Tour of the Northland

Couldn't miss that one!!

My first view of the Pacific Ocean  at Orewa

 Dry pasture near Whangarei, where the 4 day Tour of the Northland is based. 500 riders in five groups according to ability...plus one hand cyclist

 Our "digs" in Dargaville...

 past splendour...now riddled with wood boring beetle holes, but still beautiful and built with a grand view.

 On our way in the Bagage Train, ahead of the riders, going towards the Waipoua Forest, where the biggest Kauri trees are. Tane Mahuta is the name of the biggest one, just off this road,  the girth is 45.2 feet and the total height is 168 feet....it is estimated to be between 1250 and 2000 years old.     Some tree!!

 Looking over dry paddocks to the Tasman Sea

 looking out to sea across Hokianga (natural) harbour from our accommodation in Opononi.

 Jandals on the beach.....Kiwi as !!

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 another dry sunset

 On the way to Paihia, ....

 coffee stop!!

 car ferry from Opua to Russell

 passenger ferry from Russell, across the bay to Paihia

 All sorts of craft!!

 and all sorts of fishermen too.  This is a Marlin.

 New Zealand has its own style of red phone boxes

 Looking back across the bay to Waitangi, of treaty fame, to Russell, which was the capital city before Wellington.

 The last day of the tour was wet...as it was last year!!  Was this the end of the drought?

 The Pirate won the 70+ group prize by over half an hour, and was the oldest rider in the race.   Not bad over four hilly stages, total 340 km .
Stephen Cox, the organizer  is on the left of the picture  and Nathan Cox (his son) the race director is on the right.
Stephen was a international New Zealand rider on the road and is now the most respected event/race organizer in New Zealand.

We travelled with the MyBike team from Whangarei, fifteen of us, riders and helpers, a disparate crew brought together by the love of cycling.   We made good friends, mucked in together and all worked hard, whether we were on the bike or not.
And the next day?.....mostly, back to dry weather...

drought

Still hardly any rain

reflections

I'm still writing...and this is the one thousandth post....

I've been back training on the track, keeping fit, practising techniques.   I need to get back to using weight training and making pots as my arm strength is down, but the technique is getting better.  You can lose several seconds with a bad standing start on the track!!

Today we are off to the Northlands for the Pirate and our Host to race in the Four Day Tour which starts and finishes in Whangarei, including a ferry crossing south from the old capital of New Zealand, Russell.   The area is the dryest in the country at present, being the first to declare drought conditions officially a fortnight or more ago.
We could have rain this weekend (typical!!) as tropical storm Sandra is having a whirl around....

Gentle Annie

Yesterday we helped at a local race, and turned riders at the top of "Gentle Annie"...a steady 3k climb....on the map it is where the road takes a ninety degree turn to the right.

It is a beautiful view...but I've no wish to ride further, as it means coming back UP the steeper side!!

Added today, Sunday....The Pirate decided that he needed a longer ride...so he headed out alone, back up this road.
I went out with our Hostess for a gentle two hour mountain bike ride to the beach and back, followed by coffee at the Red Lion in Whanganui (who sponsor the local cycling club as well as serving great coffee). 

Then we headed for home, but he wasn't there....three o'clock and still no Pirate.... There is a little mobile signal at the top of Gentle Annie, but apart from that, there is no signal in the valley.  So we couldn't phone him to check progress.

Our Host went looking for him in their van....and found him coming back, about 3k North of Gentle Annie.....he is ok, but on the hottest day for a couple of weeks, he got us all worried!!  He accepted the drinks top-up but insisted on completing his ride.

 

Now we await his arrival and his story!!

stuff

Today's job is sorting and downsizing stuff, to make sure that the Pirate doesn't try to send a bag home by courier....it costs the Earth!!    Even by post it is $30 a kilo!! ( $1 is about 55p now)
  He had thought of sending two books home....WHY do people insist on giving you heavy things when they know you'll have a job carrying them....???!!!

So we're lighter by a large carrier bag of clothes, several books and bags and Novelty Christmas Gifts....great fun, but they are things that just gather dust.

Now we have to decide when we travel to Sydney, change tickets, get me a stopover instead of a transit visa....

meanwhile The Pirate is preparing for the Tour of the Northland, which starts on the 14th.


Things are starting to roll fast, like a snowball...

Well- now for an update....the cost of changing our tickets is....$2,000....$1000 each....half the cost of the original tickets!!!!!

Time to rethink....

visit to the South Island

sailing

We're off to Wellington to go on the Cook Strait ferry...I haven't been on a ferry for years!!!  
We're only going as far as Blenheim for a long weekend and cycling with friends.