life on a bike: July 2015

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Near waipoua forest to some where

It's bit of a change sleeping inside - had a bit of a late night as was up to midnight -partly as I was reading on the iPad also the heater/air conditioning keep turning on then off (had no idea how to turn the thing off ) . After getting out of bed I packed up and got on the road heading into the waipoua forest - 18? Km of windy road though bush.

After a few km of riding I came to the car park of the 5 min walk to the big kauri tree knowing as tane mahuta ( lord of the forest ) -it's the largest living kauri tree in nz - the dimensions of the tree are trunk hight 17.7 M ,total hight 71.5 M , trunk girth 13.8 M , trunk volume 244.5 M (3) and the age of the tree is around 2000 years old

After spending some time looking at the tree and other bush and having a play with the cameras I get back on the road though the rest of the forest at one point passing between 2 large kauri trees ( on a one lane bridge over the roots of the trees ) before heading down a fun down hill for a few km before crossing a bridge over a river ( and a turn off to a vister centre) then the road starts climbing again- about 5 km past the bridge and side road I come out of the forest on to farmland with the road still climbing- after getting to the top of that hill there's still a few more hills to climb unto a 2 km long steep down hill ( lots of fun as I wind around the bends around 50 km/h ) leading in to the next small town where I stop for a bit and get some food and a bottle of poweraid ( as I was riding though the bush one of the lids came off one of the 2 poweraid bottles I had water in so I deside to replace the bottle with the now missing lid to a new one ) after chating to the person for a bit on different things I get back on the road to get in a few more km for the day before its time to look for a place to camp for the night - after cheeking the phone for emails/messages I stop at one house and end up settling up camp in the back yard for the night

Rawene to some where near waipoua forest

It's still a bit windy this morning as I pack up but not as windy as the last 2 days have been - getting on the road about 10 am ( only about a hour later then planed : ) then it was back on the road heading out of town - as I leave town there is a small hill to climb - just a taste of thing to come

After the first little hill : ) the road is just about flat is it runs next to the sea for the new few km before I get to a T juldin? Where after some thought I turn right to head out to the west coast passing though a few small towns and heading over a few bigger hills that are a nice warm up for the rest of the up coming hills for the next few days - on one of the hills some one walked past me as said only 7 more km to go - not sure if then meant for me of for then ? Riding until I got to the town of opononi ( where there is a Bronze statue and a grave marker to a donfine? ) i stop to pick up a bit more food as I'm not sure what shops will still be open ( I see many shops that close for the winter ( or some times summer )or else fully close down as less people shop there as I travel around nz ) back on the road there is a good size hill to ride over with a rest stop on top where I stop for a bit of a break - the weather is mixed with mostly overcast with some blue sky at time with it being passing showers at other times Back on the road there is a mix of riding with a few more hills to ride over - on one of the down hills there is some lose stock on the road so I slow down to go pass it ( at the same time it's starts to rain again) after some more riding I get in to a small town where I stop to go to the lool- going across to the small shop to get the key to get into the hall before getting a pie to warm up and some bread ( for dinner tonight) then it's back on the bike where as I leave town I have a long and some what steep climb up to waipoua forest . Around 5 pm the rain sets in as I start looking for a place to stay the night - at the first house I try and they offer the barn - what turns out not to be a hay barn ( and yes I have spent the night in a few hay barns over the years : ) but more some a place more like a house with kitchen, bathroom and even bedrooms ( with beds ) the nice person there tells me to make my self at home as we chat about a few things including bog inn hut a place we have both spent time there (old hut with lots of rats ) then I get changed into some nice dry clothes before setting on a bed and typing this up on the iPad

Rawene rest days

Stent 2 days off the bike at the rawene camp ground as the weather would of made for some fun riding - not! With the weather being High winds ( up 110 km ) and rain I decided to have some time off the bike - it's days like this that is why I don't plan out where I be going each day to much also it means I can take a rest day when my body needs one then having to be worried about time table so much - yes there are times that I have each day planned out but that is mostly when going to events or if meeting up with some one some where on a set date

On the first of the 2 days off the bike I mostly relax and do some reading as well as typing up about 5 more days of my te Araroa walk trail notes ( the notes I put down on paper each day on the walk ) - I did end up going for a walk into town ( about a 20 min walk each way ) to get some nice food as the weather was so bad ( wet and windy ) then it was back to more reading before heading off to bed - the 2th day was mostly spent reading a few books - I did buy and read a new kindel ebook ( on my own two feet ? ) then it was time for bed for the night

Saturday, July 18, 2015

What is bravery , having a lot of courage or being a inspiration?

This is some thing I been thinking over the last few weeks

What is bravery , having a lot of courage or being a inspiration?

One of the things I get said to me a lot by people I met on the road and on line is that I must have a lot of courage to do what I do in life or that I'm a inspiration to people and I must be brave to do what I do in life - in many ways I don't really know what to make of this as I'm only living my life the only way I can

Let's talk about some of the labels that many have used ( and continue to use ) on me - I'm some one who happens to be a young transgender woman who has many disables to live with - some of then I have had all my life others I got thought accidents or other causes after I was born also Im some one who lives on the road full time getting around by bike or on foot for around the last 8?years . I'm a helper at horse events around the North Island for many years

Is doing what I do brave or a inspiration to others and do I have lot of courage in my life and why ?

