Seat 45F

Perhaps not as streamlined as I'm used to,and no time to get any real food as the nonrevs are held back until stupidly last minute, given TSA but I had good intelligence about the express sticker. I'm on the 2:50 pm departure.
Haere Mai

Indeed

In Paeora on Wednesday

Polynesian Spa

The reflexology walk is new. Paid $40 but it was worth it for old times sake.

Mud pool at Wai-o-tapu

Skipped the commercial development. I don't remember paying $45 last time I was here. The commercialization of Rotorua is too much for me these days.

Tuesday February 27 Napier to Rotorua

Along the thermal explorer highway from the coast. So much roadwork. Clearcuts and pastoral hills devoid of trees. It's difficult to imagine what this looked like before the Europeans arrived.

Te Mata Peak on Monday February 26

I'm totally uninterested in re-riding and of the Hawkes Bay trail. Too easy, too urban, not cheap. Alas, you can't go home again.
But I bought excellent wine at Te Mata winery (you can go home again), and a drive then hike up this impressive mountain.
Hawkes Bay is triggering bittersweetness, so I'm going with the flow and keeping melancholy at arm's length.
It's all good. I know who I am and what I've accomplished.

Sunday February 25 in Napier

Art Deco, and plenty of it, in a strange kiwi town.

Home for the night in Greytown

Certainly not a fan of hobbit-ism, but it was quiet, comfortable and private, a nice change from the Haka House in Wellington.

Saturday February 25 Cape Palliser lighthouse

At the end of a long, rugged, eroded road after a short visit to Martinborough. Today's drive from Wellington, via a quick look at a trailhead for the Remutaka Rail trail was full of contrasts.

Blue penguins nest here apparently

Wellington on Thursday

Spent the day exploring the city. Beautiful location for a harbor, a breached volcano. Lots of 1920s buildings

Friday February 23 Wellington ride

Rented a step through e-bike from Switched On Bikes and rode the coast from downtown to Lyall Beach, just beyond the airport. Started out windy and barely eased. Nearly 26 miles on a scenic route with views of the Inter-islander heading to Picton. Rode the first 7 miles without the boost (inadvertent as i thought it was turned on from the start.) skipped trying to reach the snorkel trail as it was a long way. But overall it was $85 well spent.

Speak Memory

The interislander headed south. 3 times that direction for me, my first headed north.

Level 10 Interislander to Wellington

Speak, memory

7am to Picton

Actually it's Feb 21

Wednesday February 22 coastal train

Approaching Kaikoura

The Otira Gorge Viaduct

16% grade is scary. Luckily the keas are nowhere to be seen. A cool breezy spectacular drive back up to alpine.

Tuesday February 21 enroute to Arthur’s Pass

A 5 minute stop to view Londonderry rock (glacial erratic found during gold dredging) yields native orchids!

Monday February 19

Lunch in Nelson then drive to West coast

Monday February 5 to Monday February 12

In a nutshell

Sunday February 19

Tasman Great Taste Great Ride: a taste. L's rental got a flat which reduced how far we could go. No Mapua ferry after a late (10:30a) fiddle faddle check in at Nelson bikes. Enjoyed the shoreline path (gravel) with good bird watching: oyster catchers, paradise ducks, pukeho, fantails at Siegfried winery.

Sent from my iPhone

A taste of the Tasman Taste from Nelson

My Monday February 5 destination

No bike though

Alpine plants and mountain weather

Almost back to the Hermitage. Pretty obvious where the weather is coming from.

What’s not to like?

One of the most scenic and relatively easy rides I've done in a good while.

Sunday February 4: Even the sign is battered by the winds

This is the approach to the one lane bridge on the Tasman Road

Making the turn from Hooker to Tasman

View from the small section of the A2O I followed. Steep bush covered slopes above a flat valley with a baby blue torrent fed by the glacier upstream.

Buffeting wind on the first ride to Hooker valley TH

Leaving the A2O for a road ride up to the Tasman Glacier terminal moraine

Day bike riding at Mt Cook

Very strong headwinds for the Hooker Valley out n back. Occasional strong gusts on the Tasman Glacier out n back. Started at the Hermitage Hotel where I did a half day rental for $30, and fit in a side trip to Haka House, the former YHA where I have a 6-bed dorm bunk for tonight. My gear is at Mt Cook Motel and I scored a lower bed, so my one-night stay will be more comfortable.

