Monday and Tuesdays Blogs.

Monday 28^th Feb  - 11pm

Well that was the toughest days cycling I have ever done in my life and I am exhausted. I arrived at David and Belinda’s house in Northern Dunedin at about 7.30 pm and had to push my bike the last 300 yards as the road they live on is a 20% hill and I would never have been able to climb it even after 2 miles never mind 102 miles. Today I have burnt off almost 8000 calories and climbed in excess of 6000 feet which is roughly two Snowdon’s. The wind has been against me for about 50 miles and for some reason I could not stomach much food which hasn’t helped at all. Even tonight I only ate a regular sized meal. I’m not sure what the problem is but I need to increase my calorie intake or I won’t have much energy before long.  My legs ache, my arse is sore but I feel great having completed a tough day pretty much on schedule.

David and Belinda have been fabulous especially since they have never met me before.( David is the brother of Richard who is a mate of my mate Tony Capstick !! ) I have had a great meal, a well deserved beer and my clothes washed. I am now sat in bed much in need of sleep so this will be brief. The house I am in is amazing and full of Character. It sits atop of a big hill looking out over the whole of Dunedin and the view is amazing. You would need to be a millionaire to live in a place like this in the UK.

Tomorrow is a 72 mile day to Oamaru but again it is a hilly day with two big ones to start off with. My legs are gonna be screaming for the first hour tomorrow and I will need a rubber ring to go on my saddle ( too much information Andy !!!! ) Nevertheless it is less than today and I’m not bothered if I fall short as I will be staying in a hotel if I can find one. Most down here are booked up with Earthquake victims who have no house to live in anymore.

I’m glad today is over but at least I am a day ahead of schedule and have a bit of leeway built in to the trip in case of any unforeseen circumstances. There are bound to be some problems ahead but bring it on I say !

Can’t keep my eyes open any longer so bye for now.

Tuesday 1^st March   - 7pm

Well I have just arrived in Oamaru having completed 70 miles and some pretty steep hills. When I Woke this morning I did not feel like getting on my bike. It actually hurt to sit on my bed so you can imagine what it felt like when I first tentatively placed my backside on the racing saddle that adorns my bike. I will say no more !

I spent a leisurely morning having breakfast and being entertained by 19 month old Violet,  David and Belinda’s daughter. She didn’t seem quite as scared of me as she did last night when I arrived looking all sweaty and with 5 days of facial hair. This morning she was mildly cautious which I have learnt over the last 40 years is all I can reasonably expect from most females.

I set off at 10.30 and within 50 yards I was climbing a 1000 foot hill that takes you out of Dunedin along the A1. This hill went on for ages and then dropped into a 40 mph decent to the foot of a 600 foot climb and once this was over there was a 500 foot climb and so on. After 90 minutes I was ready to pack up and fly home as the rain started to pour down and I met a headwind but ten minutes later my faith was restored as I found a flat bit which went on for about 10 miles.

After promising myself faithfully that I would not rest until Palmerston at the 30 mile mark I saw a café and my resolution failed immediately. I could not get off my bike quick enough and dived in looking like a sweatier version of Grizzly Adams in lycra. I nearly cried when I saw that they had carrot cake and ordered a massive piece together with a coffee and a bottle of coke. I then inhaled all that within seconds and sat and chatted to the staff there. They thought I was mad. Not because of the way I looked I hasten to add but because I was cycling the length of their country. I don’t think either of the staff had ever been further than the South Island.

That carrot cake was like rocket fuel as it turned me from a very weary man into a dynamo and I ate up the next ten miles before hitting more hills. My reaction to the first hill was to stop and get an ice cream  and a can of Iron Brew which I consumed in the shade as it was now 78 F. The weather has been warm but it was now getting hot and the shade was a blessing for a while. As I sat there another cyclist went past on the most laden down bike I have ever seen. I don’t think you could get any more on the bike if you tried. We exchanged pleasantries but he didn’t stop ( probably scared of the beard too !) and I sat for a further 30 mins before heading off again.

After the hills and passing through Palmerston the road met with the beach and I cycled along the coast for a few miles past “ Shag Point” my first photo opportunity of the day and enjoyed the scenery. It really was a surfer’s paradise except of course for all the rocks that lined the beach making it suicide for anyone who would be mad enough to try surfing there.

