Flying above Mt. Cook

More Photographs from a Flight over the Southern Alps

Moas and Rain on the Plain

First View of the Southern Alps

As predicted the next morning brought my first rain. Nothing particularly heavy, just a continuous downpour all day. I can't remember much. The riding was flat, apart from the crossing of two gorges. On the second one I got off my bike and walked, only to be overtaken by a woman cyclist. Embarrassing. I do remember stopping at a pub at lunchtime and drying out. I also stayed in a pub that night. The 'Canterbury Arms' in Methven, which is a ski-resort in winter. It was a pretty dank and miserable day, though I did cheer myself up with a huge jug of beer, or two.




The next day was also wet. I stopped for lunch at a road-side store with a sculpture of some Moas outside. Inside I met two young American cyclists, Tim and Mike, who were soaked! After a chat we decided to share a cabin at the camp-ground in Geraldine, and I would see them later. In fact I arrived hours before them and I was beginning to think they'd gone somewhere else. When they did arrive they told me they'd spent hours in a cafe drying out by a log fire. We spent the evening together in the cabin surrounded by all their wet gear drying out. My tent wasn't wet as I hadn't camped for the previous three nights. We went shopping in the small town, had an early supper, and an early night.




In the morning we rode together to a town called Fairlie, along a road which was gradually rising. The sun came out and we had lunch outside a cafe. I bought another lock for my bike, as these lads had been telling me horror stories of bikes being stolen. We allowed ourselves a leisurely break of about two hours before starting out again. We knew we had a tough ride ahead of us as we had a pass to go over before riding down the other side into Tekapo. The road was still climbing gradually when we came to a small village before the pass. The lads decided to take a break here, but I continued on up the steep hill. It was tough and I was tired, and although I was determined to ride all the way, I must admit to pushing my bike the last half-a-mile to the summit. Tim and Mike claimed that they saw me walking, so I couldn't deny it!




The view from the top of the pass was astounding. Spread out before me were the peaks of the Southern Alps, including Mt. Cook. I've been told that many native New Zealanders have never seen these peaks not shrouded in cloud. But on that day the weather on the western side of the pass was perfect. Clear and cloudless skies, and a huge horizon mesmerised me as I rode the long descent down to the shores of Lake Tekapo. This lake was the same milky green and turquoise colour as some of the rivers I'd seen earlier crossing the Canterbury Plains. It was explained to me that these colours were to do with various salts eroded by the glaciers in the mountains.




Tekapo itself was a small town, and I waited in a small lakeside cafe, with an ice-cream, for Tim and Mike to arrive. I'd also visited the Tourist Office and arranged to be taken to the local airport for a scenic flight around the mountains. I just had time to set up my tent before a minibus came to pick me up.




At the airport I joined six or seven other passengers in the Cessna and took off on my extravagant joy-ride. The photographs say it all! Afterwards I was given a lift back to the camp-site by a couple who'd also enjoyed the flight. I was to meet them again about a week later!




Tim and Mike meanwhile had gone off fishing but returned later with nothing to show for it. Later that evening we cycled into the village and had a couple of pints and a game or two of pool. Unfortunately one of the local lads got a bit upset with Mikes winning streak so we left before anything happened and rode back to the camp-ground in the dark. Nobody had any lights!

Onto the Canterbury Plains

Via Cheviot to Oxford

The next day we made an early start and continued along the coast. We did actually see a small pod of about a dozen dolphins from the road. At Oara we came to a Transport Cafe and ate a huge breakfast; this was to cause us problems later. Now we left the coast and had to ride three steep hills to get to our destination, Cheviot. These were my first real hills and it was slow going on a heavy stomach. From time to time I was forced to get off my bike and rest. Still a couple more weeks of this and I'd be able to ride up anything.




 On the third hill I met a German travelling northwards and he was resting on the side of the road. We chatted for a while before Vic caught up. Lunch was at a place called Parnassus; just a string of houses and a shop. When we reached Cheviot we camped in a site behind the pub, before showering and heading off for the cafe and an ice-cream. Here we met two Americans riding recumbent bicycles. they looked pretty comfortable; but going uphill? We were assured that they were efficient, if a little too difficult to ride at first. They also told us about a camp-site on a beach a few miles away, but we were already settled in and decided not to move. That evening we spent in the bar of the pub. It was a busy Saturday night and we chatted to a few of the locals.




The next day's ride took us to Leithfield Beach. This was a comfortable days ride, with one steep climb into Greta Valley. We had lunch at a pub with a pnaramic view and then rode down a long winding hill onto the Canterbury Plains at Waipora. The camp-site was a quiet spot, and the beach itself was grey and desolate.