Looking at some of the labels

Being Disable

With my Disabilitys that I live with each and every day. Yes many of then do cause me a few issues like my speech when I talk to people so they can understand what I I'm asking - some time it can take a few try's to be understood when I ask for something or with my dyspraxia/head injuries it can take more me time to understand something or the fact that some times I need to do things in a different way then most as the way others do it just don't work for me - getting my body to do even so called simple things at times is just to hard or leaves me suffed for a few days after

Yet I don't really let it get to me - yes I'm disabled but I will not let what I can not do stop me from doing what I can do - to give some a idea of what that means in my case I plan then go out and do things that so called able body people would find hard -even though many times people have tried telling me I can't do it because of my leaver of disability

Like what type of things one may ask ?

Things like walking from Cape reinga to wellington along the te Araroa trail - a 1500 km walk along roads, down beaches though farmland and bush by myself wearing a 25+ kg backpack sleeping in a camping hammock or tent just about ever night or riding the lake Taupo bike ride doing 1x ,2x 4x lap and last time the 8x lap rides - each lap being 160 km so the 8 lap was 1280 km that I did in 122 hours ( or 6 days ) - yes I did have a few people help with the rides but I still did the ride doing just about ever km solo ( for some of lap 6? On the 8 lap ride I did have others around me as that was when the 1 lap fun ride was taking place ) - I have ridden my bike carrying all my gear in panners and bike trailer 3000 km from Cape reinga to bluff in January-February 2014 solo fundrising and rising awareness of head injuries ( I have had at lest 7 bad head injuries over the years ) on the ride - at this point in time I'm about a week into a winter end to end bike ride

So why do I do the type of things I do even being disabled- well first up I do then for myself as they are the type of things I like to do - set a big goal - work out how to do it -then just do it and move on the the next goal - I try not to let my Disabilitys stop me from doing things - some times it may take longer or I need to work out a different way of doing something but I still do what my goal is ( or at the very less as close as I can )

Also because I do then for fun as every one needs at less some fun in they life - keep smiling as it makes people wonder what you are up to : )

But most of all I do then because that's what a want to do in my life - it's my life so I'm the one who gets to pick what they do with it - others can help or hinder me but in the end it's up to me what I do in my life : )

Living on the road by bike or on foot

I have been traveling part time on my own from the age of 16? And full time for the last 8 ? Years I live most of the time in a tent ( a tent tends to last me between 6-12 months before needing to be replaced as they wear out ) yes even in winter time I'm still sleep in a tent - some times a friend my put me up for a few days to a few weeks From time to time - so why do I travel so much ? For many years it was because I was looking for a place to call home "some where to fit in " as I never really felt that I fitted in any one place - for now the road is my home in that it is the only place I fit in - maybe it's a sign that I been on the road too long ? Do I miss a fixed home ? I don't really know as it's been so long from the last time I had a fixed address I don't really know what's it's like to have one any more also for me long term travel is like having a nice well done home cook meal instead of a TV dinner as I'm out there seeing places and meeting people with my own eyes not just seeing things on TV or seeing a great painting on the wall with my eyes instead of just liking a photo of it on Facebook

Being a young transgender woman

Well this one is a hard one for me in a few ways so what is the back story? Well as I grown up I knew some thing was off or not right but for many years I did not have the words to say what was going though my mind also I was scred what others would think or do so I never said any thing about it. then a few years I some how found out about transgender people so I talked to a very few people I trusted and spent a few years doing home work finding out as much as I could - as part of the information I found I some how found a few people who are also transgender- at that point I was still not sure what to do - so what put me over the edge ( so to speak) in the end so I made the decision I did - well it was the night of my 31 birthday ( 2015 ) and I was feeling very low as I was walking back to the house where I was doing some house sitting in eketahuna- as I walked across the bridge high over the river I stopped and looked over the side and thought about ending my life by jumping off the bridge- yes I was feeling that low and at that point in time could not see any other way out sadness of the depression in my life ( that I have been dealing will many years ) - why I did not jump I don't know but I knew I had to start making big changes in my life as I did not the next time I would of killed my self - one of the big changes was to be true to myself regardless of what others might think - to start living full time as the real me ( as a young transgender woman ) - I started talking to friends telling then what I was doing and why ( the name and gender change) knowing I would loss some of then but its my life so it my rules on how I live it - then they was the harder parts like when I picked a change over date when I would go from living as a young man to living as a young woman and going up to auckland to do the name change - one of the hardest things was telling my family what I was doing and why -so what is it like for me - well for me it's still early days as I only been full time female for a few months but I'm now a lot more happy in life being the real me ( before it felt like I was wearing a mask hiding the real me from the world - now the mask is gone ) so how have people treated me ? Most people have been good - some have been not so good or even down right nasty but I don't let people like that get to me ( there can be so much hate on the Internet but also so much help and support from people) I know by living my life the way I am at times I'm putting my life at risk -( in the usa there's a lot of hate crime against transgender people-by some reports- it's around 15 times the murder rate also around 1/2 of all transgender people have tried to kill they selfs ) In some ways by telling my story and taking to different people I hope to perhaps help others who may be transgender and they friends and family to have a better understanding

As for the horse events I help because I love to help others when and where I can - so why horses - well for me horses are not a matter of life and death they are more important that that : )

So is doing what I do brave or a inspiration to others and do I have lot of courage in my life ? - well I guess the answer is up to other people to judge as to me I'm just who I am ( who ever that is : ) ....

