downhill on the other side which met back with SH1.

It was a fantastic day with lots of sunshine and not a cloud in the sky.  I met Tania at Palmerston for lunch where we came across an acrobatic troupe!  As we were having a chat to some people at the cafe this girl who was dressed in a cat suit (complete with tail) was balancing on one hand with her body parallel to the ground, which I thought was very impressive.  Then her mate came out and did a handstand on the same wall.  It turned out there were three of them and I thought this would be a good photo opportunity to have a photo taken in front of the RoadCraft van but before we knew it all three of them were on top of the van performing all manner of gymnastics which was freaking Tania out because she thought they were going to fall off the roof and we thought we would never be able to get them down.  Even after we stopped taking the photos they still wouldn't get off that roof!  It you can't beat them join them and I ended up doing a handstand.

After a good healthy lunch of chicken fried rice (you'd be surprised how important food becomes after spending 4-6 hours per day on a bike) I headed on to Oamaru and learnt a valuable lesson.... now that the South Island summer has started all the wind comes from the north and it was warm.  It was hard to believe a lot of the South Island was under snow a week ago today.  It was hard going into a head wind I think would be between 20-25knts, although when I headed inland I managed to get some shelter.  It was great to see Tania at the 10km mark on her bike having ridden out to meet me. 

This weekend is the Historic Weekend celebration in Oamaru.  Most people throughout the town are dressed in period clothing and coupled with the amazing historic buildings throughout Oamaru it will make for a fantastic weekend, including penny-farthing races (the World Championships!).

The vehicle in the pictures below seems to be following us - first saw it in Balcutha, then Dunedin and again today in Oamaru.  Check out the light switches on the back bumper!!!

The Jesus Car

Making the most of campground facilities

Saturday, 15th November 2008 (Cycling Day 4)

Oamaru to Rangitata (north of Timaru) - 125kms

Total kms to date - 482kms

I learnt my lesson from yesterday regarding wind - EARLY START.  I crept out of the campground at 6.30am and got a sideways glance from some old block coming back from the bathroom as obviously I was up to no good at that time of day dressed in a pair of tights!

I got out on to the road, the air was nice and cool and there was very little traffic.  I started chugging towards Timaru.  It was a fairly uneventful sort of ride, I had an average speed and kept glancing at the grass on the side of the road to see if there were any signs of wind.  And then rode into a piece of very dense fog and stopped to turn on my warning light on the back of my helmet.  A lovely old farmers wife stopped and asked me if I was OK (this is out in the middle of nowhere).  It is great to see people in New Zealand still do that.  I made a point of waving to every farmer I saw in every paddock and side gidday to a couple of sheep and cattle - although it seems to freak the sheep out!

About 5kms out of Timaru, what did I spot on the horizon but another cyclist and picked up the pace, intent on catching somebody to draft after 80kms by myself.  And bugger me, after about 3kms when I finally caught him, what did he do - turned off down a side road!

I got into Timaru and stopped on the side of the road, and pulled out my cellphone to call Tania and what should come over the hill but the RoadCraft Brotherhood van.  Took on board some more water and food and headed off again for the next 40kms which by this time the wind had arrived.  It made the last 40kms harder than the first 80kms.  I got into a mental battle with myself and the speedo, trying not to look at it - what a bastard of a thing that was!  Thinking I must have done another 5 or 10kms and looked down to see I was still on the same km.  I didn't want to get off that bike until I saw it click over to 120kms, half the difference between Oamaru and Christchurch.

By this time Tania had parked the van down the road and ridden out to meet me.  Once again, a welcome diversion.  But by the time we had reached the van, bugger me if the speedo still only read 115kms.  Tania stopped to get the van but I kept going.  By this time the wind was so hot it was like riding into a blow dryer.  Below is a picture of me finishing the day and meeting the van again.  Finally!!

It was then off to Caroline Bay at Timaru to cool my legs off in the sea, which surprisingly wasn't as cold as I thought (hoped) it would be and while I was standing there two tough little South Island kids were swimming with no wetsuits.  I said 'how is the water?', 'warm' was the reply.  Life is all about perception isn't it?

Til tomorrow, cheers Rick.

Sunday, 16th November 2008 (Cycling Day 5)

Rangitata (north of Timaru) to Christchurch - 122kms

Total kms to date - 604kms

Another early start to the day with the intention to be on the bike at 6.30am, although the ride the day before finished at Rangitata which is basically a café in the middle of nowhere, we drove back to Timaru and stayed the night there (some 40kms).  Another beautiful clear SI morning without a breath of wind, that was soon to change!  After about 15 mins of driving it was like a giant fan had been switched on.  It went from zero wind to 20-25knots instantly.  We could feel the van being buffeted around as we drove along.  It is amazing how much the weather can change in half an hour.
 
So I geared up and started out for my ride to ChCh thinking this is going to be one hell of a day.  The positive was it was a side wind and not a head wind, but it was strong and there was lots of it.  Often I was blown a metre or so across the road, and a lot of the time driving along at an angle as I leaned in to it.  The positive thing was it was a nice fine day.  It was the craziest wind, sometimes there would be no wind at all and it had me thinking great what's it doing now?  Has it gone, or changing direction?  Then a kilometre up the road I'd just about be blown off my bike again by another dose of it.
 
This was to be the flattest 120kms I have ever ridden in my life, apart from a slight rise to go over a bridge.  There were no hills and hardly any corners.  I thought this was a long boring ride on a motorcycle when in the 80s a cop followed me for about 20kms and that was when our speed liming was 80kph.  I rode along thinking I'd love to be doing 80kph now. 
 
At Rakaia I crossed New Zealand's longest bridge which is 1.75km.  There are lots of great rivers down here to Kayak in.
 
Then an strange thing happened!  I had a phone call from two DJs from a radio station in Dublin.  Shaun and Paddy had heard about my RoadCraft Brotherhood ride and had decided to give me a call on their breakfast show to see how I was going.  They had been very amused and entertained by the trip updates and although their accent was quite strong we had a great conversation, although they did swear a lot.  They asked how far I was going today? (I said to Christchurch today which I'm looking forward to as it is a milestone having cycled two-thirds of the South Island in 5 days - they were very impressed with that), how I was finding the weather? (I said very windy), they asked what the chance was of me not finishing the ride? (I said between 1-3%), they asked if there were any good looking women in NZ? (I said yes but they are not attracted to Irish men).  They wished me all the best and said that they are rooting for me (not sure what they meant by that!) and they would call me again to check on my progress.  It really made my day.
 
