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Alastair cycles 3000km for Suicide Prevention

  • Day 68 - Game Over

      6 May 2016
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    Don't panic. I'm totally fine.

    I got hit by a car yesterday. My bike is a write off. I might be able to get a new one because the lady that hit me was in the wrong... She just cut me off and I broke the windscreen, flipped through the air and landed in a pool of blood. It was very scary. I could have died if she was going faster... I got stretchered into an ambulance and driven to Kawakawa hospital. 8 stitches, lots of gnarly scrapes and a concussion. Not very pleasant. Nothing broken though, I got VERY lucky. I'm so happy and grateful for being alive right now!

    The trip is over. I'm done. Thank you once again for all your support. I'm sure I will make a speedy recovery.

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  • Day 67 (Cape Reinga!)

      5 May 2016
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    I've been out here for over two months, but yesterday was something special. I woke up at 4am to ride the 140km from Houhora to Cape Reinga and back. The first two hours were in almost complete darkness. There is always something special about that time in the morning. No one is around. The sun slowly rises, and you are the only one out there. It was incredible.

    The hills become bigger and bigger the closer you get to the top!! I did about 1500m in elevation gain yesterday! And I'm feeling it today that's for sure.

    It was so surreal to make it all the way to cape reinga! 3000+km and a few mount Everest's of climbing later. I'd like to thank each and every one of you reading this for your encouragement. There have been times I've almost felt like giving up, but you kept me going.

    I'm very exhausted. Yesterday took it out of me. 14hrs on the road; my biggest day yet. I'm not sure if I'll ride today. I've heard that it might rain.

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  • Days 65-66 (Kerikeri - Houhora)

      5 May 2016
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    I got in to Houhora a couple days ago. The weather was incredible, nice and sunny. I stopped in Monganui for lunch, which was absolutely idyllic. Monganui is a small sea-side town, with a fantastic view out over the water. I felt good on the bike. Some of the scenery was stunning! It continues to amaze me how much better I feel on sunny days! When the weather and views are good, 110km seems like a walk in the park.

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  • Day 64 (Whangarei - Kerikeri)

      2 May 2016
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    I made it into Kerikeri yesterday. The weather forecast was accurate; showers. It made me smile every time the rain cleared and the sun light would shine through the parting clouds. Most of the day was quite arduous. Nose to the grind. Just as I was coming into town I saw a sign for organic fruit and vegetables. They were selling local bananas! The climate is almost ideal for growing bananas. Nice and warm/humid. This may sound crazy, and it does to me, but I'm going to try and ride 370km in 3 days. There aren't many places to stay, so my days will need to be longer to compensate... Not exactly looking forward to the 4:30am starts. But I am looking forward to hitting Cape Reinga!!

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  • Days 62-63 (Wellsford - Whangarei)

      1 May 2016
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    I've been a little slow to write this one... Made it into Whangarei the day before yesterday. The weather was perfect, but although it was only 85km it was still quite hard work. I spent yesterday relaxing in the hot pool they have here at the hostel. I also met a couple that shouted me a ticket to the Whangarei car rally! There were no dorm beds left at the hostel, so they gave me a tent. It's been a nice change. I like the tent.

    It's shortly after 6am. I'm in my sleeping bag inside the tent. It's raining. Not sure if I'll ride today; the weather forecast is looking worse than it was yesterday. Having said that... It's only light rain. I might ride. We'll see.

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  • Days 56 - 61 (Auckland - Wellsford)

      28 April 2016
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    Today was really challenging. 110km of relentlessly steep little hills. I'm toast. Heading for Whangarei tomorrow weather permitting. It's 7:30. Bed time :)

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  • Day 55 (Whitianga - Coromandel - Auckland)

      22 April 2016
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    I'm writing this onboard the ferry to Auckland. It's almost 9pm. I left Whitianga nice and early this morning, heading for the hilliest and most direct route into Coromandel Town I could find. The road turned to gravel for a good 10-15km, which was a welcome challenge. It was only a short day today; 30km. I spent almost the entire day in Coromandel Town laying on the grass looking up at clouds and eating... It was great! I'm very much looking forward to a few days break in Auckland. My French friend and I will part ways tonight. He will leave Auckland well before I will, as he is in a hurry. My rear tyre blew out a day or two ago, which thankfully occurred when I was going quite slowly. It was very frightening. I just heard a loud bang, and then hissing. Unfortunately the tyre is quite badly damaged and may have to be replaced. I might do that in Auckland. I can reassess over the weekend. Oh and I lost a drink bottle... So I have a few small things to do during my stay. Apart from some dirty laundry, everything (including myself) is holding up very well. Tired and smelly. That's all :P

