Girl and dad from jazz festival:
Group playing:
Too busy relaxing and enjoying to take many photos.
BagLady
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Pics from Tauranga
Liz and house (forgive the quality...pic of a pic)
Girl and dad from jazz festival:
Group playing:
Too busy relaxing and enjoying to take many photos.
BagLady
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Girl and dad from jazz festival:
Group playing:
Too busy relaxing and enjoying to take many photos.
BagLady
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Easter in Tauranga
March 29 - April 2, 2013
Tauranga, NZ
Liz, Moa's sister-in-law, whom I met at Christmas in Wellington, graciously offered to put me up (to put up with me) when I got north to Tauranga. And I didn't know when that would be exactly. But I called her a few days out and gave her Thurs or Fri.
I arrived Friday.
And getting off the bike for a long weekend has been an incredible treat. So has meeting her girlfriends! Friday night it was dinner at Bet's with us and Sally. Good cooking and girlfriends!! Doesn't get much better! And I forgot to get pics:/. Guess I'm on holiday too.
Saturday we ran around downtown at the annual jazz festival and did a bit of shopping. Yup! New marino wool sports bra and a new inflatable ExPed sleeping pad. Tired of sore hips and several blowups during night. Treating myself. Got the demo at a discount. Their version of a NeoAir. Got my fingers crossed because I had no luck with the latter.
Tauranga has a beautiful downtown section right on the water and the rain held off. So it all worked out. Sunday we were down there again with two more girlfriends, Judy and Gail. Lunch, girl talk, and jazz...oh ya!! I've enjoyed the opportunity to be "one of the girls" in NZ. Thank you for including me!
And today was a tour of Mt. Maunganui, the Mtn and the town...and lunch on the strand. Quaint place. Cute shops. Delightful views.
Liz has been the sweetest host, treating me like a princess!
BagLady
More pictures are posted at:
https://picasaweb.google.com/104890875270597877610
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Tauranga, NZ
Liz, Moa's sister-in-law, whom I met at Christmas in Wellington, graciously offered to put me up (to put up with me) when I got north to Tauranga. And I didn't know when that would be exactly. But I called her a few days out and gave her Thurs or Fri.
I arrived Friday.
And getting off the bike for a long weekend has been an incredible treat. So has meeting her girlfriends! Friday night it was dinner at Bet's with us and Sally. Good cooking and girlfriends!! Doesn't get much better! And I forgot to get pics:/. Guess I'm on holiday too.
Saturday we ran around downtown at the annual jazz festival and did a bit of shopping. Yup! New marino wool sports bra and a new inflatable ExPed sleeping pad. Tired of sore hips and several blowups during night. Treating myself. Got the demo at a discount. Their version of a NeoAir. Got my fingers crossed because I had no luck with the latter.
Tauranga has a beautiful downtown section right on the water and the rain held off. So it all worked out. Sunday we were down there again with two more girlfriends, Judy and Gail. Lunch, girl talk, and jazz...oh ya!! I've enjoyed the opportunity to be "one of the girls" in NZ. Thank you for including me!
And today was a tour of Mt. Maunganui, the Mtn and the town...and lunch on the strand. Quaint place. Cute shops. Delightful views.
Liz has been the sweetest host, treating me like a princess!
BagLady
More pictures are posted at:
https://picasaweb.google.com/104890875270597877610
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Happy Birthday, Avery!
March 28, 2013
Between Te Puke and Tauranga, NZ on the beach.
My older daughter, Avery, turned 36 today. How can that be? I remember turning 36 and it doesn't seem that long ago. Every year, her birthday blows my mind! Where oh where have all those years gone. I remember the first time I saw her after I came out of surgery. " She looks just like me!" I said as her father held her up. But she looks nothing like me now:). For whatever reason, a first born holds a special place in a mother's heart. Maybe because they had to suffer through your learning process. Motherhood comes with no manual, just trial and error, and lots of ideas. Please forgive me, Avery, for all my screw ups. I had good intentions and always want(ed) what was best for you. A mother's lament. Must have done something right, or she turned out okay in spite of me:). Hope this is an amazing birthday and can't wait to talk to you tomorrow...when it's your birthday there.
Back to NZ. Last night I found a delightful camp spot at the mouth of a river where fisherfolk came to fish. In the middle of the night? I heard a bit of car activity, but I was upstream from the point so most cars went on by. Except for one. I heard it stop. The engine turned off. Two car doors opened and slammed. Then silence. The back of my tent was to the road, so I couldn't see anything. And I didn't want to stick my head out to show myself, so I lay very still...and waited. Heard rustling. Is that near my tent? Is that the feral cat I saw? Is that someone taking a piss near my tent? Silence. But 2 doors and no voices. Weird. Silence. Waiting. Waiting. Shallow breathing. Should I get my knife? Nah. Finally. Car doors open. "Wait", someone says. Then the engine starts. And the car departs. Sigh. Sleep.