As I was riding towards Christchurch the road signs starting counting down the distance and in some places where I could get shelter in behind the large rows of trees I was really steaming along.  It was a gorgeous day and the noise the wind was making through the trees was just fantastic.  At about 15kms out I was met by Chris Jones from the Prostate Cancer Foundation on his bike ready to ride into town with me.  We got off the highway and took the scenic route back into town to finish with a photo together outside the Christchurch Cathedral.  Chris took us to an interesting Cajun/Creole restaurant at Sumner for dinner called The Bayou.  I find it amazing that all the times we have been to ChCh we have never been to Sumner, which is a beautiful spot and has a Devonport feel to it.
 
We then met up with Rachael Deadman and Kay Bennett from the Christchurch Therapeutic Massage Centre who not only donated a massage each for Tania and I, but also opened up especially for us on a Sunday afternoon.  It was a great way to end the day.  If you live in Christchurch or are passing through and would like a massage, be sure to give them a call on 03 385 0544.  Thanks so much ladies!
 
If you are in Christchurch and would like to join me as I ride out of town, we will be at the Cathedral for a 7am departure - love to have your company.
 
Cheers, Rick 

PS - The funniest thing about my phone conversation with the Irish DJs was that my phone wasn't actually switched on.  Strange things happen on the road alone!

Chris & Rick outside the Christchurch cathedral

Wind, wind and more wind!

A well earned soak!

Rick's Salute!

Tuesday, 18th November 2008 (Cycling Day 6)

Christchurch to 40kms north of Kaikoura - 157kms

Total kms to date - 761kms

It was a big day today and I felt great after our rest day in ChCh.  I was joined on the ride from ChCh by a friend who had flown down from Auckland, Lucy Lesnie, a very experienced cyclist.  I was also joined by Chris Jones from the Prostate Cancer Foundation (who has completed 4 x Speight's Coast to Coast) and his mate Geoff (who has completed 3 x Speight's Coast to Coast).
 
We set off from Cathedral Square in ChCh at 7.15am and rode out of town down Manchester St.  For those of you who don't know Manchester St is where the 'ladies of the night' work.  And low and behold, at 7.15am, two of them were still working.  One comment was that you have to admire them for their work ethic, although they looked a bit jaded after being up all night. 
 
We weaved our way through the ChCh suburbs out on to SH1 and it was such a change for me to have people not only to ride with, but people to talk to - and my first experience of a tail wind in 6 days.   We made good time but at a turnoff, some 41kms out of ChCh, we said goodbye to Chris and Geoff and they headed back to town. 
 
Tania turned up at the same time.  Lucy and I topped up our water bottles and headed off towards Cheviot (approx 117kms from ChCh).  There were lots and lots of trucks on the road but we made good time with our speed being in the high 20-30kph most of the time.  We arrived in Cheviot at 11.30am and met up with Tania and Lucy's dad Roin who lives in ChCh.  We had some lunch at a great café and said goodbye to Lucy and her dad.  I said to Tania that I might put in another 20kms before the end of the day and get myself a bit closer to the North Island.  By the time Tania had caught up to me (she got chatting to a lady in town) I had covered 40kms and bringing my total for the day to 157kms.  I ended up finishing closer to Kaikoura than Cheviot, and so we drove on to Kaikoura to stay the night. 
 
Tomorrow morning we will drive back to where I left off and aim to finish somewhere between Kaikoura and Picton, leaving our last day in the South Island being Thursday.  Hopefully at this rate I should finish the ride about 5 days earlier than anticipated.  

So dust off that bike and join me anywhere through the country!!!  You may even see Danny Watson out there as I had a good chat to Danny of Newstalk ZB yesterday.

Thanks for all the emails and texts coming through with support, we really appreciate it.  If you feel so inclined we would appreciate a donation through the website to the benefit of the Prostate Cancer Foundation.  Today we had an email from a good friend in Seattle who through this event was prompted to have a check and result being an enlarged prostate, but lucky it was caught early enough to be treated with medication.  The key is, early is best. 
 
A special thanks to my newly formed PR team - Margaret, Megan & Dana Banks (Tania's Mother and Sisters) who have taken it upon themselves to contact and spread the word about the efforts we are putting in.  I wouldn't be surprised if tomorrow I receive another overseas call from ??
 
Cheers, Rick and Tania

About to leave Christchurch Square

The 41km mark

Chris & Geoff about to head back to ChCh

Wednesday, 19th November 2008 (Cycling Day 7)

40kms north of Kaikoura to Seddon - 135kms

Total kms to date - 896kms

This would have to be one of the more scenic days riding in the South Island.  After being dropped off by Tania at the point I finished off at the night before (some 30kms out of Kaikoura) I was straight into a big-arse climb.  The ride along the coastline was unbelievable with the water really flat, a couple of boats out fishing and even some dolphins to start the day off.  Tania and I took that as a good omen.
 
I rode into Kaikoura and met Tania for a cup of coffee while looking at the snow capped mountains.  Our next meeting was to be The Store (a fantastic restaurant we can highly recommend on a rugged piece of coastline between Kaikoura and Blenheim) approx 60kms north of Kaikoura for lunch.  I had a great ride through there and by this time the sea had turned into a turquoise colour in shore with a deep deep dark blue further offshore.  About 20kms out from The Store I met Tania who had cycled back to meet me and at that point the headwind chose to turn to a tail wind.  There was hardly any traffic on the road and we steamed along making good time. After lunch at The Store Tania left to drive on to Seddon which is about 30kms from Blenheim and 40kms from The Store.  I had fantastic run along the coast with a good strong tailwind and what could I see in the distance but the bottom end of the North Island.  It is hard to believe how filled I was with self-doubt when we drove through here just over a week ago on the way to Bluff, thinking my God this is such a long way to cycle.  It seems like in no time at all suddenly I am here.
 
I then turned inland towards Blenheim and into some nice rolling countryside. Tania had parked up in Seddon and headed back on the bike to meet and ride back with me.  There were some pretty honest hills (big climbs) bringing her total for the day to 66kms, and that last section was hot, windy and steep.
 
Life for my backside has been a lot more comfortable the last couple of days after I was introduced to a tub of Keywin Anti-Chafing Cream by a young man at John Bull Cycles in Christchurch.  After all these years of cycling and getting a sore arse, I was told to smear this stuff not on me but all over the inside of my shorts (see the attached photo).  After 150kms yesterday and another 130kms today, my bum felt like I had just been for a 40km training ride.  It feels and looks fairly interesting when you first put it on, but I highly recommend it.  Tania has refused to partake in this interesting (messy) experience. 
 