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  • Days 53-54 (Whangamata - Whitianga)

      22 April 2016
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    Donut Island was AMAZING. Easily makes it into my top 3 for the trip. My French companion and I paddled out to the island in the morning and then rode 35km to Tairua, a small town just north of Whangamata. We stayed there for the night before continuing up the coast the next day. We went to Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach which were incredible. I told Vincent (the French guy) to go on ahead and that I would catch him up; I needed some space. I like riding alone sometimes. Pushing myself when I feel like pushing myself, and going easy when I don't. Vincent has a very different riding style. Anyway. We met each other again to catch a small water taxi into Whitianga. And we've stayed the night in a lovely little backpacker here. I was very tired last night. I went to bed at 7:30, but would have been happy with 6. Today we will ride (independently) to Coromandel Town, and board the 8:45 sailing into the big smoke of Auckland. I'm so looking forward to taking a few days rest in Auckland.

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  • Days 51-52 (Tauranga - Whangamata)

      19 April 2016
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    Made it into Whangamata this evening. The weather today was second to none. Blue skies and no wind whatsoever!! The only issue was the traffic... The first 60km (sh2) was a bit touch and go. I came very very close to a truck and had to stop for a while. That was scary. My whole reason for coming to Whangamata was to kayak out to what I know now is called 'donut island'. It's private Maori land, but you can kayak out to a beach in the middle of the island (through caves). Hence the name. I'm staying at a lovely backpackers close to the beach. They hire kayaks out here. The scenery here is amazing! The beaches are incredible!! I've met a lovely French cyclist heading in the same direction. We are planning to travel the Coromandel together. I might take a short ferry from Coromandel to Auckland, to bypass the motorways and busy roads on the south side of the city. I'll still do my 3000km though... Feeling very very good, my body seems to have almost completely adapted to the challenge of riding 80km each day. No pain. It's remarkable. I feel great.

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  • Days 49-50 (Rotorua - Tauranga)

      17 April 2016
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    After an amazing stay in Rotorua (thank you Kathy and Gerard!!), and a couple hours in the hot pools, I made the break for Tauranga today. I chose a bad day though, it rained steadily for several hours. At about the half way point I started looking for a tree or something to get me out of the rain. Before long I came across a shed. It was on someone's property, but they'd left the gate open... I quickly wheeled my bike inside. The shed housed an old and slightly dilapidated tractor, as well as several hay bales. I slept on a stack of hay several meters high while the rain cleared. It never really cleared... I'll stay in Tauranga tomorrow while it does. I just snagged 3kg of organic granny smith apples for $1!! The backpacker here is great, I met a lovely Italian guy called Marco :)

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  • Days 47-48 (Murupara - Rotorua)

      15 April 2016
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    I got into Rotorua yesterday. I could smell it a mile off! Felt good on the bike, although I'm developing saddle sores. It's becoming ever so slightly uncomfortable. I just picked up chamois cream today which no doubt will come in handy. It's always a total shock to arrive in a city! So many solemn faces in cars. I'll be making an appearance in the local paper in a couple days, and riding out of Rotorua with a group of local cyclists. Heading to Tauranga on Sunday morning.

    I spoke at a rotary meeting last night, which was an interesting experience. I received $168 in donations!!

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  • Days 44-46 (Wairoa - Waikaremoana - Murupara)

      13 April 2016
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    Incredible. State highway 38 is easily my favourite road in NZ! Such amazing scenery, the lake was phenomenal. The climb up to the lake was mainly gravel, and today I did 70km of gravel coming down the west side. There is so little traffic. I stayed in a little cabin on the lake side last night, and went kayaking. It was lovely. I'm was stoked with the gravel roads when I was riding them, but now I'm stoked to be back on pavement! Heading to Rotorua tomorrow. Looking forward to cleaning all the mud and grit from my gear and taking a break in the pools.

