What a difference a ferry ride makes! The two main islands of New Zealand are a study in contrast. The South Island is larger and more moutainous but with a smaller population. The North Island has heavier traffic and a more active geology.
Odyssey2000 began its North Island trek in the city of Wellington. "Windy" Wellington is the nation's capitol where it is said a person can experience four seasons in a hour. We were lucky, we just got morning drizzle then clouds. At noon, a procession of graduates lead by bagpipes paraded from across the street from the "Beehive" Parliament Building down the main shopping street. I love bagpipes so I followed along eyeing shops to check out on the way back. The prices are so low and the exchange rate was so favorable that I purchased a book and some CDs I would have bought in the U.S. for twice what I paid in NZ.
The daily scenery on North Island riding days wasn't as spectacular as the Southern Alps or the blue waters of the Tasman Sea. There were times however. One day I could see a snow capped volcano rising a 100 km in the distance above a pasture of sheep. Palmerston North, a quaint farming town, had a bagpipe and drum band contest and parade with a guest band from Glascow playing Scotland the Brave as a finale. The town also boasts perhaps the most exquisite rose garden I've ever seen. One experimental rose (no name yet) had three roses blowing together each in a different color.
Riding toward the volcano, which last erupted in 1995, the Skagit Flat like scenic route started climbing along hills filled with sheep in scenes reminiscent of the best of Ireland and Scotland. Some of the climbs were a steady up for 5km. I was able to stand on my pedals almost the entire time on the climbs even into a headwind .. a sometimes strong headwind. Not something I could have done before Odyssey. The day was so hard that a strong cyclist, Brit-Simone (brit-see MOAN), one of the organizers, who was allowed to ride that day because it was her 28th birthday hopped in the sagwagon.
The next morning the wind was still blowing as we left our army barracks. After five kilometers, the road began climbing from 2700ft to 3400ft into the wind and the mist turned to rain. Oh yeah, and it was COLD! It was a great day to have a fairing (windshield) to fight the wind, rain and cold. It was the only time many of us were looking forward to going to a Burger King (our midday checkpoint). 2000 feet below the summit, it was warmer and dryer. I made use of the hand dryers in the restroom to dry my socks and gloves. The rest of the ride to the action tourist town (meaning like Queenland there were lots of ways to spend money) of Taupo went by Lake Taupo, the trout fishing capital of the world. On our layover day, after the morning downpours abated, I rode out to the free and awesome Huka Falls as well as the Craters of the Moon thermal area (mostly craters and sulphurous steam). Huka Falls is really a shoot with blue water crashing and foaming between narrow walls then plunging into a pool below.
On the next day's ride, I stopped at the commercial thermal area, Wonderland. Its best attraction was a pair of colorful thermal pools. New Zealand's thermal areas actually made me want to revisit the more spectacular Yellowstone Park. There, they would never plug a geyser with rags then pour detergent into it to make it go off at the same time everyday. I also don't think West Yellowstone reeks of sulphur the way Roturrno, New Zealand, does.
The last two days riding to Auckland were just days to do the mileage thanks to New Zealand's ever present chipseal rough pavement, only occasionally good scenery, and trucks that came VERY close to all the cyclists. While I saw more touring cyclists in New Zealand than anywhere else on Odyssey, I saw fewer local riders either riding a bike as a utilitarian vehicle as in SE Asia, Copenhagen and Holland, or out training in their club lycra jerseys as in Italy. Practically nowhere did I see people out riding just for fun like I would see around Seattle.
Which reminds me. The flight from Honolulu to Kona was only the second of 16 flights so far (three to go) where I didn't have to worry about spending the last of the local currency. Now I'm in the United States, albeit sitting outside (it's 78 degrees) in a hotel bar with the ocean crashing against the lava. I've got less than a week of cycling before I'll complete 23,000 kilometers (14,300 miles) of riding thru the best cycling the world has to offer on the best year of my life.
Thanks to traveling in an easterly directions during a leap year, this will also be the only year wherein I've had 367 days. When we crossed the International Dateline, December 16th became a do over day. While my life isn't a do over, returning from Odyssey2000�, alas not with the weight loss for which I had hoped, will be a beginning of a new adventure in reality living. And, I don't know how that book will turn out.
Keeping the rubber down and the spirits high,
Bruce