Feel free to leave a comment with you thoughts

Friday, July 17, 2015

The treehouse backpacks to rawene

Late start to the day as I slowly packed up my gear and said good bye the the great people who own the treehouse backpacks ( the website for the treehouse backpacks is www.treehouse.co.nz ) then it's a 2 km ride to get the ferry to rawene

After getting off the ferry I head to the shop for a bit of lunch as I look at the map to get ideas of which roads to take next - there's at less 4 different roads I can take to head south from here

Then it's on the bike - as I'm riding along I noticed there a few issues with the handing of the bike so I deside to stop a look the bike over ( and give it a bit more of a clean where the rain missed a few places : )

After spending some time working on the bike I look at the time and decided to stay the night in rawene at a camping ground partly so I can give the bike a full going over as I find a few things that need work like the head set and where the bike folds ( I ride a bike friday that is a folding bike and can be put in the bike trailer what is a suitcase with a frame work with a towbar and 12" wheels that also come off and pack up in the case ) as I look over the bike I see the the rear tire is coming apart so it gets replaced with one of spare tires that I have with me after I get the bike back together I cook up some dinner in the kitchen as I charge up my phone then after dinner I spend time working on getting my travel notes up to date : )

Rest days at the tree house backpacks

I spend the day relaxing looking at the rain fall out side before getting a lift the 2 km to the ferry to rawene around 5 pm where I get some things for dinner and the ferry back ( and a lift ) the the treehouse backpacks- the next day is spent reading then working on typing up my notes from the last few weeks of my traveling around nz for my blog and the book I'm working on

Some where else to the Tree house backpacks

Up at sunrise as the people at the place I stayed the night at asked me to have a early start as they would be leaving early as well ( also they let the dogs run free when they not at home ) after a mix of a few hills and some flater bits at one point passing the place? ( well most likely place) where I was hit by a truck on the bike back in 2008. I get into the town of broadwood ( where many of the houses seem to be made of plywood for some reason? ) at broadwood I stop for a break and look around town - there's a old swinbridge to a walkway ( the swing bridge is slippery as I find out and some what bendy- it's safe ( having parts of it replaced lately- just the deck of the bridge flexes a lot as you walk on it )

Back on the road there's a few more hills to ride over before the roads heads down hill to around sea level though more road works then it's mostly riding near the sea passing more road works ( with a person with a stop/sign who giversme the ok to keep riding just look out for roadwork's working on the road ) to the town of kohukohu where I stop for a break and get some food for tea then it's a 6 km ride still next to the coast past the car ferry ( to rawene ) to the very nice tree house backpacks where I'm staying the night - it's some where that I have stayed a few times over the years and all was look forward to it as it's in my top 10 places in nz list of mine - keep in mind of all the different places I end up traveling to each year all over nz )

Some where on 90 mile beach to some where else

A good sleep in this morning as I wait for the tide- after all it's a bit hard to ride on a beach when these still water over the part of beach you going to ride : )

As it's time to go I take my time getting as much sand out and off my tent before packing it all away

Once I'm back on the beach I keep riding stoping about ever 10 km or so for a bit of food and a drink until I get to first a turn off to a road off the beach for a bit stop then it's back on the beach riding to i get to Aihpara ( with the last few km going I bit more faster as the beach turned south west ? So I even had a bit of a tail wind at Aihpara I head off the beach as it's the south end of riding on the beach

At the shops I stop for some fish and chips and to start the long job of taking the sand and salt off the bike and trailer - I get much of the sand off the trailer ( where the top of the trailer had a 1 cm thick layer of sand on ( mostly from being flick up the the back wheel - might need a mud flap or some thing like that on the mudguards ) I clean the sand off the drive chain and a few other places

After the bit of bike cleaning and the fish And chips it's time to get Back on the road - where I end up taking the long way out of town before turning right ( South ) on the the back roads as I start climbing up a long hill ( North land - land of the hills ? ) at the top theres a place I remember well as it is part of the te Araroa trail ( where the Ta trail turns off the road and heads on to a bush track ( it was up this track on my ta walk that I met some new friends of mine where we walked a few days of the trail together) heading down the other side of the hill there is road works so I take it slowly down the hill

From the bottom of the hill the road is a mix of rolling hills and a few flat bits. After some more km as it's starting to get dark I start to look for a place to camp for the night - at one house I see some people out side so deside to ask one of them . The reply is how about under that tree pointing to a spot in the yard. So after saying thank you and a bit of a chat ( where I got asked if I pushed my bike up big hill today - my reply was along the lines of bikes are for riding up hills not pushing up ( I got nice low gears on the bike : ) I set up camp for the night before heading off to bed

Some where to some where down 90 mile beach

After a bit of a sleep in as I have to wait for the tide I pack up my gear on to the bike and keep walking the bike toward the beach still walking down the stream to I get to the beach around 10 am

Onice I'm at the beach I get on and start riding South - finding my way is easy - just keep the sea to the right and the sand dunes to the left. There's a bit of a head wind that with riding on the hard packed sand ( riding below the high tide mark ) keeps my speed down to around 10-12 km/h

In many ways with riding down a beach like 90 mile beach not much changes - at some point in time I pass bluff ( the one on 90 mile beach not the one down the South Island: ) after that it's mostly the odd fishermen and a few times a day a tour bus passes by on the way to or from the Cape

