And It Was Over

Day 88: 15 January, Thursday.

I remained in Orini at my brothers place for the morning, he showed me around his land he had bought since I had been away and told me how he was to develop it in the future.

But I had to finish my ride so before midday I departed for the final short ride to my birth town called Hamilton.

It was another lovely day, the sun was blasting down upon the countryside and there was little wind to impede my journey. The road was familiar to me, I had transversed this road many times in my past but it was still a wonder to behold. New Zealand is a beautiful country. I had met many people who had visited New Zealand and they all exclaim how spectacular the scenery was and I always shrugged it off, it was nothing special I had always thought but after being away for such a long time I came to realise the truth in what I had been told.

I passed through the village of Gordonton where I managed to procure some fruit from a road side stall (and it was at no cost, they were only selling bags of fruit and I only wanted one or two pieces so they gifted them to me!) and then it was the homeward stretch to Hamilton.

Heading Into Hamilton As I Passed 5200km. The Last Time I Was In New Zealand There Were No Buildings Here!

Instead of proceeding directly to my Mothers home I had previously decided to first go to the city centre to finish this epic ride from England. I had asked my niece at my brothers house for the best route (the roads had changed dramatically as head the city over the years) so following the advice I rode into my home town.

Then I was there. I had made it. My idea of riding a bicycle to my home town from England was complete. I had ridden from England to Turkey, then flown to China, and then cycled through Asia to Australia. Then finally I had flown to New Zealand and cycled home. Over three years I had ridden about seventeen thousand kilometres on my trusty Surly Long Haul Trucker.

Garden Place, Hamilton. Job Done!

To finish my journey I decided I needed to cement the trip with a cold beer, so near to Garden Place in the heart of Hamilton I went to a pub and bought a pint of beer. It was one of the best beers of my life. I got to talking to some Australians who were also enjoying the balmy weather with a cold beer and they graciously bought me a second beer! Then I had to leave as I had to go to see my mother who I had not seen for eight years.

It was only a few kilometres and I was home. It was wonderful to see my mum, it had been too long.

And that my friends is that. I’d like to thank all those people who I met along the way, people are what made the journey so great.

I have now finished this ride, so I will say goodbye…. for now.

36.98km 1:43T 21.4A 45.2M Total = 5216

Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?

Day 87: 14 January 2015, Wednesday.

I started the day building my bike. This takes about an hour after setting everything up and loading the luggage. Then it was time to cycle again.

First I had to ride back past the Auckland international Airport to head south, it was only four kilometres…

Back To The Port Of The Air.

From the airport I had to first cycle through the southern districts of the city of Auckland, this was the heaviest traffic I will encounter as Auckland is the biggest metropolitan area in New Zealand. While there I decided to buy a sim card for my phone and rang my brother. I had received an email from him letting me know his address and I wanted to try to get there on this day… but it was a long way.

After leaving the Auckland area I rode along the ‘Great South Road’ and into the countryside. At about the fiftieth kilometre of the day I passed Pukekohe which is a small town which boasts a very fine motor racing circuit. It presents a fantastic ‘Classic Motorcycle’ race meeting every year which I always attend if I am in the country… so I haven’t been to it for eight years!

Look At That Strip Of Tarmac!

I did not have time to linger, I still had eighty kilometres to go… Not far from Pukekohe I passed into my home province, Waikato…

Welcome To Cow Country.

The landscape in New Zealand is such a contrast to the ochre terrain of Australia, I had forgotten just how spectacular it all is!

New Zealand… Nuff Said!

I eventually passed by the fifty-first hundred kilometre of the journey from Perth so here is the road I was travelling…

5100km.

I was pushing along keeping a good pace, the road rolled along flat sections and then over hills, all very pleasant and nothing to severe so it was a nice place to ride along. I crossed the Waikato River a couple of times and I started to really feel like I was almost home. My home town straddles the mighty Waikato so it was a frequent vision during my youth.

The Mighty Waikato River, You Can Keep Your Nile, Thames and Amazons!!!

I passed through a small village called Pukekawa and there I discovered one of the smallest library’s in the world…

Open Friday Between 2pm And 3pm!

I mentioned that the region of Waikato is a cow area, so I have to at least give you a look at good ol’ NZ cattle…

I Am The Mistress Of All I Survey!