It was delightful by the river watching the sea birds swimming through the shallow water. Had Internet and power. Sent some emails. Etc. Hit the road at 11, 2 hours later than usual. What's my rush? I'll make Liz's house tomorrow. On schedule.
A ways down the road I decided to replace my Prince William Feather that protrudes from my bike seat like a flag.
When I stopped, Helen
pulled up and invited me in for tea. Never say No.
She knows and has documented her Maori history and was very eager to share it with me. I was likewise eager to hear it, but unable to retain the stories or the names. I did get a charming video of her reading a Maori woman's quote that always brings tears to her eyes. (Too bad I'm unable to post video through this app although it is suppose to be possible.)
Her daughter is suppose to be a marvelous singer and I plan on checking out her YouTube post.
Bag Lady
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Between Te Puke and Tauranga, NZ on the beach.
My older daughter, Avery, turned 36 today. How can that be? I remember turning 36 and it doesn't seem that long ago. Every year, her birthday blows my mind! Where oh where have all those years gone. I remember the first time I saw her after I came out of surgery. " She looks just like me!" I said as her father held her up. But she looks nothing like me now:). For whatever reason, a first born holds a special place in a mother's heart. Maybe because they had to suffer through your learning process. Motherhood comes with no manual, just trial and error, and lots of ideas. Please forgive me, Avery, for all my screw ups. I had good intentions and always want(ed) what was best for you. A mother's lament. Must have done something right, or she turned out okay in spite of me:). Hope this is an amazing birthday and can't wait to talk to you tomorrow...when it's your birthday there.
Back to NZ. Last night I found a delightful camp spot at the mouth of a river where fisherfolk came to fish. In the middle of the night? I heard a bit of car activity, but I was upstream from the point so most cars went on by. Except for one. I heard it stop. The engine turned off. Two car doors opened and slammed. Then silence. The back of my tent was to the road, so I couldn't see anything. And I didn't want to stick my head out to show myself, so I lay very still...and waited. Heard rustling. Is that near my tent? Is that the feral cat I saw? Is that someone taking a piss near my tent? Silence. But 2 doors and no voices. Weird. Silence. Waiting. Waiting. Shallow breathing. Should I get my knife? Nah. Finally. Car doors open. "Wait", someone says. Then the engine starts. And the car departs. Sigh. Sleep.
It was delightful by the river watching the sea birds swimming through the shallow water. Had Internet and power. Sent some emails. Etc. Hit the road at 11, 2 hours later than usual. What's my rush? I'll make Liz's house tomorrow. On schedule.
A ways down the road I decided to replace my Prince William Feather that protrudes from my bike seat like a flag.
When I stopped, Helen
pulled up and invited me in for tea. Never say No.
She knows and has documented her Maori history and was very eager to share it with me. I was likewise eager to hear it, but unable to retain the stories or the names. I did get a charming video of her reading a Maori woman's quote that always brings tears to her eyes. (Too bad I'm unable to post video through this app although it is suppose to be possible.)
Her daughter is suppose to be a marvelous singer and I plan on checking out her YouTube post.
Bag Lady
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Trail Magic in Opotiki
March 26 & 27, 2013
Rangitaiki River mouth tonight...Opotiki last night
Short but full day yesterday. Got to Opotiki just after noon. First real town in 10 days. OMG. OMG. What to do first. How about lunch and a charge up? Ok. I agree. (See how easy it is when you travel alone? No one ever disagrees with you or gives you any grief:))
Met Ann and Peter (at least I think her name was Ann...I didn't write it down so I'm feeling sheepish). A couple from Hamilton on holiday over here and biking around for the day.
I go inside to order and plug in and meet Del and Tony who had seen me on the road earlier. Brief conversation. Plug in phones. I go outside to eat with Ann and Peter. As Del is leaving, she stops by and offers a shower and laundry and gives me her address in town. Yippee! Laundry was most exciting as it had also been 10 days since the clothes had been washed...and I wear the same, exactly the same, clothes every dirty, sweaty day. Can't rinse them out because they won't dry overnight.
I then do my town chores of uploading some blog posts at the library, sending a postcard, groceries, and scouting through the outdoor store. All the while having little chats with folks.
