Cycling NZ26 - Day 22 - Whataday!!

My goodness!  Less than 40 miles today and only about 1500ft of ascent but - bloody hell!  Whataday!

This was supposed to be the easy day today. A decent hill climb out of Blenheim then some rolly stuff through the hills to Ward. A place surrounded by wineries. A one horse town except I think the horse is out of town today. One petrol station with an attached self service cafe and one motel. It’s the only place where I could stop before the next main town of Kaicoura some 52 more miles away along the pacific highway.  Tomorrow is Saturday so I’m hoping for a reduction in the silly 50 ton double articulated stuff en route. 

One advantage about booking home stays is you get to meet folk. Another couple of a similar age. A part retired dairy farmer and his partner, a lady, again from South Africa. I’m getting a strong impression post the end of apartheid of a gradual descent into compound life where white folk lived in properties surrounded with steel fencing with barbed wire on top. And, that a bunch of folk have moved lock stock to New Zealand as the only other options in the southern hemisphere are Chile, Argentina, Antartica and Australia.  And nobody wants to move to any of them, especually Australia!

We chat massively about local and international politics with Heather the home stay host plus a fair bit about relationships and the need for give and take. You know, she gives and he takes!  But also just how different life is nowadays for the young folk of this world whether their education their addiction to social media of their avoidance of healthy foods. Etc..

I raise the observation about the weather in the Molesworth over the coming days again. And please excuse me I just cannot remember folks names but everything else is stored effectively by Brian somewhere in my cavernous shell like.  Yer man, a big dude of a slightly older age than me I suspect or a harder life is determined to ride through to Hanmer Springs. Some 125 miles away. Of course the slim erudite South African lady perhaps in her 70’s wants to ride her bike too but has more sense. Neither are on ebikes!  

Today’s forecast was wet and windy. Saturday OK. Sunday OK until later PM when the next storm front moves in with snow, wind and freezing temperatures all the way through Monday before things start to slowly improve Tuesday onwards. So easy decision for me but he seemed determined to go 🤔😳🫣. However they are both in his 4x4 pickup - I’m assuming the rescue vehicle if things get too tough. 

Of course my cycle ride took me past the entrance to the Molesworth. It looked like this today. 

Yup theres no way I’m going into them hills today… just listen to the wind coming down the valley!  

There are 3 things that normally conspire to make for tough cycling days. 1. The hills. 2.  The wind (weather). And 3. The surface on which one rides. And how one feels. OK, OK. Yes, there are 4 things that normally conspire to make for tough cycling days… Lack of food?  Not enough water?  Incorrect clothing?  Wrong type of bike?  Luggage?  Yes yes yes alright alright there are 9,  NINE things… Aw. SHADDAP!

My relatively short under 40 mile ride to Ward today got all 3 main conspiracies  Yes, the hills. This is New Zealand fer Gods sake. There’s only one flat place here and I passed through that some 200 miles ago. But today it was also the wind. A constant south easterly blowing hard off the ocean through the valleys. Direct into my face all day. If I had a choice I’d rather ride the hills and not the wind. No choice today, Wayne. But then put on top of that the world worst cycle path. Let me explain. 

Well, here in New Zealand folk are doing their best to make this country good for human habitation and enjoyment. Back home we take so much stuff for granted. All the engineering that could ever have been done has been done multiple times over what with the Romans the Vikings the Victorians and the like. All issues have generally been worked out. All things that need to be strengthened have been. Most flaws have been designed out and corrected. The land has been divvied up and shared across the government departments of housing, agriculture etc, the councils and 66 million people most of whom take a great deal of care and interest in what they’ve got. Just when was the last time you could not drive to work because of a landslide?  It’s an every day occurrence here. 

Everything here was either built at the start of the 20th century for there is nothing older. Or it is brand new. Tons of space left to go to rot. Back home everything generally has been conquered. Here it really feels like Mother Nature is still in complete control. Nonetheless folk are trying to make things better. They’re just not thinking about the best way to do it. 

The example today was the Whale Trail. A 70 mile cycle and pedestrian track that links Picton to Ward via Blenheim and one day will run all the way down the Pacific coast to Christchurch so I am told. But oh my God!  New Zealanders do not have a clue how to put a good path down. 

This one today is again a man made mix of clay, sand, grit, pebbles small and large which in the dry has the consistency of soft nougat. In the wet it again resembles soft wet concrete going by the number of hard set furrows in the stuff formed by other poor cyclists wheels. It positively sucks the energy out of you. And thats on a dry day like today. 

Put in that mix a headwind - and most wind in this part of the world comes off the southern ocean and so is strong and direct into your face and then add in the hills, well... It’s the closest I’ve felt to cycling Shap again on that notorious day in 2022 on my JOGLE ride south.  But this time on a bad path. If you really want to put people off ever cycling here of you’re just interested in having the masochists of this world visit your country then ok. Just continue on as you are. 

I arrived today in this one horse place and the motel owner looked at me with such a surprised look on her face. You cycled the Whale trail did ya mit?  Wow!  Mad innit!

Yes it is. 

I’m on a lovely comfy bed right now contemplating a good sleep. Tomorrow is 52 miles on the main highway along the pacific coast to Kiacoura. There are two places en route where I can get food by the looks.  Nonetheless I robbed the cafe here before it shut for the weekend.  So I have something for breakfast and something to eat en route too. Just in case.  One learns not to trust Google here.  It said that the cafe here is open tomorrow. It is not. 

The weather forecast is for a dry day with light north easterly winds. Good that’s in the right direction for a change. However, I will need all the help I can get. 

I’m in cabin number 1 right at the side of the main highway and theres 50 plus ton double articulated monster trucks going past every minute…

In lieu of any working railway infrastructure in this country I fear I’m not gonna get a lot of sleep tonight!

Ciao for now..