Too Much of a Good Thing

"Have you guys been to Wanaka?"
Rob and I were at the information center looking for a map of town when a young guy approached us.
Yep, we had been there.
"Is there anything to do there?"
Oh, TONS we replied...we did this awesome hike, and you can bike here and there and...
"No, I mean things that don't involve walking or anything. I am so sick of walking. All I've done in this country is walk, walk, walk. There is nothing to do here, it's so boring"

That set off a reaction in my head like the ones in the movies...you know, when everything screetches to halt with that burning rubber sound effect?

This guy was in trouble. Nothing to do? Bored? Travelling in New Zealand?!?


Turned out he was staying at the same campground/hostel as us.
It also turned out that he was conducting a poll of worthwhile things to do in New Zealand. Or at least that was his front. That's how he would get people talking, but what he really wanted to do was complain about all the travelling he had done in the last year.
He was sick of hiking...too much in New Zealand. Sick of beaches...too many in the South Pacific. Sick of buses. Sick of rice. Sick of sun. Sick of rain. Sick of just about everything.
This guy was sick. He was disillusioned, bitter and cranky.

I was blown away that someone travelling the world could feel this way, but I think this guy was legitimately travelled out. He was no longer seeing the beauty in things, no longer getting excited and no longer enjoying himself.

At first I was really annoyed by him, but the more I overheard, my annoyance turned to pity. This poor guy had had too much of a good thing. He was done for.
I thought I should give him a flyer for the nearest travel agent and tell him that the best thing to do in this town was book a plane ticket home.
Instead, Rob and I finished our rice, and went for a walk on the beach in the rain.

Saying Goodbye

I had to do it.

That light feeling had started to set in, followed by the shakiness, then that tingly thing I get sometimes. We were so close to the town too...so close to having lunch, but I just couldn't stretch it out any longer. I had no juice mixed up, it was only 20km, a short, hour-long ride.
I had to do it.
I dug to the botom of my backpack.
For the past month it has been there, stashed beneath the Purell and in the back of my mind...the final, last, lonely, well-worn, squished and warm Fruit Source bar. Waiting.

I had been saving it, conserving it, holding onto it for the perfect moment. At the summit of a huge hike maybe, or on top of a pass after a gruelling climb, something dramatic, something that made it all worth it...it wasn't supposed to be like this. This wasn't how I'd pictured it.
But my options were limited, it was time.

I ATE MY LAST FRUIT SOURCE BAR.

No Rain, no...

Pit, pat, pit, pat, pit, pit , pit. It was raining, we could hear the familiar sound on the fly of our tent. Rain had fallen the night before and more was on the way, but we had booked ourselves on a cruise of Doubtful Sound and had no choice but to ride the 20km to the next town. We packed our wet tent and panniers and headed out. The ride was not all that exciting, mostly downhill through farm land. However, our entire ride from Te Anau to Manapouri was graced with rainbow after rainbow, peaking out from within the mist, lingering between the mountains of Fiordland National Park- just a hint of what was instore the following day.

Pit, pat, pit, pat, pit, pit, pat. The rain continued to fall. But we had a 'plan'. It was cruise day. So we packed the wet tent, put on full head-to-toe rain gear and headed down to the dock. When we boarded the boat there was no sign of it stopping. Luckily, there was a covered, glassed-in portion of the boat....which steamed up within 10 minutes of the 20 tourists getting on board.

"Great. I can't believe I am paying to sit on this stupid boat in the pouring rain all day." I thought to myself (although I might as well have said it outloud as Rob could probably tell by my body language). "What a waste".

"Hope everyone's dressed for rain" our guide/driver/captain said "No wind today, so no chance of this blowing over. But don't worry, Doubtful Sound comes alive in the rain".

Doubtful, I thought.

But within the hour, things started to shift, lift, disperse and clear.

And then there they were again...those rainbows! And some of the most incredible scenery and topography I have ever seen.

"You are one lucky group" the guide said with a coy smile.
I think he was just putting us on with the 'rain all day' lecture, but it really did make the day that much sweeter, expecting rain and getting rainbows instead.

