North bound from Invercargill

Me at the top of the highest highway in new zealand.  No wonder I look grumpy - and even after all this cycling I am still human, I am afraid I did get off and push some of the way - Christof tried to disown me.

 We cycled from Invercargil North to Queenstown, a beautiful ride the end part of which was along an amazing lake with hills all around.  From there we took the road to Arrowtown, and old gold town with a tiny and very cute high street.  Then up over the hills to Wanaka, and the road was so steep!  It was fantastic though, we crawled up for about 3 km, and then suddenly it was as though we were back at the bottom again as we entered a lovely agricultural valley surrounded by even bigger mountains.  Then another 3km of very steep uphill to the very top.  Then with anticipation and excitement we crossed the pass and started our descent.  The excitement very quickly turned to disappointment and exhaustion!  The head wind was so strong we had to pedal hard - all the way down!  Our route got even better and more and more scenic as we crossed the lakes around Wanaka (another day with headwind) and then three blissful days cycling with nothing but mountains and forest all around.  The road is twisty and curves around the hills so that you never know what is around the next corner: the sea, a lake, a braided river, a snow capped mountain, a forested hill - whatever it is seems to be so beautiful it takes your breath away.

My mobile home for so many months now!

Proof that New Zealand seems to be the windiest place ever.

Cycling: Dunedin to Invercargill

After Dunedin, the roads became much quieter, and cycling was a real pleasure.  I was greatly entertained to go through Brighton.  The landscape was farmland with small towns - where agricultural supplies shops where just as common as a chemists or banks.  People too seemed to get friendlier as we travelled south.  We had some really beautiful days biking, rolling terrain, golden landscapes with so much greenery - and all the farms seemed so productive, but a lot less 'industrial' compared to those on the Canterbury plains near Christchurch.  Invercargill, we reached after an amazing day of 110km (we had tailwinds the whole way) but we rolled up in the rain.  We enjoyed a day looking around the museum - lots of pictures and the bike from the film of the Worlds Fastest Indian; and as seems fairly normal for New Zealand a super public park.

More Hiking Pictures: Hollyford Track

Christmas in New Zealand

 I have had such a fabulous few weeks, Naomi came out to stay with me all the way from Aberdeen. We then headed off into the fiordland wilderness to hike the Routeburn Track which was an amazing three day walk over some fabulous hills.  The views were fantastic as all around were some of the craggiest mountains i have ever seen.  we had beautiful weather and it really was simply stunning. The hike its self was very easy although we had the biggest rucksacks ever as we went straight from there by bus to Milford Sound and then on for more hiking, so we had enough food to last us twelve days without a grocery store.

Along the Routeburn we had some great camping spots with meadows and rivers and mountains rising up steeply on all sides.  We looked down on a lake in the valley bottom elegantly and unevenly shaped and a glorious rich turquoise blue.

The last day of the hike we were walking through lush forest with beech trees which are nothing like the European beech. The trees were short and stunted, ancient and gnarled, covered with thick green hair or moss. It was amazing and so unlike anything in Britain.  We spent Christmas in Milford Sound which was nice and good to relax. On boxing day we kayaked in the sound which was great, the mountains rise up straight from the water and in a kayak you seem so small. We saw seals up close too, then the wind picked up ad we went back under sail.

The following  day we took the bus out and started hiking the Hollyford trail a long hike through lush forest; again a totally different from anywhere European. the forest canopy was quite low, and instead of trees there were ferns as tall as trees. The birds were super too and one morning we stopped to listen to a regular symphony but with invisible birds. After several days hiking through the forest along the hollyford river which we got brief but stunning glimpses of, we reached the sea. the waves were super and came crashing down on rocky coves with sandy stretches. There were more seals here, and even closer and more impressive. New Zealand seals are different, and look so much more like selkies than a British seal they have feet!  The Hollyford trail proved harder going than expected so we then caught a boat back two huts and then enjoyed the walk at a more leisurely pace. We even spent one afternoon on the beach, although in true jenny fashion the minute I started to get undressed the deserted beach suddenly had a helicopter full of people appear.
We had some super bus journeys too: rolling hills, tons of Lupins, great views, golden meadows, huge lakes, snow caped mountains, delicious!
The last few days I was lucky enough to have with Naomi were spent on a train journey to Picton, north of the south island, from and returning to Christchurch. It is a really scenic route right along the coast and the views were grand.  We passed rolling hills and blue ocean and pink salt pans and turquoise rives. Picton was nice very cute and had a super bakery and a second hand bookshop.

New Zealand is much harder to find internet access so please forgive the long gaps between posting.

New Zealand

I know you are all dying to hear about the next instalment of my adventure, so I will see what I can tell you!  The flights all worked smoothly and I got lots of sleep, and sort of understand the mind boggling loosing a day of my life when crossing the date line!  I was really lucky and got a swim in the sea at Los Angeles in between flights which was super!