Is it comfortable? Yes
How's it on the hills? Slow but easy.
Where ya from? Upstate NY...not the city.
Where have you come from? Hard to answer. I usually say Wellington.
Over and over and over and over. Feel like I should have a sheet to hand out, but I'd miss the energy exchange.
So later in the afternoon I show up at Del's. This is the house she grew up in! Her mom died last fall and she's been here for 6 months winding everything down and getting the house on the market. She and Tony live in Australia now...he's an Ozzie. She took me up to this domain or park with ancient trees, the puriri (if I remembered right). Over 2000 years old. Burial trees for the Maori. They'd put their dead ones bones in the large cavities at the base of the tree. Sacred space. Felt it too. I think I know more NZ trees than American. My head is spinning with knowledge. I can recognize the puhutikowa (didn't say I could spell them)... It's the red blossom tree at Xmas. They are enormous up here on the coast. And the ponga. It's the palm that the NZ emblem if a palm frond is from. I need a picture of that.
Invited to dinner, of course I said yes. But I'll camp in the yard and declined the offer of a bed. I love sleeping in my tent. Dinner was gourmet! Portobello mushrooms with an onion and something else topping, then grilled pork chops with orange, sweet potato spinach feta salad, and leeks and zucchini. Everything was mmmwwaa! My kind of food! And fresh stewed apples, blueberries, and yogurt dessert! I was in heaven!
Lots of talking and laughing...wine does that to me. After breakfast I hit the road and so did they, off for a beach hike with friends.
I knew there were hills on today's route. Every day's route. And I don't mind them at all. Just pedal and rest and pedal and rest. Kinda like I hike up hills:). I always get to the top. I have to say the one out of Ohope was a crank! Wooweee! Ohope had the longest empty beach I've seen. Had lunch down there with a sandwich Del made from the leftover salads. Yum! There was sun and wind and haze and islands in the distance. Pretty spot. Upscale homes. Back in modern NZ. East coast is a pleasant memory.
Tonight's view of the river mouth:
Earlier I heard ducks quacking. Very different from the usually sheep baaing or cows mooing.
In 2 days I'll be in Tauranga visiting Liz, Moa's sister-in-law, who I met at Christmas. A few days off the bike will feel good. Then I'm headed to the Coromandel Peninsula. More beaches, poor me.
NZ is oceans and beaches and ragged hills and mountains and volcanoes and bush and sheep and cows. Yup. That about sums it up. And trucks and campervans:)
Love you all!! And thanks for the wonderful notes of love and support. This blog is such a great way to stay connected. Thanks for making it a two way street.
To sleep to the sounds of the ocean...ahhhh!
Full moon from down under.
Blissful BagLady
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Rangitaiki River mouth tonight...Opotiki last night
Short but full day yesterday. Got to Opotiki just after noon. First real town in 10 days. OMG. OMG. What to do first. How about lunch and a charge up? Ok. I agree. (See how easy it is when you travel alone? No one ever disagrees with you or gives you any grief:))
Met Ann and Peter (at least I think her name was Ann...I didn't write it down so I'm feeling sheepish). A couple from Hamilton on holiday over here and biking around for the day.
I go inside to order and plug in and meet Del and Tony who had seen me on the road earlier. Brief conversation. Plug in phones. I go outside to eat with Ann and Peter. As Del is leaving, she stops by and offers a shower and laundry and gives me her address in town. Yippee! Laundry was most exciting as it had also been 10 days since the clothes had been washed...and I wear the same, exactly the same, clothes every dirty, sweaty day. Can't rinse them out because they won't dry overnight.
I then do my town chores of uploading some blog posts at the library, sending a postcard, groceries, and scouting through the outdoor store. All the while having little chats with folks.
Is it comfortable? Yes
How's it on the hills? Slow but easy.
Where ya from? Upstate NY...not the city.
Where have you come from? Hard to answer. I usually say Wellington.
Over and over and over and over. Feel like I should have a sheet to hand out, but I'd miss the energy exchange.
So later in the afternoon I show up at Del's. This is the house she grew up in! Her mom died last fall and she's been here for 6 months winding everything down and getting the house on the market. She and Tony live in Australia now...he's an Ozzie. She took me up to this domain or park with ancient trees, the puriri (if I remembered right). Over 2000 years old. Burial trees for the Maori. They'd put their dead ones bones in the large cavities at the base of the tree. Sacred space. Felt it too. I think I know more NZ trees than American. My head is spinning with knowledge. I can recognize the puhutikowa (didn't say I could spell them)... It's the red blossom tree at Xmas. They are enormous up here on the coast. And the ponga. It's the palm that the NZ emblem if a palm frond is from. I need a picture of that.