At first the sun peaked through the clouds, next it spread them apart creating huge swaths of sky blue. Before we knew it, we were cuising through Doubtful Sound towards the Tasman Sea, sunshine on our faces, wind in our hair, mist rising in the fiords, rainbows arching overhead and just to top it off....a pod of bottlenose DOLPHINS swimming and playing alongside the boat.
We sat out on the deck sipping tea and hot chocolate and eating 'free' cookies, taking it all in.

At one point Rob looked over to me...
"So THIS is what it feels like to be a tourist"
I just smiled and nodded.
"I guess so!"

Blogger Rookie...

Rob here...Blogger rookie no more.

After reading Chlo's last blog (we are sorry that was so long ago, we have been away from internet access) I knew it was time to write my first blog.

First things first...I don't really know much about blogger etiquette or blogger lingo, but I am pretty sure that Chloe is a bit early in her blogger career to be calling me out on my lack of bloggerness. I mean really, she has only been blogging for 4 weeks and in my books she would also still be regarded as a rookie...that is my effort at a retort.

I have been thinking about writing a post for a few weeks now and in that time I have thought of many topics, had many ideas, but most of all I have been trying to think of something witty to write. Here is a short list of possible topics that I have thought of, written down, day dreamt and/or thrown Chlo's way for a reaction. Should I talk about "the shortness of men's shorts in New Zealand" or "the use and application of Butt Chaffe Cream or "my experiences living, travelling and cycling with a diabetic."

Cycling Chaffe Cream...It's the real Deal!

"The Key to a Winning Performance"

After lots of thought and many reminders from Chloe sounding similiar to "you have to remember who is reading this" I figure I should write about my perspectives of Powered by Pumping as a non-diabetic. Spending every day talking about diabetes and witnessing expert diabetes management, I have realized that I too could keep a blog that would be valuable for partners of diabetics who may have qualms about travelling and adventuring with a diabetic.

Over the past 6 years I have come to learn a lot about diabetes. I know all the jargon, the lingo and all the little instruments that help Chlo manage her diabetes. If you know Chlo, you know how organized she is, which I believe has helped me learn about her management of diabetes because she always has a plan (and sticks to it) and likes to keep things on schedule. This consistency really helps out a non-diabetic slowly learning the daily doings of a diabetic.

As for the cycling journey...I am just starting to get into the swing of diabetic things. I now know that I should give Chlo a friendly reminder to make sure she has turned down her Basal rate (the rate and amount of which her insulin pump gives her insulin) for the day to ensure she does not go Low because of the consistent exercise we are about to do (cycling for upwards of 6 hours a day). I have come to embrace the many short Diabetic stops needed throughout the day. Quick stops may be needed to have a snack (Fruit source bars when available), to test blood sugar levels, to have a quick drink of juice or to take a pee (these breaks happen quite often).

One last thing before I sign off...Food. Food is a constant on Chlo's brain. If you were to stop her randomly on the street or on her bike and ask her what she is thinking about...she will say food. She is always thinking about something delicious to make, bake or create. I rarely, if ever, have complained about her cooking or creations, but travelling on a budget with Chlo is hard, rather impossible. She has a burning desire to eat fresh...fruit, veggies, eggs and baby lambs that she sees on the side of the road...well maybe not. This love of fresh is two fold. First of all the food is deliciously healthly and secondly much of it does not "count" (does not require much or any insulin) to regulate her blood sugar levels. Needless to say, if I was travelling alone I would be eating a lot more bread and peanut butter (and possibly save money) however, we have come to an understanding that food is worth the money. We could spend money on brutal touristy tours, or we could eat well...no question really.

This photo is from our Boat Journey of Doubtful Sound, Chlo will add a post soon with more details! Happy reading! Rob

No Bull...

Travelling teaches you so much about yourself.

For instance, yesterday I learned that one thing I never want to do, ever in my whole entire life, is run with the bulls in Spain.
I think I probably knew this when I went to Spain 6 years ago, but after yesterday it's affirmative.

No running with bulls.
This is how my moment of clarity and self-discovery came to be...

Two days ago Rob and I took a steam boat from Queenstown, across a lake to Walter Light Station...a working farm of sorts, but our reason for going was the dirt road that started behind the farm and continued for the next 80+ kms down towards Te Anau. By taking this back road, we would avoid the traffic of over 70 tour buses and countless rental camper vans and cars trucking it down to Milford Sound (Fiordland).