Latter on the day after riding around 40 km my legs are telling me it's time to set up camp for the day as the water getting closer as the tide heads to high tide so I take the bike and trailer into the dunes to start setting up camp for the night - I would of liked to of done a few more km but when your legs and the tide say no more then it's time to stop

After my tent is set up I cook some dinner ( yes I do cook from time to time : ) then spend time looking at the sun setting in to the sea

Waitiki landing to somewhere

Waitiki landing to some where

A late start to the the days riding as I get lost in a good book for a few hours - after packing up camp and fulling up all my water bottles- a 3 l water bladed, 2x 750ml bike drink bottles a 500 ml bike drink bottle and 2 x reused poweraid ? Bottles (750ml ) Why so much water ? Because the next place to get clean drinking water is 100+ km down 90 mile beach

I'm back on the road- last day of heading north for a few months and the start of heading south from the Cape - there is still a few big hills to climb in the last 20 km of road to the Cape so I take my time - the road seems a lot longer the only 20 km but after a few hours I do get to the north end of S,H.1 - so what is at the end of the road ? Well there's a roundabout and 2 big car parks some loos and a path leading down to the light house at the Cape - there's a few other things ( weather station? ) but that's about it

The car park closers to the light house is around 1/2 full of cars, moter homes,a few bus's and some motor bikes . There is a lot more people here today then the last line I was here thought it was a wet and windy day that day - very different from today as there's not much wind and a warm day - warm enough that I road the bike in a sleeveless dress ( with bike shorts on but with out leg warmers)

Walking the bike down to the light house reading some of the information signs they have next to the track I stop a few times before I get to the light house . Onice I'm by the light house I wait for many of the people to head back to the car park - so I can get some photos of me the the signs and light house behind me - it's not the most easily thing to get photos - I do have a selfie stick what my mum got me ( thought most of the time it gets more used as a back scratcher by me instead of doing photos : )

At one point I decide to have some fun dressing In some of my nicer clothes and long boots - well I have then on the bike with me so I might as well have a bit of fun with them : )

I get a few people to take my photo ( and take a few photos of other people with they phones) well time flies when you having fun so it time to put my bike gear back on get a few last photos and slowly riding up the hill to the car park. Stoping to chat to a few people along the path then it's time to leave the car park and start heading south : ) for the 15 km on s.h.1 until I get to the tune off to te paki stream rd where I say good bye to highways for the next 80 + km but first I got 3 km of gravel road to ride then 3 km of stream to walk the bike thought ( with quite sand in places if I found out )

After 3 km of road the road turns into the stream- it's one of the ways to get on or off the beach in a car or tour bus - looking at the water in the stream I decided just to walk the bike the 3? Km to the beach as that way it's easy to grab when I run into very soft sand ( quat sands ) what does happens a few times also with less wight the bike sits better on to of the sand - once I'm on the beach it's a lot more easy to ride on the hard packed sand

After some time walking the bike it's time to start looking for some where to camp for the night I find a ok spot taking care to keep the sand out of the gear and break leaver

Houhora to waitiki landing

Well if all goes to plan I should be at Cape reinga tomorrow : )

It's a ok ride today as I take it slow as I know I have a few hills to climb - I stop at te Kao for a ice cream thought - well why not have a ice cream - after a few more hills I get into waitiki landing ( last shop before the Cape ) out side the shop there's a group of young people who start asking me many questions- some times it's a pain when people ask a lot of questions but today I just smile and start replaying to the question- well most of them - there are a few things I don't take about: )

After they leave I go and set up my tent for the night - as I was heading to cook some dinner a group of fishmen asked me if I wanted some fish and chips so I didn't have to cook dinner that night : )

Some where to houhora

After getting back on the road I had about 20 km and a few more hills to ride over before I got to awanui and back on S.H.1 for the last 100 + km to the Cape. The weather is wet and windy and the road is hilly so I end up staying the night at a camping ground at houhora as my body was letting me know it was not happy doing more then 50 km today - as I get older and a little bit more wiser I'm getting better at understanding when my body needs a break and when I can push it some more

Kaeo to some where

After packing up I get on the road - about a km down the road I have to smile as I pass some ones place I camp at the last time I was up this way - some times I can good at remembering places I have camped over the years .when I did get into the town of kaeo I decided to change over my rear break pads and tighten the front break cable- looks like at some point I will need to replace my break leavers as they have just about wore out ( the barrow adjustment don't work for tightening the cables to help get the play out as the pads ware any more ) well they are one of the few parts of the bike that have never been replaced in over 60,000+ km of riding over the years - they still safe to use thought once that's done I'm back on the road taking a break now and then as I head towards mangonui and cable bay - at the shop near cable bay as I'm having a late I go to pick up my leatherman knife and instead cut a long cut into one of my fingers- well on the up side I now know just how sharp that knife is - yep very sharp - so after getting out my first aid kit ( some might call my first aid kit over size but when you in the middle of nowhere and injured your self as much as I do one understands why I have so much first aid suff ) I stop the bleeding then start thinking where the nearest Drs might be - what turns out to be about 50 m away of all places so I head in there so some one can cheak over the cut ( better to be safe then sorry) - $30 later and some time latter the cut is cleaned and dressed in a waterproof dressing- the fun part was fulling in the paper work as I don't know what's been updated with the name/gender change suff - yep the fun of paper work not the cut has been looked at and dressed it's time to get back on the road

