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Published: February 6th 2006
Well, since my last entry I've had quite the adventure. Both good and bad. I vascillated on taking the bus but I was having such a great time riding with Vashi, my new Irish riding partner, that she talked me in to riding instead of busing. I decided to just take an easy pace as my stomach was still bothering me. We had a cool morning with no wind to speak of. Perfect conditions since we had to climb to the top of Lindis Pass. We made good time past Omarama to the Pass. The scenery started to change from dry parched hills to more green along the valley. The pass was beautiful. Because the surrounding mountains are covered with grass we could see all the way up the pass to the summit at 610 meters. It was a slow steady climb that was wasn't too steep but was about 20 miles of steady climbing with the last .5 mile a little steeper. We made it to the top to a cool breeze and an amazing view back down the valley. I think that day was the easiest day of riding I've done so far.
The fun was the 10km of screaming downhill on the other side that wound through a river valley. The Lindus river winds through Lindus valley before arriving in a small town called Tarras. Vashi and I made good time but realized we were low on water. We stopped at the Forest Range Sheep Station. The house was a very well off stone built house. A large farm operation. The owner was happy to fill our water bottles. He asked Vashi if she wanted to see sheep being sheared. She asked me. I said that I'd seen sheep shearing before but was happy to go take a look since she hadn't seen it done.
How Real Sheep Farmers Shear Sheep
Well to my surprise this wasn't some country farm with a few sheep that needed a haircut. It was a full on sheep shearing operation complete with sheep shearing platforms where workers were giving the sheep their haircuts. Workers taking the wool and stacking in in metal bins about 12 feet high. The most important part of the operation was the rock and roll giving the room a upbeat energy. This was the assembly line of sheep shearing. The farm has 40,000 sheep but they are only shearing 20,000. The owner's son was overseeing the operation and was more than happy to explain the process and tell us about their unique wool called Merino wool. Its extremely soft. I said I can't wear wool because it makes me itch. He said that was a reason they were having problems marketing it as wool because of reactions to wool like mine. He showed us the wool and it was feather soft. The clothing they make from it is like thin knit. NOt at all like the wool hiking clothes and sweathers I'm used to. Anyway I know have a different perception of sheep shearing.
Wild Camp]
The son told us about a little camp ground off the side of the road with a great swimming hole. We found it (where?, I'll never tell (O😊 We pitched our tents under some trees and then took a swim in an amazing deep green pool with a rock wall on one side and a rock and sand beach on the other. The perfect end to a perfect day. We could hardly believe how great it was. Vashi said it was great to ride together because she probably wouldn't have camped there by herself. I felt the same as a women traveling alone I tend to go to places with where there are people. We got to see a great sunset. Only a couple of critters passed through during the night.
ying Good-bye in Tarras
The next day we road from Wild Camp to Tarras. We stopped and had coffee, exchanged contact info before setting off in our different directions. I was heading southeast to Dunedin and she was heading northwest to the coast. It was great traveling with Vashi for a couple of days. Definitely kept me motivated and she was great company.
ras to Alexandra
Alone again I made my way south along Lake Dunsten to Cromwell. It was another hot day and I had to decide how far I wanted to go. I decided to make it all the way to Alexandra so that I could keep my schedule of riding the Otago Rail trail and then catching the Tieri Gorge Vintage train to Dunedin. I went up one rolling hill and down the next, pass a bird refuge, the city of Cromwell, up along New Dunstan Lake (new dam) which was hemmed in on both sides by rugged rocky outcrops and towering hills. I felt so small on that road as I followed its winding course along the lake. I took a break for a dip at a roadside stop along the way just to cool off. I finally made it to the last climb of the day to the top of the dam and the old historic town of Clyde. Then a fun downhill to the town of Clyde, the start of the Otago Rail Trail. My last 8k was along the hisoric Otago Rail trail between Clyde and Alexandra. It had been a long day so I took my time to enjoy the easy riding. I arrived in Alexandra to find that this weekend is a national holiday when the New Zealand government signed a treaty with the Miori natives. Opps. Only one motel room left in town for this tired traveler. Amazing. Backpackers are dirt cheap with varying amenities. The hotels on the other hand are quite expensive and everything extra costs more. Oh well, warm bed, good nights sleep, and I'll be set for the next day. I treated myself to dinner.