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  • Days 41-43 (Napier - Wairoa)

      10 April 2016
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    Despite a forecast of 'showers', I decided to leave Napier yesterday. What. A. Mistake. It was 120km. Raining non-stop almost the entire way. Easily the worst day of the trip so far. Everything was against me. That's how it felt. The conditions were so bad I was considering stopping half way. But after talking to locals (and riding 40km!) they said I was out of luck until Wairoa. So I just put my head down and rode. The hills were substantial, and the amazing scenery shrouded in mist. Once I arrived in Wairoa everything improved... I found an amazing backpacker place, great food choice and friendly locals. I've strained my left calf (not my recent knee trouble, that's fine now...) so I'm just going to rest here for a little while. I'm staying tomorrow for sure. Might leave on Tuesday. Heading for lake Waikarimoana. Going awol. Might not be able to update this page or receive texts or phone calls. It's gravel road country. Should be exciting!! Looking forward to some sun and lovely views. See you on the other side! Love you lots if I don't make it.

    PS. If my Swiss supporters are reading this, a thousand thank you's!!! You guys are amazing thank you so much! You are honestly making the biggest difference for me!! I can't explain it in words. Thank you.

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  • Day 40 - Napier

      7 April 2016

    Made it into Napier this afternoon. The weather was phenomenal today; no wind or clouds. Lots of gentle rolling hills and long flat planes. I decided to take SH50 instead of SH2 (they run parallel). It seemed fairly quiet. I stopped at a hotel bar for lunch and got given a complimentary juice! I also got recognised from the paper. As i approached Napier, the grassy paddocks and cows gave way to amazing vineyards and fragrant apple orchards. I'm looking forward to swimming tomorrow, and exploring Napier. I'll stay here a day or two while I work out what to do next.

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  • Days 38 and 39 (Palmerston North - Dannevirke)

      6 April 2016
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    Yesterday was the first day I've felt like giving up. I've decided to stay put today because the next stop is 120km away! I feel quite tired... Got another flat tyre this morning.

    They have hot pools here though - my next destination :)

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  • Day 37 (Kapiti Coast - Palmerston North)

      4 April 2016
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    Made it into Palmerston North this evening. Felt good on the bike today... Bit of wind, bit of rain, but lots of lovely people. Will shoot for Dannevirke tomorrow. Leaving a lot later than usual... Around lunch time.

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  • Days 33-36 (Wellington - Kapiti Coast)

      4 April 2016
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    After a few eventful days in Wellington (home) I'm now on the Kapiti Coast. The ride up yesterday was great. There were reasonably strong headwinds most of the way, but as is often the case, the scenery was incredible. The bike and all my gear are holding up very nicely; no problems whatsoever. I leave for Palmerston North this morning. 100km day. It's just after 5:30am as I write this, and hopefully I can get away in reasonable time. Looking to take my time today...

    I always have a bit of trouble writing these updates. Sometimes I think I sound like a broken record. If you want to, please comment below what you'd like to hear about. I'm sure the weather can get a bit boring... Thanks.

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  • Days 30-32 (Picton - Wellington)

      30 March 2016
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    What a way to wrap up the south island! Conditions for the 100km ride from Nelson to Picton were ideal yesterday. No cloud and light tail winds; you couldn't have scripted it any better!! The climb between Nelson and Pelorus Bridge was spectacular, although there were a few trucks. I went swimming (briefly; it was COLD) in the Pelorus River which was an enjoyable reward. The views of the sounds as I came into Picton were stunning. My ferry got delayed from 7:00pm to 7:30pm, which meant I didn't step off the boat until about 11:30. I was very tired by this point, and still had a 5km climb ahead of me! It feels very surreal to be back in Wellington.

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  • Days 26-29 (St Arnaud - Nelson)

      27 March 2016
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    I decided to stay an extra day in St Arnaud while the weather cleared. Had an awesome opportunity to check out some of the trails and Lake Rotoiti with some friends. It fined up beautifully in the afternoon. Headed out super early the following day, and managed to get into Nelson before 1pm! I felt great on the bike; probably the best I've felt since beginning the trip! I'm now staying in Nelson for the weekend, and will ride to Picton on Tuesday. I'll be catching the ferry into Wellington that evening. My knee is essentially good as gold now. No pain whatsoever. Bring on the north island!!!