After riding a few more km I stopped at a few places to get some drinking water - well both the petrol station and the pub could not help ? Looking at the pub I decided it's not a place to be after dark so I heading out of town for a few km - the first place I ask at was no luck - there was no way I was going to do what that person said ( in a forceful voice) for me to do -no way was I going to ride back to town and set up camp on the beach ( that would be asking for trouble-as it looked to be a rough town after dark ) so I did a few more km and tried some where else - that went a lot better as I ended up chating to a much nicer person on a farm -after some thought we did find a safe place for my tent for the night - yes there will always be some not so nice people out there one needs to watch out for but I don't let it get to me as there are so many more people out who are a lot nicer and will help you when they can - in other words don't let the fear stop you from living life

Kerikeri to near kaeo

After fulling up my water bottles I leave the camp ground heading into town for shopping- a spare tire as my next bike shop most likely not be to auckland and a far north road map so I know where I'm going after getting off 90 mile beach and yep even more food : ) then it's a up hill ride for most of the rest of the day (in the rain as well ) before heading down the hill towards kaeo where I decided to start asking people for a place to stay - as I'm very wet and starting to get cold ( never a good sign also it makes my speech even harder to understand) so I can get out of the rain and into hopefully dry clothes: ) A nice farmer let's me set up my tent on a some what dry pice of ground for the night - so after I set up camp I get in to nice dry clothes and into bed ( my sleeping bag) for the night

Paihia to kerikeri

A bit of a late start to the days riding as I spent some time in town posting a box of things to my mum and looking in a few shops before heading past the treaty grounds and golf course on to a gravel road - a few km before the start of the track to kerikeri I stop to let a group of people walking pass - as there do I ask one where they came from - yep they came on the Ta track and tell me it's open - a few km latter just as I'm starting the track a big logging truck ( with logs on board) drivers up as asking me where I'm going - I say the Ta trail - turns out that some of the trees are being cut down so some parts of the forest is close but the parts where the Ta trail run through are still open so once the truck has gone past I get to riding the trail ( a walking/cycle trail ) stoping at a few places for photos and keeping a eye out for the Ta markers so I don't get lost by going the wrong way: )

After a few hours of riding ( and at one point having stop riding to lift the bike then the trailer over a locked gate that lead back out of the forest ) I get in to the town of kerikeri- it's a place that I have spent some time in before ( last time was on the Ta walk ( when I had to hunt down some new boots) so I has a short look around town before heading to the camp ground for the night ($18 per person per night for a tent site ) after setting up camp I decided to take my back hub apart to see why it was making a sound that it should not be - the cones was a bit lose and will need replacing soon - I have the tools and then know how to fix most things on the bike ( partly because over the years or riding I have had to fix things on the bike - some times in the middle of nowhere far from any bike shop : ) then latter on had a phone call from my brother ( who I have not talk with in a few years - so I told him what I been up to lately and found out what he is doing now and I hopefully cleared up a few misunderstanding - my mum did tell him about the name / gender change I'm doing and the TV suff though there may of been a few crossed wires in there somewhere) then it's time for bed for me after I get back to my tent

Some where to paihia

Well it's stopped raining

After packing up I start riding a long the cycle trail to opua - it one place I have to unhook my bike trailer so I can get thought the ant- moter bike barriers as the trailer is a few cm to wide to fit when still hooked up to the bike then there's the train station at the end of the rail line for trains ( for now ) that runs back to kawakawa - part of the bay of islands railway that was one of the first rail way lines in the North Island of nz ( built in 1884) after the station there is a long bridge that has been rebuilt in the last year or so the trail then runs next to the sea before heading though a short tunnnel and back next to the sea to opua where the car ferry to Russell leaves from as I'm still heading north I climb up a steep hill on to a not so nice busy road that heads over a few more hills before dropping into paihia where after a visit to the information Centre to see if a back road walking /cycle track to kerikeri is open ( that happens to be part of the te Araroa trail ) I head a few km to the waitangi treaty grounds - only to find its now $15 to get in - was free for kiwis when I was last here lest then a year ago - so I decided not to go this time and head back to paihi to find a place to stay the night - just for some thing different I decide to stay at the yha backpacks ( who don't have any issues with me not having photo id- unlike just about any other back packers I have tried staying at lately- even some camp grounds as wanting photo id now ) so I ended up having a nice room for $20 a night - even came with bedding ( was a 8 bed room with its own bathroom but only had 2 other people staying there that night )

Friends place to some where

After a late start to the days riding I say good bye the my friends place has head back to sh1 still heading north - with the weather still being wet I stop for a pie to warm up a bit then a few km latter there's a nice down hill back down to sea level and a few km latter I get to the town of kawakawa- it's a small town with a rail way line running down the middle of the main st ( so at times you have to give way to trains : ) the rail way runs about 5 km out of town ( parts of the old rail line have been tuned into a cycle/walking trail )

After a bit of a break in town I head out of town towards the bay of islands- as I pass the ruby grounds ( and the start of part of the cycle trail ) I see a sign with a tent on it so I head in to find out more as it will be dark in about a hour or so - there a lot of people in the club rooms but after chating to some one they give me the ok to put my tent near the goal post for the night so I set up camp there and went to bed for the night with it still raining for much of the night ( hope I don't float away in the night with all the rain )