Invited to dinner, of course I said yes. But I'll camp in the yard and declined the offer of a bed. I love sleeping in my tent. Dinner was gourmet! Portobello mushrooms with an onion and something else topping, then grilled pork chops with orange, sweet potato spinach feta salad, and leeks and zucchini. Everything was mmmwwaa! My kind of food! And fresh stewed apples, blueberries, and yogurt dessert! I was in heaven!
Lots of talking and laughing...wine does that to me. After breakfast I hit the road and so did they, off for a beach hike with friends.
I knew there were hills on today's route. Every day's route. And I don't mind them at all. Just pedal and rest and pedal and rest. Kinda like I hike up hills:). I always get to the top. I have to say the one out of Ohope was a crank! Wooweee! Ohope had the longest empty beach I've seen. Had lunch down there with a sandwich Del made from the leftover salads. Yum! There was sun and wind and haze and islands in the distance. Pretty spot. Upscale homes. Back in modern NZ. East coast is a pleasant memory.
Tonight's view of the river mouth:
Earlier I heard ducks quacking. Very different from the usually sheep baaing or cows mooing.
In 2 days I'll be in Tauranga visiting Liz, Moa's sister-in-law, who I met at Christmas. A few days off the bike will feel good. Then I'm headed to the Coromandel Peninsula. More beaches, poor me.
NZ is oceans and beaches and ragged hills and mountains and volcanoes and bush and sheep and cows. Yup. That about sums it up. And trucks and campervans:)
Love you all!! And thanks for the wonderful notes of love and support. This blog is such a great way to stay connected. Thanks for making it a two way street.
To sleep to the sounds of the ocean...ahhhh!
Full moon from down under.
Blissful BagLady
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Busy People Day
March 25, 2013
Hawai, NZ
The first chat of the day was with Trevor
at the corner store. Actually there was a guy before Trevor but I didn't get his name or picture...oops...but what was memorable about him was he backed up his car to my trike and pondered fitting it in all before even asking if I wanted a lift:). I told him I biked because I liked it and I didn't need a lift to the next big town. But the hills are big! Good! says I. I love hills! And I do!
Then there was Helen
standing by the side of the road trying to get cell reception.
Later Maryanne
called to me from her yard as I passed. She drives 3.5 hours from Rotorua up here to a house she's fixing up that she moved her from Auckland. She gave me fresh tomatoes. Yum!
Then John
came hobbling over to the picnic table where I was lunching by the beach. He offered me some grapes for dessert so we went back to his place to cut them from the arbor. Jessie joined us and then I said Yes to the offer for coffee.
Gotta get going! Not getting anywhere today!
And there were hills! A big long climb. But they're so much easier on Blaze. No balance issue. Just pedal as slowly as the steepness requires. I think 99% of the cars waved, honked, or flashed headlights at me today:). I feel loved!!
Got told No Camping Here tonight after my tent was up. I didn't see a sign. It's over there. Ok. If I'd seen it I wouldn't have camped here. I had to look hard to find it. Not very obvious.
That's okay. Just 1/4 km down the road and a better spot!!
Using the Prince William Feather as a flag when I'm riding and a clothesline in the evening:)
Busted BagLady
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Hawai, NZ
The first chat of the day was with Trevor
at the corner store. Actually there was a guy before Trevor but I didn't get his name or picture...oops...but what was memorable about him was he backed up his car to my trike and pondered fitting it in all before even asking if I wanted a lift:). I told him I biked because I liked it and I didn't need a lift to the next big town. But the hills are big! Good! says I. I love hills! And I do!
Then there was Helen
standing by the side of the road trying to get cell reception.
Later Maryanne
called to me from her yard as I passed. She drives 3.5 hours from Rotorua up here to a house she's fixing up that she moved her from Auckland. She gave me fresh tomatoes. Yum!
Then John
came hobbling over to the picnic table where I was lunching by the beach. He offered me some grapes for dessert so we went back to his place to cut them from the arbor. Jessie joined us and then I said Yes to the offer for coffee.
Gotta get going! Not getting anywhere today!
And there were hills! A big long climb. But they're so much easier on Blaze. No balance issue. Just pedal as slowly as the steepness requires. I think 99% of the cars waved, honked, or flashed headlights at me today:). I feel loved!!
Got told No Camping Here tonight after my tent was up. I didn't see a sign. It's over there. Ok. If I'd seen it I wouldn't have camped here. I had to look hard to find it. Not very obvious.
