31/3/09 = Re-union feast and a biting discovery. Woke up earlyish today in grubby, smelly room….definitely not a place you want to lay in bed and snooze. All got up pretty much straight away and went straight to phone another hostel; could not spend another night there! Phone in hostel didn’t work, so in our urgency, we rushed out onto street in a desperate search for a phone that did work, pyjamas and all. Scuttled passed people in our highly obvious pyjamas as they were v.sensibly walking to work like the grown ups that they were. Highly embarrassing. At least I [View Full Entry]

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30/3/09 = Re-united with the long lost Hatster Got up early today to return bikes :(. Had porridge, got showered, changed, then packed up panniers for last time. Pretty sad. Set off at 9am with intention of arriving at bike shop at 9:15, 9:30…really wasn’t that far.Remembered where it was…kind of. Cycled off and 10mins in, realised we didn’t know where we were or where we should go. Deb thought one way and I thought another, but neither of us was sure. Could have been cycling around aimlessly for ages at this rate. Decided to go back the way we had [View Full Entry]

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29/3/09 = Day 10: The last and longest day Alarm went off today at 6:15 and was like part of a horrible dream…something I shuold sleep through and then it would get better. Wasn’t part of my dream. Pitch black outside and inside room; hate getting up in dark. Laid for 5mins trying to let eyes adjust (what an excuse) then forced self out of bed and into kitchen. Made porridge and ate it watching T.V., then packed up and set off at 7:30. 7:30…what an ungodly hour! Still not fully light outside and sun not fully risen, but was just [View Full Entry]

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28/3/09 = Mt John and the view of Lake Tekapo Really good nights sleep last night and only woke up this morning at 7:45 because everyone else was awake; could have slept forever. Snoozed in bed until 8:15, then got up and made nice cup of tea. Got back into bed with tea and wrote diary for a while. So nice to get up and not be in a rush. Festered there until 9, then got up, had porridge, got changed and set off out at 10am = a much more sociable hour. Headed out to our walk up Mt John [View Full Entry]

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27/3/09 = The Galeforce Ride to Lake Tekapo Woke up early for usual reason and was just in time to see final stages on sunrise. Shuffled out to road to watch it properly. Missed the red of sky, but orange stage was pretty impressive anyway. Had porridge breakfast and watched morning news; so nice to be staying in a little house. Made lunch then, got changed and set off on journey at 9:20. Quite warm and no signs of rain even though news forecasted it. Fingers crossed. Cycled the tough 8kms back to Mt Cook turn off - steady incline all [View Full Entry]

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26/3/09 = Day 8: An easier ride back to Twisel Still aching when woke up today. In fact, if anything, aching only got worse. Hobbled off to breakfast unable to bend legs and not at all exited for porridge after horrible porridge experience up mountain. Added lots of cinnamon and ginger just to make it taste different; was o.k. Got changed then, packed up and set off at 9:20. Lord knows how I was going to bike when I couldn’t even walk properly! Dreading ride anyway because found it so tough on way here. Another really sunny and blue day. Find [View Full Entry]

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25/3/09 = Descent down Mt Cook A v.strange nights sleep. Cold when got into bed and feet freezing. Huddled under 2 borrowed blankets, my pashmina and a wire-wool blanket and even though did get warmer, definitely didn’t get warm. Woke every hour with pain of bones digging through wafer thin, plastic mattress and into wood below. Had to rotate at regular intervals, a lot like camping without an air-bed. Every time did wake up, took another look at stars before did go back to sleep = probably why I didn’t find it so bad. Followed that routine until 7am, when everyone [View Full Entry]

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24/3/09 = An absolutely brilliant day up Mt Cook Woke up to darkness and sound of 7:15 alarm. Scuttled off for breakfast and made most awful sandwiches ever. Tuna, with no mix, just dry tuna...and no butter for bread. So = drz bread and dry tuna. Not looking forward to those. Got dressed and ready for 8:15 set off. Had to store all other belongings in a locker, then trundled off to Doc office to try and get a spot in Mueller hut. Closed when we got there, but already people waiting. Got straight in when they opened doors and paid [View Full Entry]

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Day 7: A beautiful but v.deceiving ride to Mt Cook Such an oportunistic place to get a good nights sleep, but spent far too long reading scary book and then could not get to sleep because was too scared. Don't know why I do it to myself, because it happens every time with scary books! For some reason though, got a lot more scared because only 2 of us in room. Feel much safer in a dorm, which is totally bizarre since a dorm = sharing a room with complete stangers who could just as easily be murderers. Still, that's how [View Full Entry]

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21/3/09 = The Beautiful Buscot Station Had to get up early for bus to take us to Omarama. Crept around in dark, got a lovely wram shower - did I mention how cold it is here on a morning? - had breakfast and made lunch for the day. Got on our bikes then and pedaled off to i-site to wait for bus. It came nice and early at 8:40, so we loaded bikes and climbed straight on. Dab hands as dismantling bikes now! Nice bus man said he would drop us right outside hostel, which was a little out of town [View Full Entry]

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