Picton to Kaikoura

It all has to start somewhere, and this trip began with a descent downhill from alarm to terminal. The weather yesterday was amazing, producing a millpond still harbour. This meant the crossing was nearly palatable for the most unseaworthy of legs.

I boarded the boat to find it full of bogans heading south from a tempestuous night of storms and ACDC. They all wore the four letters with pride on their standard issue black uniform. I feel more affinity with my erstwhile brothers of rock than the beige brigade that descends upon Wellington during summer. There are many more horrors aboard those cruise ships than any amount of Woody's bourbon and coke or pouting middle aged men in short trousers. Mine was the only bike.

Also on board, I noticed a strange phenomenon: GoPro cameras came into existence so that truly crazy dudes can outdo their mates by sharing progressively frightening aeriel stunts from their crash helmets. A couple of years ago they started to become popular for videoing you snow boarding really badly and quite slowly, without ever leaving the ground. Now, I witness the ultimate selfie stick generation lifestyle statement: people videoing from the prow of a ferry as it moves at 5 knots through a sound! That's going to be some exhilarating entertainment, for sure. Such is the democratisation of technology. People buy the brand for the possibility of creating daredevil YouTube hits, while falling towards an increasingly insipid ideal. "I think I can actually see that tree on the shore - moving!!"



I cycled 68k from Picton, along the very beautiful queen Charlotte drive, via Havelock, to get to my first stop at Rosanna and Dave's in Renwick. Dave was so concerned about my ability to complete the course, he decided to demonstrate his skills at riding my bike better than I, just in case back up was called for.





I managed to kick him off and cycle 143k's today from Renwick, coffee in Blenheim, lunch on route, then onto Kaikoura.

Road kill: two hedgehogs (nothing unexpected there), couple of birds, two rabbits, a few dessicated possum pelts (people need to be more conscientious, and run more over) AND! (Drum roll), a seal. A sorry sight, but who would have expected that?! Clarence has a big population of seals sunning themselves right next to the state highway.

iPod update: All Life Ends, by At The Gates. Swedish death metal - who would have thought? And it also means, that with some solid listening under my belt, I'm not even approaching the end of the first letter.