| As I was waiting in the departure lounge
at Bangkok airport for my flight to Sydney, a fellow traveller bade me
farewell, with the advice, "You be careful cycling in Australia - it will be
scorching hot." What he forgot to mention was that it would also be misty,
raining, snowing, sleeting, howling a gale; that lightening would strike and
thunder would roll; that trees would fall and Melbourne would flood; that
roads and airports would close and temperature records would reach all-time
summer lows.
Hence I spent two days with fellow hikers and cyclists huddled around a
roaring fire at Thredbo Youth Hostel, as rain and snow fell continuously
for 54 hours. The local paper reported temperatures below zero and winds
of 130 kph whipping through the village.
Those same winds had blown me 35km up the Dead Horse Pass from the valley
the previous day, with hailstones stinging my eyes and water dripping down
the back of my neck. When the weather finally cleared and I was able to
continue to the top, I reflected that this particular mountain, 40 km long
and rising to a height of 1520 meters, had taken me 4 days to climb....
My sense of direction has never been great, but in Australia it reached
new depths. I had become so used to confirming my direction on the road by
the position of the sun in the sky, that on the way up to the Blue
Mountains, travelling west around midday, I was totally confused to find the
sun on my right hand side. Surely at this time of day, it should be in the
South? I checked and re-checked the map. I wandered back a few kilometres to
look again at the last road sign. I even stopped and asked in a local shop.
Yes, I was going the right direction, it was just that in the Southern
Hemisphere, the sun moves round the north of the sky!
Good job I'm not a navigator for Ellen MacArthur....
As Australia was not originally on my itinerary, I had made only hurried
plans to cycle 640 miles along the coastal Princess Highway form Sydney to
Melboune. But plans are there to be changed. In the end, I cycled 680 miles
between the two cities and not one of them on the Princess Highway! In fact,
after leaving Sydney, I didn't catch sight of the sea again.
Of far more interest to me were the hilly excursions into the Blue
Mountains, peaceful rides on empty roads across the tablelands of New South
Wales, a visit to Canberra, (my 15th capital city of the trip and surely the
cleanest, quietest, most picturesque of all), and challenging climbing in
the Snowy Mountains, around the country's highest point of Mount Kosciusko
at 2220 meters. I met only one other cycling tourist, which I find amazing
on this superb cycling route. Is it Australia's best kept secret?
I spent 25 days in Australia, cycling 680 miles and taking 66 hours and
ten minutes to do so. I stayed 12 nights in the excellent Youth Hostels, and
the rest in motels or inns - all of a high standard. I treated my bike to a
new set of brake blocks to help me on those mountain descents, and was
pleased to receive the back-handed compliment from a local, - "You can't
have cycled round the world - your bike is far too clean."
P.S. No punctures...........
When I landed in Christchurch, I had cycling company for the first time
on my global journey. A friend had flown out from Liverpool to join me on a
600-mile circuit of the northern and central parts of New Zealand's South
Island. It was strange at first, having someone to talk to, but I'm told I
made the most of it, chatting away continuously for 3 weeks!
I also made the most of being able to cycle in someone else's slipstream,
especially useful when we hit strong and very wet winds on the west coast of
the island. From Greymouth to Westport, we cycled in probably the wettest
conditions I have ever known. The salty water being blown in from the Tasman
Sea stung so much that I completed most of the 60 miles with my eyes closed.
It could have been worse however. A week later, a tornado swept into
Greymouth, ripping off roofs and causing $10m worth of damage to the
town....
The sun returned for our trip through the idyllic Buller Gorge to
Marlborough wine country. Wine tasting and whale watching were on the
agenda, mixed in with the cycling.
It's official! New Zealand has the best scenery in the world....and the
worst drivers! Maybe they are all looking at the scenery. Whatever, I had
more close encounters here than in any other country. And after nearly
running me down, most drivers would follow that up with a good blast of
their horn and a flow of verbal abuse out of their window. Sorry to be
critical, but I'm not the only one to have noticed. The national radio
station devoted a whole programme to discussing how bad the local drivers
are.
When my cycling companion returned home, I took the opportunity to look
up a friend of a friend in Christchurch. Not knowing who or what to expect,
I cycled out to the Pacific Estuary on the edge of the city, to be given a
lesson in fitness. 78 year old, Glen Metcalf, an amazing lady, took one look
at my cycling shoes, decreed them fit for walking, handed me a pack and
packed lunch, and we set off on a wonderful walk across Godley Head. Glen
strode ahead, talking effortlessly, whilst I sweated behind her! Thanks Glen
for a great day out, and I hope I am as fit as you, when I'm your age...
Talking of age, I reached the big 40 in New Zealand. Was it just my
imagination, or did those aches and pains in my right toe, left foot, index
finger, lower back and neck suddenly feel a lot worse?
Given this, and with one eye on my forthcoming 3,300 mile crossing of
America, I decided to take a well-earned sabbatical from cycling, and hire a
car to reach those places I couldn't cycle to in a week.
Mount Cook National Park, and of course, Milford Sound, were both high on
my agenda. Ironically, adverse weather conditions in both locations enhanced
the drama of my visits. At Mount Cook, 2 days of freezing rain left the
mountains covered in snow when the skies finally cleared, whilst the scenery
at Milford Sound reached awesome proportions following a 24-hour rainstorm.
Hundreds of waterfalls poured down the cliffs all around the Sound. My
camera captured the images, but couldn't describe the thunderous noise of
the water hitting the sea. A real highlight of the New Zealand experience.
Now for all those of you eagerly awaiting a report on my attempt at the
world's steepest street, (I'm sure you haven't been able to sleep with the
anticipation....), I have disappointing news. Baldwin Street in Dunedin is
SERIOUSLY steep. I gave it three goes in my lowest gear, getting about
halfway up each time, before succumbing to gravity. I did freewheel down it
though, my hands gripping the brake levers in terror, much to the delight of
20 camera-clicking Japanese tourists.
I spent 32 nights in New Zealand, 19 of them in the wonderful YHA youth
hostels, and 13 in motels. I cycled 592 miles, taking 52 hours to do so.
With much less effort, I drove 1000 miles in my hired car. In Queenstown, I
stood for 40 minutes on the bridge over the Kawarau gorge, contemplating a
bungee jump, before deciding that such a show of courage just simply wasn't
necessary.
My bike now has its 3rd set of tyres of the trip. I'd almost forgotten
how to take a tyre off the wheel. It's so long since I have had to do it,
because of course, as usual, there have been no punctures.
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