Further up the coast there was a turn off the A1 enabling you to follow the coast for another 25 miles until reaching Oamaru. I had asked the lady who sold me the ice cream if this was a good route and she said it was lovely as the A1 was really steep and hilly later on and the coastal route was better and more scenic. She said “ You can’t miss the turn off as its next to the chicken laying an egg !!“ I looked at her somewhat mystified like she was some sort of Clairvoyant who knew there would be a small chicken laying an egg at the precise moment I reached the intersection but she saw my confusion and interjected. “ It’s like 20 foot tall, trust me you can’t miss it! “   Well miss it I did,  and before I knew it I was heading up some horrid flipping duel carriageway with massive cattle trucks wizzing past me with about 6 inches between us. ( They all drive like that here )

Anyway, The next hour or so flew by and I felt great which was a bit of a shock considering yesterday’s exploits. I finally arrived in Oamaru at 5.50pm just as I  caught up the guy on the laden down bike from earlier. ( No wonder I caught him up ) We had a chat for 20 mins or so and his name is JT and he is from Korea. He has taken 2 years out to cycle round the world ( hence all the gear ). We exchanged contact details and I said I might meet up with him in McDonalds tonight to exchange manly cycling stories !! ( MD’s has free WIFI )

Today I have climbed 5000 feet and burnt off 6000 calories. 

I now find myself in a snazzy motel type place in a studio apartment costing about £55 a night. It has the most amazing shower and free WIFI too. I now need to get myself the biggest bowl of pasta I can find and skype my lovely girlfriend. I hope she won’t freak at the sight of wierdy beardy face !!

Sorry I went on so much tonight, hope I haven’t bored you all…..if your still reading that is

Sorry this is late !

Thursday 24^th Feb  3.30 pm

A lazy day today before I set off for Wellington early tomorrow morning on the Tranzscenic Overlander train. This morning Tania showed me around the area by bike and thankfully mine is all assembled and working well.

At 1pm I took the bike and all my gear into the local school to talk to two classes of 12 year old kids about my trip as part of their IT lessons. Their teacher heard about my trip and asked me to talk to the kids about my Blog the Satellite Tracking as well as everything else and they are going to follow my blog and my progress over the next month. They were great and inundated me with questions on just about everything from whether I supported Man United to whether I was carrying toilet paper with me. One little girl finished by asking me if I was famous ???.  Naturally I told her I was…..n’t.

I’m not sure whether I feel more under pressure to complete this trip from the fund raising perspective now or from not letting the kids down. Either way I better get peddling.

Tonight I’m meeting an old friend Jeannie an Air Stewardess for NZ Airways and her fella Mark for dinner in the city. Better not drink too much as I am up at 5.30am.

Friday 25^th Feb 11.45 am

Well I’m now sat aboard the Overlander train which runs from Auckland to Wellington and takes 12 hours to travel the 650 kms  through some of the most scenic parts of NZ.As I write this we are around 500 metres above sea level and I can see for miles around across rolling hills. I’m glad I’m not cycling back along this route as it would kill me. There isn’t a flat part as far as the eye can see.

I slept around 2 hours last night after going out with Jeannie and Mark in Grey Lyn near central Auckland. We hit one of the trendy bars and had a few beers and a good catch up. Thanks to Jeannie I now have two more places to stay on the route back up the South Island as her Parents live in Timaru and her Grandad lives in Blenheim where they make all the wine !! Great news !!

I was then given a whistle stop tour of the city and the main view points on the way home. Auckland is littered with dormant volcanoes that make great view points. I think there are around 20 in total in Auckland alone. Thankfully none of them have erupted in a long time though given recent events it makes you realise that New Zealand is one risky place to live but still worth it regardless.

Once back at Tania’s I could not get to sleep as there was so much on my mind and about the next few days and I was certain my alarm would not work for some reason. Anyway I managed 2 hours at the most and got up at 5am and headed out on the bike to the main Railway Station in Central Auckland “ Britamart” to catch the train. This is the first time I have ridden my bike fully laden with all my gear and boy it’s heavy. So much for travelling light this time !

