West Coast
South Island, NZ
"So you're the nutty bitches we saw on the road earlier today, " a kiwi woman said to us, walking past our tents one night on her way to the beach. So we've been knighted The Nutty Bitches, an affectionate kiwi term, so we've been told:). Does fit us quite well, don't ya think?
February 14, 2015
South of Nelson
Hwy 6
South Island NZ
Oh, I've done it again: gotten behind on my blogging. It's April's fault:).
It's now February 16th and we're between Nelson and Picton and I need to write. No more dillying around.
So the last I wrote we were on the the West Coast Wilderness Cycle a Trail heading into Greymouth where I was expecting not one, but two air mattresses. One that was the warranty replacement from Bivouac here in NZ and an emergency one from thoughtful friends in Wellington that shipped it before they knew I had a resolution. (Thank you Mrs.
Moa and Moa!!) So we made sure to arrive before the weekend when things are often closed. We arrived on Friday. And guess what! It was Waitangi Day, a public holiday for the signing of the treaty with the King of England in 1840, if my memory serves me right. "Don't you celebrate this holiday in America?" asked a teenage girl:)). No, we celebrate gaining our independence FROM England!!
So no Post Office open. Not until Sat morning for a couple of hours. Dang! We weren't planning on staying in this large town. Checking our WikiCamps app we see there's a place for self-contained RVs out by the river's mouth. (What's self-contained, you ask. Can't remember if I've explained this do I'll go it again. In NZ they certify RVs that have full bathroom facilities and grey water containment. Then there are places only these vehicles can park overnight. They've had a big problem with messes left by people pooping in the bushes. April and I have designed a method to be fully self-contained but have not had the pleasure of applying for certification:). But in places where there's no woods or facilities or over populated, we bag our poop and take it with us...like with dogs:))
The park was too windy, and not pleasant for camping. Besides locals told us they police the area heavily. But we found a sweet spot just back from the waterfront in an old cemetery. No complaints from the residents there! So back into town the next morning. At the Post Office they have only one pkg, from Moa. From the tracking number they determined it didn't come through the postal system but some other carrier. We have to find them. A call to Bivouac determines it was NZ Couriers, and I see their van across the street while I'm still on the phone. Go find out where their depot is, I ask April. After hanging up, April's motioning me to come over. I arrive and she tells me the depot closed 30 minutes ago. NO! Won't open until Monday morning. NO! This can't be happening. First I've slept on the hard ground for 9 nights up to this point. Second, we don't want to hang out in that cemetery for 2 more nights. Arghh! Isn't there anyone who can get my pkg? I ask. He says he had the key to the building but not the alarm code. I wait. Give him time to think. It's something I've learned touring. Don't get mad at anyone. Just put your desires out there clearly and let them ponder. They often figure out a way. He said he had an idea and he'd be back. We'll wait here. About 20 minutes later, the red can shows up and I cross the street. He shakes his head. Oh no! This can't be happening. Then he hands me my package. You sweetheart!
And that night is like to say I slept like a baby but actually I had a difficult time.
The next big excitement was losing my umbrella. We'd had them out because it was raining when we pulled into a campground for the night. April says she saw it open outside my tent after I'd crawled in. I never saw it again because it must have blown into the bushes. I pack up assuming if there's nothing left behind I must have it all. Got an hour down the road, reached for my umbrella, and it's not there:(. I tried to hitch back to the campground but there was no place for cars to stop. I called them, and they found her and said they send her up the road with some folks heading north but I never saw them or they didn't find me. I bought a replacement but it's top heavy, catches too much wind, just not as nice. April's selling me hers before she leaves.
Oh, ya, April's going home March 1st. Her back is bothering her and she's afraid it's the slipped disc she had operated on a couple if years ago. She won't rest easy until she gets an MRI. I'm thinking it's her biking muscles are torquing her SI joint.
So, I'm heading to solo Australia. She was fearful of the snakes and spiders there what with wild camping. I have no idea what to do or where to go. I'm landing in Melbourne and figuring it out from there. It will be a surprise....to me too!
The other day, screaming down a hill, I got hit right between the eyes with something. There had been bumblebees, big ones, everywhere and I was sure that's what it was. Then the stinging started. April, I've been stung. It hurts a lot. Let's stop and see what happens. Within an hour I looked like this:
But everything felt local, nothing seemed to be happening internally. I had a yellow jacket allergy as a child and many stings so I'm pretty knowledgable about reactions and the various elements. April had an Epi-pen with her and if I felt I'd needed it I wouldn't have hesitated to use it. We cycled on but I had no energy. We found a roadside park and camped for the night. Wouldn't ya know, there were yellow jackets everywhere, and I stepped on one! Now I'm taxing my immune system. I took another antihistamine. I had taken one right after the original sting. In the morning, slight improvement:
That day I had no energy and stopped a lot. Somehow we got our 40 kms in. The next day was the same. Tired. Swollen. But soon itching began and I knew I was improving.
I got my eyes open this morning! But it's done nothing for my saggy eyelids:)
A dear friend from home is sending me a couple of Epi-pens and some Benadryl. Thanks Deb Schmidt! You're a life-saver!! Hope I never have to use them but let's not be stupid.
Yippee! 11 km climb ahead!!!
Livin' the life,
BagLady
Facebook: Kathryn Mossbrook Zimmerman