That's okay. Just 1/4 km down the road and a better spot!!
Using the Prince William Feather as a flag when I'm riding and a clothesline in the evening:)
Busted BagLady
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Monday, March 25, 2013
"Trike Girl"
March 24,
Hwy 35 Bay of Plenty, NZ
Norm and my reflection:
Alice, minister of sweet church that her Scottish grandfather built with kauri logs cut and hauled from the northland. She's Scottish-Maori.
John and Colleen I met when I stopped at a macadamia farm cafe, The Nut House. He's a photographer from Auckland and I hope to get a copy of the pic he took of me:)
Didnt get a picture of this: Deer with 8 points in road staring at me. But deer don't run wild here! Mind boggling, like a sign just for me.
Maggots. That's what Kiwis call the white campervans as they crawl around the South Island. Fitting!
Microwave oven mailboxes are everywhere on the East Cape.
Great recycling!
Second rainy cycling day. First was in January on South Island.
Lovely, rolling coastal ride with quiet little coves in all the dips. And a view of the steaming volcanic island off shore, White Island.
I ran into Norm on the road this morning and while we were biking and chatting, friends of his passed by. Then I turned off to checkout the historic church and he pedaled on. His friends were up the road and asked him "Looks like you didn't score with Trike Girl!" (Norm told me the story when he passed again going home. "So now there are rumors going around about us, Trike Girl!")
It's 8 pm and the last of the day's light is hanging on the horizon. And I'm sitting in my tent, drinking wine, listening to Rodriguez, dancing and crying. Solo travel can be quite lonely. Many hellos and quick goodbyes. I travel alone because I have no compatible travel mate. And maybe because its easier. I get what I think I want...every day. No compromises.
I sleep every night in a different place, with a different view...alone. The other night I was sick, a terrible bellyache. And I was out at the lighthouse. What would I do if I had an emergency in the middle of the night? Alone out here? I don't think about it because I don't know really. Wait until morning, I guess. I think that because I've been alone most of my adult life, I don't know what it's really like to be taken care of (except for a few years). I'm tough. Tough Cookie. I don't think there's really anything I can't toughen my way through. And maybe that's what I do alone in my tent out of habit now.
But crying feels so good sometimes...like being fragile and vulnerable, just for a brief moment. And maybe, as my daughter said, "Crying cleanses the soul." But oh wouldn't it be nice if there were someone who cared that I was crying? That someone who just holds you and the whole world feels better. Will I ever have that again? I sure hope so. Until then, I have to do both the crying and the holding. And I'll be all right. Another sip of wine...there...all better:). Turn up the music, dance while sitting down...party of one! There'll be more great hugs and parties of two and real connections...and until then a lot of hellos and goodbyes meeting incredible, amazing, giving people!!
Thanks for listening. I'm posting this slightly censored right from the heart. If I can't share this, why journal at all? It's all part of the journey. It ain't all smiles...just mostly!!
BagLady
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Hwy 35 Bay of Plenty, NZ
Norm and my reflection:
Alice, minister of sweet church that her Scottish grandfather built with kauri logs cut and hauled from the northland. She's Scottish-Maori.
John and Colleen I met when I stopped at a macadamia farm cafe, The Nut House. He's a photographer from Auckland and I hope to get a copy of the pic he took of me:)
Didnt get a picture of this: Deer with 8 points in road staring at me. But deer don't run wild here! Mind boggling, like a sign just for me.
Maggots. That's what Kiwis call the white campervans as they crawl around the South Island. Fitting!
Microwave oven mailboxes are everywhere on the East Cape.
Great recycling!
Second rainy cycling day. First was in January on South Island.
Lovely, rolling coastal ride with quiet little coves in all the dips. And a view of the steaming volcanic island off shore, White Island.
I ran into Norm on the road this morning and while we were biking and chatting, friends of his passed by. Then I turned off to checkout the historic church and he pedaled on. His friends were up the road and asked him "Looks like you didn't score with Trike Girl!" (Norm told me the story when he passed again going home. "So now there are rumors going around about us, Trike Girl!")
It's 8 pm and the last of the day's light is hanging on the horizon. And I'm sitting in my tent, drinking wine, listening to Rodriguez, dancing and crying. Solo travel can be quite lonely. Many hellos and quick goodbyes. I travel alone because I have no compatible travel mate. And maybe because its easier. I get what I think I want...every day. No compromises.