Avoid the traffic we did!
The scenery on this back road was unbelievable.

The going was slow and teeth chatteringly jarring at times, but well worth it in my opinion (Rob's blog would offer a 'different' perspective on these two days, but Rob doesn't write a blog).
Anyways...so this road took us over mountains, alongside lakes, across rivers and through ranchlands where the sheep and cattle roamed free and wild.

You would think that the "free and wild" livestock, might pose a problem. There were numerous times when we had to wait or even 'encourage' some cows to clear the road, but they didn't really give us too much hastle.

But those weren't bulls...

So yesterday, we are riding the last part of our gravel/dirt/rock road. The going was slow and you had to be really focused on what you were doing to avoid skidding or fish tailing.
Rob is riding ahead of me and calls back "Hey, check out the size of that bull"
I look to my right and there is a MASSIVE black bull walking parallel to the road behind a fence (unlike most of the livestock we had encountered so far).
"Yep, thats a BIG bull alright" I think to myself.
As I look, I kind of loose control and skid out a bit, loosing all my momentum.
I regain control and take another peak over my shoulder...was that a big snort I just heard?

This is the point in the story where I learn that I never want to do the whole running with the bulls thing....

The bull is not only snorting, but is halfway OVER THE FREAKING FENCE!! He is pushing through the wires and wood like its string, barging out onto the road.

I wish I had an audio/video clip of my reaction.
Legs going frantically, adrenaline pumping, bike swearving all over the road, gravel flying, trying to pick up speed, but looking over my shoulder every half a second, which didn't help the going forward or speed, big black snorting bull now in the middle of the road....
But the best was probably my scream......."ROB"
What I meant to say was..."ROB, a big giant bull just broke through the fence and is chasing us, holy crap ride like you've never ridden before" as well as "Wait for me!!! Don't ride too fast, oh my God, the bull is going to get me first".
But all I said was "Rob". Not like he could do anything anyways, but it was enough to get him to turn around, evoking the first reaction....ride like hell.

As it turns out, the bull just wanted to get across the road to the lady cows. I have no idea whether we provoked this reaction or whether is was just another case of right place right time.
Regardless, it was down right scary.
And that ain't no bull...

Wish I had a photo of the bull, but I wasn't quite in the photo taking mood....here are some nice, serene sheep though...behind a fence.

HOT OFF THE PRESS

One thing did work out for us today...

the first 'Connected in Motion' merchandise prototypes were created.

No word yet as to when mass production will begin. Stay tuned!

And yeah, they're matching...we match, so what?
People are already looking, hopefully they'll ask questions!

The camper van that spoke the truth

"life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans"

I saw it plastered on the side of a camper van today.

We took a REAL REST DAY in Queenstown. Kind of counter intuitive as it is the adventure capital of the world. People come specifically to get their adrenaline pumping.
But today, we rested. And by rest, I mean planned.
Normally, I like planning and I like plans...just another form of organization, and I like organization as I've mentioned before. But in the past few weeks, I've really suprised myself. I do not want a plan and I have been getting super anxious when we have had to make said plans.
What if we book something and then can't make it there on time? What if we find something cool on the side of the road...like a sheep hearding that I need to stop and take part in? What if there is a possum that needs saving? What if we get invited to help milk 600 cows twice a day for a week (I actually saw this posted on a board today), what if...?
But today was D-day. We had time, internet access, a phone card and deadlines to book flights to leave the country so we don't get "escorted" out. I've heard this doesn't make you popular internationally.

Apparently, the old me would have really liked this part of the country. Everyone has booked everything weeks in advance. Which means the unorganized, fly-by-the-seat-of-their-pantser's (aka the new, no matter how temporarily, me) are left...out of luck. Okay, well maybe not totally, but at least not with their first choice.

Now this is a huge sob story for someone who is in one of the most incredible places in the world, seeing unbelievable sights and doing once in a lifetime kind of things everyday...and this is my point. How can making arrangements to do the things you've been dreaming about doing for years be so stressful?

