I'm off on this remarkable adventure...

Just riding on a rainbow

What if its all a big mistake?

What if its more than I can take?

I think it started with Enid Blyton and the Famous Five. Then there was Dervla Murphy, Ed Hillary and Ranulf Fiennes, inspirational adventure travel writers. I dream and talk and dream and talk... well what if I just went off and did it? So that's the plan... just go and do it. Pack bike, get nephew to drop me miles from home, cycle to Wellington on my own, unsupported, a remarkable adventure. Theme song: "Get back up again" from the Trolls Movie!

18.4.17 Such marvellousness its gonna bring

gotta pocket full of songs that I'm gonna sing

And I'm ready to take on anything

Hooray!

Set off slowly, with stops for clock photos...

and cups of tea and second breakfast. .. There were big hills and little hills, green, green, green hills. Green hills against a blue blue sky... my favourite!

The countryside looked clean and freshly laundered, and indeed it was, as evidenced by fresh slips. Spring like temperatures brought spring fever to four young bulls as they raced me down the fenceline, jostling and barging one another to take pole position. Farmers out on quad bikes were checking water levels and storm damage as well as stock. Cloud met me at the top of the hill, so I added back all the layers I had stripped off on the way up. With some reservations, I followed the Tour Aotearoa directions,off the seal and uphill onto Tararua road, but I needn't have worried-it was the nicest and quietest part of the whole ride. The gravel was smooth and just damp enough to prevent dust.

some super fun surprise around each corner...

just riding on a rainbow. I'm gonna be ok.

And I was more than OK. Paihiatua's Carnival Park campground had a cabin for me. $20. A bargain considering the squelchiness of the lush green tent sites.

40 km.

19.4.17 Hey! I'm not giving up today

There's nothing getting in my way

My super duper lightweight sleeping bag was NOT designed for 4 degrees in Paihiatua. But I had enough merino layers, and other extras to make it work. Yay. Next up I missed my turnoff... 2 km of SH2 and an information board about the Polish children's camp alerts me to my mistake. Scenic detour☆ photo stop☆ all good.

Back on track, its the quietest, ruralist sealed road ever... except the 2 trucks that go back and forth to the quarry all day. Smile and wave... even if its the 17th time today!

Hmm Eketahuna still 14 km? Well I might just need to sit down and take a little rest...

Cold grey cloud plays hide and seek with my prized blue sky. But there is no rain and no wind. I plod on slowly.

The uphill wasn't hard... it was relentless. Finally a sign that might be getting close...

The smell of woodsmoke under a grey sky... luckily the Cafe I lunched in was contributing to the grey with their glowing potbelly stove. Warmed through I took the compulsory pic...

biked the 1 &1/2 km to the campsite,where I was lucky enough to get the last cabin... at $20.

An early end to the day at only 42km, so time for showering, laundry, and a walk to the historic swingbridge...

Before walking back to Ekatahuna for fish and chips and supplies. (I am running out of tea bags... who would have guessed?!)

20.4.17 I'm marching along

I've got confidence.

I'm cooler than a pack of peppermints

Hmm... what photo matches that?

These sheep aren't exactly marching... they were running away from the camera... after staring nosily at me.

Playing king of the castle here...these two are certainly cool! So was the wind, but as I was cycling around hillsides, I was often sheltered. Another collection of blue sky and green hill photos...

Perfect cycling roads... the people you meet are standing in the middle of the road. There are maybe 3 cars an hour. I was worried about dogs, but although I have heard a few, they have all been hard at work. So what does a cyclist think about as she pedals along, singing silly songs? Well I wonder if broadificum is bad for hedgehogs, because I have seen (and smelt)a few squashed on the road. Then one marched across the road in front of me, and I supposed it must be ill to be out in the daylight. Is the broadificum for rabbits? Or possums? Then there is trying to find the perfect photo for each line of the song... does a woodpile count as a match for "cooler than a pack of peppermints"? It must get pretty cool around here,judging by the woodpiles. Or maybe they are just clearing up fallen trees after cyclones Debbi and Cook? All cyclists, even those not singing silly songs, spend alot of time thinking about food. So its been 14 km of a 43 km ride... is it too soon to stop for a snack? Remembering that you have already stopped 27 times to check the map, to take photos, talk to the farmer, take a layer off, check the map again... Sign post to Norwegian Church... a perfect place for a snack break...

