99 reasons why not to
bicycle New Zealand
99
reasons not to bike nz
Introduction
and
disclaimer
p.0
Ch.1
Some of the beauts
mate p.1
Ch.2
Ch.3
Ch.4
Kiwi mentality
Ch.5
Denumonte a) ? b)
actual benefits of near death experience
Introduction
and
disclaimer
It all started one
winters day here in Brampton, Ontario, Canada as I researched
for another book I have written "An Incredible Life" about the
relatively amazing life I have led. Outside the winds were howling fiecely
and blowing drifts of snow outside the small employment centre where I sought
information on Wellington College in New Zealand (where I had attended my last
year of high school in 1971).I must note here that it is only my generation
that has the rare experience of growing up in a non-digital age, then
learning of the benefits of being online and reaping the rewards of
internet 'surfing'. As I surfed I discovered that after forty years my old
high school expects its students to return and celebrate a forty years on
gathering. The deep historied and I would suggest rather upper class college
even had an ancient song that is sung at these events every year. Just reading
the lyrics brought tears to my eyes and I knew that just as surely as lemmings
migrate to the sea, I must venture down to the bottom of our planet and join in
the singing of that song in October 2012. This inspiration dawned on me in
2005. I had seven years to plan and save. What fun I had for year after year
planning, mapping, registering in group activities, etc, etc., etc., all in
preperation. In the last year or so before the actual trip, I got a little
panicky and worked harder on the details of organizing my trip. I
really enjoyed this time though, it was like taking little virtual journeys
well in advance.
Many of the coincidences
of timing of this trip included a
50th anniverasry of Outward Bound, the 150th anniversary of "The Dunstan
Times" my great-great grandfathers newspaper now running as a website by
me (at dunstan-times000.tripod.com) and the annual Luminate festival which
would be on while I was in that area of the NW of the south island of New
Zealand. 
Ch.1
Some of the beauts
mate p.1
Reason #63:
logging trucks. It often seems like some
drivers of these impressive loads (often 3 trailers piled 20 feet high) are
approaching the speed of light and on a murderous rampage to kill hapless
hippie cyclists….
What?
Did you really think that this book
would systematically count-down the top 99 reasons in order? What fun would
that be? With that system of writing, you could just read the first (or last)
paragraph to find the number one reason and thus, your curiosity sated. No,
that wouldn’t do! In fact while doing my ride I had a lot of time to
contemplate both the title and the style I would employ in my writing. I became
intensely adamant that I would make
finding the number one reason why not to bike NZ close to impossible to find.
….. Here, early in my writings, I warn my dear
readers that I am setting out a reward for anyone who can find and correspond
with me what they believe the number one reason is. Those I have told have been
sworn to secrecy and they, their families and friends will not qualify for the
prize. The number one reason will be in this book, but it will be couched
somewhere that will not be easily found. I am doing this deliberately to create
another level of interest in my story. I intend it to become a quest for my
readers. The number one reason really is a doozy, I assure you. Really worth
not only reading about but hopefully exploring for yourself to see if the
impetus for this writing is all it’s cracked to. Trust me; I believe you will
be suitably impressed.
My
thrilling and often incredibly dangerous
journey started long before I actually boarded the plane; about seven years
before. Researching for another book I wrote (An Incredible Life) I discovered
that Wellington College where I had attended in 1971 would be requesting us to
attend a “forty years on” reunion. That was the seed that germinated into the
idea of returning to the Shangri La of my youth and perhaps the silliest notion
of my entire life, to bicycle throughout the south island of New Zealand.
pic#2958 chch2dun Akaroa
I
had endless hours of fun planning my trip. Luckily we had only recently entered
the internet age and thus I was able to explore the options online. I wanted my
trip to last as long as possible which NZ Tourism sets at six months maximum. I
realized that I would not be able to afford
the costs of travel and accommodation that most people my age used, automobiles
and hotels. Nope, I decided that it would be bicycle and hostels that would be
the solution to my problem.
Saving for the trip was a lot tougher than the
planning. Years of scrimping and saving in ways that were often both demeaning
and demoralizing, definitely putting a wedge into the social aspect of my life.
For instance acquaintances would invite me out for a coffee after an evening of
shuffleboard or euchre. I would decline the offers as I need to save money.
After a while the offers dried up and I found myself feeling lonely. When
buying groceries I would buy discounted meat etc to save money. I wouldn’t even
buy a newspaper in an effort to bulk up my savings account. In the end I had
saved about $8000 which I felt comfortable believing ( at the time) was enough to
pay my way travelling around NZ. By the time I actually boarded the plane I had
quite a busy iterinary lined up for my time in NZ. Far more than the original
idea of attending thw wellington college reunion. I had an invite to a ½
marathon at Outward Bound , the 150th
anniversary of The Dunstan
Times (my great-great grandfathers newspaper and the title of my website), a 10
day music festival called Luminate, visits to archives of anscestral
information I sought to flesh out another book I had compiled “The Fache
Files”, revisiting old haunts such as Dunedin and Nelson which held such
precious memories for me and to hook up with old friends from
40 years ago.
This photo was taken during the time
of New Zealand’s centennial celebrations in 1940. A
coach and five arrives at Onuku on a wintery looking
day. The coachman could Tom
Robinson. On top of the coach and
sitting on the right is Paddy Mc Bride and behind her to the left is her father
(John Albert Patrick) Pop.
It was definetly
an adveture packed itinerary!
Akaroa
volcano walls 2948chc2dun
3259 Winchester?
70 miles out from chch 3129-3130
3525 my mobile hotel in Oamaru
3577 train station @ Oamaru
Timaru and Oamaru had perhaps the
most beautiful gardens I saw in NZ. This is in oamaru
Possibly
the single most deadly stretch of
road, compiling multiple sources of danger was the Clyde – Cromwell corridor.
It is a stretch of road about 30km.. There are no sideroads or amenities along
the way. Apart from fairly aggressive elevation changes ( which in itself could
be a reason) and having frequent gale force winds and having a spartan amount
of space for bicyclists, it’s the unguarded cliff edges that win this gold rush
gorge #2 on my reasons not to bicycle New Zealand. The day I left from Cromwell
was an almost last minute decision. I had been resting up doing laundry,
enjoying the town when I heard that the weather would change to possible snow.
I knew that I needed to head out in advance. The trip only lasted about 4hours
with rest stops etc. but I was getting these gusts of heavy winds. At the
monument to the initial gold strike the wind was so fierce it literally moved
you just standing still. It was horrific. What is odd is that the next day when
returning to Cromwell the winds were exactly the same but coming from the
opposite direction! Travelling west to Cromwell was actually the worst ride as
these darn Kiwis drive on the wrong side of the road and that was the side that
the gorge was on. Some spots of the road were like a foot away from a six
hundred foot drop. I could have gone over and no-one would know. I later heard
of a missing Brampton guy never found outback in Australia and felt fortunate with
the chills that it could have easily have been me, in many other spots besides
the Clyde- Cromwell line where I came
very close to disappearing off the face of the earth
3947
Dunedin train station 
Inside
Dunedin’s railway station
3953
more of the interior of Dunedin’s railway station
3965
Otago University
4061
looking down on Dunedin
Half
way up the tortuous hill to my hostel in Dunedin 3983