So I guess Queenstown worked it's magic on me, got my adrenaline pumping, if not in the usual, 'throw-yourself-head-first-off-a-bridge-or-out-of-a-plane' kind of way. But more in the 'grab-a-coffee, get-a-grip, make-peace-with-the-money-spent-on-internet-and-phone-calls and just-go-for-the-booking-planning-organizational-ride' kind of way.

In any case, I sure am looking forward to getting back to living tomorrow.

Everything happens for a reason

Yesterday morning I woke up in a world of hurt. Well, more hurt than usual.

The day before was our 'rest' day in Wanaka. We decided to hike Mt. Roy, elevation gain approx. 1500m. The hike was totally 100% most definitely worth it (see the pic). But oh, the legs the day after.
Even though all I wanted to do was lie in my sleeping bag and cover myself in Tiger Balm, I convinced myself that we should get back on the bikes. So off we rolled.

As seems to be the case every time we leave a town, we were confronted by a hill within the first 5 minutes of starting out. It was a wimpy hill really, short, kinda steep, but really not that bad. I however, thought I was going to die...or at least cry.
I threw my bike down at the top, sat down and pouted. There was NO WAY I was going to make it the rest of the day.
Great! I was low now too...and right after breakfast when I am normally running higher.
I KNEW I should have stayed in bed.
After some juice, a sit down and a "we can turn back if you want to" chat with Robbie, I decided there was no way that I was going back to set up a tent where I had just taken it down 15 minutes earlier. Call it stubborn...
So I got back on my steed and rode, and rode, rode...with a scowl on my face...(mom, you know the one). Luckily, the road was pretty much flat or rolling from there until we rolled into a little town around lunch time. There was a little park with trees, shade, grass and the cleanest, nicest public washrooms I have ever seen.
This is where I was going to sleep tonight...no doubt about it.

That's when Tim and Cindie rolled in.
Two cyclists loaded up with all kinds of gear. "New York's that way, right?". Americans.
They sat down to chat and have lunch in the shade. We learned that they had started cycling 6 years ago and just haven't stopped! They are on a world-wide cycling tour, writing books, articles, blogging, keeping websites and inspiring people around the world.
They invited us to ride with them and said they didn't go fast so not to worry.
YEAH RIGHT!
Feeling rested after a long lunch, we joined them anyways.

True to their word, they did not ride fast. In fact, it was like riding behind a pace car.
They were the most relaxed, easy going riders I have ever seen.
Rob and I tucked right in behind them and just went for the ride.
They like to climb to music, so for each big incline the tunes would come on from Tim's handlebar bag...Grateful Dead and Neil Young tooks us higher and higher.
Before long we were standing on top of the Crown Range...the highest paved road in al of New Zealand, with a 700 meter climb behind us.

Everything happens for a reason, and for me yesterday, meeting Tim and Cindie was the only reason I got up and over that pass.

Oh and my blood sugar...a perfect 4.8!

Check out Tim and Cindie Travis and their cycling adventures...www.downtheroad.org

CONNECTING at last!

Pumpers unite!
Yesterday, after much deliberation, we decided to pitch our tent at a campground on the edge of town (Wanaka). I suppose there was a reason we did.
As we were setting up our tent, a fellow Swiss cycle tourer came over to say HI.
I immediately saw his eyes scan to my hip but it took about a minute before he said..."hey, I know what this is, my girlfriend has it too".

We instantly had lots to talk about!

Apparently, his girlfriend wants to cycle tour with him in Europe, but has never done it before. She is unsure of her diabetes, the pump, how to keep insulin cool, how to carry all her supplies, etc, etc, etc. Basically, she is very active, does a lot of mountaineering, but has never cycled toured and has lots of questions. He told me that it is very hard to find information on things like this in Switzerland.

NO KIDDING! AH HA! So this is the case internationally! Good to know!

WELL! DID I HAVE A BLOG for her!
CONNECTING IN MOTION at it's finest. THIS is what I am talking about.

Unfortunately, our Swiss friend was cycling in the opposite direction of us and we likely won't see him again, but I gave him the blog and told him to keep in touch. I hope he does.

Hedgehogin'

Rob's feet never fail to impress.
Today, he narrowly avoided stepping on this little guy as we were hiking....sorry, 'tramping'.

Apparently they are like vermin here, but I think they're darn cute...AND they would make the perfect pannier pet.