We have had a fair few emails and texts of support which we really appreciate and there have been a lot of questions about Shaun and Paddy, the Irish DJs.  Shaun and Paddy emailed me a picture of them yesterday, which we have attached.  Well you will never believe who called me today - her Majesty (not the Queen, Rachel Hunter).  Well can you imagine how I felt when I had a call from this American lady saying she was Ms Hunter's PA and would I accept a phone call from her.  I said 'of course I would love to talk to her'.   Well, her Majesty was on the line saying 'Is this Rick Martin?' and said 'yes, it is your Highness'.  She said 'Hey, I've been called that once before by a guy who took my hand bowed in front of me at a Christine Rankin charity auction in Auckland, that wasn't you was it?'  I said 'yes, it was'.  She said, 'well isn't that a coincidence'.  I had this link sent to me by a couple of my Irish friends who are working as DJs in Dublin and aren't you doing well.  It's a great cause and it's something I used to check Rod for constantly when we were married and surprisingly Robbie Williams was quite fond of the same procedure.  The real reason we broke up is that I refused to do it anymore - I said to him its an annual check Robbie, not a daily check.'
 
You can imagine what my mind was doing when I found out her Highness had been involved in this kind of carry on, and quite possibly without any medical training.  We said our goodbyes and she promised to give me a call in a couple of days to see how it was going.  What a fantastic thing to have a call from an NZ icon - somebody I have admired since the Trumpet ads. 
 
Til tomorrow, cheers Tania and Rick

Rick cycling thru tunnels south of Kaikoura

The good old Keywin Anti-Chafing Cream

Morning tea in Kaikoura

Tania's turn to get on the bike

Thursday, 20th November 2008 (Cycling Day 8)

Seddon to Picton - (across on the InterIslander) - Wellington to Paekakariki - 90kms

Total kms to date - 986kms

It's now 6.30pm Thursday and I have just arrived at the Paekakariki Camp Ground to set up camp. 
 
As Rick is still out cycling from the Wellington Ferry to our campsite, I thought I'd give you an insight as to  a typical day on the RoadCraft Brotherhood ride so far, compared to what we (I!) thought (was told!) would happen when we (Rick!) came up with the idea of cycling the length of New Zealand. 

I distinctly remember hearing:

1. 'I'll take it easy - it won't be a race'.
2. 'We'll start at about 10am and I'll cycle for a couple of hours.  Then we'll meet and have a nice lunch with a glass of wine, and then I'll cycle for a couple more hours.  I won't do more than 80-100km each day.'
3. 'We'll have time in the mornings or at night to go for a walk or run.'
4. 'We'll set a schedule and show it on the website so people will know where we are and can plan to join us.'

So off we set from home on the morning of Sunday 9th November for our '4' night drive down to Bluff for Rick to start the ride.  However, once on the road the "no we can't stop to look at that" demon emerged at the wheel and that was it! We drove until we reached Wellington.  We were booked on the midday Ferry to Picton the next day, but that had to be changed to the 8am ferry so up we were at 5.30am to catch that.  From Picton it was to be that we drove to Rakaia (south of Christchurch) although we did stop for a crayfish lunch in Kaikoura.  From there it was 'We might as well get to Bluff now (taking our 4 nights to 3 nights) and start the ride a day early', he said.  I said, 'But what about the website, publicity, radio stations, signage on the van saying we start on the 13th?' (see 4. above).  'Don't worry about that, I'm down here so let's just get going!', he said. And that has pretty much set the scene since.
 
So here's a typical day on the RoadCraft Brotherhood ride:
 
The alarm now goes off at 5.30am.  I get a cup of tea in bed and have the luxury of watching breakfast TV (which I really enjoy and can do as our RoadCraft motorhome has a lovely flat screen hinged to the wall).  Rick will have breakfast at about 6am (I'm not big on eating that early) and then it's 'OK, time to get going, we're running late!'  No sooner has the powersite plug been ripped from its socket than doors are being closed and before I have time to (a) brush my teeth, (b) get things stowed away, and (c) get into my seat than we're driving out of the campground and on our way to wherever!  As Rick has been cycling much further than we (he!) intended (see 2. above) we now have to drive out early in the morning to where he finished cycling the night before (which can be anything up to 40kms).  There we mix up his drinks, sort out his gear and food, get him on the bike and off he goes.  I then tend to get things sorted in the van (including myself) and eventually head back and passing him somewhere along the way.  We try to decide whereabouts 50 or 60kms will be into his ride and I drive to that point to meet and restock him with fluids and food.  Sometimes we have a coffee, but more often than not don't.  Often the 50/60km point is in the middle of nowhere really with not much there to see or do, however it is really important for the rest of the days/weeks ride that he has this and I'm insistent on that.  We do the same thing again a couple of more times before we decide where the final destination will be (typically 120-150km per day).  I'll then go on and park up the campervan in a safe spot (trying to get close to civilization).  I then get on my bike and cycle like crazy to get as far as possible out before meeting Rick so I can get some exercise (see 3. above which isn't happening) and give him some company. 

We then drive to our camp for the night at about 6pm.  By the time we have showered, done the washing, tried to download our emails, print out and sign anything from the office and then try to scan it and email it back to the office, and do our daily update and pictures (normally using a Vodem card), it is typically 9.30/10pm before we start to shut everything down for the night.  Then we have to do the same thing again the next morning. 
 
Having said all the above it has been a great experience.  Rick today finished his cycle of the South Island and I admire his determination and strength.  He has made me very proud.  I have to admit however, that I have hated (a) passing him on the road when he has been battling up hills, (b) cycling into headwinds and (c) knowing how lonely he is and that he is by himself out on those roads until I can park up and go out to join him.  To the people who have joined him so far (Chris, Lucy, Geoff and Tom), thank you all so much from me as I know it has meant a lot to him.
 
Also, a big thanks to everyone who has sent us texts, emails and calls, it is the highest of my/our day to get these.  To everyone who has donated money, time and support towards the ride, thanks so much, as without you it would have been a very different story for us.

Looking forward to seeing you all soon.
 
Tania xx

 
Rick' is back now so he'll do the next bit.
 
Last night we had a very restless night.  We stayed in a beautiful caravan park in Blenheim by the river (which was by the road, which was by the railway line).  At about 11pm when we went to sleep, all hell broke loose - with a non-stop stream of cars and bloody great trucks having come off the ferry.  A few more of those, and a couple of trains through the night and it felt like we hadn't had any sleep.  

This morning I cycled from Seddon which is 25kms out of Blenheim and then the 25kms to Picton which was pretty uneventful other than the long and fast download just before Blenheim.  As I rode in to Picton I was nearly knocked off my bike by a guy who looked like he was asleep at the wheel while going through a roundabout.  5 minutes later I was standing on the grass at the Picton waterfront with my bike over my head thinking 'yeah baby I did that!'  Although, even now it is a little hard to believe I've come 1000kms in 8 days.  It was certainly a mixed emotion having come so far, yet still having only done 50% of the task.  I said goodbye to the beautiful South Island and jumped on the ferry for Wellington.  We bumped into a young man named Tom who is a law student from Victoria University who has been following the ride through the website and had offered to lead me out of Wellington, which he did although the first hill we got to he took off like the 20 year old (and half the weight of me) person that he is and at the 20km mark we said our goodbyes and he headed back to the City.  It was a surprisingly scenic ride through a couple of lovely valleys to Tawa and Porirua, and then over the hill into Paekakariki, 40kms from the Ferry bringing the days total to 90kms.   As usual I turned up to the campground and found Tania all set up, hard at it on the laptop.  