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  • Day 25 - St Arnaud

      23 March 2016
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    Got into St Arnaud this afternoon. The rain and wind picked up as I was coming into town. There were three or four long straight sections of road, each about 5km, and with the headwind and rain it was tough going. It started bucketing down just after I arrived. Everything is pretty wet. Not sure if I will continue tomorrow. The weather isn't looking so great. It's still raining a lot. We will see. All my gear is holding up nicely. The rain and wind take a lot of concentration to overcome. I don't have a lot left for taking in the stunning scenery etc. I'm staying with a whole lot of other cyclists, there must be half a dozen of us. It's great. The people are amazing.

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  • Day 24 - Murchison

      22 March 2016
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    Today was a bit of a slog. I was on the road for over 10 hours... The weather was great; no wind or rain. It was very humid though, and the sandflies were all over the show! They became very tedious. The Buller river has got to be my favourite so far! I crossed it a few times. My knee is pretty fine, apart from occasional pain that shoots up my thigh and forces me to stop. Stretching and walking really help though. I should be ok to get to Wellington at least. Then I'll take it easy and re assess. The lazy cow backpacker is so cool and the people are great!! Ciao

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  • Days 20-23 (Greymouth - Reefton)

      21 March 2016
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    Made it into Reefton today. The weather was great, i felt very good.

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  • Day 19 - Greymouth

      17 March 2016
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    Every day is a bit of a roller coaster. I've strained my right knee and will hopefully get some physio tomorrow. I'll be staying here in Greymouth for a day or two depending on conditions and how I'm feeling. Every day is hard, beautiful and rewarding.

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  • Day 18 - Arthur's Pass

      16 March 2016
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    Words can't accurately do justice what I experienced today, so I'll keep this short... It was incredible. I'm staying in Arthur's pass village tonight. There is snow on the hills. It's very cool. Everywhere I go people are very kind and supportive of my trip. The mountains are amazing, but it's very cold here. Feeling a bit tired now though... Might pack it in for the night.

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  • Days 13-17 (Christchurch - Springfield)

      15 March 2016
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    I've spent the last few days in Christchurch; catching up with people and catching my breath. Yesterday, the wind was too good to ignore (tail wind all day), so I left for Springfield despite severe weather forecasts for the alps. Springfield has got to be one of the coolest little towns I've been through! The view of the mountains is quite remarkable. I'm very pleased to be staying here for a couple days while I wait for the weather to improve. An Austrian cyclist arrived just after me yesterday. We are staying in the same hostel, and had dinner together last night. It was very nice. He said that he has struggled with depression in the past and almost took his own life. He's 22. It's remarkable how common mental health issues are (although they rarely get discussed) and gives me renewed faith that I am supporting a worthwhile cause.

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  • Day 12 - Christchurch

      11 March 2016
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    Yesterday was a bit touch and go. The winds were very strong, at times stopping me in my tracks, and at others propelling me 15km in 30 minutes (no pedalling!)! It took a lot of energy and concentration to just stay upright. Unfortunately I didn't have much bandwidth left for enjoying the scenery... But it was a very exciting day, and I felt fine on the bike. No soreness or anything...

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  • Day 11 - Ashburton

      10 March 2016
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    I felt really good on the bike yesterday. The weather was great! Very sunny, with the wind gradually picking up in the afternoon. 80% of the day was spent on back roads, which, I soon discovered, are often just as well paved as SH1. I also decided to ride a bit of gravel, but found it to be no less busy than the paved equivalent. Got into Ashburton at about 5pm, and decided to dine at a Thai restaurant. Much to the amazement of the staff, I proceeded to devour enough food for three people! Unsure if I'll ride into Christchurch today, the winds are meant to pick up (gales of 120kph!) and it will get VERY dry.

