A very wet day with wheel problems so we ended up at Shining Star Holiday Park in Hokitika with a mere 25 miles (and those with a helpful tail wind) under our wheels. We set off from Greymouth campsite at a decent hour - not much after 10am - but after a shop at the New World Supermarket we decided that my back wheel looked terrible, that the tyre bought in Wellington at the start of the trip was now a mess of bald patches and in one place the inner tube was peeking through the side wall. I know that Conti Sports Contact tyres are speedy but not long-lived so we went into Greymouth to find tyres. One shop was closed (New Year hols continue) and the other had nothing suitable (26 x 1.3 or thereabouts) so we headed off. The road south is pretty flat so we made good time until the back wheel punctured. I realised that unless it was rapidly replaced it would puncture every few miles since the tread was now so poor. So the puncture got mended and we headed to Hokitika where in pouring rain we found a bike shop and they had a 26x1.25 so bingo... I changed the tyre outside a display of a boat called 'The Countess', which claimed to be, I think, to be the only life boat ever built in NZ... suffice to say it was a large and nicely polished boat but nothing like the size of a modern lifeboat. I suppose it's the old equivalent of an RIB boat. Certainly a nice old boat, hope it gets on the water sometimes. By the time all this kerfufle had been completed it was 4.30pm and we were both wet and cold, with the rain coming on harder. The next place to stay isn't that far but won't have showers (just a tent spot and a cafe) which were deemed essential as we looked at each other, grease stained from changing tyres a couple of times and besmattered with mud from the road.So we ended up in Hokitika, famous I think for a beach art competition, though the beach today is very much like a cool blustery and wet day in July at Skegness.Broccolli in cider sauce again since I'm trying to use up the heap of butter and flour I'm carrying. I may just leave it behind for some other camper.... The journey today did include a fair bit of road and rail sharing - they don't build a separate bridge for road and rail but expect them to share. Excellent. Though the sign makes clear the dangers of rails for bikes...
A very wet day with wheel problems so we ended up at Shining Star Holiday Park in Hokitika with a mere 25 miles (and those with a helpful tail wind) under our wheels. We set off from Greymouth campsite at a decent hour - not much after 10am - but after a shop at the New World Supermarket we decided that my back wheel looked terrible, that the tyre bought in Wellington at the start of the trip was now a mess of bald patches and in one place the inner tube was peeking through the side wall. I know that Conti Sports Contact tyres are speedy but not long-lived so we went into Greymouth to find tyres. One shop was closed (New Year hols continue) and the other had nothing suitable (26 x 1.3 or thereabouts) so we headed off. The road south is pretty flat so we made good time until the back wheel punctured. I realised that unless it was rapidly replaced it would puncture every few miles since the tread was now so poor. So the puncture got mended and we headed to Hokitika where in pouring rain we found a bike shop and they had a 26x1.25 so bingo... I changed the tyre outside a display of a boat called 'The Countess', which claimed to be, I think, to be the only life boat ever built in NZ... suffice to say it was a large and nicely polished boat but nothing like the size of a modern lifeboat. I suppose it's the old equivalent of an RIB boat. Certainly a nice old boat, hope it gets on the water sometimes. By the time all this kerfufle had been completed it was 4.30pm and we were both wet and cold, with the rain coming on harder. The next place to stay isn't that far but won't have showers (just a tent spot and a cafe) which were deemed essential as we looked at each other, grease stained from changing tyres a couple of times and besmattered with mud from the road.So we ended up in Hokitika, famous I think for a beach art competition, though the beach today is very much like a cool blustery and wet day in July at Skegness.Broccolli in cider sauce again since I'm trying to use up the heap of butter and flour I'm carrying. I may just leave it behind for some other camper.... The journey today did include a fair bit of road and rail sharing - they don't build a separate bridge for road and rail but expect them to share. Excellent. Though the sign makes clear the dangers of rails for bikes...