LA

 Although I have now been in New Zealand several days I feel like it is far too early to begin describing the country.  I arrived and was met by Christof (who has been here cycling about 1800 kilometres since arriving in October, and whom I met on the west coast of the USA) we put my bike back together, as it has to be dismantled to fly in a smallish box, and then cycled into Christchurch.  I really didn't see very much of Christchurch, but there were many earthquake damaged buildings and building sites.  The next day we left, cycling south towards Dunedin.  Most of the cycling has been on a main road - however this seems to be like a fairly wide and very straight A road with about a third of the traffic you would get in the UK.  There are a lot of trucks though, mostly triple decker two carriage long sheep trucks which smell, or two carriage milk trucks; mostly they don't give you much space, but mostly there has been a comfortable shoulder to ride in.  The towns so far, and I have got as far as Oamaru, seem small, and remarkably similar to some of the coastal towns in the UK.  In fact, the everything I have seen so far is very similar to the UK, certainly much more British than any of America - I can now buy crumpets and a huge variety of sweet biscuits all of which were unavailable in the USA.  Many of the houses look similar to British coastal places built in the middle of the century, and everything is on a smaller - more British scale.  Christof, who is Austrian says it is exactly like Britain - but I can see a lot of differences, and also think that it would feel less British if I had not been in America for six months.
It is full summer here although not very hot, the air is full of pollen and the birds are singing everywhere - I can't get over the birds they are so noisy all the time, and some really odd noises too (one sounds a bit like dial up Internet, another like a darlek!)  It is super, and feels so nice being able to hear so many - where are all the birds in America or the UK?  There are wildflowers in the banks, the farm land  - pretty much everything I have seen so far is farm land, is fertile and lush and filled with crops or calves.  Does New Zealand really produce all the lamb and beef and milk for the whole world - it feels like it here.


In the Park

 The last two days have been super as we have left the main road, yesterday to camp in a small town inland, which was really pretty, and we bought some of the best strawberries ever from a farm shop.  Today we followed the coast and have found sandy beaches, and turquoise waters, with skylarks singing on the other side.

I now have so many exciting plans, am looking forward to all of them - Naomi is flying out for three weeks of hopefully blissful hiking with me around Milford Sound, then in January, maybe cycling up the west coast of the south island, we shall see.


sunset on the beach




Lots of 'victorian' buildings




look a bit like Sussex?




There were lots of these silly rocks on the beach!




Well I think a detour might be in order....




Pretty coastline from the top of the steepest hill - yes I got off and walked, shame on me!




looking at the coastline near Dunedin, it was a super downhill.



Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

As it feels Christmassy here - cold and a log fire and Christmas lights in New York and all the shops ready and festive I will say my Happy Christmasses here.  I suspect that being nice and summery in New Zealand will not have me feeling in the mood, and my Internet access may be a bit sketchy again.
I hope that all of you reading this have a marvellous Christmas break, and a really festive time of year.  I will be thinking of all of you and wishing you well from my tent on the other side of the world, (I hope).

Happy New Year -  hope that all of you have a great 2012 and all your dreams come true.  I hope that some of you may think about doing something similar to this - it was totally the best thing I have ever done, I have no regrets, and feel only slightly worried to have had what seems like well over my fair share of happiness this year.

Miss you all, and hope to see my British readers before 2012 is finished. (Unless I win a lot of money!)

Thank You America

Although I miss having seen everyone back home, I simply can't quite believe that I have been in America for six months.  I really have enjoyed every single moment of my time here.  I find it hard to believe on a daily basis just how happy I have been, and just how amazing it is that I am here and just how lucky I am to be here and doing and seeing and meeting all of the amazing people and places.  So much has happened, and many of my experiences are so varied that I don't think I can give any kind of summary.  I would just like to take the opportunity to say Thank you to America for a wonderful stay, and an even bigger Thank you to all of the many many kindnesses I have had both from friends, casual acquaintances and strangers.  If there is one thing I have learned on this trip it is how nice people are, how eager to help, and happy to give their kindness.  I have not met a single person who was not kind and generous - just occasionally a communication where I realise the other person is as rude as your typical English person.Thank you to all of my friends who have welcomed me with open arms.  Thank you to everyone who has welcomed me with open arms without being friends, or before they became friends.  I am just amazed at how nice you all are, and I feel very indebted, and I hope that one day I maybe able to start repaying some of the generosity shown to me. (And do ask to stay if you are ever near me!)

The things I will miss most about America are:
The great customer service and friendliness of everyone I meet.  It has made me see England in a very different light, and I feel slightly embarrassed. People on the street are friendly - one elderly gentleman on a high street tugged his forelock to me!  Everyone says hello. When cycling everyone wants to know where you are going and where you have come from.  Many many people have wished me a welcome to America.  Everyone working in a shop will wish you a good day, even people on the subway in New York even will talk and smile occasionally.
Lemonade!  Normal American lemonade is delicious! it is not fizzy, and not not too sweet and absolutely delicious, I will have to make my own in future.
Huge whole food shops with delicious food, and bulk buy sections and fresh bakeries, British whole food shops just can't compare.
The totally amazing, beautiful and well run National Parks.


The things I learned about America:
Car indicators are red - most confusing.
Green men on pedestrian crossings are white - and the crossings themselves were not designed to be used.
General school education is better than in Britain - people I meet who are my counterparts are generally more knowledgeable and better educated than my British counterparts.  Also lots of extracurricular activities seem to be the norm - my American counterparts all played sports or joined clubs and organised social things - my British counterparts all spend hours in front of the TV so that the next day they could discuss the programmes at school.
You can't buy double cream, but they have other milk products not seen in the UK: half and half, and totally fat free milk, and yoghurt is often flavoured with vanilla - yuck!
America is a misleading term - the United States much more accurate to try to describe the variety and breadth of Americas geography, culture, and people (food and accents).

Things I will be glad to leave:
Inches, feet, yards, Fahrenheit etc...
Traffic systems that are impossible without a car - i.e. 6 lanes of fast moving traffic with the shop you want on the far side of the road and no pedestrian crossings.
Driving on the other side of the road - I find that hard and haven't got used to it.