The following day was hot and sticky. probably in the 80's. The road to Christchurch was getting busier and busier before we could find a suitable side road to travel. As we entered a small town a man, who told us he was 60 years old, rode along side of us on his racing bicycle. He told us about his touring experiences, especially a trans-Canadian ride he'd done a couple of years ago. We were suitably impressed. In the town, called Rangiora, we had breakfast and then Vic and I went our separate ways. Vic had to get back to Christchurch to visit friends and catch his flight back to Australia. I wanted to avoid the cities for a while and decided to cycle around the edge of the Canterbury Plains on my way South.




After lunch I continued my ride along quiet country lanes, mostly flat, but occasionally rising a little to give me a view across the plains. I passed several small-holdings selling soft fruits and arts and crafts; eventually I bought some white peaches and a couple of home-made cards. In the early afternoon I arrived at the camp-site at the entrance to Ashley Gorge, and spent the remainder of the afternoon lying in the sun reading. seemed strange to be on my own again. May be this is why I decided to take the next day off! Though I did ride into the nearest town, Oxford, to buy some groceries and stamps. This was only a twelve mile round trip. In the afternoon I took a walk up the gorge itself; very quiet and tranquil. Before getting an early night I did my first laundry and also decided to move into a cabin as rain was forecast. Good move as it turned out.

Kaikoura

Dolphin Watch

Well the Whale Watching was cancelled! Apparently the sea was too rough about 5 or 6 miles off-shore. However we were assured that the Dolphin Watch would not be affected as these were closer inshore. I signed up for the 9am ride and turned up at the office after breakfast to be kitted out in a wetsuit. A very pretty sight. Their were about a dozen of us on the launch as we set off to find the dolphins. These dolphins we were assured were not fed and were completely wild. I imagine they are well used to being observed by humans though. The boat set off in a southerly direction and maintained a distance of abut 100 yards from the coast. After about 40 minutes we came across a pod of dolphins. Our guides told us these were both Ducky and Hector's Dolphins, which are smaller. This pod has about 300 members were were told.




The dolphins seemed to be in a playful mood as they surfed in front of the boat. sometimes, we are told, the dolphins are sleeping, which they do with half their brain at a time. A ring of alert dolphins surrounds the pod of sleeping ones. Their only known predators are the occasional Orca. We watched the dolphins swim at speed and saw the antics they performed; jumps and somersaults. The guide told us that these exertions were used to communicate direction, pace and danger. After a while the boat slowed to a stop and we prepared to enter the water with the dolphins. We would have to repeatably do this as humans are cumbersome swimmers and the dolphins would quickly tire of us and swim off.



After entering the water, slipping in and not diving we were instructed to swim as fast as possible toward the dolphins. If we were lucky an individual would take an interest in us and swim in circles around us. We were told that maintaining eye contact was important and we could make a clicking noise too which would encourage them. The most I saw was a blur of silver grey as a dolphin whipped past and after each chase in he water it seemed like the dolphins got more and more bored. In the end it was more interesting to stay in the boat and watch the dolphins in comfort.

On the Road to Kaikoura

The East Coast and Seals on Wheels

Vic started off ahead of me the next morning, but I caught up with him having a second breakfast in a small hamlet just where the road first met the east coast. We more or less rode together the rest of the day. It was a spectacular ride. Including my first sight of snow-clad mountains, and the winding beauty of the coast, carved into the cliffs at some points and following the railway, as view after view was revealed after every headland. It even had a few short tunnels. Vic was inclined to a leisurely pace, he's about fifty years old, which suited me at this stage. We talked about his life in NZ and why he'd moved to Australia. Seems like he'd like to move back now! he was at the tail end of a three week ride around the northern end of the South Island and was returning to Christchurch. We also talked about cycle-touring. I was all ears for any tips! At one point we stopped to take pictures of each other riding. A bit posy, but this, it turned out, was the only time anyone would photograph me riding!



When we discovered a seal-colony we decided it was lunch time and idled away an hour or so. The seals were quite large and also aggressive. We watched them sunning themselves and rolling about in the surf with the kelp. The afternoon ride continued down the coast. Kaikoura could gradually be seen on the horizon, but took its time getting closer. As we entered town we headed for the Tourist Information to find details about accommodation and entertainment. Vic introduced me to Hostels, a well established chain of independent houses offering basic shelter. There are also YHA's scattered about the country. This was all news to me, as I had planned to camp everywhere. These hostels were particularly useful in the small towns and cities. We shared a dormitory room in the one we found in Kaikoura, but decided to have dinner out after a 'jug' at the local pub. The local beer is slightly sweet, and often served in a large jug, with a small glass.