I took the above photo because initially the cow had a bird on it’s back and I wanted to capture that but the bird departed before I could take the shot.

I continued on…

I mentioned a week ago that the ride I did from the Morton National Park to Wollongong would be the last time I would exceed one hundred kilometres in a day. I was wrong. Today I rode the furtherest I have ever ridden in a day!

Eventually at nine in the evening I arrived to the Orini area of Waikato where my brother does dwell. It was good to see my brother after eight years, and to meet or reacquaint myself with his children. We ended up talking into the wee hours of the night…

133.34km 6:59T 19.0A 56.1M Total = 5179

So Long To The Land Of Wind And Flies

Day 86: 13 January 2015, Tuesday.

This morning I phoned the airline about my luggage, they told me it would cost two hundred dollars for the extra bag!!! Sod that. Scott recommended we go to the shopping area nearby and buy a large bag so I could fit all my luggage in the one bag and therefore not have the extra bag. At least someone was thinking!

We found an adequate bag for a mere four dollars so that was good. We then had lunch at a Malaysian restaurant (my favourite south-east Asian food!) and then it was time to repack and hit the airport.

Once at the airport I expected the drama to begin, my bike box was too big as well as overweight, but it all come to naught. The lady at the check-in counter was very pleasant and didn’t even weigh the bike (she asked me the weight, I lied) and then asked me to put it in the oversize luggage cart. That was it.

As per normal the flight was a bore. I had booked the emergency exit row when I booked and it came to pass I had the whole row to myself so at least I could stretch out. Then I was back to my home land, New Zealand, and only about one-hundred and fifty kilometres from home!

First I had to pass through customs. As I mentioned yesterday New Zealand is said to be very strict on imported goods, I declared my camping equipment and all they did was check my tent! No problem there. It was only eleven thirty in the evening when I was exiting customs, I thought it would take a lot longer, so I went to look for information about a hotel. This proved to be an easy exercise and I phoned a hotel on the courtesy phone and as they had a free airport transfers I left my bike in the box and waited for ten minutes before I was driven to the hotel.

And that was it. Tomorrow I’ll be back on the bike….

Deconstruction

Day 85: 12 January 2015, Monday.

I’m afraid it was another day with little to talk about.

I am due to depart this country of Australia tomorrow so today was the day I had to de-construct my bike and clean everything for the customs in New Zealand. New Zealand has very strict rules regarding importation of anything that might affect the flora and fauna. Therefore I was going to give everything a really good clean.

This didn’t happen. I just swept out the interior of my tent (without erecting it) and cleaned my bike. This all took long enough and it was humid with occasional rain so I decided to leave it at that.

Scott went to a bicycle shop and got me a box to pop my bike into, it was a decent size so it was easy to fit the bike in and I also placed my tent and chair in it as well. It was well over the maximum permitted dimensions and too heavy (the weight limit was twenty-three kilograms, my bike box was weighing in at around twenty-five) and my luggage ended up in two bags where I am permitted just one bag and the bike box for what I booked. I’ll ring the airline tomorrow and check out what is the rule on the extra bag, other airlines have been okay with an extra small bag… well I’ll find out tomorrow.

Otherwise I had a pleasant evening with Natalie, Scott and their children…

Friends

Day 84: 11 January 2015, Sunday.

It was the day to depart the hotel I had resided in for the previous three nights and cycle a short distance to stay for my final two nights in Australia. I was to stay with some good friends whom I had not seen for many years.

The down side was it had started raining yesterday and the rain continued to fall for the entire day. Not so good when I want to clean my bike for the flight to New Zealand, not add dirty water encasing road grime!

It was only about fifteen kilometres to reach Belmore where I was riding to. As I had a lot of time to get there (my friends were returning from a holiday this day also) so I ended up discovering there are not many places that provide shelter where I could sit and read while I waited for the time to pass. Another thing I discovered was the lack of public phones! I ended up borrowing a phone from a bloke on the side of the road to call Natalie and Scott, the folks I was heading to visit.

Eventually it was time to head to the house and meet up with Nat and Scott and there two children, Freddy and Penelope.

The rest was reminiscing and of little interest to the world in general so that was that!

21.28km 1:35T 13.4A 51.1M Total = 5046

Sydney

Days 82 – 83: 9 – 10 January 2015, Friday – Saturday.