xandra to Mt. Tiger Lodge
Hmmm, I should have suspected that something wasn't right. I hadn't been feeling well for a few days. By morning I was feeling worse. I took my time getting moving because it was partly cloudy and not so hot. I thought I was just being affected by the heat so I had been trying rehydrate and get enough rest between riding. I set off on a beautiful section of rail trail following a river. It went through rocky hillsides, stands of riverbank trees. Then it wound its way up Tiger Mountain with beautiful views back down into the Alexandra valley and townsite. At about 20 miles I came to a very nice lodge with a spa. I thought maybe I just needed a short day, a jacuzzi, and a good rest so I decided to stay. Besides they had a dog (o: There were two other couples staying in the other rooms. My room was off to the side so I knew I could get some good sleep.
Food Poisoning on the Trail
I sat in the jacuzzi which was wonderful relief for my tired sore muscles. Then two hours later I realized I had "food poisoning". My least favorite illness. There is nothing worse than food poisoning. Its worse then the flu. I've had it before and recognized it right away. Well, its off to bed for me. I definitely didn't feel like eating my dinner. Luckily, being a paramedic, I came prepared with an anti-nausea drug which I promptly gave myself and crawled in bed. This was not good. Here I was in the middle of New Zealand with body aches, vomiting, and you know the rest, alone. Well, if it got really bad I knew I could probably eak out "help" to alert my fellow travelers. It was a long night. I told the owner in the am and she let me sleep until 11am. Since it was a holiday she was booked so I decided to try and make it down the trail a ways. I needed to ride some miles so I could make my train on Sunday. I was bummed. I had really been looking forward to this trail ride. No traffic, Lots of great tunes to keep me going on my ipod, a leisurely pace. Now I was dragging my weak body onto the bike and dreading every mile. I felt so weak. I made it 20 miles to Otarehua. A small town that boasts a historic old style Grocery store. I was done. I parked my bike and went in to the store. I asked if there were any accomodations in town. The owner, a woman in her 40s, said that everything was booked. I explained my predicament to her. She looked in to see if there was a bus that could take me to the end of the trail but there weren't any on Saturday. The thought of riding on was grim. Then she offered to give me a ride in her "big car" to the next town to a motorcamp where I could camp for the night. We checked to see if they had a small cabin available and they did. I enjoyed looking through her store with all the old antiques, old match covers, bottles, signs, and assorted paraphenalia painting a picture of a long distant past. My favorite was the jars of multicolored candy, just like on Little House on the Prairie. The store reminded me of the store on the show but this woman definitely wasn't the grumpy Harriet.
She closed up at 5pm and drove me 27 km to Ranfurly. I was bummed to miss crossing the high point of the trail and the 45th parallel but I think experiencing the generosity and kindness of a total stranger was much more inspiring. I've always wished that people were more like the people I've met in New Zealand with a sense of trust, friendliness, and generosity that seems to be too uncommon in the US anymore. I didn't get her name but I definitely appreciate her taking time out of her day to help a traveler in need.
She dropped me in Ranfurly at the Motorcamp. I got my small cabin, unpacked my sleeping bag and was in bed by 6:30pm. Passed out is more like it.