On a dark note, I forgot to tell you yesterday that both Tania and I had a very near miss on the road.  Tania had been riding towards me, saw me coming so crossed the road to ride with me and so about 100m further up the road than me, when a 4WD ute came around a corner.  As it past me I noticed one of the three kayaks on the roof had come undone on the front and was leaning out to the left hand side of the vehicle at about a 45 degree angle, to about 1.5m outside the left edge of the vehicle.  It must have just missed my head as it went over me, and all I could do was watch it do the same to Tania as she had her back to it and was too far forward for me to do anything about it.  The kayak went right over the top of her head.  Trucks were coming the over way trying to flash the guy trying to stop him.  He stopped about 5kms up the road, although the way he was trying them down didn't look any better, but he was in front of us by then so that was good.
 
Til tomorrow, Rick.

Cups of tea and breakfast TV!

I did it!  Picton waterfront 20th November 08!

Putting the bike to rest after the South Island!

On the ferry to the North Island!

Rick's turn to cook! Paekakariki Campground.

Friday, 21st November 2008 (Cycling Day 9)

Paekakariki - just north of Marton 125kms

Total kms to date - 1111kms

We woke up to a gorgeous morning at the Paekakariki Motorcamp Park to a text from our friend Tom saying we'll be with us at 7.45am - finally a late start!  After some fluffing about, Tom and I set off up SH1 towards Foxton.  Along the way we bumped into another cyclist called AJ who works for Readings Cinemas and when I introduced myself he said he had read about me in the local paper.  We rode together for the next few kilometers when he turned off to go for his morning ride.  We had a bit of a headwind but the weather was fine. 
 
We stopped at Foxton where we met Tania for a break at the 70km mark and had a cup of coffee and a sandwich.  During this break Tom treated us both to a fine rendition of his 'chicken dance' (pictures included below).  Then it was on up SH1 to 125km mark which was just north of Marton.  Tania had driven ahead and parked the van at a café called the Sugar Plum café and ridden back to meet us some 12km back from the van, where she gave us the key for the van and she rode on to Palmerston North.  So all we had to do was ride the 12km she had come from, pick up the van and follow her into Palmerston North, some 52kms away.  Well I don't know how she did it as we were doing 100km, but no sooner had we got to the edge of Palmerston North and I called her to see where she was as we hadn't seen her and she was already at the caravan park waiting for us.  A phenomenal effort.  She averaged 27kph, over 52 kms, into a headwind on a mountain bike.  I have decided now not to continue with the ride and allow her finish it for me as she is the superior cyclist!
 
It was an interesting conversation with Tom for the ride today.  He told me an interesting story about how he names all his bikes and one of his bikes he named after one of his ex-girlfriends which was great to look at but very difficult to ride - I laughed so much I nearly fell off my bike.  As rode into Foxton he calmly said "Aaagh Foxton, drink it in!" which is a take-off of a line from one of my favourite movies, Anchorman starring Will Ferrell - once again, I just about fell off my bike. 
 
So along with the story of the ex-girlfriend; a thing called a beer bong which is a funnel with a plastic hose that you pour beer into and drink (apparently one bottle of beer in a second); and the party that he was going to go to in Palmy tonight at his mates place: it was very interesting few hours.  That along with his ambition to have his own TV chat show, made for a very interesting ride and a few hours that I was glad to spend with him.  We gave him a  Brotherhood cycling shirt which he said he would wear as he only had one other and we should have thrown in a pair of socks as I think the socks he was wearing were his only pair as well (he said they were the only pair without holes in them, but he was wrong as they had holes in them, and they didn't match), but when you're 20 years old and you have a beer bong and a bike named after an ex-girlfriend, really who cares?  Thanks Tom and we look forward to appearing on your talk show.  Give us a call if you are ever in Auckland and we'll catch up again. 
 
Cheers, Rick

Tom and I about to leave Paekakariki

Movin' on!!

Tom doing the chicken dance in Tania's sunglasses

More chicken dance.  Notice the socks don't match!

Saturday, 22nd November 2008 (Cycling Day 10)

Just north of Marton - Waiouru (97km)

Total kms to date - 1208kms

I had the hardest day today on the bike out of the whole trip.  Whether it was the fact that it was a constant climb from where we set off just outside of Marton to Waiouru, which is obviously on the Central Plateau, the fact that it has a bloody great mountain next to it would have been a dead giveaway) or the combination of my quick ride with Tom yesterday having taken a bit out of me and the fact that I have only had one rest day in the last 11 days and it is all starting to catch up with me.  To top it all off, it was a headwind all the way.  On one hill in particular out of Taihape which was a pretty good climb in itself it was made worse by a headwind going up it. Whatever the reason, it was a hard day from start to finish.  At least it was warm and it wasn't raining. 
 
Before we left Palmerston North in the morning I put a call in to the Sergeant on Duty at Waiouru Military Camp to see if there would be any Army fellows that cycle who would be keen to join me on the way in to Waiouru.  Thank God they didn't because by the time I got there I was going so slowly they probably would have pushed me in the ditch and left me there in embarrassment.  Anyway he informed me that most of the Army staff had the weekend off and that if we had given them more notice maybe they could have arranged something.  Tania has been in contact with them for some time to try and arrangement something.  You had got to wonder what would happen if somehow those Australians decided to launch an invasion and I was ringing to alert the Army to it we'd have to go back down to the beach and tell the Australians to wait until after the weekend.  It makes you wonder.
 
Tania rode out to meet me on a couple of legs, but by the second one she had really had enough of the headwind and stood on the side of one of the hills tooting in support, more out of sympathy than anything else.  It was probably like watching an animal struggle after it had been mortally wounded.  In fact she said she wouldn't stay by the road any longer and watch me suffer so drove on to Waiouru to wait, where I found her standing in front of the Waiouru Museum not far from the big banner that proudly states the "Medals are Back".  I did pause to wonder if I was them I would be so proud to say that because wasn't it them that lost them in the first place.  You would think they would want to keep the whole thing quiet - only in New Zealand.  So they are back in the concrete box with a jazzed up security system.  I had the obligatory photo taken by the tank and even saw and heard a tank in the paddock out the back.  Tania mused possibly there would be tank drives available but I was thinking the seat probably wouldn't be that comfortable and I was looking for something with more padding - or a gun that works so I would blow something up!
 