Not much to say about my two days in the city centre. I stayed in a hotel in Potts Pint and generally did sod all.

I have been to Sydney quite a few times before so there was not much I wanted to see, so it was a time of rest and refection of my journey across this country….

View From My Room.

Into The Big Smoke

Day 81: 8 January 2015, Thursday.

I left the hotel at ten, the latest check out time,I wanted to make the most of a room with a bed and air-conditioning, it was my first night in a bed since Nurioopta over three weeks ago.

The days ride consisted of battling my way through the traffic to get to the heart of Australia’s largest city, Sydney. The traffic initially was rather sparse (compared to other cities I have been to) so I could maintain a reasonable pace on the road.

Crossing The Georges River In Southern Sydney

The traffic progressively got heavier as I moved towards the city centre which was not aided by the poor road conditions, no hard shoulder and often an uneven surface to bounce over while the traffic zoomed by with what seemed like little or no concern to cyclists.

Kogarah And 5000km Since I Left Perth!

I had now ridden five thousand kilometres and I took a well deserved rest to commemorate the achievement, with a can of ‘Solo’ soft drink.

My Bike Got Nothing For The 5000km Commemoration.

It was then only about twenty kilometres to the heart of Sydney. It was not a pleasant ride, the road was poor, the footpath which doubles as a cycle path was horrible, potholed and very bumpy, so I was trapped on the road and just had to keep going. At one stage I saw a sign showing a route to the city centre for cycling so I started to follow it’s advice, bad idea, it took me to another junction where the cycle route sign indicated a vague direction which I followed and that was the last cycle sign I saw, but now I was off the main road and not too sure which way to go.

I had a simple area map with me showing some area place names in Sydney so at the next junction I found a sign to push me towards the centre again and shortly I was back on track. I had done it, I was in the city of Sydney centre after negotiating the forty kilometres of city streets.

I first went to find out about a place to stay, it would have to be a hotel, no camping in the big smoke. The ‘Information Centre’ in the city centre (an area called ‘The Rocks’) offers a room booking service so I went in and used there knowledge and booked a room in the area called Potts Point, only a couple of kilometres from the centre. The room was eighty dollars a night, the same as I paid when I first arrived to Perth last year, but this room was much better, en-suite, fridge, TV, air-conditioning…

before going to the hotel though I had to take some vanity photos, I’m in the centre of Sydney, I need a photo of the iconic monuments of the city, well there are two that stick in my mind…

The Sydney Harbour Bridge…

and…

The Opera House.

With these photos taken I cycled over to Potts Point and the hotel which I had booked three nights at. The room was good, a single bed but as there is only one of me that is no problem. And it was not a bedroll in a tent!!

I spent the rest of the day relaxing, I feel I deserve a rest, it has been a long ride to Sydney, many moments of anguish, many moments of joy.

42.63km 2:39T 16.0A 60.2M Total = 5025

Back To The ‘Gong

Day 80: 7 January 2015, Wednesday.

This morning I decided to do something I am very adverse to doing. Going back.

First I packed and then cycled back to Wollongong, almost ten kilometres away. I had good reason too though, I needed to develop my exit strategy from Australia, or use the internet to book a flight as others may term it. It was a nice ride back to the ‘Gong, along the cycle path by the waterfront.

Going Back To Wollongong….

Once in the town I returned to the now open ‘Information Centre’ and got informed about internet availability, the best option being the nearby library which I meandered to and sat in the foyer in the cool of the air-conditioning and using my computer booked a flight to New Zealand. Now I have a timetable, I have six days left in Australia.

I finally departed Wollongong at midday, back down the bike path north along the coast and on and on past small villages and towns which had busy beaches and hills to cross to each cove.

Cycling Along The Path North.

The hills were short and sharp and I trudged along and eventually had to go on a very strange stretch of road which is called ‘The Sea Cliff Bridge’ which bypasses one of the hills bounding the coast by going out over the sea! Great for views but very prone to winds I imagine as even today with only a light wind it was much more pronounced while I crossed the bridge.

The Sea Cliff Bridge.

Once off the bridge I was shortly climbing a up to Coalcliff the next town, which was a very steep road. I did not stop at Coalcliff, the town was downhill from the road I was on and I didn’t fancy going down there and back up. I did not need anything from Coalcliff so it seemed like no point in visiting either.