Keep on Peddling
Next day I was up at 0500. I had 40 miles to ride to make it to the train in time. I was feeling better and figured I would survive. It was 40 miles with mostly a gentle downhill. Hmmm, such is life. I watched the sun rise as I headed down the trail. Sheep and bunny rabbits darted this way and that at my passing. I thought if counting sheep worked while riding I'd be fast asleep. The rabbits were amusing but I watched them closely to make sure that they didn't dart in front of my wheel. I did a teaching scenario for firefighter / EMTs in Pacific Washington. The interurban bicycle trail runs through their town. So in the scenario I had a rabbit ran into the spokes of a cyclist stopping the bicycle and propelling the rider into a thicket of blackberry brambles. I think (maybe its urban legend) but there actually was a call where a guy had a rabbit jump into his spokes and he crashed and died of a head injury or snapped neck. From furry cute bunny to killer in a few seconds. Anyway, lots of time to think amusing thoughts while cycling alone along a morning trail.
It was beautiful watching the sunrise. The hills were soft and the trail paralleled grassy pastures and tree lined riverbanks. I was the only person on the trail. It was exhillerating and motivated me even though I didn't feel great.
I made it to Hyde which is the half way point of my journey before the cafe opened. The only living thing to greet me was an old yellow lab. He came over for pets and then laid back down. I peered around to see if anyone was stiring and ready to spark up the expresso machine. No luck. Oh well, I set off for Middlemarch.
Head Wind From Hell
Bad luck struck again with a southerlie head wind which means "wind that feels like you are climbing a mountain pass dragging an elephant". I was cycling hard. Going downhill and only managing to go 7mph. Now I was not happy. I'd kept my spirits up through wind, heat, food poisoning, but a head wind on what should have been an easy last 20 miles on a harmless rail trail was really ()()^*%!&(MISSING)%!m(MISSING)e off. I was feeling a bit unhappy especially when multiple groups of weekend grey hairs were happily peddling up hill with a tail wind with smiles on their faces. Hardly working at all. I imagined them having to turn around and come back. Ha, then those smiles wouldn't be gone. Probably what happened is they rode up the trail and the wind changed and they had a tail wind on the way back. Grumble, grumble. They were actually pretty simpathetic and uttered words of encouragement as I passed.
The last 3 miles were the worst. Long, flat, and windy. The end of the trail seemed like a mirage that kept moving farther away. Was I imagining it or was that white building the rail station. Finally I popped out onto a road. Across the street was a real rail line. I was at the end of the cycling part of the rail trail. Yippee!!!!!! I exclaimed to a German couple who had just caught up to me. Brief elation and then one thought, food! I cycled up to "KIssing Gate Cafe". A famouse cafe in these parts. Tired and finally hungry again I ordered banana pancakes and coffee. I inhaled the pancakes, inhaled the coffee, and ordered another coffee just for good measure. My stomach was just going to have to take it. I needed energy!
The owner of the cafe asked me how far I had traveled and I told her. She said "Good on ya". I guess that means good job.
ri River Gorge Vintage Train
Well I made it to the train with an hour and a half to spare. It was a great journey on a vintage steam train through a stunning river gorge. I met an older British couple traveling by bike as well. We shared our journeys and enjoyed the scenery together. It was worth the effort to get there and now I could relax. We arrived in Dunedin at 4pm to a beautiful stone railway station.
In Dunedin
I'm hanging out in Dunedin for 4 days to recover and get my energy back before heading south. Its been a nice relaxing day today other than the hill climb up to the hostel I'm staying at. I told a passerby that this was the worst hill climb I've had since I started riding in Picton. Dunedin boasts having he world's steepest city hill... Go figure.
More later. Here is a link to the region I'm currently traveling through. It is the
Otago Region.
Backyard Adventure Girl
Lisa
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Tot: 0.134s; Tpl: 0.015s; cc: 10; qc: 48; dbt: 0.0854s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Laurel
non-member comment
Hey! This all sounds like WAY too much work to me. Food poisoning, Huh? That's enough to make you feel like you're going to die all alone in a strange country. Glad you're better. Keep cycling. I hope you experience some moderate weather and countryside so that you can just enjoy. Keep safe. Laurel