Tomorrow we're off to Taupo where I am looking forward to a well earned rest day.  We are 6 days ahead of schedule and obviously way too early to do the Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge.  By the time the 29th rolls around which is when the Taupo Challenge takes place, I intend to be well north of Whangarei and only 3 days away from finishing my ride.  There will be no point in coming back to complete in the Taupo Challenge - this is enough of a challenge!

Cheers, Rick 

Just before another big climb!

The downhill into Taihape

One of the few smiles for the day.  Lunch in Taihape.

Finish in Waiouru.  Thank *#@ that's over!

Sunday, 23rd November 2008 (Cycling Day 11)

Waiouru - Taupo  (110km)

Total kms to date - 1318kms

Another hard day!!  OK, I'll admit it, I made a mistake going south to north at this time of year.  Out of 11 days riding, I have only had half a day with a tail wind.  So obviously north to south would have been a better choice as the next two days are also forecast for northerlies, with rain tomorrow as well.  Although I have had a really good run with the rain so far with only one day of light drizzle. 
 
I started off from Waiouru on Sunday morning with the wind so strong it was buffeting the van and had the first 26kms into a good strong headwind (surprise surprise) and uphill to the plateau.  Mentally I felt a lot better than I did yesterday so the Black Stallion (my name for my bike) and I just stuck our heads down and ploughed into it.
 
After 2 hours I had averaged 15kms per hour for that 26 kms.  I got to the top of the plateau to find Tania parked on the side of the road in the van and stopped for a welcome bite to eat and a cup of coffee. While Tania was waiting in the van for me to turn up she was watching a bird trying to fly against the wind.  It had its head down, wings frantically flapping but was getting nowhere against the wind.  As much as it tried it stayed virtually stationary, until it fell out of the sky and dropped straight into the tussock from which it never got up.  Poor bloody thing must have had a heart-attack and Tania was hoping that wasn't a bad sign! 
 
From there on I went through the Three Sisters and as I got closer to Turangi and got more shelter from the trees I started to pick up a bit more speed - still blowing like hell though.  Out of the corner of my eye I saw this bloody magpie swooping down to attack me, I stood up on the pedals and went as fast as I could waiting for it to hit my helmet (as they do) as I was yelling at it ? I was doing 57kph and I was thinking can they fly as fast as that, but no further attacks.
 
We stopped in at Turangi for a great lunch with Alan and Barbara.  Alan took care of our gardens at Waimauku Estate and has a house in Turangi.  It was a good refuel and then I was on to Taupo, still windy but pretty well all flat other than the Hatepe Hill which heated me up a bit but wasn't that big a deal.  It seems that every other hill I had been up that day had a headwind with it, at least this one was sheltered.
 
I arrived at Taupo at about 4pm to go and have a beer with the Canoe & Kayak guys and no-one was there.  Bloody lovely isn't it!
 
All in all, mentally a better day than yesterday although my knees were getting really sore and I was looking forward to a welcome rest day.  No strange phone calls.  The only excitement I really had was the magpie and it was interesting to watch the constant stream of tourists jumping out of their vans, cars and buses to take photos of the mountain while we were having the cup of coffee on the Desert Road. 
 
Next cycle day (Tuesday 25th) will be Taupo to Cambridge, 130kms.  I plan to be in Auckland Thursday afternoon so if you are around pop down to the Sentinel Diner any time after 3pm and have a beer or glass of wine with me.  I am going to have another rest day on Friday to spend some time with the kids and then off again to Kaiwaka on Saturday morning.  We will leave the Sentinel about 8.30/9.00am Saturday morning if you want to come along for a ride, even if it is only a few kms.  See you then.

Cheers, Rick

Somewhere along the Desert Road

4pm and where are the guys from Canoe & Kayak?

Tuesday, 25th November 2008 (Cycling Day 12)

Taupo - Cambridge  (130km)

Total kms to date - 1448kms

Today I was joined on my ride by Paul & Tina Glanville who live in Taupo.  Paul instructed me for my Grade 2 Kayak course for the Coast 2 Coast I am competing in next year.    The weather report for today was horrendous so I called Paul last night and asked him if he was sure he wanted to come out in this sort of weather to which he replied 'if it is good enough for you to go out there, it is good enough for me to go with you!'.  Paul has competed in many events and has completed a couple of Coast 2 Coasts and his wife Tina has also completed the Coast 2 Coast and is competing in this year's Taupo Cycle Challenge this Saturday, plus the half Iron Man, and also training for the full Iron Man!!  So I was in some very good company.
 
We started from Taupo and had a bit of a different start with an interview by Mary from the Taupo Times newspaper outside the Taupo branch of Canoe & Kayak and then we moved on the Taupo Classic Hits for a live interview.  Despite Paul saying he wasn't a radio person I managed to drag him into the studio and pull his chair up nice and close to the microphone and even got him to talk about him joining me and although he was looking a tad uncomfortable he did a great job and it was great to have him with me in the studio.
 
We finally set off about 9.15am, into a headwind, but despite what the weather report said it turned into a really nice looking morning, even after hearing the rain on the roof of the motor home through the night and seeing the flooding throughout the country on TV.  I was a bit concerned about today's ride and turned up with thermals, raincoat and winter gloves only to take it all off before the start of the ride. 
 
Another nice consistent day of headwinds as we headed towards Tomorrow.  Tina turned off at about the 20km mark to ride back to Taupo and collect their vehicle while Paul and I rode on to Tokoroa (70kms) where Tina picked him up.  We chatted about a whole host of things - children, business, wives, jobs and why I could never get one because I was unemployable.  We met Tania at Tokoroa with hot coffee and a sandwich and unfortunately I had to say goodbye to Paul.
 
It means a lot that people just like Paul and Tina take the time from their busy schedules to join me along the way.  Tania and I are really looking forward to catching up with Paul and Tina again and meeting the rest of their family.
 
So I rode on to Cambridge alone, and as you know strange things can happen on the road alone.  I had another interesting phone call.
 
This time from? Our Prime Minister John Key who had been reading the updates with great interest and appreciated my efforts but was concerned about my wellbeing and had called to offer me his poncho from the Apec Conference to keep me warm.  I said 'thanks John and I appreciate your concern but that poncho looks like it was quite heavy and may pose a danger to my cycling'.  Although I did remark that the coverage of him walking around with his arms hanging out the front of it had probably given every comedian in the country enough material to last a year and I myself thought he looked like something from The Thunderbirds.  The reason he had his arms out like that was that the dog hair underpants that they had also given him to wear itched like hell and it was all he could do to keep his hands from scratching himself!
 