Then the road headed up Bald Hill. This was a long steep climb which I had to do in my lowest gear, I must confess I did have to push my bike for sections too as I needed to rest and pushing the bike does afford my legs a reprieve. Finally with sweat streaming off my forehead in the hot humid conditions I reached the summit of Bald Hill.

Looking South From Bald Hill

In the distance I could make out the ‘Sea Cliff Bridge’ as well…

There It Is.

The road then went up again to the town of Stanwell Tops which did not appear to be much of a town from the road I was travelling so I kept on and took the turn off a couple of kilometres later which took me to Helensburgh where I was in for a surprise…

There Was A Temple In The Hills On The Outskirts Of Helensburgh!

Didn’t expect that.

I carried on to the town centre which was much more substantial than I expected with a big supermarket and other shops, but it did lack one thing I was after, a place to stay, no camping areas, no ‘Caravan Park’ and the one hotel was fully booked. I went and had a sit down and relaxed while a geezer came over and talked to me about everything and nothing while a bloke in the chair along from me ate some food while cockatoos hounded him for scraps.

Birds Are Always Hungry, I Guess It Is All the Flapping About.

I was tired of the hills and I was not looking forward to going to the next area where there would be accommodation, about fifteen kilometres further on but I had little choice and off I went. The bloke who talked to me in Helensburgh had said the road to Waterfall (the next small village) was not too bad and he was correct, I made alright time but it was already almost five thirty in the evening and I still was no closer to somewhere to sleep, I decided the prudent thing to do was to have some dinner at a fish and chips shop I was passing. It was good.

From Waterfall it was about five kilometres to Heathcoat which is the beginning of the populated southern section of the Sydney, the city itself I had been welcomed into on the entrance to Waterfall but it was wilderness between there and Heathcoat so now I really felt I was entering a city. In Heathcoat I had located a ‘Caravan Park’ in the morning while I was internetting in Wollongong. I went to the location and found a horrid place, there was no grass or even dirt area, it was gravel, and there was no staff available either, it was a place people seemed to stay for extended periods, not really suited for overnight bikers.

I decided to press on. It was now getting late so I had to take the plunge and splash out on a hotel. I found one with a room available (the first ones I checked out were full) so I took it, it was a hundred dollars! So much money, and that was after getting a discount down from one hundred and forty, the staff were Chinese so I used my Chinese experiences to barter a deal. To be fair it was a very nice room and had free WiFi.

I quickly showered and then set off to the supermarket located in the town centre of Engadine, the closest place to the hotel, and quickly shopped and then quickly cycled back as night descended. The rest of the evening I spent finally updating my blog, it was almost midnight before this job was completed so I turned in.

65.18km 4:38T 14.0A 57.5M Total = 4982

Going Down

Day 79: 6 January 2015, Tuesday.

I ended up leaving late from the camping grounds of Morton National Park as I got to talking with David and Kath again. Eventually though I managed to summon the energy to cycle off. I did not go up the super speedy hill I zoomed down on the previous two days as I was informed by another patron at the camp site (a Dutch bloke I had talked to frequently) that there was a dirt road that was much more acceptable as a cycling track.

An Easy Option To Climb Out Of The Morton National Park

It was an easy climb and soon I was back in Bundanoon. I did not dally in Bundanoon though, I had seen the town twice already so I kept on going north towards Exeter and then Moss Vale. Exeter was only a wee town but Moss Vale was much more substantial. I stopped in a park in Moss Vale and had a rest and began to dream of the road from here to Wollongong (today’s destination) as I was told back in Gunning that it was a down hill ride from Moss Vale and so far the day had involved many hills.

I was lied to! The road continued to be hilly all the way to the next town, Robinson, which was over twenty kilometres from Moss Vale. If anything I had gained altitude as a sign I saw entering Robinson claimed the altitude of the town was seven hundred and fifty metres! I had a rest at Robinson and set off and soon found out what they were talking about in Gunning, the Macquarie Pass.

Top Of The Pass

It was steep. It was downhill. It was fun. I was flying, soon I had caught up with some traffic and had to slow down to their meagre speeds. Slow cars! The air stank of hot brakes as the traffic crawled around the tight bends of the pass. It was a long drop but as all good things have to come to an end it was soon all over and it was back to the up and downs of the hills at the bottom of the pass.

I soon entered Albion Park which was where I took another break.

