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Its really great to end your trip in a place you've cycled through before. A sense of accomplishment flooded me as I made my way in to Dunedin and felt a comforting 'welcome back'.
My first time here was due to my foolhardy agenda to be in Dunedin to watch The Final rugby game - New Zealand vs France. I also got to enjoy the company of a old primary school friend, Angele Rainville, who got in touch after Facebook informed her my Southern hemisphere location was the same as hers :)
It was a beautiful day cycling in to Dunedin on the very last leg of my tour. I couldn't wipe the smile from my face as I conquered those last hills. As I breathed in, I've never felt lighter and the air never felt so fresh. I couldn't get enough. I even thought it was funny when I made an accidental wrong turn leading me up an awesome climb to a dead end. Usually a wrong turn causes enough frustration to make my hair fall out. This time, however, I found myself laughing the whole way down as I realized the extent of my unnecessary climb. When I reached the bottom I was pleasantly met by another solo cyclist named Simon. As he approached he said something about me being a mad cyclist and I said "hello" but thought "heeeeLLLLOOOOoooo", as in "Hubba-da-Hubba-da". We chatted and I followed him in to town as not to get lost again since he knew his way and I obviously did not.
We arrived, dropped off our bags and headed out on the town. He kindly offered to shout me a celebratory drink marking the unofficial end of my epic journey. Finding him attractive and uniquely charming, I happily accepted; it sure beat my original plan - having a drink by myself.
When a little boy picks on a girl - teasing her, punching her and throwing her into rubbish piles - we say it's because he likes her. When I said Simon was 'uniquely charming' it's because this, at 30 years of age, is still Simon's tactic. He described himself at one point as a kid trapped in a man's body. I didn't argue. It's probably clear why I used the adjective 'unique'; the 'charming' part is that he somehow made this strategy work. How he did this is completely beyond me but his 5 o'clock shadow, to which I'm always a complete sucker, probably played part.
We spent a couple of days hanging out and after he left I found myself missing his in-genuine crabbiness and the way he showed his feelings masked by a guise of insincere sarcasm. Go figure.
The following day I bought expensive and delicious things for dinner. For a number of reasons, I splurged. I saved my birthday money from my family to celebrate both the end of my journey around New Zealand and my 26th journey around the sun. I went for a full body mud massage and had a motel fully equipped with a personal spa pool where I enjoyed bubbles from the jets and bubbly in my glass.
And so here I am, in Dunedin, basking in the glory of accomplishment and reflecting on my months spent on the saddle.
Although my cycling days have just ended, I feel like the efforts, pains, struggles and gains of the tour almost instantly became an accomplishment of my past; a distant memory or history on which to reflect and speak nostalgically.
A few of my friends had cycled New Zealand before me; I called upon them for advise before leaving. When I found myself on dangerously narrow and busy roads, being blindly dive bombed by the beloved magpies, and enduring epically bad weather including 4 seasons in one day, I couldn't help but wonder why my touring friends conveniently decided to omit such details when recounting their experiences. Surely they were indeed 'friends' and not 'enemies'? At times (like while trying to ward off the evil enemy magpie) I found myself cursing those friends as if it were their fault for not providing a proper warning (... As if I would have considered cancelling the trip even if they had!). However, I now know why they didn't - the pain is erased almost as quickly as it happens. The negative memories escape you and are found replaced with euphoria, laughable stories and overall positivity. I'm pretty sure it's a coping mechanism cyclist develop so that we don't all just quit at our first encounter with struggle (aka: day one).
Now, I did say the hardships were 'almost' immediately replaced with fond memories. The tour is still fresh enough for me that there are trailing memories of unpleasant relentless days that leave me thankful that the tour is complete. If I were asked right now for advise about cycling New Zealand my answer, in a nut shell, would be this:
North Island:
- ridiculously nice and extremely generous people
- gorgeous scenery
- loads of options of stuff to do
- really terrible roads for cycling
- heavy traffic who hate cyclists and loads of logging and transport trucks
- weather: don't even get me started.
South Island
- friendly people (less friendly than the North Island but like to think and claim the opposite)
- breath taking scenery (more diverse than the North Island)
- can be quite long distances between places
- narrow roads
- less traffic (but always keep an eye and ear out for the milk trucks)
Someone asked me if I would cycle New Zealand again? My answer: Not if the devil himself told me it was the only way to escape the hot coal beds of hell.
Am I glad that I did? Absolutely, 100%!!!!! I wouldnt change or take back the experience for any offer in the world.
Now that it is over, I am left with rewards, lessons and great life experience. I have new friends from all over the world and some so close I consider them family. The pains endured and stresses overcome... well, they're fading more and more with each new day ;) and hey, don't they just build character?
Thank you New Zealand for a trip of a lifetime and a journey of epic proportions. Every day was an adventure and every kiwi was a pleasure.
Kia Ora.
- comments
Marnie I am glad you are basking in the euphoria of the moment, enjoy Auz and keep the posts coming!
Mom I thank God for you and for keeping you safe. Love you!! Forever in my prayers beautiful , amazing daughter!!!!
Z ...What if the Devil had a 5 o'clock shadow? ;) I love ye dearly! And so, so proud of you for pushing through it all - for better and for worse, but mostly for better.