Breakin' laws but luckily not sunglasses

We broke the law yesterday...we were doing about 13km OVER the speed limit....we were going downhill.
We were going so fast that Rob's favourite red sunglasses flew off his bike, hit the road and he ran them over. Hearing the 'crunch' he just left them for dead. But I screeched on my breaks behind him and picked them up...only a few little scratches on the frame.
Phew!

no words needed

Keeping it Cool

I am constantly trying to keep it cool...my insulin that is.
Luckily, it hasn't been all that hot here. In fact, we have had A LOT of rain. Rain like we have never seen or heard or felt before. Instant soaker kind of rain. This is me doing my 'sun dance'. But that's besides the point.

Although some nights we have been free camping, we have spent a number of nights camping outside of hostels (or staying IN hostels if it's doing the downpour thing). When this is the case, there is always a fridge availible (with actual refridgeration, unlike Fiji) for the insulin to sleep in at night.
During the day, I keep it all in a Frio pouch, which is like a soakable bean bag that turns to gel and is supposed to keep things cool for a few hours, in a backpack, underneath a few things on the back of my bike.
This system seems to be working so far, but when we start getting weeks upon weeks of those relentless, hot, sunny, cloud-free, dry days, I don't know what I am going to do.
Luckily, there are none of these weeks in the forseeable forecast.

This is us camping in the pouring rain...INSIDE a change room at a government campsite..some may call it cheating, others called it resourcefull. The older couples in the camper vans parked outside thought the later.
"We used to cycle tour" they said, "but now we're too old".
I think what they meant was...there is no way in &%#$ that we are going to sleep in a concrete cell in the rain when we can lounge in a camper van and drink wine. We are too smart for that.

Anyways, moral of the story, no fridge in the changeroom.

Cowboy Swagger

This morning we cycled from Franz Josef Glacier to Fox Glacier.
The first hint that this may be a challenging ride was hidden in the place names, the word 'glacier'. Generally 'glaciers' are found in 'mountains'. The second was the offer from a local guy we met last night. "I'll be driving that road tomorrow around 1pm...give ya a honk and pick ya up if ya need it".
The clincher though was the diagram in the guidebook (just the part with the 3 peaks on the right side).

But you know what? It really wasn't that bad. It was actually...FUN!
Don't get me wrong. We busted our butts today and are both walking around like two cowboys after a rodeo, but it is so rewarding to know that we got here by our own power.

Robbie was saying that it feels just like a tough portage, and I would agree.
When you're walking with a boat on your head and you can't think of anything else but putting it down and you're just praying for the lake to show up soon because putting it down means getting it back up again....it's similar to the uphill bike ride.
When you get to the point where your muscles say they have nothing more to give and you say "that's not an option legs, because the effort of stopping and starting again on this hill is WAY more effort than to just keeping on going, so get going, GO! GO LEGS GO".

I actually said this over and over again...GO LEGS GO, GO LEGS GO...in time with my pedaling. This is the way I made it up the 3 peaks today. The mind really is an incredible thing, and the body, such a push over (but don't tell it I told you that!).


(pre-ride scouting of the glaciers)

King of Pain

Rob's feet attract things wherever we go.

Since we've arrived in NZ he has stepped on a bee.
Pulled a crab out of the sand on his big toe (my personal favourite).
And fed upwards of 3000 sand flies with his ankles.

The timing couldn't have been better when we rolled into a little town yesterday and saw (to my delight) a huge, massive, larger-than-life SAND FLY!

Just after I had written about the lack of BIG things here in New Zealand! Rob didn't have a choice, I made him pose with his new best friend.

(Sara, this one wasn't even in Greymouth...and I am on the hunt for the Kiwi and the Carrot...stand by).

Damage Control

First rule of blogging...do not write anything that will make the parents worry.

I guess my last entry, Lowest of the Low, followed by 3 days of non-contact, made both Mom and Dad a wee bit worried.
It's okay...I'M OKAY!!
I just tested and I am actually 16.3 right now...high high high, not low at all!!
I was just kidding about the 500kg bag of sugar. Yeesh!

And anyways, we are never that far from food...this place's motto was "you kill it, we grill it" and I don't think they were kidding.






