Kumara, South Island, NZ
Sculpture Festival, Hokitika
A few days ago we cycled into Hokitika, one of my favorite towns in NZ. Last time I was here a terrible storm came through and the bridge over the Wanganui River washed out...just the directions needed to go. Since there was no way around, I loaded up with food nzd headed south to see what I would find. I talked a couple if other cyclists into joining me. We ended up getting helicoptered over the river!! One of the highlights of that tour.
We stopped by the bike shop where April, for the 4th time tried to get her rear cluster tightened. Poor girl.
(She's spent a lot of time taking off and putting on her back wheel:( )
ICE, our trike maker, even sent a special tool for them to use. Nelson worked diligent but to no avail. It was tight when we left the shop and loose when we got to our Warmshowers Host's house. Have I explained about Warmshowers? I have no memory. It's a website that connects touring cyclists with people who will host them for free in exchange for their stories. Like Couchsurfing for cyclists. I use it when we're going to be in a town and want to take a day off the bike to get chores done. Kevin is a retired scientist and had done great stories about the tramping in the bush here, wiring as a dairy scientist, and his travels in the US. He was even at Cornell University!
The first in night we stayed, there was another American staying there, Tim Caldwell. He's doing WOOFing while he's here, work for stay at organic farms.
(I often take pictures of maps and signs so I can refer to them later.)
Also, while at the bike shop, another cyclist, David Rosenberg, stopped by and mentioned this local cycle path others had been raving about: West Coast Wilderness Cycle Path. 100 kms. So we decided to take it. It was adding 70 kms and a couple of days to our getting to Greymouth, but sounded like it was worth it. And it has been! Even with heavy rains for the last 2 days! It wound it's way u into the mountains, past lakes and rivers, an imitation western town called Cowboys Paradise, and through the native bush. Well cindered most places and plenty wide enough for the trikes. Except for one bridge and a set of boulders. For those we had to dismantle and carry the trikes through.
I didn't get any pictures of the really wet times because my phone isn't waterproof. Yesterday we were both hypothermic by the time we stopped at about 3ish. Wet to the core. Luckily we got a break and the sun came out long enough to almost dry our clothes.
And what wasn't dry got hung up inside the tent that night.
Tonight we're camped at a public toilet on town. Better than a 5 star hotel with an overhang, water faucet and mowed lawn. But the rain is coming down in buckets! I sure hope the forecast for sun the next few days is right. We need to dry out!!
Have I mentioned my blown air mattress? Tonight will be night 7 of sleeping on the ground. It's not nearly as bad ad I thought it would be. Tough old broad! New one tomorrow in Greymouth from Bivouac, a NZ sports store. I can't say enough of how kind they've been.
I love going to sleep to the sound of rain on my tent. Life is good:))
(But I think my tent is leaking it's raining so hard!!!)
Livin' the life,
BagLady
Facebook: Kathryn Mossbrook Zimmerman
