A day cycling from St. Arnaud to Blenheim, about 104km or 65 miles. We left the DOC campsite on Kerr Bay at about 10.30am and went to the visitors' centre where we noted that the sooty fungus that we've seen on beech trees only spreads from the top of the South Island down to about Greymouth sort of latitude. The scale insects apparently don't cope too well with older beech trees or real cold (this all reminds me of scale insects on bay plants - similar issues). We asked if there are any shops in the next 60kms or so and the visitors' centre staff reckoned not. We then loaded up with food at the rather expensive food shop (the only one - the only food shop in NZ where my bill exceeded $60 - that is our individual budget for each day) and headed off. The first few miles up to where the road to Nelson turns off were gently uphill. Then from that point for about an hour and a half the road was slightly downhill and we had a tailwind - so we knocked of a good 50-ish kms at a rapid speed. Then the wind, so fickle in NZ, turned about and we had the next 40kms or so with a notable headwind. Met two american (North Carolina) bikers in The Tavern (and very very basic shop) in Wairua Valley. They were enjoying Matsons Ales (good choice) and heading west. Eventually the wind dropped and we rolled into Blenheim in relative calm. The last 20 - 30 kms were through huge vineyards because this is the biggest wine producing area in NZ.The Wairau River accompanied us pretty much all the way - though mostly at some distance from the road.In Blenheim we headed for the New World Supermarket and then to the Top 10 Camping, very unfortunately situated near to Highway 1 and the railway line. Sleeping was not so easy - I awoke a couple of times to hear goods trains rattling through the darkness nearby. As in the USA, the trains have a nice musical note when they are crossing roads, plus the noise of bell like crossing signals. Almost worth being woken up for.In the campsite kitchen an englishman was bemoaning the poor rate of exchange (the UK, government is trying to devalue the pound to keep house prices, the bedrock of our economy, high - housing assets being the backing to a debt economy). He then said that he should have bought a NZ house because they had gone up in value hugely against the pound. When will the Brits stop obsessing about maintaining the high price of houses and worry, instead, about a good society and decent shelter for everyone? Then the pound might be worth something...
A day cycling from St. Arnaud to Blenheim, about 104km or 65 miles. We left the DOC campsite on Kerr Bay at about 10.30am and went to the visitors' centre where we noted that the sooty fungus that we've seen on beech trees only spreads from the top of the South Island down to about Greymouth sort of latitude. The scale insects apparently don't cope too well with older beech trees or real cold (this all reminds me of scale insects on bay plants - similar issues). We asked if there are any shops in the next 60kms or so and the visitors' centre staff reckoned not. We then loaded up with food at the rather expensive food shop (the only one - the only food shop in NZ where my bill exceeded $60 - that is our individual budget for each day) and headed off. The first few miles up to where the road to Nelson turns off were gently uphill. Then from that point for about an hour and a half the road was slightly downhill and we had a tailwind - so we knocked of a good 50-ish kms at a rapid speed. Then the wind, so fickle in NZ, turned about and we had the next 40kms or so with a notable headwind. Met two american (North Carolina) bikers in The Tavern (and very very basic shop) in Wairua Valley. They were enjoying Matsons Ales (good choice) and heading west. Eventually the wind dropped and we rolled into Blenheim in relative calm. The last 20 - 30 kms were through huge vineyards because this is the biggest wine producing area in NZ.The Wairau River accompanied us pretty much all the way - though mostly at some distance from the road.In Blenheim we headed for the New World Supermarket and then to the Top 10 Camping, very unfortunately situated near to Highway 1 and the railway line. Sleeping was not so easy - I awoke a couple of times to hear goods trains rattling through the darkness nearby. As in the USA, the trains have a nice musical note when they are crossing roads, plus the noise of bell like crossing signals. Almost worth being woken up for.In the campsite kitchen an englishman was bemoaning the poor rate of exchange (the UK, government is trying to devalue the pound to keep house prices, the bedrock of our economy, high - housing assets being the backing to a debt economy). He then said that he should have bought a NZ house because they had gone up in value hugely against the pound. When will the Brits stop obsessing about maintaining the high price of houses and worry, instead, about a good society and decent shelter for everyone? Then the pound might be worth something...