Speaking of eating wierd and wonderful things...we met a Dutch couple where we were camping last night (man, I love the Dutch) who had just 'wrangled' an EEL and were BBQing it up on a hibatchi out the back of their truck. I say 'wrangle' because the thing literally jumped out of the water at them while they were washing their dishes in the lake (first no-no) and he caught it with this bare hands. They had video of it. They insisted that we stay and have a bite...they couldn't finish the whole eel themselves! So we did. I've never had eel before, but it was pretty good. I don't even know if NZ eels are all right to eat...but we feel fine today.
(Please don't comment or send me any emails about the dangers of eating unknown eels...I makes me queezy to even think about it now and I would rather just forget about it...toxic, nutritious or not!)

And no....we didn't eat at the road kill cafe.

Lowest of the low

My body is still trying to figure out this whole biking thing.
We are riding about 4 hours a day right now and I am finding that my insulin requirements have been dropping dramatically.
During our rides, I have been reducing my basal rate (or constant flow of insulin) to 40% of what it normally would be. I am also only taking about half of the amount of insulin I normally would to cover my pre and during ride meals.

My Fruit Source bar stash is dismally low and I have been searching for a replacement source.

I found this in Greymouth the other night and thought that it might just do the trick...unfortunately, Rob said he couldn't make room in his panniers.

Tire Woes

People who throw glass on roads are mean.

I blew my first tube on day 3 of cycling and didn't even know it. What I did notice, was that it felt like I was dragging a dump truck behind me on the last few hills of the day. This i realize now, was probably my tire getting flatter and flatter and my legs getting even buffer!


After 2 days of rain, we knew we were going to have to give our gears and chains some serious TLC (they were starting to rust!). When the sun finally came out, and we were ready to hit the road again after a rest day, I finally realized the flat.



Things I have learned about changing a tire.

• Your hands are going to get really messy, so don't even try to keep them clean.
• You must keep one hand free for swatting sand flies.
• There are directional arrows on the tire showing you which way to put it on...when the bike is upsidedown, the arrows will be going the WRONG WAY.
• Bring an extra arm if you plan on pumping the tire to the recommended PSI of 75-100.
  
• Pee before you start, because it's a long process if you don't know what you're doing.
  
• That little back cap for the air valve is the bike owner's responsibility to remember, not the bike owner's boyfriend's.
  

Slowing Down

So far, the thing I like best about cycle touring is the change of pace.
Robbie and I have driven across Canada a few times. Sometimes really fast, and other times, taking what we thought was a slower pace. But riding a bike is a whole new world.
In the car, I often have trouble convincing the driver (I will not name names here) to stop.
I suppose I have abused my privileges in the past.
On our first road trip, I insisted on stopping and taking our photo with every 'BIG' thing we came across...and just about every small town in Canada has a BIG thing, be it a lobster, nickel, goose or easter egg...the easter egg in fact was the last straw.

In the car, things whizz by. I get whiplash trying to figure out what that road side stand was selling, what that hand printed sign was for and where that cool driveway led to.
But on the bike....it is sightseeing, rubbernecking, gawking, ogling PARADISE!
(although I am still not very good at turning my head without turning my entire bike, but this will come with practice I am sure).
Just a quick grab on the breaks and voila!
I can take all the photos I like- beautiful flowers, friendly cows, pretty rocks, awesome views, funny signs and even BIG things...although I haven't seen any in New Zealand yet.

Peaks and Valleys

I started a constant glucose sensor yesterday. The sensor gives a constant readout of my interstitial fluid glucose concentration (quite similar to blood glucose) in fancy graph format.
I couldn't help but notice the striking similarity between my glucose graphs and the graphs from our cycle touring book, which shows the elevation gain of the terrain we are travelling.

Although they are proably inversely related...the bigger the hill, the lower the sugar...a peak on either graph is a pain in the butt.

Moana for life?

All I can say, is that it is a darn good thing that Moana was a small town. Although the view was beautiful, a dark blue lake surrounded by mountains on all sides, there was really nothing there other then the trailer park we were staying at...except for the kind of people that stay at trailers parks every weekend of the summer like they own the place...think waterguns, screaming kids, weenie roasts, music blarring, etc. all in the name of being one with nature.
ANYWAYS...as I was saying, it's a good thing Moana was as it was, because otherwise, Rob may still be living there. Settling down and making a like for himself, as his bike slowly became a part of the underwater geography of Lake Brunner.
Okay, so I wasn't jumping out of my sleeping bag dying to get back in the saddle, but my few hours on the spin bike must have done some good after all. I felt stiff, but okay. In Rob's words, he was "One hurting human".

