This post will take a different form.
It’s been nine days since my last entry, and in that time my life has become somewhat routine. Each day blends with the next, leaving me no chance of reporting this week on a day-by-day basis. Instead, I’ll hit the highlights or at least the ones I remember. It’s stressful trying to think back and recount each day between posts. This approach makes writing less intimidating.
First of all, it hasn’t rained since Christmas. Although locals are fretting, I’m stoked on the weather. We’ve had some uncharacteristically hot days, reaching a high of 30C on multiple occasions. The heat made swimming very appealing, and since posting last I have fully submerged myself in various bodies of water on four separate occasions.
One day Tom and I walked down to the next door neighbor’s pool for a dip. It was small, shallow, and solar heated to bath water temperatures. I picked a grapefruit from their tree before leaving, and it happened to be the best one I’d ever had when I finally ate it a few days later.
Somewhere in the mix I took an afternoon trip to the Aniseed Valley tucked behind the first set of hills behind Richmond. A river winds through the valley and can be accessed from multiple places along the adjacent road. Adam, who I rode with in Wellington and who grew up in Nelson, told me about this spot, which I hadn’t seen advertised anywhere. The place was chalk full of locals. I stopped at the main reserve and went for a swim, then pitched my hammock in the shade and finished the last short story of Ted Chiang’s Arrival. When I was done reading, I drove further up the road to check out another spot for next time. This spot, called Hackett Creek, had a bridge above the water people were jumping off. It was less crowded than the main “Reserve.” I’ll be returning.
My next swim was in the ocean. A few days ago, I got a text from van-lifers Fain and Rachel. I met them in Kinloch, Taupo on my second trip there.
“In Kinloch I met another American couple of freedom campers. They were also mainly Californian. We agreed to meet up again for a hike in Nelson, and they gave me some strawberries. My life is blessed by the generosity of others.” -Taupo Getaway/Preparing to Leave
Around 4pm I drove up to Marahau at the entrance to Abel Tasman National Park to hang out on the beach with them. We caught up on our walk along the coast track a couple miles out to a wide, shallow, sandy bay. The tide was low, and the water was warm. I really like them and was happy to reconnect here on the South Island. They’re exploring the whole country in hopes of finding their favorite place to live more permanently. If they can get “sponsored” by companies here, they can shortcut the process to permanent residency. Hopefully we’ll cross paths again. Back at the vans we found a plum tree and snacked on fruit.
The last swim was off the wharf in Mapua after work on Sunday. It was hot as, so I put on my togs, lathered up in sunscreen, and rode my bike down to little Mapua for a swim, book in hand. It was busy in the village. The tide was all the way low, and the water was slack. The drop off the wharf was easily 15+ feet with enough depth to safely jump. After my swim I spread my towel on the beach and sat down to enjoy a book and cider. There was band playing next door at the Golden Bear Brewery. The trumpet player was killing it.
I’ve been lazy about exercising the past couple weeks. A few days before my Abel Tasman outing with Rachel and Fain, I had walked the same coast track for the first time. Marahau is a lively little town with a few restaurants, excellent beaches, park access, and practically a city of freedom campers. When I went out to Appletree bay, 6km from the trailhead, I passed hundreds of hikers and had a lot of opportunities to practice my trail salutations. I drove out at sunset and it was stunningly beautiful. There’s some cheap fuel to be had on the way back. $1.88 per liter.
Tom and Robyn had a little get together on Friday evening. The boys congregated on one side of the house, drank beer, made sandwiches, and played cornhole. The girls hung out under the pergola which I had power washed the day before. We weren’t invited. People seemed to enjoy themselves, and Tom and I dominated the cornhole, having had the most practice.
Work has proven to be a lot better than I originally anticipated. I finally worked with Tasman for the first time, another 18 year old who is a better rider and equally good mechanic as myself. At last, I have a real friend. We’re going on a grueling ride later today which will be reported on in the next post.
The shop has been busy lately, at least by their standards. This means I have a pretty comfortable workload but rarely get bogged down or have too much time twiddling my thumbs. This was a difficult balance to achieve at Mike’s Bikes, so I’m curious to see how long my workflow can remain in equilibrium here.
A typical week contains three days in the shop. The first is a 9-5 day with Tasman, which should be pretty fun going forward. The second is a 9-4 all alone, which means I get to play on the computer when there are no bikes or customers needing my attention. The third day is 8:30-5:30 with Daryl, an easy-going, middle-aged guy. It’s a long day and there’s only one stool, so it can drag on unless there’s enough to do.
My lunch spot is the outdoor dining area for a little organic cafe next door to the shop. There’s a line of hedges providing shade and separating the nook from the sprawl of the always-busy grocery store parking lot. There are usually people busking in front of New World, and the music drifts over to where I’m eating.
Of course we’ve been eating well here at Tom and Robyn’s. I finally tried an Eddyline Pizza, and they took me for fresh fruit ice cream at one of the local berry farms. There have been numerous amazing home cooked meals too. Also, there’s a plum tree down the street that has just reached peak ripeness. I make a effort to ride my bike there every evening for dessert.
I’m happy these days. It’s been a long time coming, and I’m so relieved to be enjoying my experience here. With four days off per week, I want to start exploring some of my surroundings, like Golden Bay, Nelson Lakes, the sounds, and maybe Christchurch. Hopefully Tasman can show me around the trails here too. That’s why I came, after all.
Writing out of chronological order, I may have missed a moderate amount of details. The way I see it, if it was important enough to write about, I probably remembered it.
Cheers to summer
My adventure in New Zealand 