You Know You Are Near The Sea When There Are Sea Gulls

It was just over twenty kilometres to Wollongong from Albion Park. The road turned into a motorway and then out of the blue there was a sign telling me to beat it. I was no longer welcome on the motorway so I had to go back to the not motorway roads. As I left the motorway I arrived at a junction where there was no sign to indicate which way I should go! I decided to head to the right as that was the direction of the coast and Wollongong is on the coast so it should be the right way. Ahead was a service station which I entered and quizzed the attendant as to which was the route to Wollongong which avoided the motorway (I know where I’m not wanted, sob sob). He pointed me in the right direction and I was off again.

The down side was the local roads of the town I was it had a big ol’ hill that I had to ascend, it was a lowest gear slog to gain the summit. From there I asked a gentleman on the road side for directions and was told I was on the correct road, just keep going!

Almost To Wollongong, Definitely 4900km.

Then I was there. Wollongong. I went to the information centre but it was already closed (it was just almost six in the evening) but fortunately they had a sign telling of the free WiFi which I logged onto and using the maps application I found where a ‘Caravan Park’ was located, five kilometres north of the town centre.

The route that I decided on was along the coast, there was a cycle lane which ran all the way to the ‘Caravan Park’ so off to the beach I went.

Wollongong Beach And The Pacific.

I stood at the head of the path to the beach and had a moment of pride, I had cycled from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean (well the Tasman Sea bit) all the way across Australia. It felt like I had really accomplished something.

I set off along the cycle path, along the coast where the locals and holiday makers were enjoying the hot humid evening in the pools in the ocean.

They Look Like They Are Happy

No swimming for me though, this is Vincent’s Bike Ride, not Vincent’s Swim! I cycled the five kilometres to the area where there was a ‘Caravan Park’ and went to the reception where I was in for a shock. Fifty dollars!!!! They wanted fifty dollars for a bit of dirt to pitch a tent and the facilities to have a shower. That is truly a rip off. I would never pay that, I’d rather pay for a hotel!

I headed north massively disgruntled. As luck would have it only a few kilometres further along there was a second ‘Caravan Park’. Thirty dollars. Still very expensive but I was out of options and it was already seven in the evening. I booked in. It was a poor area for me to pitch a tent, no shade at all now or in the morning, and the ablution facilities were very average. The more you pay the less you get I guess.

I settled in and cooked my dinner and while it was cooking my evenings neighbour (in a caravan) came over for a chat. They were very nice, they even offered to do my dishes in their caravan as the camp kitchen was a rather long way away. I did not complain and after eating I handed over my dishes and a few minutes later as if by magic they were all clean and dry. They even offered me a fork to replace my plastic fork which was a bit mangled on the ends from using it to cook on hot pans but I declined. Metal implements are not preferred on a bicycle, they may puncture a pannier, or puncture me in an accident!

Another day was over, most likely the last time on this ride I will ride for over one hundred kilometres in a day. It was a hot humid evening and very difficult to get to sleep but eventually I drifted off….

102.85km 5:53T 17.4A 70.5M Total = 4917

 

Speed

Day 78: 5 January 2015, Monday.

It was an overcast day. I really wanted to have a day off, I had been cycling for nine days and felt like a rest. The problem was the hill leaving the Morton National Park where I had camped was big and I was not keen on cycling up it today and then again tomorrow. I went to the BBQ area and sat down and started to chat with some of the folks I had been talking with last night and they offered to take me and my bike on their roof-rack (well the bike on the roof, me in the car) into the town of Bundanoon so I could get some groceries and I could then roll back to the camping site. I decided to take them up on the offer and went to town.

I had had a look around Bundanoon yesterday so I did not stay long, I went and ought some groceries and then began the roll down to the National Park. Yesterday I had not known about the steep decent and had managed to get to the second highest speed I have ever achieved on my bicycle (I was point two of a kilometre too slow) so today I decided to rectify that by setting a new speed record! I got to seventy-six-point-nine kilometres per hour racing down the hill all tucked in. A new record!

With a new record set I could relax and enjoy the rest of my day of rest which I spent talking with the other patrons of the camping area, especially David and Kath a fantastic couple (they were the ones who gave me a lift to Bundanoon this morning).

Hello Little Birdy

2.59km 0.09T 16.9A 76.9M Total = 4814