John said that a big part of the National Governments' focus would be male health as this was the first time in 9 years that NZ had had a Prime Minister with a prostate, although the last one certainly had some balls!  And that he and his male colleagues think that with all the emphasis on the female health issues, eg vaginas and breasts, it was high time we started concentrating on scrotums and penises.  So in the coming months the NZ public can look forward to a new series of ads focused on the male anatomy.  You can imagine how excited I was about this.  Which brought me to my next issue - all the trucks I was facing on the road.   Well he leapt into action on this one too and said as soon as he got rid of his Mainfreight Shares they intended on pushing the road user charges for trucks up to $1million per year per truck which in turn will make Kiwi Rail more profitable and it will clear our roads of trucks and thereby saving the Government a fortune in road upkeep.  This was music to my ears as another truck roared past me and I couldn't wait to get to Cambridge to tell Tania the good news. 
 
I leave you now and will go bed tonight content that the new Government is going to bring more attention to scrotums and penises and virtually clear the roads of trucks overnight.  I salute you John Key.  I hope he can get those Kiwi Rail shares back!  Strange things happen when you're on the road alone!

Cheers, Rick

With Paul & Tina Glanville, and Steve from Taupo Canoe & Kayak

About 20kms from Tokoroa

No explanation needed!

Stretching in Cambridge Domain.

The Black Stallion gets lucky in Cambridge....

but then he found out she was a solo-mother so decided she wasn't for him.

Wednesday, 26th November 2008 (Cycling Day 13)

Cambridge - Manukau Events Centre  (125km)

Total kms to date - 1573kms

Another great day weatherwise with a light fog around Cambridge and despite the forecast of northwest winds and showers, the morning was almost windless and fine and clear.  I took the 1B route from the turnoff at the church in Cambridge and had a nice fast ride through to Gordonton with virtually not a truck in sight.  I caught up with a lady on her training ride and chatted to her for a while and then on to Gordon to meet Tania and Peter Foreman from the Prostate Cancer Foundation for a nibble and a flat white. 

Peter has had prostate cancer as have the other members of the Prostate Cancer Foundation, although Peter's was picked up through a regular health check and was caught early enough where he was back at work two days after his treatment.  Peter was 49 when diagnosed.  So there is a real lesson there for us guys - early is best!

We said our goodbyes and I hit the road again rejoining SH1 at Taupiri and stayed on it through Huntly and on to the cycle lane on the Waikato Expressway which is ironic because I had often driven up and down that road thinking who would be mad enough to cycle on that cycle lane with two lanes of traffic coming past at over 100kph!  But saying that I felt safer on there with 2-3 metres between me and the traffic, compared to some of the other parts of SH1 where I only had 200-300mm between me and the traffic, where there was virtually no shoulder on the road at all to get off on to. 

Next I found myself riding up the Bombay Hill - once again in a sort of cycle lane which wasn't too bad of a climb but the day was getting pretty hot by now.  I met Tania at the autobarn at the top to have some lunch and refill my drink bottles and then crossed the motorway and found the old Great South Road.  I meandered through there to Drury, Takanini, Manurewa and finished up the day at the Manukau Events Centre having done 125km for the day. 

I had a nice cold shower whilst standing the RoadCraft intergalatic transporter and drove home to Red Beach to a few home comforts.

We will restart at 11am today (Thursday) from the Manukau Events Centre - the big building on the side of the motorway that looks like an upside down canoe and then on to the waterfront to catch the ferry across to Devonport and then ride from there to the Sentinel Diner to have a cup of tea/beer/coffee/wine so if you are around come and see me I'll be there from around 3pm until about 5pm and take a look at our trusty RoadCraft home away from home!

Cheers, Rick

Tania updating the map on the van with our progress

Breakfast in bed!

Huntly.

Bombay Hill - sign says it all!  Nearly there.

Thursday, 27th November 2008 (Cycling Day 14)

Manukau Events Centre  to The Sentinel, Takapuna (50km)

Total kms to date - 1623kms

Today was a ride with a difference, a relatively short distance of only 50 kms but lots of traffic and no big open spaces.  We picked up Lucy on the way trough to Manukau City and then we headed off down towards the airport to hook up with Gray from RoadCraft in Airport Oaks.  He turned up on a fairly interesting mountain bike with a chain that hasn't seen oil since that bike was many years newer and half flat tires.  Having said that however, he put in a fine performance and we rode on through Mangere Bridge, Onehunga and up One Tree Hill.  It was a fantastic Auckland day and once I had regained my breath we had a good look around the city and bid Gray farewell as he had to go to a meeting back at Airport Oaks.  We then rode down through Remuera, along the waterfront and into Princess Wharf where we caught up with Tania and the team at Knight Coldicutt.  We were treated to a balloon and champagne welcome at Knight Colidcutt and much appreciated sandwiches before we got on the ferry to cross over to Devonport (Tania wanted to stay for the afternoon in the boardroom with the champagne and the girls!)  We'd like to say a big thank you to Allison, Kerry and all the staff at Knight Coldicutt who came along today for being such big supporters of the RoadCraft Brotherhood Ride.  The fuel vouchers Knight Coldicutt donated have been put to very good use, although Tania tried to use them at a wine shop one night but they wouldn't take them! 
                   
We were met at the Devonport Wharf by Margaret and Dana (Tania's mum and sister) and Roy Crane.  Roy, Lucy and I headed for the Sentinel in Takapuna and were joined on the way by Ange and Jo (from our office) driving beside us and tooting the horn all the way through Devonport, which must have sounded like an Indian wedding.  We arrived at the Sentinel a short while later and had a constant stream of supporters come down and join us for some refreshments. 
 
Back home tonight for a well-earned rest day tomorrow and then on to Kaiwaka on Saturday.

Cheers, Rick

Rick and I with Gary from RoadCraft who have sponsored our fantastic home away from home!

Our greeting at Knight Coldicutt

Coming off Devonport Ferry heading for the Sentinel

At the Sentinel, Takapuna

Saturday, 29th November 2008 (Cycling Day 15)

The Sentinel, Takapuna - Kaiwaka (120km)

Total kms to date - 1743kms

We arrived at the Sentinel Diner on time at 7.30am but were really not too sure who was going to turn up to ride with us as we had had a few offers, but throughout breakfast a whole stream of people continued to turn up - some from near, some from far and some from very far.  We had Kerry Knight turn up on his mountain bike from Milford (although he was late because he head ridden half the way before realizing he didn't have a helmet on and had to go back to get it), John Dawson who travelled from Hamilton, and Mike & Dot Johnstone (who traveled from Melbourne).  It was a great turnout and we managed to get everyone away pretty close to 9am and headed off towards Albany and then Dairy Flat.  Although as we had a whole host of cycling skills and abilities it took a bit to keep the bunch of 15 or so cyclists together.  Some only rode as far as Albany Hill (you know who you are!), some rode on to Dairy Flat (a 50km round trip so not a bad effort) and the remainder went as far as Kaukapakapa where we met up with Tania and the support vehicle and had a bit of a refuel.  We said our goodbyes and myself, Mike and Brendon Coghlan (who had just joined in) set off up SH16 towards Wellsford.
 