I sleep every night in a different place, with a different view...alone. The other night I was sick, a terrible bellyache. And I was out at the lighthouse. What would I do if I had an emergency in the middle of the night? Alone out here? I don't think about it because I don't know really. Wait until morning, I guess. I think that because I've been alone most of my adult life, I don't know what it's really like to be taken care of (except for a few years). I'm tough. Tough Cookie. I don't think there's really anything I can't toughen my way through. And maybe that's what I do alone in my tent out of habit now.
But crying feels so good sometimes...like being fragile and vulnerable, just for a brief moment. And maybe, as my daughter said, "Crying cleanses the soul." But oh wouldn't it be nice if there were someone who cared that I was crying? That someone who just holds you and the whole world feels better. Will I ever have that again? I sure hope so. Until then, I have to do both the crying and the holding. And I'll be all right. Another sip of wine...there...all better:). Turn up the music, dance while sitting down...party of one! There'll be more great hugs and parties of two and real connections...and until then a lot of hellos and goodbyes meeting incredible, amazing, giving people!!
Thanks for listening. I'm posting this slightly censored right from the heart. If I can't share this, why journal at all? It's all part of the journey. It ain't all smiles...just mostly!!
BagLady
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
I Never Know What a Day Will Bring
March 23, 2013
Waihau Bay, NZ
Wet, cold, sandy start to this day. And does sand ever stick when it's wet. No drying out before I start. Have to do it later. And later never came.
Five miles in I pass a woman at the end of her driveway fiddling with her bike
and say some nebulous comment, as I usually do. We get to chatting, as usually happens. And we've got a lot of similar views, which happens here a lot. Then hubby comes running down the road having just finished his bike and run training sessions. He's got a marathon goal in a couple of months. Done quite a few...triathlons too.
What started as a quick hello turned into cup of tea, hubby checking my dereilleur, tour of the bush, lessons on identifying saplings, pottery shed tour and lunch!!! Four hours later I'm finally on the road having spent the most delightful and informative time with Glynis and Norm. They live off the grid and have for over 25 years. Solar energy, wood-heated water and space, water from the mountain creek. Idyllic lifestyle. I was envious:)
Lunch was skillet bread for open face sandwiches of grated carrot, with cooked mushrooms and tofu. Yum!!
Then tonight when I'm putting up my soggy tent as the sun is setting over this delightful cove, Karen pulls up. We chat. Then her daughter, a friend, a float (trailer) with horse aboard arrive. I get talked into moving to the friend's yard and SHOWER! That's how showers find me. I've stopped "searching" and am "finding". And I managed to get a sliver of a signal, enough to let Wayne know I'm alive:). (Folks worry about me for a bit after meeting me. I think my family is so over it!)
When I can take iphone photos of some of the pics on my camera, I'll put them in here. I've had to slow down a bit on the picture taking of people because I meet so many in a day. I was tiring myself out.
Nighty night.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Waihau Bay, NZ
Wet, cold, sandy start to this day. And does sand ever stick when it's wet. No drying out before I start. Have to do it later. And later never came.
Five miles in I pass a woman at the end of her driveway fiddling with her bike
and say some nebulous comment, as I usually do. We get to chatting, as usually happens. And we've got a lot of similar views, which happens here a lot. Then hubby comes running down the road having just finished his bike and run training sessions. He's got a marathon goal in a couple of months. Done quite a few...triathlons too.
What started as a quick hello turned into cup of tea, hubby checking my dereilleur, tour of the bush, lessons on identifying saplings, pottery shed tour and lunch!!! Four hours later I'm finally on the road having spent the most delightful and informative time with Glynis and Norm. They live off the grid and have for over 25 years. Solar energy, wood-heated water and space, water from the mountain creek. Idyllic lifestyle. I was envious:)
Lunch was skillet bread for open face sandwiches of grated carrot, with cooked mushrooms and tofu. Yum!!
Then tonight when I'm putting up my soggy tent as the sun is setting over this delightful cove, Karen pulls up. We chat. Then her daughter, a friend, a float (trailer) with horse aboard arrive. I get talked into moving to the friend's yard and SHOWER! That's how showers find me. I've stopped "searching" and am "finding". And I managed to get a sliver of a signal, enough to let Wayne know I'm alive:). (Folks worry about me for a bit after meeting me. I think my family is so over it!)
When I can take iphone photos of some of the pics on my camera, I'll put them in here. I've had to slow down a bit on the picture taking of people because I meet so many in a day. I was tiring myself out.
Nighty night.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Furthest Point East
March 21 & 22, 2013
I'm really out of touch with folks. No cell reception so no contact with Kiwis that usually hear from me. And no wifi so no posts either. Just the way it is.