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  • Day 10 - Timaru

      8 March 2016
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    The last couple days have been quite tough. I'm very much looking forward to a slightly shorter day tomorrow. All flat. Should be a breeze, right? I started off today by leaving Maheno, just south of Oamaru. The first few hours were great! I had an amazing tailwind that made it very easy to go 25-30kmh. Perhaps I took a few to many breaks though, because the first 50km still took the better part of 4 hours... Found a cool cafe in the middle of nowhere, so I decided to have lunch there. I'm feeling quite tired. Was having trouble focusing today. As is often the case, the last 30km were a bit of a blur. It's just after 8, and I'm off to bed. Goodnight :)

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  • Days 06-09 (Dunedin - Oamaru)

      7 March 2016
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    After an incredible 3 days in Dunedin, I left for Oamaru this morning. It was a challenging 110km ride, with plenty of climbing. It was a bit longer than I thought, I was on the road for 11 hours. The unfortunate mix of rain, headwinds and flat tyres (on top of the already treacherous combination of fast trucks and low visibility) made for quite tough going. Coming out of Dunedin, the view from mt Cargill was quite remarkable. Feeling very tired now. Just about to go to bed. Looking forward to a couple early nights before Christchurch. I met some interesting people today, and received a couple cash donations (the first of the trip). The weather should improve for tomorrow. It'll be nice :)

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  • Day 05 - Dunedin

      4 March 2016
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    Made it in to Dunedin yesterday (posting this update late). After a few unplanned detours (ie getting lost) i probably did 90km for the day. Felt pretty good on the bike; the weather was great which helped a lot. Lake Waihola was stunning. Plenty of people making the most of it, including a fly fisherman who was catching trout 2 at a time (then throwing them back). The traffic was very heavy coming into town. I got a bit confused on the back roads coming in (can't ride on the motorway...). Ended up doing a lot of unnecessary climbing. It's very hilly here, I didn't really appreciate that... I'm planning to stay in Dunedin over the weekend. Going rock climbing tonight which should be fun :)

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  • Day 04 - Balclutha

      2 March 2016
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    Felt good on the bike today. Ate lots. No complaints at all. The weather has been fantastic, quite calm with lots of sun. Balclutha is cool - the bridge and river are stunning! Just missed out on going to the museum here, apparently it's very good. My gear is doing very well. I'm pleased with everything. I think I may have brought one too many pairs of socks though - might sacrifice them as bike rags in Greymouth :) Looking forward to seeing familiar faces in Dunedin (and doing laundry!!).

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  • Day 03 - Gore

      1 March 2016
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    Made it into Gore this afternoon. I decided to take back roads (not SH1) today, because I knew I would soon be robbed of such a luxury. Thankfully I had a light tail wind all day, which made up for the occasional showers. The rain was only light, but it was enough to dampen some of my spare clothes. The scenery was quite spectacular today, plenty of little hills, grassy planes and sheep. The few 18-wheelers that passed me gave me plenty of room, which made a nice change from Bluff (LOTS of trucks). I very nearly ran out of water at one point (500ml to spare), I found a tap that spat out orange water (see gallery photos). It ran clean after a few minutes, but I didn't want to risk it... I think/hope it'll get a bit warmer tomorrow. Should be a good ride; 80km into Balclutha. Will snap a pic with the giant trout in the morning...

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  • Day 02 - Blown Away (Bluff)

      29 February 2016
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    I got up this morning a little later than I'd hoped to - the sun rises a bit later down here perhaps. There were very brisk sou-westerlies today - it was COLD. ' showers'. Didn't get much above 13 degrees... Felt good on the bike, but the wind started to wear me down in the last 20km or so. Tailwinds are great, headwinds not so much. Tomorrow should be great though; with any luck i should have the wind at my back all morning!! Looking forward to Gore, maybe some more time to organise myself and relax. There is a lot to see and do in Invercargill. I went to an art gallery and museum before it started raining. The architecture is stunning too - I drew the basilica and water tower. If it weren't for the cold and unforgiving weather, this place would be one of my favourite cities in the country.

    PS I'm not sure what the story is with these images... They upload sideways or upside down sometimes. I've contacted givealittle, so hopefully they can sort me out.

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  • Day 01

      28 February 2016
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    After a spectacular but turbulent flight, my bike and I have arrived safely in Invercargill. The weather is absolutely idyllic, a great way to start. I've just had dinner and am laying on a bed in my cabin. The door is ajar and I can hear the wind is picking up. They're forecasting gale-force southerlies tomorrow, which actually isn't as bad as it sounds - better to start with a head-wind than finish with one... It's not like I've really done much today, but I think I'll have an early night. Stay tuned for a cool pic of the international sign post in Bluff.

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