2000 Biking New Zealand

Day 16, 23 December 2000, Saturday
Wellington (Paraparaumu) – Bulls; 101.3km @ 14kph, Bridge Motor Lodge, $40

We spent the day battered by noise. From a relentless wind and a constant stream of fast-moving traffic. And arrived in Bulls exhausted and with sore knees despite the easy terrain – Bulls being virtually still at sea level.

On arrival in Wellington yesterday we had popped into the railway station to find out about urban trains to the city outskirts. And caught this morning the 7am Tranz Metro from Wellington to Paraparaumu. The one way trip with our bicycles cost $23 and was worthwhile indeed. We shared our compartment mainly with all-night revellers – many of whom were obviously hungover; some of whom slept through their stops. One young woman was shaken awake at a stop by a would-be-helpful fellow-traveller and awoke with a jolt and leapt off the train at what turned out to be entirely the wrong stop – but luckily managed to get back on the train again, looking totally discombobulated, before it pulled out.

Just under an hour later we disembarked at the end of the line and went straight to McDonalds for breakfast. Then got on the very busy and very fast-moving SH1 in a threatened rain storm. Which delivered only a spit and spot but no real rain either then or later in the day.

SH1 at this time of year is amazingly busy. Literally thousands of cars and buses and trucks zooming past us in both directions at very high speeds. The noise of their passing both tiring and frightening – despite a relatively good shoulder for 98% of the time. The few times there was no shoulder was either at a curve in the road (very dangerous) or on a narrow bridge (really frightening).

We have made an interesting observation. When the shoulder is narrow or when there is no shoulder and you hug the edge of the road, passing vehicles edge past you – way too close for comfort. If you cycle 0.5m in from the edge of the road, passing vehicles wait behind you until it is safe to pass and then use their flickers and give you plenty of space ie treat you like a real vehicle. Unfortunately this strategy can prove dangerous if the lines of sight are too short. But I have used it on occasions when I can see there is plenty of time for an approaching car to see me.

One section of the road today was especially frightening and I found myself walking down a long curving descent, too anxious to cycle it – especially given the gusting wind. From the top end of the curve I could see a long bridge ahead – in two separate lengthy segments – which really raised my anxiety level. I cycled the first segment with hammering heart and then saw a sign saying something to the effect that there was a cycle path ahead to avoid the narrow bridge. And down Charl and I swept onto it – it runs alongside and below the bridge itself – to find it was built in memory of Ken Everett a long-distance cyclist who was killed on that very bridge. Well … that really helped alleviate our fears! As did coming across a long traffic jam and finding as we approached its cause a car in a ditch and an elderly woman lying on the side of the road. Lots of people were in attendance so we didn’t stop, but it did not inspire us with confidence.

On the whole the wind today blew from our left – a strong and strongly gusting westerly. It blew so strongly that my upper body, from having to hold the bike in line to prevent myself from swerving off the shoulder and into the traffic, is as tired as my legs.

We er…dined at McDonalds again at Levin and had grenadilla cheesecake and tea/beer at Foxton where my sugar levels were so low Charl said I became irrational. On the wall in the charming tearooms here was a photo of the old harbour apparently previously privately-owned. With a caption along the lines of the God-given wealth ‘grabbed’ by the government. Also a photo of the main street in late-1800s and again in the 1920s showing a Maori graveyard later replaced by British gardens. Mmmm…

It was a long long way still from Foxton to Bulls – with the last 7km, after the turn at Sanson, directly into the wind. An incident en route summed up our day. In some fields past which we cycled were machines spraying fertiliser. Time and place and wind conspired at one point to splatter my lip with shit! Ah…shit!

On the plus side: We had numerous positive responses to Charl’s flag – flying particularly visibly on this windy day – and enjoyed particularly the familiar toot tut tut tut toot, toot toot from some passers-by.

We are staying a km or two outside town. At a place which had not received my faxed confirmation, but which luckily still had a room for us. After a tired shower we walked up the hill into town where we were amused to find the following signs, inter alia, on a variety of shops etc: ATM – Cash-a-bull; Gift shop – Present-a-bull; Bin – Respons-i-bull; Visitor info – Inform-a-bull. And on the police station, giving a real sense of a community connected, Const-a-bull. Fun.

We dined, at the suggestion of our host, at the Rangitikei Tavern – at Carolyn’s restaurant there. Near us sat a couple with nothing to say to each other; and a jovial family group drinking KGB – a ready-mixed vodka and orange drink. Charl had a mixed grill with chips and salads. And I a lemon pepper chicken salad with lettuce and tomatoes and cucumbers and boysenberry sauce. Absolutely delicious and the only real highlight in a long and tiring day.