At the top of the first hill we said farewell to Brendon and he headed back, leaving Mike and I to carry on to Wellsford.  Anybody that knows this road would remember how hilly it is and although we didn't have a lot of traffic to deal with, it was hot and there are some good climbs in there.
 
Mike put up a fine effort for a guy who hadn't cycled for some time and hadn't taken enough food and water on board.  He battled his way through to Wellsford where we caught up with Tania, Dot, Kim and Rosco for a beer and a pizza - hard to say if beer and pizza was the right decision in the middle of a hot day but it seemed the right thing to do at the time.  With 20kms to go, Mike indicated that he wasn't prepared to ride any further by taking his cycling shoes off and packing up his gear.  Still Mike it meant a lot to me that you came so far for one days cycling with me.  You are probably in bed by now (8pm Saturday night) after having a couple of beers, but well done. 
 
I picked up the pace and got to Kaiwaka to meet Tania and we drove out to the Mangawhai Heads Caravan Park where we are now sitting, having a glass of wine, looking at the view of the estuary and catching up on our updates!
 
It is hard to believe, and possibly a little sad, to think that this adventure will be over in another three days.  It has been interesting to see how this ride has affected the people that have joined in and have them become part of it. 
 
Til tomorrow.

Cheers, Rick

The team that turned up to cycle with Rick out of Takapuna (and Mikey without his shirt!!)

Can whoever put this sign up on Kaukapakapa hill please contact us - it was such a fantastic thing to do and see!!

Rick and Brendon at the top of Kaukapakapa Hill

Mikey and Rick arrive at Wellsford!!

Sunday, 30th November 2008 (Cycling Day 16)

Kaiwaka - Kawakawa - 120kms

Total kms to date - 1863kms

We woke up to a gorgeous morning at the Mangawhai Caravan Park and had a quick breakfast and then drove back to Kaiwaka to meet our next victims (oops supporters) - Ian Redshaw and Graeme Russell.  We were also joined by Roy Crane (not so much a victim).  Ian Redshaw is a long time friend and Graeme is our neighbour at Red Beach, Roy is our friend and Rick's co-driver from the Targa.  We also had a special cameo appearance from Ian Gibson (my oldest friend) who was on his way to look at some property. 
 
We all got together for a coffee and bumped into a doctor from Auckland who has a place on the Kaipara Harbour.  He thought the Warrant of Fitness and Brotherhood ride were a great effort and was all for early detection, rather than later and sometimes too late, treatment.  He offered to do a special on the spot prostate check for $30 but Ian Redshaw said he thought his fingers looked too big.  All in all it was a very interesting morning.
 
We set off at 9am to ride with Graeme and Ian to the top of the Brynderwyns and meet Graeme's wife Julie and daughter Abigail at the Summit tearooms.  I said to Ian Redshaw that there will be many a time from now on when he drives up the Brynderwyns that he will say to his family (and anybody else that will listen) 'did I ever tell you that I drove up here on a pushbike?'.  We arrived at the summit to one of the most gorgeous views that you could imagine. It must have been this view that spurred Ian and Graeme on to ride all the way to Whangarei (another 50kms), a decision that later on they probably thought better of. 
 
As we got through the high speed descent down towards Ruakaka the group had lost it's cohesion with a fair amount of ebbing and flowing in the pace.  Roy ran over the same thing twice and burst both his front and rear tyres.  We left Graeme and Ian to ride on while Roy and I fixed his bike.  By the time we caught up to the other two boys Ian had put a hand towel on the top of his bike seat to try and alleviate the pain he was suffering.  Not long after that we noticed Roy has one of his new tubes poking out the side of his tyre so he caught a lift into Whangarei for some repairs and I stayed with the two boys who were by now really struggling with the distance.  Graeme was the fittest cyclist of the two but Ian had been on a bike since 1987 and it was really starting to show.  We got to a hill where Graeme obviously thought he had the comfortable lead and had stopped at the top.  I grabbed Ian by the back of his cycling shirt and pushed him up the hill.  Much to Graeme's surprise Ian passed him just as Graeme got to the top.  From there on to Whangarei I spent the rest of the ride egging each of them on saying each one wanted to beat the other into town.  We finally arrived at the Town Basin and had a great lunch at Revas on the Waterfront where we bid farewell to Ian, Graeme, Julie & Abigail.  Roy and I headed off for the final 50kms to Kawakawa, which was fairly uneventful other than a few hills and a lot of heat and sweat, and to top it off a good dose of roadworks, with a welcome hosedown by Tania at the end of the day in Kawakawa. Logan and Dan Rooke had driven from Auckland to ride the last two days with us.  We caught the ferry from Russell to Opua to stay at Logan's mum Viv and her husband Bruce's house overlooking the Opua inlet which is absolutely stunning.  Thanks so much to Viv and Bruce for putting us up for the night, feeding us, and putting up with Roy!
 
Tomorrow we all head back to Kawakawa, and then on up to Kaitaia.  Two days and 200ks to go to the Top and the end of the adventure.  

Cheers, Rick

Rick, Ian, Graeme & Roy

The relief of arriving at the top of the Brynderwyns!

The end for today

Roy never has a problem with getting his gear off

Logan & Dan on the Car Ferry to Russell

Rick, Roy, Dan, Logan and Logan's Mum Viv

Monday, 1st December 2008 (Cycling Day 17)

Kawakawa - Awanui 117kms

Total kms to date - 1980kms

The second to last day!  We bid Viv & Bruce farewell after a hearty breakfast and boarded the Car Ferry (thanks to the Car Ferry team for donating our return trip) back to Opua arriving in Kawakawa to gear up to some light drizzle.  We had the obligatory photo taken in front of the Hundertwasser toilets - I can see why they are considered a work of art - and it is great to see the theme slowly working its way through the rest of the town. 

Dan, Logan, Roy and I start to head north as the rain starts to increase, as does the headwind which as you could imagine by now I am completely used to and don't take much notice of it, but the other guys make mention of it several times.  There were certainly some good hills and I am left wondering whether I should have started from north to south and got the hills out of the way first, or whether after three weeks riding, I am any better equipped to cope with them.

The rain became heavier as we neared Kaeo and the hills became more frequent and larger!  By this time Roy & I had made a bit of ground on Logan & Dan.  Tania had caught up to us and offered us a coffee but it was hosing down and I couldn't see the point of getting inside the van soaking wet.  We arrived at Kaeo about midday and the only place we could find something to eat was the bakery/gas station towards the end of town.  We changed into some dry/warm clothes and bought myself some of the fried chicken that they were selling at the counter.  Judging by the amount of grease that was oozing through the brown paper bag this chicken has obviously been prepared in a special way - soaked in fat, cooked in fat and served covered in fat - with a generous helping of salt on top.  I was so cold and hungry I didn't care, although Logan who had caught up to us by now, had some and called it 'pig tucker' but as he was so cold and hungry as well he said he could 'eat the arse out of a low flying duck', although he is on a wheat and glutten free diet, we weren't too sure if this had either of those in it.  But I ate it and it tasted good!