I decided that 12 miles out to the furthest point east was not too far to go for a side trip even if the road was 1/2 gravel. There was a lighthouse out there that one of my Maori guys from Gisborne said was a must see. That and the sunrise. So after getting some groceries in town, out I pedaled. I got groceries but forgot water. Oh well, I'm sure I can get done at the campground I'll pass. About halfway out a pickup going the other way stops to chat and I happen to ask about water. Don't think they have any. Do you? I ask. Yup. So I'm saved...again.
(I'm laying in my tent tonight with a GD bird making the most annoying repeating squeak for the last hour spoiling an otherwise delightful camp spot by a creek. I'm going after him right now!! Bird lovers, don't watch:). A few rocks thrown into the water displaced them for now. Peace!)
Now where was I? Oh ya, the ride out. Open range horses and cattle have the best coastal grazing spots along this road. And when I was almost all the way there, Paul (no photo, too bad, really cute Brit I'd met in town) stopped me to say "good news, I was almost there...bad news, the lighthouse was up 700 steps on a hill!"
I camped in the grass of the car park and planned to get up at 6 am to go up for the sunrise. But of a rough night. I was sick. Not a fun feeling when you're in the middle of nowhere really. There were some cars there although I hadn't heard anybody. Managed to sleep and whatever it was ran its course. Then there was the rain. Do I go up if its raining in the morning? Won't be much of a sunrise to see.
I did go. It was raining. And it was a spectacular sunrise!
(Please know that i have to take pics with camera and then take a pic of a pic to post to blog, now that power is at a premium.)
Happy birthday, Kevin. Couldn't call...no signal:(
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
I'm really out of touch with folks. No cell reception so no contact with Kiwis that usually hear from me. And no wifi so no posts either. Just the way it is.
I decided that 12 miles out to the furthest point east was not too far to go for a side trip even if the road was 1/2 gravel. There was a lighthouse out there that one of my Maori guys from Gisborne said was a must see. That and the sunrise. So after getting some groceries in town, out I pedaled. I got groceries but forgot water. Oh well, I'm sure I can get done at the campground I'll pass. About halfway out a pickup going the other way stops to chat and I happen to ask about water. Don't think they have any. Do you? I ask. Yup. So I'm saved...again.
(I'm laying in my tent tonight with a GD bird making the most annoying repeating squeak for the last hour spoiling an otherwise delightful camp spot by a creek. I'm going after him right now!! Bird lovers, don't watch:). A few rocks thrown into the water displaced them for now. Peace!)
Now where was I? Oh ya, the ride out. Open range horses and cattle have the best coastal grazing spots along this road. And when I was almost all the way there, Paul (no photo, too bad, really cute Brit I'd met in town) stopped me to say "good news, I was almost there...bad news, the lighthouse was up 700 steps on a hill!"
I camped in the grass of the car park and planned to get up at 6 am to go up for the sunrise. But of a rough night. I was sick. Not a fun feeling when you're in the middle of nowhere really. There were some cars there although I hadn't heard anybody. Managed to sleep and whatever it was ran its course. Then there was the rain. Do I go up if its raining in the morning? Won't be much of a sunrise to see.
I did go. It was raining. And it was a spectacular sunrise!
(Please know that i have to take pics with camera and then take a pic of a pic to post to blog, now that power is at a premium.)
Happy birthday, Kevin. Couldn't call...no signal:(
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Kindness of the Kiwis Never Ceases to Amaze Me
March 17 & 18, 2013
Tokomaru Bay NZ
Yesterday I'm pedaling along, having finally severed the umbilical cord to Gisborne, and there's a bit of rain. Barely a sprinkle. And this pickup pulls up in front of me and this woman, June, jumps out of the passenger side. "It's raining!"
Ya, I'll be alright.
What if a deluge comes?
I'll still be all right. But I do appreciate you stopping.
Kindness right from the heart. She'd have taken me home if I let her:). She had the most beautiful chin and lip tattoo that my new picture taking motto allowed me to capture.
And again today. Blaze's back tire continues to have inflation issues so I had her stripped down on the side of the road. Actually the problem I was having was with the release and reconnection of the rear break cable. Could not get that sucker out of and then back into the hole. This time Wayne turned around to stop and help me. We got the cable lengthened enough for the problem to go away. Then he gave me the lowdown on Tokomaru Bay and camping in the beach and then offered to give me a tour in the morning. How sweet.
While setting up, Lyn
comes by with Foxy the dog and I not only got a shower but evening company and a glass of wine. And tomorrow I get to go with hubby, Mel, kayaking into the ocean while he pulls in his net!