Rest days at a friends place

The plan was just to stay one night but my body had other ideas so my nice friends let me stay 2 full days as I mostly rested my body and mind -I did help out when I could around the place even saw a movie I have been meaning to see for a few years now on DVD there : ) it was very good to chat and chach up with my friends

Doc camp site to friends place near hukerenui

After packing up camp I ride along sh1 to I get to the turn off to ruakaka where I deside to head a few km off sh1 to find some thing to eat to get me over the rolling hills into whangarei - it turns out to be a few more km then I thought it would be ( so more km to ride : ) once I get back on sh1 the road rolls over a few hills before getting into the city of whangarei where I stop to look at a few shops before heading for the food court in one of the mails to get some lunch- as I'm having lunch I start looking for some where to plug in my phone - I spot a pug on the wall so I go and sit on the ground as I pug in my phone - at one point the person comes up to me and instead of telling me off for changing my phone she says I can have a char to sit on if I want - I just smile and say thank You (I'm used to sitting on the ground )

After I finish my lunch I head back out of town stoping at a supermarket for a few days of food before starting a climb a a long hill out of town and mostly just keep riding ( with the odd break here and there ) to I get to my friends place for the night with the last few km being on gravel roads

Some where to doc camp ground at uretiti beach

I get a nice and early start to the days riding - heading though a few small towns stoping at a cafe for some food and a hot drink then it's back to riding - on the way to the brynderwyn hills I see that 2 of the cafes I like to stop at are closed as I ride past ( one is for sale and the other one is getting rebuild )

Heading up pilbrow hill the road is steep and winding with not much room for larger traffic to pass in places. At the top I stop for some photos before starting the ride down the other side- as there is some road works going on the north side with a speed limit of 50 km/h in a few places I have to slow down so I'm not breaking the speed limit by going over 50 km/h : )

From the bottom of the hill the road is flat as it runs near the sea to I get to the doc camp site at uretiti beach where I decided to stop for the day and have a part day off the bike so I'm not over doing things ( what I mostly spend reading a few books in my tent as there is a box of books for people to read at the camp ground )

Some where to some where else

After heading back up the some what steep drive way I get back on the road with the next few km being mostly down hill as I drop back down to sea level then it's a bit of a up and down ride over short but steep hills ( at the top of many hills around here is a sign saying how steep the hill is (like 10%) then it's time for the next long steep hill to be climbed over ( called cleaseby hill in one of the bike touring books a use ) it's a bit of a wet and windy day at times. At the top I stop for a few photos and a look around before descending down the other Side of the hill then there's only one last big hill before I get into the town of wellsford where I spend a few hours out of the weather doing a bit of reading and recharging my phone - my so called smartphone only has a 1-3 day batter life before needing a recharge

I then head to have some fish and chips at one of the food places in town ( even get free salet for some reason with it ? ) then it's Back on the road this time on S.H.1 north towards the next big city of whangarei ( what is still 2 days away for me ) I keep riding until it's starts to get dark when it's time to find some where to stay the night - It takes a few try's but I do find a safe place near some ones house for the night

Woodhill sands to some where

After packing up my gear I stay a few hours to watch the event ( not a horse event ) as all theses people turn up in nice clean clothes ( many in fancy dress) only to run 6 or 12 km up and down hills though mud and water and over / under I few things in a fun event so everyone ends up wet and muddy: ) in some ways it reminds me of some days when I was walking the te Araroa trail After the prize giving I say good bye to my friends and head north though helensville and kaukapakapa ( a place with a lot of k a's in its name then it's time to start on a long steep climb that I work my way up in low gear taking a few breaks along the way before finally getting to the top where I ask at a house ( part of a plant place so road down a long drive way and back up ) if there knew some were safe to put my tent - the nice people there give me the ok to camp in one of they paddocks for the night so after setting up camp it's time for bed for the night

Auckland to woodhill sands

After leaving the motel I head down queen st toward the train station stopping at a few places like getting a northland road map from a book shop ( with so many people using they phones or gps units to find they way around now I had spend a few minutes thinking of who sells maps in down town auckland) - I still use paper maps party as I don't have to worry about then going flat or not working when there is no cellphone coverage thoug I do tend to use my phone more in city's to find my way around

After getting a few days of food at the supermarket I then head to the main Auckland train station to get a train north west out of the city - was planning to get the train to waitakere ( the train used to go more North at one point I used to get it all the way to helensville but no longer ) as it's the week end I find the train only runs to Swanson so I got a few more km to ride then planed

After I get off the train at Swanson I give some friends ( who I know thought the horse world ) a call to ask if they know of someone's place I can put my tent for the night - they give me the ok to stay at they place ( thought there is a none horse event on at they place

Now that I know where I'm aiming for I start riding keeping a eye on the map ( and phone ) as I head along some back roads to met up with S.H.16 at kumeu the roads a mix of a few hills ( some steeper then others ) and flater bits passing thought a few town like huapai and waimauku on the way to my friends place at woodhill sands where after a quick phone to say I got there and find out where they want me to put my tent for the night and talking to the person looking after the site ( there is a big event on at the center to do with off road running/climbing over/under things )

