Back in 2001 - Paul, Eliza (3), Karen & Sylvie (1)
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A big THANK
YOU!!! Our
New Zealand expedition was generously funded by the Yosemite
National Institutes and the Matthew
Baxter Memorial Fund.
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October 12, 2001 - El Portal/Yosemite, California, USA Nov 22 - Thanksgiving Day - Kaikoura!
Oh my, we just
savoured a huge feast, complete with lobster,
mussels, clams, and plenty of deep fried fish
chunks... (It seems the fish cooking
options usually consist of deep fried, batter
fried, or not-quite-as-deep pan fried.) Drying
out with our seafood in front of a cozy fireplace,
we gave thanks for the many many friends, family
and blessings in our lives! We hope that you too have
had time with loved ones to remember all that we
have to be thankful for!
It is GREAT to be back on the bicycles! After a few days in Wellington, we took the ferry across to the South Island, stashed the biking gear for several more days, and headed to "sunny Nelson" to do some hiking. It was actually sunny for a few days, and we had a fantastic hike on the gorgeous Abel Tasman Coastal Track.... turquoise waters, amazing tree ferns, and golden sandy beaches! It was even warm enough (well, almost...) one evening that Karen and I went for an ocean swim.
We celebrated Sylvie's
first birthday on Nov.19, both in the Anchorage
backcountry hut, and back in Nelson that evening.
Plenty of muffins, candles, stuffed owl presents,
and creamy fruity Pavlova desert cake was had by
all! It is so wonderful to see this little
baby change, learn and grow every day into a
toddler!
So back on the cycles
(after 5 or 6 days off), sore butts and all, we
passed the 1,000 total kilometer mark near
Blenheim... and of course, once back on the bikes,
the rain started up again! Camping next to a
sheep farm, we heard from Brett the "hobby
farmer" that we were so very lucky to be here
now, as they've been having a serious drought for
more than a year! "Yup, if you'd 'ave
been 'ere just a week ago, it was all hot and
brown and dry... The grass is so much greener and
nicer now, eh?" Well, we were thrilled
to bring an end to their long dry spell!
As a helpful Kiwi reminded us, "there's no
such thing as bad weather, just bad
clothing!" It's been dumping the last
few days now, as we cycle down the spectacular
Kaikoura coast.... Very reminiscent of the
craggy California coast, but upside-down and
backwards as we're cycling south with the ocean on
our left! Plenty of sea lions, nesting gulls
and terns, and even a few dolphins down here at
the opposite side of the planet from our home...
There was a brief
lull in the rain yesterday afternoon (...and the
headwind kicked in!), and so we pulled over to
admire both the awesome coastline and a group of
surfers working a nice point break. For a
moment the clouds broke-up over the inland
hills, and revealed a glimpse of some outrageous
snow-capped peaks! We were shocked that
they were right there, so close, towering 6,000
feet high, and so thankful that we'd gotten a
quick peek! You don't see many rainbows
unless you're out in the rain!
Nov 23 - The day after Thanksgiving Dec 17, 2001 - BLUFF!!! The "Land's End" of southern New Zealand
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