What's not to love about New Zealand? Chatting with Ian last night at the campground I was at and we concurred with the amazing and startling kindness of Kiwis. Ian is French and staying here for a year.
Time for sleep, after I take another peak at the most amazing night sky I've seen in quite awhile!
Actually last night's sunset was pretty spectacular.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Tokomaru Bay NZ
Yesterday I'm pedaling along, having finally severed the umbilical cord to Gisborne, and there's a bit of rain. Barely a sprinkle. And this pickup pulls up in front of me and this woman, June, jumps out of the passenger side. "It's raining!"
Ya, I'll be alright.
What if a deluge comes?
I'll still be all right. But I do appreciate you stopping.
Kindness right from the heart. She'd have taken me home if I let her:). She had the most beautiful chin and lip tattoo that my new picture taking motto allowed me to capture.
And again today. Blaze's back tire continues to have inflation issues so I had her stripped down on the side of the road. Actually the problem I was having was with the release and reconnection of the rear break cable. Could not get that sucker out of and then back into the hole. This time Wayne turned around to stop and help me. We got the cable lengthened enough for the problem to go away. Then he gave me the lowdown on Tokomaru Bay and camping in the beach and then offered to give me a tour in the morning. How sweet.
While setting up, Lyn
comes by with Foxy the dog and I not only got a shower but evening company and a glass of wine. And tomorrow I get to go with hubby, Mel, kayaking into the ocean while he pulls in his net!
What's not to love about New Zealand? Chatting with Ian last night at the campground I was at and we concurred with the amazing and startling kindness of Kiwis. Ian is French and staying here for a year.
Time for sleep, after I take another peak at the most amazing night sky I've seen in quite awhile!
Actually last night's sunset was pretty spectacular.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Goldfish Farm
March 19 & 20, 2013
Wow! Days behind! Think I lost a post, yes, know I did.
Day off in Tokumaru Bay watching Mel retrieve his fish nets. Rough surf caused him to capsize a few times before he got out.
Later, Wayne (the rescuer when my bike brake cable wouldn't reassemble) gave me a tiki tour of the town: old freezer factory and wharf, a goldfish farm (way cool)
...those are tanks of goldfish -about 100 of them! And this is Stan, the goldfish farmer.
And then I got a tour of the boat that Wayne has been building for 23 years.
And not a little boat either! He says it may launch this year. I hope I get pictures when it does!
And here is Captain Wayne.
I managed to hit the road north the next day and with tailwinds and 2 flats actually went further than expected. While changing the first flat the cops, Reagan and Ben, stopped by to make sure I was okay.
"You're not going to camp by the side of the road, are you?"
"Oh, no! Not me! This road is too busy. I'll ask a farmer."
Later they pulled into the bar I was camped behind. Made it!
The second flat was a pinch flat. Because I'd been having several flats on the back in the same spot and unable to find the issue, I swapped out my foldable spare. I checked for punches, but must have missed it. The next morning I was able to find the culprit, a microscopic sliver of metal straight in...and I got it out! But the back tire is bald. I need to swap it with a front one. Ugh. That means changing 2 tires at once. Maybe in the morning.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Wow! Days behind! Think I lost a post, yes, know I did.
Day off in Tokumaru Bay watching Mel retrieve his fish nets. Rough surf caused him to capsize a few times before he got out.
Later, Wayne (the rescuer when my bike brake cable wouldn't reassemble) gave me a tiki tour of the town: old freezer factory and wharf, a goldfish farm (way cool)
...those are tanks of goldfish -about 100 of them! And this is Stan, the goldfish farmer.
And then I got a tour of the boat that Wayne has been building for 23 years.
And not a little boat either! He says it may launch this year. I hope I get pictures when it does!
And here is Captain Wayne.
I managed to hit the road north the next day and with tailwinds and 2 flats actually went further than expected. While changing the first flat the cops, Reagan and Ben, stopped by to make sure I was okay.
"You're not going to camp by the side of the road, are you?"
"Oh, no! Not me! This road is too busy. I'll ask a farmer."
Later they pulled into the bar I was camped behind. Made it!
The second flat was a pinch flat. Because I'd been having several flats on the back in the same spot and unable to find the issue, I swapped out my foldable spare. I checked for punches, but must have missed it. The next morning I was able to find the culprit, a microscopic sliver of metal straight in...and I got it out! But the back tire is bald. I need to swap it with a front one. Ugh. That means changing 2 tires at once. Maybe in the morning.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
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