After setting up camp I head off to sleep for the night

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Part rest day in Auckland

I got a appointment at a spa today that my friend who save me last night set up and pay for- so what I'm doing at a spa one might wonder? Well I'm getting my eyebrows done -After some thought I decide to walk into onehunga taking my time to look around wearing some nice clothes and my long boots instead of taking the bike ( leaving my bike and gear at the place I spent the night ( after asking if it was ok first) then taking the train to ellerslie ( where the spa is ) the spa suff was fun though I had a few issues with my dyspraxia causing a few odd things ( to do how and where I feel pain - in this case even though it was my eyebrows getting done it feet like some one was doing some thing with my legs ) after the spa suff I decide to get a bus to Newmarket to look around the shops there then a 2th bus back to near where I stayed the last night

Once I got back to where my bike and gear was I packed up my tent deciding at the last minute to keep the nice clothes and long boots on as its only about a km of riding down to the train station at onehunga and about a km or two of riding up queen st to where I'm spending the night - it works out ok thought for any thing more then a km or so it's best if I use my bike shoes and clip in other way my feet to to come off the pedals a lot ( dyspraxia suff )

After walking up part of queen street (5 o'clock traffic) I get to where I'm spending the night - it's a motel- part of the suff I'm going to be doing over the next 2 days in Auckland so it's some one else has set it up - all I need to do is go to the front desk to pick some thing up - then the fun begins as I get asked for photo I'd - well after telling the nice person at the desk about why I don't have any I'd ( that I just changed my name and gender and explain a few other things like my bike ) they let me have the room key before I took my gear to my room and went for a walk to find some food to dinner. Had some fun people watching as I walked down queen st before heading back to the motel and bed : )

Some where to auckland

More ice on my tent this morning : )

Time to get back to riding on sh2 - as I'm riding along I keep seeing signs saying 90 and safer speed zone ( or some thing like that ) lots of trucks on this road at one place as I'm riding over a road bridge I think to myself this looks like a place I been to in the last year or so - yep it's part of the Ta ( te Araroa trail ) walk - just before I had the many km of walking along stop banks to huntly on my ta walk : )

After more km of riding I get to the point where sh2 joins on to sh1 - now what should be a ok way to get to pukekohe by Bombay hills is a pain as instead of crossing over the top of the express way then straight on the the express way ( what's not too bad riding as there's a ok shoulder to ride on ( better then many other roads in and out of city's in nz - the no entry signs to foot and bike traffic mean I have to go on the the southern side of the express way down a long hill for a few km (ie heading south when I want to head north ) cross over a over bridge into pokeno then find my way back on to the express way (the northern side ) as I work out just where I can /can't ride back up the long hill I just came down - even then the fun is not over as I have to take a loop way on a poorly /not maintained walking/cycle path just to avoid maybe 200 m of express way ( not that it looks much different then any other over bridge part of the road ) looks like just another part of poorly done road/cycle way done by someone who never have to use it

Then it's time to head up the Bombay hills where I take it slowly in low gear ( as I don't want to push myself to much ) it's not a to bad climb up to the Bombay exit ( where I have to turn off as the express way becomes the auckland motor way ( ie no walking or riding on the motorway) after stoping for a break at the Bombay shops? I head mostly down hill toward pukekohe

Once I get into pukekohe I head to the library to kill a bit of time and change up my cellphone before heading to the train station to get the train into Auckland having to change trains at penrose to get the train to onehunga- the plan being to stay the night at a camping ground in one of the auckland regional parks what I have done before ( like for one of the nights as I passed though auckland on my ta walk ) well that plan went out the window is when I called up to book to stay the night I found out that they close the camping ground over winter (to October? ) was told it's because cars and moter homes tend to cut up the ground when the ground is wet - the fact that I was on a bike and staying in a tent don't help as was told the website booking, thing says the camp site is full ( even though its closed? For winter) - it would seem that "some body " thinks no one sleeps in tents or gets around by foot or bike when staying at the Auckland regional park camping sites -

Time for a new plan

What happens is I do a post on Facebook sayings what going on and asking if anyone knows of a place for me to put my tent for the night - backpacks are out because of id issues ( in that I don't have any I'd because of the name /gender change suff ) and the nearest camping ground is miles away ( and is out of my budget(at around $30-40 for a tent site person per night) a friend from the horse events lets me know of someone I can stay with for the night ( a big thank you to them) so I head over to there to stay the night : )

Thames to some where

After a fun but hard 2 full days it's time to get back on the road - after a bit of a late start to the day I ride back into town stopping at a few shops and getting food to last me to auckland- taking the cycle trail out of town i head about 6 km out of town before turning off the trail to head over the kopu bride on a bike/walk way on the side of the bridge - see a lot of broken glass on the path on the bridge ( some how I don't get a flat tire from all that glass I had to ride over ) once I'm over the. Bridge the riding is flat as a head across the plans - I mosty keep riding taking the odd rest break from time to time listening to a few podcasts on my phone as I ride

Taking a rest break at a crossroads I spend a bit of time thinking of which road to take into auckland- more riding along the coast then though clevedon- a nicer though longer way with more hills or take Sh 2 - a shorter but more busy road - in the end I desider to take the sh2 way as it's been a few years from the last time I went that way ( also it will give me a extra day in Auckland before its time to met up with some people )

So taking the left turn that will take me on to sh2 in a few more km down the road I keep riding until I get to where the road I'm riding on leads on to sh2 - taking a short break I look to see if the is any messages on my phone - I have my phone on airplane mode when riding partly to save the battery- well there is a few messages so I end up playing a bit of phone tag for a bit with a few people before getting back to riding