The mountains are calling and I must go

Cloud piercer 9pm Saturday February 3

Not something you do very often

3 courses with wine pairings

Debrief on week 1 New Zealand

I left home a week ago. The time in Auckland was enjoyable with a downtown hotel and good weather. All the hard pavement walking is doing a number on my stamina and it's been a mixed bag in Queenstown, with lost baggage, and carelessness, and a hostel with steep steps and cramped rooms. But I made it to Mt Cook, and the weather may be improving. So my anxiety about hut wardening should calm. I know I can f d o this, but I always have doubts. But so far I've rolled with the punches and made it through to the planned destination. And what a grand sight it is.

Killing time until I can get a table in the full service restaurant

I made a reservation for what I thought was the restaurant but they're big on buffets I guess. All the staff are Asian or Indian and they do their best but it's a brave new world post covid when service workers aren't available.

6:30 walk to The Hermitage for dinner

After the hailstorm at around 2pm, and high wind, by 5 it had cleared. It's good to be in my very comfortable motel room with kitchen after the Haka House tight 3-bed dorm in Queenstown. I think my patience with inexpensive communal stays is fraying. I'll miss the social interactions though. I wonder if ever I'll be able to score a private room. But they aren't cost effective as the price is equal to small hotels. Hmm

A showstopper

But so much snow makes me nervous.

My transport to Mt Cook

It was actually the sightseeing trip. The driver presented a mix of information abd conjecture thoroughly salted with often ignorant comments which went over the heads of all the foreigners onboard. An old school form of sarcasm that's outdated and out of touch with reality these days. Obviously no training in commentary is undertaken. But I got where I needed to go.

Saturday February 3 Lindis Pass

Queenstown to Mt Cook via intercity bus. I remember driving this.

Flax near a deer farm

In sum, the ride was worthwhile. Had conditions been better I could have continued towards Peregrine and Chard Farm wineries, and tested out the full range of power assist. The seat was too low and I had no tools to adjust, but I needed to do something that would rest the nasty blister I'd developed the day before during hard sidewalk walking and tracking down my wrongly delayed and delivered backpack. A good reminder that you really have to double check what is obvious and expect lacksadaisical "service" in NZ. Usually it's a minor annoyance but in this case it was a serious matter. But you just can't guarantee you've covered all the bases as this is a real independent traveler trip. But I think it's worthwhile to pack your bike on the plane. I need to look into an ebike Friday

I walked Edgar but ride over Southern Explorer

I found the exposure on this one a bit unnerving. It was also swaying in the wind. I passed a couple of trail hardenef Nga Haerenga bike packers.

The Edgar bridge

A few clicks short of AJ Hackett bungy bridge and my turnaround point as it was 3pm and the bike was due at 5. Turned out I got back in good time as I missed a turn onto the river route and instead rode back into Arrowtown on the shoulder and the road into town. All drivers were courteous and pulled out to pass. This is so helpful as I'm riding on the left and still adapting to looking over my right shoulder.

No brainer

Apart from the occasional tight hairpins here and there the trail is very easy. If I was riding a familiar bike I'd trust myself to rely less on the brakes but on the flats it's very pleasant having the e-assist quietly trick you into thinking you're expending the full effort!

On the Arrow River Bridges trail

Typical cutie

TSS Earnslaw during a sun break

It was raining so I treated myself to breakfast at the Eichart hotel. Some view of Lake Wakatipu.

Bike rental in Arrowtown

Very late start to my $135 all day rental because of bad weather and bad traffic but I stuck with it, and used my first e-assist bike. Had full suspension so bounced a lot. Never ventured beyond "eco" lowest mode but it certainly made riding up hills more doable. The trail was gravel and rutted so it was difficult for me to relax on the unfamiliar bike. But it was great to ride a little bit up towards Gibbston. Swing bridges a bonus.

Friday Feb 2 after big rain in Qtown, e-bike rental in Arrowtown