I finally arrive in Wellington at 7.30 tonight and will be met by my Uncle “Bob” who is lives on a boat on the Harbour and will be ferrying me down to Invercargill in his “Yute”. Everyone drives massive gas guzzling 4wd’s in New Zealand and the fuel prices are almost as bad as they are back in the UK.

It’s going to take us a 5 hours to get to the South Island on the Interislander ferry and a couple of days to get to the southernmost point of NZ , Bluff where I start peddling. It should be a great road trip especially as the weather looks like it will stay sunny.

Anyway, I’m off to see if the buffet car stocks any beer. Catch you later.

Saturday 26^th Feb – 2pm

Well I finally arrived in Wellington at 7.30 pm last night bang on time despite it being a 12 hour journey and felt surprisingly tired despite the fact that I hardly left my seat all day. My Uncle picked me up at the station and we headed back to his boat on the marina to chill out before we set off for the ferry at 1am. I managed a whole 2 hours sleep before we were up again and back in the Yute to head for the ferry. After boarding at 2.30am we tried to sleep in the restaurant area but it was frankly impossible in the upright chairs. So after dozing for three hours it was back in the Yute and we disembarked in the dark and headed south.

The weather has been rotten all the way down and it has rained all the way pretty much. The scenery however is spectacular and I have been more than a little perturbed by the size of some of the mountains that I will be climbing on the way back north in a few day’s time. They are massive!!!!

The roads here are also very narrow and some of the trucks that are up and down here resemble trains they are that big. I am gonna have to be pretty careful and wear my Hi Viz I think.

On the way down we passed through Christchurch and although we could not get anywhere near the Central Business District we saw the devastation that has been wrought on this city. It is quite unsettling as so many roads are flooded and riddled with giant cracks and crevasse’s. Thank god we are in a 4wd as without these 22inch wheels we would not have got through one or two of the roads. We visited Bobs relations near Lyttleton which was hit pretty hard and they have cracks in just about everything and no electricity or water. We arrived as they were barbequing some water for a hot drink. They were as cheerful as hell though which shows great character as just imagine how much us Brits would moan at such a situation. They have had 270 quakes/after shocks in the last 6 months and 2 more today measuring 4 on the richter scale which puts things in perspective. I guess they are used to the earth moving ( much like all my ex’s ! )

I now find myself in a little hotel called the Studholme Hotel in South Canterbury between Timaru and Oamaru as Bob has flaked out and could not drive any more. I am sat in the bar having a couple of pints generously donated by the owner who I have just regaled with tales of my Cycle trip. He has even offered me a free room on the way back up north should I need it. These Kiwi’s are so generous. It takes a bit of getting used to.

It looks like I will be able to start cycling a day earlier than expected at the moment so I have rejigged my itinerary …again ! It’s nice to give myself an extra day despite adding another potential 100 mile day but it’s pretty flat where we are now so hopefully it will be ok. I hear that there are some pretty big mountains down near Dunedin though so I may have bitten off more than I can chew. They can’t be as bad as the ones up north though as they almost made me feel sick driving down.

If I get through this on schedule it will be a miracle but I will give it my best.

Anyway, I’m off for a nap as I’m “jiggered” as they would say here. I still have to find a place with broadband to upload this to my blog but that will have to wait till tomorrow now. Catch you all soon.

Sunday 27^th Feb  8pm

Well Believe it or not I am now sat in a small motel called “The Falls” in Mataura which is north of Invercargill on state Highway 1. I have just cycled the first 50 miles of the trip having set off from Bluff at 3.30pm today after mad dash down from South Canterbury about 300 miles away. I was keen to start a day earlier than planned after seeing the size of the mountains I have to traverse over the next few days. They are soooo much bigger than I expected. I really thought the South Island was flat.

