Sunday October 14, 2012, 35 miles (56 km) – Total so far: 66 miles (106 km)
The weather looked good this morning so we were on the road by 7 am. It was cold but that was expected so we dressed appropriately. About a mile out of town I was noticing a noise from the front of my bike so I pulled over. A nice Kiwi gentleman driving by pulled over and asked if we needed help. He said he had tools and would stand by until we were back on the road. The front rack bracket that attaches to the main post had bent and dropped the rack onto the tire. With the Kiwi’s help we were able to bend it back up and I fortunately had several zip ties on hand to strap the rack up to reduce the load on the bracket. He was also going to Hanmer and asked if we would like a lift. I politely declined even though it was very cold and windy. We were back on the road but about 5 miles later the rack again collapsed. At this point I removed the rack along with the weak bracket then reattached the rack legs and the top with zip ties. That did the trick and we were on the road again. We did have several problems with brakes rubbing on the wheels but after several stops and adjustments we continued.
To say that the countryside was beautiful would be an understatement. It was absolutely gorgeous riding up the hills and seeing snow on the surrounding mountains. Like I said before this land reminds me so much of Hawaii as it is so green everywhere. The sheep, horses, and cows added to the atmosphere.
At noon we were in the tiny town of Waikari and stopped at the local pub for a sandwich and fresh milk. After that we continued through the amazing scenery and stopped for a wine tasting at Hurunui Vineyards. At this point we had ridden by many vineyards so we just had to stop. The sun was finally out with no clouds so we stopped and entered the tasting room where we each had four small samples. We then relaxed with a glass of wine along with a bread and dip appetizer. Life is good. We talked with the owner who said he wouldn’t recommend riding to Hanmer today because it is up the hill on a very winding road with weekend traffic but that we should stay in the town of Culverden. I looked at my GPS and found the Culverden Motel and gave them a call. They are in a campground but the manager said it has been freezing the last two nights and unless we were used to the cold their motel room was warmer. I have lived in the Antarctic for the last 8 months but did not have the appropriate clothing to camp in this weather. After purchasing a bottle of the local Pinot Noir we continued onto Culverden. There we got one of the 6 rooms in this cool area, did our laundry in the sink, and laid it outside on chair. We then chilled for the rest of the afternoon. We only rode 35 miles but with at least two hours on the side of the road we did well. Hanmer tomorrow.
We will now start a new count on magpie bird hits. They are very territorial and Jocelyn was hit by two – in the helmet fortunately. They will beak your skin and draw blood.
Jocelyn: 2 Mike: 0
