It is
hard to believe that is has only been ten days since Brian and I packed our lives
in Queenstown onto bikes and set off into the mountains in search of this
magical adventure and a far off place called Auckland. Last night despite our
fantastic hosts had been another rough one for me as my stomach had been acting
up and giving me bad feelings; having seen pictures of cyclists pooping
themselves I was sure I could not pull off that look. Fortunately for me I
awoke this morning in good health and spirits so I ate a banana and an entire
box of Rice Krispies, packed the bikes, took a shower, and hit the road.
Today was day two of our inward
journey and according to my elevation research would only see us climbing 100m
or so throughout the day; that is if you read the right day. Leaving Reefton,
we were off to a great start with a small backing wind and cruising at a great
speed through the pastures. The bike was working, the sun was shining, and we
both had that smile on our face like we didn’t have any hills to climb today. We
reached the small town of Inanghua ad we only had half of our journey left!
Remember a little earlier when I said that we only had 100m of vertical, well I
had actually looked at the day before ad todays vertical was actually around
700m… oops. About 10km down the road we started entering into the Upper Rolling
Gorge Scenic Reserve and immediately started climbing. As the hills kept on
coming and us having no ideas when or if they would stop, our spirits started
to falter. One thing I’ve learned so far on this journey is that when things
seem bleak and spirits are low all I need to do is stop and take a moment t loo
around and take in the scenery. On one side of us this towering cliff covered
in tall trees all blanketed in moss and filled in with ferns with the
occasional trickling stream coming down. On the other, a steep bank its only barrier
a thin line of trees before I fell down to roaring white water below. Climbing
for what felt like a lifetime we finally saw salvation, a spot where there was
no mountains nestled between two limestone peaks shining bright with sunshine. Crossing
a bridge towards our salvation we both looked down to see a perfect cliff
diving spot, as we could see no better way to cool off then to go for a quick
dip; we crossed the bridge and found a path down. Looking over the edge of the
low cliff all encompassed by nature and the probably cold river below me I got
a little nervous but this is what I’m here for and if I could bike through that
never ending gorge then the least I could was wash myself of it in its very own
waters. SPLASH! I surfaced out of the frigid water and swam panicky towards the
shore. As I pulled myself up out of the water the rush of refreshment hit me.
All those endless climbs and burning muscles were replaced by the sensation of
the cool water running off my skin while the warm sun dried it.
Quickly changing to avoid getting
eaten alive by the swarms of sandflies, we got back on the bikes and rode to
finish the last 11km to Murchinson. As we looked back at the mountains
shrinking behind us the sun rested its ray perfectly on its peaks ad Brian
stopped to get a picture. Once we finally arrived in town our hostel was right
as we entered so we pulled in ready to settle down for the evening. Turns out
its Sunday and the owner was out playing golf so we waited outside for his
arrival. Once the owner arrived he informed us that we would be the only people
in tonight so we had the hostel entirely to ourselves, and what a beautiful one
it is. The owner also explained that anyone who shows up on bike gets a beer on
him. So I her I sit a wonderful organic pilsner in hand, some tunes on the
radio and what, according to Brian, is the best shower in New Zealand awaiting
me. Day 10 87km down and only ten more left!
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