Well, somehow it’s already been two weeks since my last entry. Plenty has happened in that time, but I have to keep it brief. Tyler arrived yesterday and were leaving tomorrow morning. We’re about to meet Tasman and Amber for dinner before going to the open mic night Tyler’s in the shower now, so I figured I’d barf on the keyboard cause who knows when I’ll get the chance to write again.
Tom and I drove the Cobra out to Murchison for a meet. The Cobra Club was doing a tour, so we met them at the River Cafe downtown. They were playing bluegrass in the cafe and I recognized the Hobo song by Peter Rowan. I bet I was the only person there who already knew that song. There were 20 some odd cars there including some replica Lotus Super 7s. We cruised back towards Nelson with the group.
Tasman and I went to the Nelson speedway to watch the three-quarter midgets semi final or something like that. It’s a real kiwi experience. The track was insanely dusty, and the noise was oppressive. We ran into Daryl from Coppins and his son who are keen fans. They were able to answer a lot of my questions about the racing.
I cleaned my bike fully. The fork returned from warranty, but I discovered it’s actually bent. They’re not likely to cover me, so I could be out a lot of money. Daniel says I can continue using his Pike in the meantime. I might end up buying it from him.
Amber an I drove out to the Nelson Lakes region to ride Teetotal which has trails that are open. We did three tracks. The first one, Flying Moa, was pedaly, natural, and technical. I rode the best I have since my first few rides in Rotorua. The next track was a dry creek bed, so it followed the fall line and had a bunch of loose baby heads. The last track was tight and awkward at the start, then loose, steep, and ledgy towards the bottom. It was all beautiful beech forest. The beech trees weep this sweet stick sap that you can collect on your fingers (if you can get it before the bees do).
My coworker Rueben had his last days at Coppins before going back to school in Blenheim. He invited me to join his friends at the Mapua wharf for some dives. We had king tides earlier this week, so the water was super low making for a bigger jump. Nice to be included.
I had my last day at Coppins too. I’m going to miss working there. It was a good gig while it lasted. Everybody wished me well.
My sisters best friend Lydia has booked flights to join us March 14th-19th. She’s studying abroad in Brisbane. She’s pretty adventurous and willing to squeeze in the van with Tyler and I.
I made dinner for Tom and Robyn on our last night before Tyler’s arrival. I asked mom for her recipe for Sopa Azteca, cause I knew I couldn’t botch it and it’s delicious. I brought home a rigger from Eddyline and some flowers too. We had beautiful conversation over the meal.
Tyler arrived yesterday morning. I walked into the airport just as he walked through the doors. We got out of there within 20 minutes of my arrival, so I didn’t even have to pay for parking, haha!
We killed some time before meeting with Tom, Robyn, and Rex for a Pic’s Peanut Butter factory tour. We got to see the brand new factory and make our own peanut butter. An addict’s paradise. After recouping at the house for a little while, we head into Mot to pick up some demo bikes for our ride that evening. Then we went to the bridge over the Motueka river to do some celebratory flips off of it. Last night we met with Tasman, Amber, Daniel, and two of his friends for one last ride at Kaiteriteri, as the trails just opened after a brief rain. It was a fabulous ride, and Tyler got to ride an e-mtb to alleviate the jetlag. We jumped in the ocean afterwards.
Tyler and I will sleep in the van at Tasman’s tonight. Tomorrow morning we will hit the road for Christchurch, stopping for groceries along the way.
This is a big transition, but I don’t have time to get emotional about it because I’m too busy having fun and enjoying Tyler’s company. I’m not sure when I’ll get to post next, as we have a lot in store for the next few weeks, maybe during Crankworx. This was written in 20 minutes, and I probably forgot stuff.
Peace.
My adventure in New Zealand 