The weather started fooling around with me here... sunny...cloudy...sunny... cloudy... maybe it was the snacks

Just joking... apple, banana and a whole bag of chips... So now I might have to admit that the weather hasn't been all sunny. Photos in one direction will have blue sky... the other direction is often ominous. So as I cycled off into ominous I put the camera away out of the rain, sleet, blizzard. Another cabin tonight. Not cheap. But with saturated cycle mits, icicles dripping off my nose and numb toes, a little luxury seemed in order.

21.4.17 If something goes a little wrong

well you can go ahead and bring it on

cause if you knock knock me over

i will get back up again

So the thing that went a little wrong? Actually nothing new... I have been cycling with a slightly bent disc on the front brake, probably since I bagged the bike and flew it home from Christchurch. Just feels like you are cycling with the brakes on... which you are for a tenth of each rotation.

So with 70 ish kilometres to do today, I am off for some effortless cycling. Was it the general downhillness of today's route; or fixing the brake problem; or my amazingly improved fitness; or the deadline "Featherstone by Four"; or better weather? Today's average speed was 17km/hr instead of 13.2!!!

The first hour or so goes along in the usual fashion... ooh... sunny day photo...whoa.. that's even better... look at that tree. ..wow... a bulldozer, just like Dad's. Must get a photo for Ricardo. Getting hot... take sleeves off. Check map. Put map away. Get map out again to check gradient.

I am enjoying this whole glorious road... sealed, sunny and downhill!!!

These toetoe standing still... not a breath of wind. When the local council wanted to commemorate their war dead, they very pragmatically decided to spend their money on a much needed bridge, an avenue of Oaks and a small monument. You can go there at 5:30 on Tuesday the 25th, for a dawn parade.

I hope they have a few more people than I saw there.

So having "Shared our hour of victory on the sunlit hill" I pedaled off. It was about now I came to the alarming conclusion that if I really was going to be in Featherstone by 4pm, then I would seriously have to stop stopping. Well as soon as you make a plan to not stop, photos pop up everywhere. .. the sunlit white horse, against dark macrocarpa trees, topped by that amazing blue; pink toetoe bushes,my favourite; startled sheep, moments before they bumble away; lush vibrant greens merging into purply hills; splendid golden leaves against that marvelous sky.... I didn't stop, and quickly the kilometres started adding up. I got in the rhythm, spinning easily along. Oh the joy of cycling. A slurp from my bottle. .. can I unwrap a bounty bar on the go? Sure can. The sun smiled, the pedals hummed, the odo gloated over its newly acquired ks until about 8 km out of Martinborough the fun fizzled... Just like that. Stop.

The day was still gorgeous, but I needed fuel... a boysenberry pastry, a banana,some nuts and chips later and I am off again. Martinborough was also resplendent in its ANZAC regalia, although for me it was just a toilet, pie and tea stop.

Nice toilets. From there it was abit of a slog into Featherstone. A tiny place with a hard to find railway station... then the easy way into Wellington. .. by train.

22.4.17 Looking up at a sunny sky

so shiny and blue

and there's a butterflycrane

well isn't that a super fantastic sign

its gonna be a fantastic day

Another blue sky, and even more impressively wind free, Wellington day.

The wind factory... closed. After 4 days of cycling, I didn't even see my bike today. Lots of walking instead. And the most delicious lunch...

freshly cooked marinara pizza, by the sea! I wandered around the waterfront, visited Te Papa, and checked out the shops and market. Caught up with Wilson for a spot of power shopping. It was a super fantastic day!

23.4.17 All shiny and blue

Yep... Wellington has turned on the loveliest weather. An early morning cycle to the airport rewarded me with long shadows and intense sunrise colours.

An early morning walker directed me to the tunnel under the runway... such a cool experience. .. I just wish a plane had gone over while I was in the tunnel. Sadly it is probably too soundproof to know. Pick up went smoothly and we were off into the thick of Sunday morning joggers. Attention was divided as the waterfront cycle path has so much to see, sculptures, windwheels and historic bits of port. Its great to have a cycleway that spits you out at your hotel... or a hotel on a cycleway!

The next adventure had to wait until after breakfast, but as soon as we had refueled... and recaffeinated!!! It was time to

go ahead and bring it on

Obscure bike paths- scary road shoulders - dogs- scooters and swimmers... oh yes we saw it all.

Petone waterfront.

Petone

Following the Harbour clockwise, we managed to navigate our way all the way to Days Bay

Ferry returning to Days Bay.