Homeless Hobos

We didn’t get off to a great start in New Zealand as when we entered their biosecurity system they deemed our tents not fit for entry.  Those annoying mosquitoes that attacked us in Sydney came back to haunt and screw us over since our tents had some dead mosquitoes in them.  We therefore had two choices: have them confiscated and destroyed and then get new tents or wait up to 2 weeks and pay up to $200NZD for them to be fumigated.  Even though we really liked our Big Agnes Seedhouse tents we didn’t have 2 weeks to spare nor did we think forking over $200NZD was the wise option.  As such, we were left homeless at the Christchurch airport. 

After purchasing new homes in Christchurch we left the next day and headed south along the Canterbury Plains.  Unlike most of New Zealand this region is flat so we liked that but it was rather dull with constant farmland and grey skies.    

But that dullness would quickly wear off in the following days as we had more challenges presented to us.  New Zealand had been experiencing a drought for the previous 6 to 8 weeks prior to our arrival.  As cyclists we prefer to be warm and dry rather than cold and wet so we were hoping that trend would continue.  Unfortunately it didn’t and we got hammered for continuous days on end.  Just completely drenched.  It wasn’t fun to cycle in and definitely not fun camping in.

So far I would say when the sun is out and stays out, it is nice to cycle but when the weather is poor it is a struggle.  Frustrations mount especially when it is raining and we have to climb steep hills.  There have been some steep hills and there will be plenty more ahead.  So it has been tough going thus far. 

      

We are currently in Queenstown and took today off so I could go on a tour of the Milford Sound.  One of the last things Trevor would want to do is join a group tour so he stayed back and took it easy in Queenstown.  Since he really hates the cold he went out shopping for some warmer clothing.  I think our sister would be impressed and proud of his purchase as he picked up a Kathmandu soft shelled jacket for $50NZD reduced from $320NZD!  So hoping that will ensure he won’t get cold again.  Given he hates being cold and wet so much I am amazed that he has lived in Vancouver all his life. 

I like to think when people usually see us with our bicycles looking the way we do with ripped clothing, afros and in dire need of a shower, they can conclude we have been on the road for some time.  On a day like today when we weren’t around our bicycles it wasn’t quite apparent to passersby that we are world touring cyclists and not hobos.  Two examples of this occurred today the first being Trevor sat in a park and was approached by a photography student who was taking pictures of random people for his photo essay.  The student said Trevor was an interesting character.  I think ‘interesting character’ was code for street corner bum.  The second example occurred when Trevor and I sat on a bench barefoot along this promenade in the evening and discussed routes through the rest of New Zealand while I ate a mix of oats, brown sugar and table spread.  Quite good!  Anyway, a group of Asian tourists stopped and offered their leftovers in a doggy bag from the restaurant they just ate at.  We gratefully accepted their leftover fries and onion rings and gobbled them up.  I wanted to slip in that it would provide us the energy to cycle onward so they knew we weren’t looking for handouts.  From these two examples we have learned today when we are with the bikes we are respected adventurers to some but without them, homeless hobos.  

Our first night in New Zealand, sleeping in the arrivals area at the Christchurch airport.  Not so bad.  It is ranked 4^th best in the South Pacific region to sleep in according to sleepinginairports.net.  Great website, check it out if you are strapped for accommodation.  

The central business district of Christchurch still looks quite devastated from the massive earthquake they had just over 2 years ago.  They have cordoned off a good chunk of the downtown area but have put up a temporary small shopping mall called Re:START made out of shipping containers.  It was unique, different and colourful so I liked it.

Our new tents set up on the first day.  We didn’t have many good options so we ended up getting the Eureka! Spitfire tents that set us each back $150NZD.  Ouch.  Definitely miss my old tent as that was so much easier to set up and manage.  I was confident it would have taken me the rest of the way too.  This new one is not free standing meaning you must always stake in.  That can pose a problem as there have been times and most likely will be more where the ground is not made for staking.  Have no fear though as Trevor, the wise one who thinks outside the box came up with a solution.  Basically we can just put weights such as our panniers at each end and it then effectively becomes a free standing tent.  I tried it last night and it worked fine. 

Trevor testing out a possible new bike?  I don’t think so.  This was in Oamaru, a town I liked as it had some interesting places to go to and old streets to walk down. 

Trevor’s really bad day.  He ran over something on the road that resulted in a loud screeching pop.  Not sure if it was glass but we have both noticed many beer bottles on the side of the road.  Anyway, sure enough his tire had a puncture but not just any puncture, a deep slash.  As a result his rather new Schwalbe Marathon tire he picked up not too long ago in Perth for $85AUD is done.  Shame too because it still looks new.  He was very frustrated and angry at the time for obvious reasons, but even more so because we were getting soaked by the rain.  Trevor isn’t a happy camper so far in New Zealand. 

The Otago Peninsula in some gloomy weather.  Could hardly see it. 

I had another vision that resulted in failure.  I had a plan to cycle up the World’s Most Steepest Street being Baldwin Street in Dunedin.  When we got there after getting a good drenching I decided that probably wasn’t the best of ideas.  The street is STEEP.  Going up and down it on the bicycle would be dangerous in my view.  At its steepest section if you walk 2.86 meters horizontally you go up 1 vertical meter.  That is steep.  So instead of cycle up it, we walked up and down it. 

Trevor cycling up one of many hills.  This was in the Catlins, a nice scenic part in the southeast corner of the South Island. 

At Slope Point also known as the southernmost point of the South Island.  Pretty neat but it sure was a drag getting here.  We had to cycle up and down steep gravel hills.  Gravel road is not fun.  Plus the weather changed constantly.  Sun and blue sky then grey clouds, rain and cold the next. 

Hasn’t happened a whole lot thus far but like I said before when the sun is out, good times. 

Lake Wakatipu from Queenstown, the adventure capital of the world.

We had some time to kill yesterday in Queenstown while we waited for sunset so I prepared some pasta while Trevor sat back and calmed his nerves.  We were basically waiting until it got a bit darker to set up camp at our predetermined stealth camp spot just outside of town.  It isn’t really that easy camping here in New Zealand.  Well if you wish to pay $30+ for a site at a holiday park maybe so but we aren’t keen to do so.  They do have sites where you pay $6 but those are few and far between.  Shame we can’t always just set up shop off the road like we could easily do in Australia.  They have many signs up stating ‘No Camping’ in many rest areas and if caught you are fined on the spot.  So we have to be extra careful. 

This camp spot of ours was in a forest just off the road.  It was pretty good but we were disturbed just before midnight by some possums.  This one possum pictured got on our bikes and we were both worried it would do some damage to them so I chucked some tree cones around it trying to get it to scram.  It eventually moved.  I learned today that these possums are actually a nuisance to New Zealand as they eat trees.  So there is a saying that goes on: kill a possum, save a tree. 

The kea, the world’s only alpine parrot.

The Milford Sound.  Unfortunately the weather didn’t cooperate so the views weren’t the ones I had seen on the postcards.  Ah well.  It does rain a whole lot in the Fiordland National Park though, apparently 200 days of the year with 6-7 meters of rainfall.  Saw some nice waterfalls though!