We returned to the road, it is always a challenging thing going out into the pouring rain and getting back on your bike when you know you have another 50kms to go.  About another 10kms up the road Dan was suffering some pretty serious cramps in his legs, so he was put into the RoadCraft Rescue Vehicle with Nurse Tania and the three of us (Logan, Roy and I) headed on.  Although Logan put up a gallant fight he admitted by the end of the day 117kms was a hell of a task on a mountain bike and he suffered for the rest of the day into the headwind, although by mid afternoon the rain had stopped and it became fine and clear but lots of wind.  Roy and I took turns at getting Logan to stay inside our slipstream (drafting) but still with the wind and many many more hills he was doing it hard.  It was a fantastic effort by Logan!

We had a nice stop beside the beach at Cable Bay looking out to Doubtless Bay - what a fantastic country we live in.

We ended the day at Awanui, 10kms north of Kaitaia and moved on to the Top 10 Camping Ground at Ninety Mile Beach where we set up a virtual banquet of BBQd steak and salad, new potatoes and some good cheap red wine, in the hallway between the ladies and mens toilets.  A great night!!!

To the Cape tomorrow....

Cheers, Rick

Rick, Dan, Roy, Logan - Hundertwasser Toilets

Rain, rain, rain!

The Bike Fence

Cable Bay

Guys arriving at Awanui from Kawakawa (117kms)

Everyone still in good form, although all glad to be off the bike. 

Synchronised stretching by Rick, Roy & Logan

Dinner between the ladies and mens, with Logan eating out of a frying pan as we only had 4 plates.

Tuesday, 2nd December 2008 (Cycling Day 18 and the Final Day!)

Awanui - Cape Reinga 108kms

Total kms to date - 2088kms

The last day! 

Well here I was after 17 days of cycling in all sorts of different conditions and countryside, having covered the length of one of the most gorgeous countries on the planet, with only 108kms to go.  It was a bit of an overcast windy morning and man did I feel determined to finish this adventure.  So Roy and I set off on the road to Cape Reinga and I decided that seeing I wasn’t going to be cycling the next day I would ride as hard as I could all day.  So the Black Stallion and I charged on up the road at the fastest pace we could muster, much to Roy’s dismay.  I would stop and let him catch up and then take off again and so the whole day continued that day with Roy chasing me.  By the time Tania, Logan and Dan could catch up to us at the 50km mark they were starting to wonder if we had gone off the road somewhere as we were so far ahead, but the road was pretty flat and every now and again we had a tailwind. 
 
At about the 60km mark we came into Te Kao where Tania had phoned ahead and arranged for the whole school (23 pupils) to be at their front gate to welcome us into their town with lots of cheering and yelling.  I said to them that theirs was the best welcome I had had for the whole 2000kms and it brought a tear to my eye.  I then gave them a talk about what I was doing and why and answered some questions.  We gave them a sample of our Peak Fuel gels and protein bars which they all thought was pretty exciting and we set off for the last 46kms to the top.  Thanks so much to the kids and staff from Te Kao School, I really enjoyed our meeting and we are sorry that it has taken us a little while to get your picture up on the website!!
 
The countryside became a bit hillier and the day heated up.  With 20kms to go we arrived at the unsealed part of the road with Tania and Logan offering a mountain bike.  I stubbornly thought I started the ride on the Black Stallion and I was going to finish on it.  After about 300m up the road, it was a decision that I regretted as the vibration and the jolting just about rattled my teeth out of my head and anything else it could get its hands on.  At that stage we had a late entry.  Dan, Logan’s son decided he would chase off after us on his mountain bike and he finally caught up and rode with Roy for a while, until they found me laying on a bank on the side of the road resting my back after due to the jarring effect and looking for my testicles on the road which I think had fallen off.
 
We pushed on and not only was it rough with great big rocks poking up, but really steep long hills as well.  The narrow tyres on the roadbike just sunk into the metal, and it was like riding through sand.  There were a couple of times that I wondered if I was going to make it to the top.  With construction and tourist traffic charging by in the other direction we got a good dusting and it was a welcome site to see the last kilometre had been sealed. 
 
Tania came down the road on her bike to meet us and we all (Roy, Logan, Dan, Tania and I) cycled down to the lighthouse to complete the ride.  Just as we got there an Air Force Orion came past at eye level and did this huge turn around the top of the north island and headed off down the west coast.  It was spectacular!  The day was clear and bright and the sea a deep dark blue.  We had the obligatory photos with the Stallion by the signpost (now repaired much to our relief) and then back up to the carpark to have a welcome lunch of scrambled eggs and sausages and a beer.  Tania presented me with a cup to commemorate the ride that I drank champagne out of.  What a trip!
 
A special thanks to all the supporters who made this ride possible.
 
A special thanks to all our friends and other people we hardly knew who joined me on the ride.  It meant a lot to me to have you be part of this adventure, especially the ones who really extended themselves.  I know some of you really suffered due to your efforts but that in itself meant even more to me that you hung in there and finished off what you had started.  It gave me the inspiration to do the same. 
 
To my beautiful loving wife who drove that van from one end of the country to the other, and was always there on the side of the road with fresh supplies and drink bottles and road map to work out where our next camp was. I am indebted to you because I couldn’t have done this without you. 
 
A big thanks to all our friends and family for the many emails, texts and phone calls of support throughout the trip.
 
To the people who have downloaded the WOF and hopefully caught something in time, this has made the ride in itself worthwhile.  We can’t let it stop there ? prevention is a much easier option than treatment.  Keep up with your checks and your conversation to your friends about it. 
 
And to the dozens of people that I met or talked to over the length of the ride who all asked this one question - hows your arse?  It’s fine thank you and I feel so good I’d like to do the ride in the opposite direction now so keep up your cycling training.
 
What did I learn from this?  We live in a beautiful country occupied by some fantastic people that we should all spend more time traveling around and meeting.  And the advantage is they take NZ$.  Maybe we all spend a little bit too much time moaning about what isn’t right and overlooking all the things that are right in our lives.  I’ll never look at any map of New Zealand the same again.

The end for now... as you know strange things happen on the road alone and my mind has been fairly active!!
 
Cheers, Rick

Dan and Tania on a $55,000 Kauri Bench

This staircase goes to the next level at the Kauri Showroom at Awanui.  What a fantastic tree!

The fantastic pupils and staff from Te Kao School

 and seeing us off with Logan

My arrival at Bluff - 2088kms and 18 days later

And with the team