After a few photographs at the southern most point of New Zealand I hopped on my bike and started peddling only to find I was cycling into the wind which was a bit of a bummer. It wasn’t too bad though and my intention was to get to where I sit now by 7.30 and I was pretty much bang on time. The roads were pretty flat in the main but they were monotonously straight which gave you the feeling that you just weren’t getting anywhere. I decided not to stop at all and just peddled solidly for 4 hours and feel knackered now as a result. This is nothing to what lies ahead tomorrow though as I have 100 miles to Dunedin and many many hills to climb. The place I am staying in is a bit dodgy but Its next to a Police Station and I have introduced myself to the Police Officer who actually lives next door manning it alone and he has been really helpful. I have just wolfed down the biggest plate of gammon, sausage, eggs and chips ever and now I need to head over to the Police station so I can use the Officers wifi to update this blog as he kindly offered earlier.

Hopefully I will find another wifi tomorrow. 

A dodgy start

Tuesday 22^nd Feb    23.30 hours

Well it was a rocky start to the trip which almost saw me miss my flight and have a 1km dash from Wetherspoon’s  Bar to the departure gate. I lost track of time and didn’t realise that they board early for long haul flights and not 5 minutes before like the “Easyjet” trips I am more accustomed to.

I was sat at the bar thinking I had plenty of time when I  casually glanced  up from reading a very interesting article in the Daily Star about Katy Price only to see on the giant TV screen the words “Gate Closing” next to my flight number !!!!!.

I grabbed my bag and raced out of the bar leaving a whole pint of Kronenberg ( at £4.45 by the way !!! ) and sprinted through the entire airport to what turned out to be the furthest possible departure gate in the whole bloody place. Naturally I couldn’t keep the sprint up the whole way and gradually subsided to a wheezing, panting jog occasionally speeding up as I forced my way through a succession of those moving walkways that carry you at a whole 1 mph quicker than everyone else.

By the time I reached the departure gate I was sweating like someone who was probably carrying a small explosive device in their shoe so was eyed up suspiciously by the security guards before being allowed onto the flight.

This debacle was the icing on the cake after learning at the check in desk on arrival at Heathrow that they had no record of me completing my ESTA travel visa ( for entry to the USA) as requested so was sent away to the internet café to do so all over again. I wouldn’t mind but I had completed said document months ago so god knows what happened there. Thirty minutes later I had completed the VISA on line and as a precaution I took a photo of the final screen with the completion code as proof. I presented myself to the check in lady again only to be met with a blank face when she checked her system and found no VISA !!!   I smugly showed her my photo as proof showing my recept for £30 together withverification code only to be told that I had been scammed and had been taken to a fraudulent website and charged four times the price for nothing…..bugger !

In the end they felt sorry for me and took me to First Class check in where a nice lady competed the visa for me using my “I phone” over the net and then checked me in straight after. A porter then came and collected my bike box and took it away for me without weighing it and without charging me £35 in excess baggage costs as I was 9kgs over my allowance… Result !!   It looked like I was going to be travelling in style.  I was then shown through to the first class passport control desk bypassing all the “Peasants” in the economy class queue only to be turned straight back again as I had not been bumped up to first class as I thought but booked into Cattle Class with everyone else. … Damn !

Anyway I needed a drink after all that so hit Wetherspoon’s for a beer to settle my nerves and that’s where we kicked off this story. So here I am, on board and flying over Winnipeg in Canada about 3 hours short of LA where I change planes. I will not be hitting any bars this time and will be paying close attention to the departure times from now on or this could be a longer cycle than I intended.

A stressful start but at least I am half way there.  

Wed 23^rd Feb 1200 hours

Landed in Auckland and spent two hours getting through customs who inspected my bike and tent like it was a Biological Weapon. Thankfully they let me keep the bike intact and sterilised my tent instead, and all for free !!

I’m now sat at my friend Tania’s house in the warm sun with the cicada’s chirping away in the background planning the next couple of days. I have to rebuild my bike, buy a local mobile phone and give a talk to a class of 12 year olds at the local school who are going to be following my trip across their country as a class project. I better keep my blog clean then eh ???

Well, I think its time for a nap now so catch you later.

Not long to go

Well its only 4 days till I leave so there is still plenty of time to visit the Just Giving site and sponsor me. Its going to take 6 days to get to the start line in New Zealand so I won't start cycling till 28th February from Bluff on the south coast. I actually cant wait to get going though I'm not sure I've done enough training really. 60 miles today felt OK but there was no panniers so time will tell if I have done enough.

Only a week to go

Well folks , just set up the blog, hope you can all read it ok ?