Even though our rookies quads and tender butts protested, we hit the road right after breakfast (uphill again...hopefully this isn't a developing theme) towards Greymouth, only 35km away.

Grinding the Gears

So we finally started biking. We though we better get going if we were to retain anyones faith in our ability to actually do this!
Three days ago we left the small village of Arthur's Pass. It's actually quite deceptive when they call the village that, as the real "pass" is 4km UPHILL from there. Our first few peddel strokes with fully loaded panniers were completed in our lowest gears, grinding upwards.
Luckily, the mist hanging in the mountains and the sun rising over the pass was enough to distract us from the pain, and soon enough we were through with the tough work.

Then...we cruised.
We cruised like we will probably never cruise again.
Wind in our faces, teeth chattering, bone vibrating, bike rattling, praying-to-the-bike-gods-that-our-brakes-wouldn't-fail, we cruised down the mountain (16% grade!!)towards the West Coast.

We finally called it a day at Moana, a small lakeside town where we had our first beer and a basket of fries. 68km later, day one was day done!

Learning the Gears

This is Liz.

Liz is a Queen's PHE grad, and worked at camp with us too. We all ended up in Christchurch at the same time and when she heard we were going to be biking, she did the opposite of what every other sane person has done...she agreed to come. I'm not sure what she was thinking when she made the decision to join us for the first 10 days of our first cycling trip ever...but we're glad she did!
Liz has cycled before...across a large portion of Canada in fact (a mountainous part) and her experience shows.

Even on her mountain bike (that was put together from random rusty parts by some dude in Christchurch) she can woop our butts up any hill.
She has been educating us on the finer points of cycle touring...like the fact the pretzels are the key to getting enough salt in the diet and that saving your very last 'granny' gear until you absolutely, positively need it is of the utmost importance if you plan on riding and not walking up big hills.
Most importantly perhaps, she has educated us in the need to reward yourself after a hard day on the bike with an ice cold pint.

Unfortunately, I don't think she knew what she was getting herself into...this was her expression after 30min ON THE TRAIN with us!

First Day on the Road

We woke up early this morning. Our panniers were already packed and waiting by the door, water bottles were filled and camera batteries charged. After a hearty breakfast, we were ready.
Today was the first day of our real cycle adventure! And we were headed for Arthur's Pass, no small feat for two rookie cyclists. Lying at over 1000m above sea level in the heart of the massive mountain chain that divides the West from the East here on the South Island, the little town is one of the high points of New Zealand...literally!

So....we took the train!!

Insert picture of Chloe and Rob on TransApline Train here.
(I had great pics of us on the train, riding in style in First Class (we got upgraded somehow) but I dropped my camera and they seem to have all erased themselves. Oh well, not like that was a once in a lifetime experience or anything.)

Do these come with training wheels?

WE GOT OUR BICYCLES!!

Hedley, from Natural High hooked us up with two sweet rides. We spent over an hour in the bike shop learning how to change a tire, patch a tube, lube a chain, attach a pannier, swivel a seat and fit our bikes to minimize the hurt that is waiting over the first pass.

We rolled out on our new wheels and hit the streets of Christchurch....literally.
Within the first 10 minutes, I got nervous as a car came up behind me, tried to stop, couldn't get my foot out of the pedal cage and went elbow first (hip second) into a parked car.
Of course, the driver was IN his car. I don't know who was more shocked, but I managed to pull myself together enough to mouth "SORRY, SORRY, SORRY" and race away after Rob.

Since then, we have spent lots of time on the roads getting used to our bikes as well as the whole "wrong side of the road" thing.
Today, our couch surfing hosts took me out on a training ride (they are training for a 130km road race). It was 75km of relative flatness with a few slightly rolling hills. It went pretty well, however during the last 10km, if anyone had appeared on the road and was in need of a bike, I would have sold it for whatever they would have given me. Luckily, all I saw was a hedgehog, a donkey and a bunch of sheep.