I keep riding until it's starts to get late then I ask at a house if they know of some where I may be able to but up a tent for the night - well the pub a few km might let me camp out side so it's back on the bike to I get to the pub where after asking if it's ok - yep no real issues with me setting up my tent for the night I do set up camp and changing my clothes ( so I'm not in my cycling gear ) before heading into the pub for a nice meal- just before I get tea my I get a phone call about some up coming things planned in auckland so spend some time working thought a few things ( taking a break to have tea - a sea food basket) after a few hours it's time for bed so I head back to my tent for the night

Kauaeranga vallery to 5 km North of Thames

I decided to head into town a day earlier than planned and stay the night at holiday park ( camping ground ) so I didn't have to rush in the morning to meet up with the people I would be doing a few things with over the next 2 days - after paying for the doc camp site - where the cost has gone up from $6 to $10 a night ( might not seem much but when you on a low budget having to pay nearly 2x the cost for the same thing it's not a good sign of things to come ( a place to put a tent and a long drop tolet - about what one would find in many roadside rest areas in nz ) when one lives full time on the road by bike or on foot the cost to stay somewhere can be a big part of ones budget so having to pay up to $65 a night for a tent site tends be be a bit of a rip off as one now has little choice of where to stay partly because of the no free camping laws that have come in over the last few years ( mostly because some people in campervans have left a mess behind) also some camping grounds have been pushing to have it that you must stay in (high cost ) camping grounds as they think they might be missing out on business (and so charge even more ) also there's signs saying its un safe to free camp (playing on people's fears ) well in all the years of travel in nz I done (around 16 year - the last 8 full time traveling) I had had no issues with my safety when free camping the only issues I have had when staying places have been in high cost camp grounds (the place where the government tends to say you must stay when you in a tent ) with a few things going missing or people playing with the bike or other gear over the years - that said I am cafull just where I set up camp each night and tend to stay away or spend little time as possible in less safe places (like parts of North land )

After getting into Thames I spend some time in the library for a few hours before heading out 5 km out of town to the camping ground for the night where after I set up camp I spend a few hours reading before going to bed for the night

Kauaeranga valley ( rest days )

Spending most of my time in my tent doing some reading and relaxing- I did go for a 1/2 hour bush walk so I didn't spend all day in bed : ) also had a bit of fun playing with the camera on my phone trying a few different ideas out getting some nice photos of the bush also photos of myself

On the trail to kauaeranga vallery (doc camp )

Was a bit of a cold night - as I was getting out of the tent I see there is some ice on my tent and bike ( well it is winter time after all : ) it's a good thing I have a nice warm sleeping bag. After doing a bit of de- iceing of my bike and gear I head along the trail until I get to a small town where the trail mets back up with the road for a few km - there is a small shop/cafe there where I stop to warm up a bit having a hot drink( hot chocolate ) and a pie then it's back to riding the trail to Thames where I do a bit of shopping ( finding some nice clothes on sale that I end up buying) before heading out to the kauaeranga valley for the next few days

Some where on the rail trail to some where else on the trail : )

After taking down my camp I get back onto the trail saying hi to many of the other riders using the trail -at one point I stop to chat to 2 riders who have just been riding in different parts of the world on the way to nz sharing a few storys before saying goodbye to them after more riding I head back into paeroa stoping at the library to charge up my phone as I play a bit of phone tag to plan out the next few days ( to work out the best place to meet up with some people in a few days time ) after that I stock up on a few days food before heading north along the cycle trail out of town for a few km until I find a ok place to spend the night

Hamilton to some where on the rail trail

Packing up camp I get on the road passing though Gordonton and a few other places as I take back roads zigzagging on to different roads ( it's aways fun trying new roads to take to get to places one has been to before ) aiming to met up with the hauraki rail trail around 10? km South of the town of paeroa - taking the trail into paeroa I stop a few times for a break before leaving paeroa taking the cycle trail into the gorge in the late afternoon and finding a place to stay for the night

Cambridge to hamilton

After packing up my gear and saying goodbye to the nice people who let me stay the last few days it's time to get on the road towards Hamilton. Heading along sh1 the traffic is not to bad (keeping in mind it's the last day of field days so more traffic on the road ) ass I'm riding along though road works - part of the new bypass road around Cambridge ) I spot what might be a off road walk/cycle path getting build (as part of the new bypass ? ) some thing to keep a eye out for next time I'm down this way on the bike : )

Getting into hamilton I stop for a bit of food before heading towards the Hamilton gardens where there is a off road walk/cycle path what I take that links up with the river trails - a much nicer place to ride to get around Hamilton then dealing with the city traffic on the roads. Turning off the river trail by the rowing cub I head back on to city streets into the cbd.After visiting a few shops in the Hamilton cbd I head back on to the river trail riding it all the way out to pukete where I head along a few more off road paths to a friends bike shop (Cyclepro) to pick up a new tire as my front tire has just about wore out ( after around 12000 + km of use )

After saying goodbye to my friend from the bike shop I do a bit of food shopping ( and put some air in my tires ? ) before looking at the map to deside where to ride to next and where I might end up for the night - I deside to head out Gordonton way and take a few back roads to meet up with the hauraki rail trail to Thames ( some where along the trail ) just before dark I find a ok place to put my tent out of site of passing traffic for the night