Opening the floodgates

Sunday, 5 February 2012

While we were in NZ I officially reached the finishing post of my clothing challenge.  The aim was to go a year without any clothes purchases with the exception of sports-specific gear such as wetsuits, cycling tops, running shoes etc etc).  

If I had a more formal workplace, or if I wanted to change jobs and thus have job interviews I might have struggled with it, but instead it was actually a pretty easy challenge for me - I'm not the smartest of dressers at the best of times - so a few rips,  tears and daggy looking items didn't really worry me too much. I would maybe have bought a new fleece top during the year but I did get given some new pyjamas, ugg boots and a fleecy vest for birthday presents which helped a lot especially as my birthday falls handily around the middle of the year.

Anyway - as the challenge expired in NZ I got to have an expensive clothes shopping trip in an outdoor shop in Rotorua which sold really nice and pricey brands.  Unfortunately I now have to wait until the temperature drops by about 20 degrees before I can wear my new Icebreaker and other woolly  gear.  Oh well.  

Since coming back I've also bought a new pair of Mountain Designs trousers to replace the ones I ripped early on in the challenge (and stuck back together with sticky tape).  That pair can now be retired. 

I'm glad I've done it, and I feel good about proving to myself that I don't really need stuff  (as I suspected).  But would I do it again? Nah - probably not - it was never meant to be a money saving thing anyway but I did notice that I made more sports-specific purchases than I normally would in a year - although paddling on the Derwent through the depths of winter did necessitate a few extra items I guess.  

Wildside Day 4

Thursday, 2 February 2012

The weather was crappy again unfortunately but the organisers reversed the direction of the long cycle down Ocean Beach so the cyclists had a tailwind. Jonno said it was pretty good except there were probably a dozen or so whales rotting on the beach which took away from the purity of the experience somewhat. I've got no decent photos from the day but there are good ones here.. There's even a nice shot of Zali and Jett at Tullah - Day 2, second photo..

So in the final wash-up Jon finished 81st just seconds ahead of his buddy John W who had some really strong final stages. My Jon definitely faded a little in the later stages but managed to finish with no major mechanicals or injuries. Yay.   On the way home we discussed what we'd do the same or differently next time (Wildside is on every second year) and came up with the following..

• Despite the expense and the hassle of moving 4 times we'd still stay in Cradle Mtn, Tullah, Zeehan and Strahan (2 nights) as it made the driving so much less arduous.  It would be tempting to skip the Cradle night and stay 2 nights at Tullah but that would mean more driving to get there from Hobart in the first place, then an extra hour on the 2nd day as well so it would be too much.
• I'd probably not order the vegetarian stir fry from the Zeehan Heemskirk motel and just stay in the motel room and eat cardboard or something instead.
• I wouldn't take the kayak again - it made loading the car a pain (literally - my back is still sore) and the roof box would have been way more useful.  There were ample opportunities to cycle instead.
• We wouldn't bring the hand pressure water pump thing. We'd buy one which plugs into the car instead or go without entirely as all our stops had places to wash bikes.
• We'll stay somewhere else in Strahan as although the place was cosy it had signs everywhere threatening to debit our credit card the cost of for 2 extra nights accommodation if we committed any heinous crimes such as not putting the washing up away or checking out at 10:01.
• I would take more photos on day one - the flowers and scenery was amazing. In fact there's still heaps I want to see next time (such as Zeehan's spray tunnel and Montezuma Falls).

Wildside Day 3

Monday, 30 January 2012

Day 3 threw some real wild into Wildside. In beating rain we have travelled (me driving, Jon riding) from Zeehan to Trial Harbour, then over to Granville Harbour.   Then we've all driven to Strahan where we are now hunkered down in a little cottage listening to the rain beat against the house and the wind rattle the windows.  

Wildside

Friday, 27 January 2012

Apologies

Tuesday, 24 January 2012

Dear North Island,

I'm very sorry that I ever doubted you. You were awesome. I hope you'll have us back some time.

Regards,

Impressed,  Kingston. 

MTB in Rotorua..

Tuesday, 24 January 2012

I can only comment on the riding based on my current ability and I have to say that I really wished I had more skills (and riding fitness ) so I could enjoy it more and worry less.  The trails didn't have many obstacles as such (like logs or rocks to go over) but they were all about fast and sharp corners, drop-offs, steep pinches and lots of flow.   The track surface generally beautifully smooth yet  soft (if you fell) at the same time - 'Hero Dirt'  apparently.  I found that I was comfortable on the tracks rated 'easy' but on the intermediate ones I had the odd moment where I felt out of my depth so I couldn't hoon through them the first time round as I didn't know if was going to find myself at the top of a 1/2 metre drop off, or attempting an impossible corner or something.. - obviously as I rode a track for the second time I got more confidence but there were still tricky bits for me such as tight steep turns with tree-roots creating drop-offs right before them.    There's no doubt that the scenery was great, and I only rode 1/3 or less of the trails I recon.  

Jonno went out every day for as long as we let him (generally 2-3 hours) and he loved it. Paul declared it the best area ever after about 2 minutes of riding and each day they discovered new 'favourite' tracks. The only thing I recon they could improve on the tracks would be to do what Woodhill have done and create some linked routes so that if you are new to the area you can just follow one set of signs to get out for a great ride and not have to stop every few minutes to work out where the heck you are and what trail to take next..  Luckily though we did have 4 days of riding to get an idea of the lay of the land. There is lot of linking one trail to the next by 4wd tracks and logging roads which were often quite nice to ride on anyway.  Next time though I might take advantage of the shuttle service to get out to the trails which were further away or more importantly, higher up, as I often spent the first 30 minutes of my rides  slogging away just getting to where I wanted to start from and as I normally only had 2 hours or less to spend riding, whilst it was great for my fitness, it might have been more fun to spend more of that time on the single tracks.

Hopefully we'll get back to have more of a go some other time - it was great and I know I'm going to dream about the trails despite the scary bits.  

Lake Okareka, Sweden Part II

Tuesday, 24 January 2012

Now we've been here a few days I know for certain that we'd only ever stay here at Lake Okareka  if we came back to the rotorua area.  It does make the ride to the MTB trails 10-30 minutes longer depending on where you want to start but it's just so nice and opens up all sorts of other recreational possibilities including long swims (great to cool down with after a ride - photo below), horse riding and of course paddling as well as running on the walkway alongside the lake..  When I did a paddling lap of the lake (9-10km depending on how close you stay to the bank) I discovered some sea caves and arches on peninsulas on the other side of the lake which were fun to explore. I also discovered some free (or at least very cheap) quiet campervan sites with toilets and stuff.  It's an ideal place to stay for a MTB holiday out of the hustle and smell of Rotorua itself..