60km/hr headwinds. 53kms. Major hills. I was not about to cycle in those conditions with over 50 pounds of gear on my bike. I went back to visit Christine at the information centre. Man, did she ever feel bad that I didn't raft with the Irish rugby team. I told her I needed to get to National Park and she told me that it was almost 60 dollars to get the bus!!!! Not fit. So, I waited at the info centre all day writing postcards to pass the time between hassli...

I arrived in Turangi by 11am. It was a great 53 km ride. I wish all my rides could be just like that. I got to town and did what I usually do - go straight to the information centre. Christine, the lovely and friendly employee, immediately tried to sell me on white water rafting. She got on the phone with the companies to see if they were operating that day and one of them said that they could book me with the Irish Rugby Team if I wanted to go at 1:30pm. ...

Today I was cycling to gorgeous Lake Taupo. I was about 15 kms away when - BAM - caught in a heavy downpour. Again? Ugh. "OK...", i guess i havent much say about the matter. I reluctantly stopped to get out my rain gear (still in denial that it wasnt just a light shower) and as I was putting on my booties a farmer named Cliff stopped to see if I was alright. "Just putting on my raingear" I said. He looked out his windshield at the wipers on full speed and o...

Sue and Brian are retired Dairy farmers. They love to cycle tour together. Bill is a bike nut and recently built a shed just to house all of their bikes and also have a space to repair them. I got to learn some interesting history about the area while Brian fixed up my bike rack to fit my panniers perfectly. He also switched my brake cables because in New Zealand the front and back brake cables are switched- a potentially dangerous thing for me if I go to s...

And now for a less romanticized take on cycle touring Here are the reasons why people likely choose NOT to cycle tour: 1) The weather: I haven't had one day of nice weather since I arrived. Dreary, wet, windy, unpredictable, pain-in-the-ass weather. Ive literally had head winds that can stop you dead in your tracks. And if it were hot? I'd probably complain about that too. Who wants to cycle when you're sweating just standing still? Nobody. 2) Traffic and...