New Zealand, 2008 — Part 2
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Havelock to Picton and Kaikoura On Thursday, March 20, we cycled the 45 kilometres from Havelock to Picton. There were numerous hills with gorgeous views over the water. Much of this short ride along Queen Charlotte Drive qualified as spectacular, even by our elevated standards. |
 On Queen Charlotte Drive |
"Much of it qualified as spectacular..."
 Picton's "foreshore," a beautiful waterfront park |
Picton was touristy but very attractive, especially the "foreshore" that has been developed as a waterfront park. Many places to stay in Picton were full, so we settled for a campsite that was less than perfect — a motor camp near a railroad trestle, with trains frequently and noisily passing, plus a noisy night-time possum. But the town and its surroundings were so enjoyable that, again, we decided to stay two nights. |
On our layover day, Good Friday, we rode
north to check out a possible route; no-one in town seemed to be certain
where, or whether, the road turned to gravel. The news was not good,
there was too much gravel so the route idea would not work for us, but
the exploratory ride was fine. Later in the day, we looked at some of
the many boats moored in Picton Harbour and walked a trail along the
waterfront.
 Picton's Harbour accommodates ocean going ships ... |
 ... and pleasurecraft, like this wonderful motor sailer |
| On the Saturday of Easter weekend we left Picton and cycled through Blenheim to the Pedaller's Rest, beyond Ward. This was 84 kilometres altogether, and one of our least pleasant days. It never rained, but it was grey and, past Blenheim, very windy. The hills after Blenheim were substantial, though they wouldn't have been hard if there hadn't been such a strong headwind. Drought had hit this area hard, and everything was bare and brown. Approaching Ward, the landscape was a bit greener, and after Ward there were distant views of the ocean. |
 Barren hills south of Blenheim |
We were relieved to arrive at Pedallers'
Rest, a small and simple backpackers that caters almost exclusively
to cyclists. We decided to stay indoors; we were the only people here,
so we had the cozy little kitchen-living room to ourselves. The place
is run by people who seem very nice indeed. They've offered this inexpensive
accommodation to cyclists for 13 years, but their main business is their
3000 acre farm -- sheep, beef, deer, and now a 100-acre vineyard.
 A welcome sign after unpleasant cycling |
 Cozy bunkhouse that we had to ourselves |
The Pedaller's Rest bunkouse is on this 3000-acre
farm
In the morning, while Wally was putting some duct tape on Barbara's seat, one of the support struts gave way. Even though it was Easter Sunday, we had to ask Brian, the owner of Pedaller's Rest, to drill a new hole in the strut so it could be reattached. Being a farmer, he had a well-equipped workshop and the repair was no problem, but we got a very late start on our 80-kilometre ride to Kaikoura.
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Fortunately, the ride from Pedaller's Rest to Kaikoura was much easier and more enjoyable than the previous day. It was approximately 80 kilometres again, but there were no difficult hills, there was a mild tailwind instead of a strong headwind, and there were wonderful views.
On the way to Kaikoura |
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Des at The Nook had urged us to stop along the way to Kaikoura at a remarkable restaurant/cafe called "The Store." We never would have dreamed of eating there — not with a nice lunch costing $20 or $30, a crayfish dinner costing $90 — but we were happy to use their rest rooms and enjoy the view. And we almost bought a handpainted tile from The Store's small gallery, which unlike the food was reasonably priced. Unfortunately, they couldn't ship it for us, and carrying a large ceramic tile on a bike would not have worked out.
Expensive al fresco dining
at The Store |
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Perhaps the view from "The Store" justifies
the prices!
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We arrived in Kaikoura in plenty of time to find a place to stay — which was a good thing, because on Easter Sunday, most places were packed. The nice backpackers we'd have liked was full, and the first "holiday camp" we found was a dump, so we ended up in a Top 10 — crowded, overpriced as usual, but always clean and reliable, and the view was great. The town of Kaikoura,, by the way, was not much to our liking. The setting is beautiful, but the town is given over almost entirely to tourism. The main steet in "downtown" made Wally think of Perez Gasca in Puerto Escondido! |
 This view makes the Top 10 park look better than it was! |
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On Easter Monday — still an official part of the holiday in New Zealand — we lazed around, did laundry, and then went for a walk. Wally was at first reluctant, and neither of us much liked the way that the walk began, but it eventually brought us to the tops of bluffs with stunning views of the ocean and the mountains behind Kaikoura. It turned out to be a fine afternoon.
Gateway in Mauri design marking the beginning of trail |
 Barb walking with some Americans who moved to New Zealand |
 Bluffs on the walk from Kaikoura |
Late afternoon, on the way back to Kaikoura from
our walk
We called Roger and Valerie from Kaikoura, since it won't be too many days before we return to Christchurch. They could not have been more welcoming, and we look forward to seeing them before long. Coincidentally, at the Kaikoura Top 10 Holiday Park, a nice older couple greeted us and surprised us by telling us that they were friends of Roger and Valerie! Joe and Eleanor recognized us because Roger and Valerie had emailed them our website. Apparently Roger and Valerie and some of their friends have been following our travels on the web, even if most of our family has not!