At the Tourist Information we also found out that this place was famous for its excursions to see whales and dolphins, which apparently come to feed just offshore where a huge underwater chasm draws nutrients to the surface. We decided to stay an extra day and I booked myself onto a whale-watching trip for 6am the next morning.

Arrival in the South Island, NZ

In the Beginning Was Vic

 On the morning of the 3rd of February 1993 I rose at 6.30am in an attempt to catch the 8am inter--island ferry from Wellington to Picton. All the panniers had been packed the night before, but this was the first time out on a fully loaded bike. The descent to Wellington City was precarious, and I got lost wandering about the dock-side area. I feared missing the boat but made it just in time. It looked as if I was the last cyclist on board, as a pile of bikes were already stashed and roped on the car-deck. Feeling rather dapper in my cycling clothes, but knowing I was probably seriously out of shape I wandered onto the decks and watched the city disappear as we pulled out of the bay and followed the coast around the Wellington hillside suburbs. I thought I recognised Island Bay, which is where I'd been staying with Jo. The weather was perfect for the crossing; clear blue skies and a calm sea. This made a change as my previous ten days in Wellington had been accompanied by some indifferent and changeable weather, and the Cook Straits are notorious for rough passage.




The crossing takes three hours, so after watching the North Island disappear from view I went downstairs for a huge breakfast, and a wander around the decks and gangways. When the ship entered the sounds of the South Island I ventured back on deck to marvel at the greenery and the rugged coastline. Not much sign of civilisation until we turned a dog-leg into Picton Harbour. After a brief chat with the other cyclists milling around on the car-deck, especially three blokes of about sixty, I rode straight off into the country.




The road was gently undulating, the weather was warm, and I had a pretty good idea of how far I was riding. It was still relatively early, with all day to do the riding. At my first stop I took a photograph of my pristine bike, before waving at the old-timers as they passed me. I wasn't to see them again. When I reached my intended destination for the day I decided that I still had time to travel a little further. One stiff climb, a double decker bridge, shared by the railway and fifteen miles later brought me to Ward at about 4.40pm. As I checked in I noticed only one other camper. He also had exactly the same bicycle as me, a '93 Cannondale T700. This was such a coincidence that we chatted, and went for dinner at a fish and chip cafe in the village. His name was Vic, originally from Lancashire, recently of Nelson NZ, but now living in Brisbane, Australia. We were to ride together for the next five days.

Introducing Green River Canoes

Green River Canoes Ltd

My friend Steve Lines and I have just kicked off a new project for the New Year. It's called Green River Canoes and it's a small company that runs Inn-to-Inn Guided Canoe Trips to the south of France.

All the links to our web site, blog, facebook and twitter are in the panel on the right.

Here is what our Home page says:

Welcome to the Green River Canoes blog. We are a company offering Inn-to-Inn Guided Canoe Trips in the south of France. Our main website is here. We are currently offering a 6 Day Trip in the Perigord region on the Vezere and Dordogne rivers and a 5 Day Trip in the Lot region on the Cele river. A combination 12 Day, 3 Rivers trip is also available.

Bespoke/Custom Trips can be arranged if required. Here are some ideas.

All our holidays comprise of mostly canoeing with some (often optional)  hiking. The itinerary is planned but is flexible enough to be changed on the day if required. These are detailed here for the Perigord trip and here for the Lot Trip.

All our holidays are guided. Our guests will be accompanied on the river and trail by an experienced guide who knows the area and rivers well. Our other guide will accompany us in the background by driving our vehicle between lodgings. When necessary this vehicle will be transferring our luggage, rendezvousing with us for lunch and generally being available as and when needed.

All the accommodation on our trips is in small local Hotels, Chambre D'Hotes or B&Bs, which are detailed here for the Perigord trip and here for the Lot trip.

All our holiday prices include transfers, canoe hire, accommodation and meals (except one).
All trips have a maximum size of 9 people. That is 7 guests and 2 guides.

On all our trips we will enjoy the natural history and local history of the region and see many of the fabulous sites along the way. Needless to say we will also enjoy the local wines and regional cuisine.

We take trips from late spring, through summer (avoiding August) until the autumn and fall. When to go? These books and maps will also help you enjoy the trip.

More detailed questions are answered here.

If you have any other questions we would be delighted to hear from you. All the details are on the panel to the right, where you can also sign-up for our quarterly Newsletter.