And Just Like That They're Gone!

Visiting The Catlins down south on the South Island, New Zealand 

My parent’s visit almost feels surreal now. They’ve come and gone and it feels’d like we never had been apart nor skipped a beat.  From the start of my trip planning, I was hoping my parents would visit me at some point along my route.  Ever since I can remember them talking about their retirement years, they wanted to visit New Zealand and Australia.  Therefore, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to have them come while I was riding the south island of New Zealand and through parts of Australia.

The logistics of meeting up were a bit complicated and caused for some headaches.  It is hard to plan a detailed itinerary and solidify specific dates when you travel by bike. I had a rough idea where I would be at different times of the year, but in order to meet them it meant sticking to a specific route, specific day and place to find each other.  It just so happened that Cromwell, New Zealand was where we met up after not seeing each other for a year.  That morning, I left a message with the receptionist at the hotel we reserved for them to come and find me on route 8 heading south towards Cromwell. I knew they were in a gray Toyota Corolla, but the rental cars in New Zealand are either Toyota Corolla’s or Rav 4s.  In the early afternoon, between a long sparse stretch of road, I heard a honk from an oncoming car.  This car continued to honk and soon there was a hand waving profusely out the window.  Ta Dah! Magically they had found me!

Part of the perk of having Mom and Dad along was that they could relieve me of some extra weight 

We spent the next 5 days together exploring the far south of the south island by car rather than bike.  For me, it was a nice break from riding, and a true delight to have some familiar company.  It’s one thing to visit family and friends on familiar territory, but it’s a completely different story for both of us to be out of familiar territory traveling.  My parents have done a fair bit of traveling prior to kids, and as a family we did a lot of road trips on the west coast of the United States.  They were abroad a few times to visit some of us who decided to study abroad in college and then most recently, they traveled to Barcelona a couple of times while I was living there.  This trip however, marked a new type of travel for my parents due to the unique nature of accompanying someone traveling on bike.  For my dad, who likes to have everything planned, it was difficult to fathom not pre-booking hotels and flights or having a day-by-day itinerary.   Six months into my trip, this style of traveling has become my reality, but I had to change my mindset slightly when I was with them. 

They deserve an award for being such flexible travelers and coming all the way from Oregon to find me on my bike

From New Zealand to The Great Ocean Road, we covered a lot of territory together

It seemed that almost anywhere we went in New Zealand there was some holiday, event, festival, or race, which made finding a hotel challenging.  Traveling with a tent you rarely think about fully booked accommodation.  Thankfully we never failed to find a hotel which always seemed luxurious to me!  In fact, I was able to restock my supply of tea, coffee, and toiletries!  We ate at small cafes for lunch and usually tried the local ice cream for a mid-afternoon snack and dined in nice restaurants during the evening.  The meals were a nice change from my supermarket picnics and basic cooked dinners at the campgrounds.  The sounds of snores replaced the melody of nighttime bugs and small rodents so I felt right at home.

Queenstown, New Zealand

When we said good-bye to each other in Queenstown, New Zealand, I went on my way to a school visit then up and over to the west coast, completing my loop of the south.  They drove off through the interior and around to the northeast to complete their figure eight itinerary.  My parents flew over to Melbourne about a week before I did and had some time to explore the area.  Upon my arrival we started the Great Ocean Road, only this time I was on my bike and not a passenger in their car.  Of course it took me much longer to cycle the distance to the hotel than them, but we had designated lunch and rest stops to meet up and they found me several times along the road and cheered me on from the car.  I even cheated for those days and rode with 2 bags rather than 5! It is hard for me to ride without any weight because I wobble all over the place and feel naked!

It’s funny how time apart makes you reflect more on the things you observe.  In my “normal” life, I see my family twice a year and talk weekly on Skype, but a year had passed since I saw them last. With so many hours on the bike, I’m know myself better as a person than ever before. When they arrived, all of a sudden I could see certain traits and quarks of my own personality in each of them.

Pops and me,...two lively souls

There’s no question about it, I’m full of energy.  Intense, determined, or stubborn some might say. This comes my Dad.  At 72, he’s got the energy of a 30 year old!  During our time together, he was always the first one up, dressed, and ready-to-go.  He’d eaten, loaded the car, and studied the itinerary while my mom and I were still in our pajamas making coffee.  Back in Barcelona I was just like him.  By 9am I’ve gone for an hour swim or run, was at work, reviewed my lessons for the day, sent emails, and ready for my kids to walk in still half asleep.  We’ve got constant energy that keeps us on the go.  We are task-oriented and can accomplish anything we put our minds to because of our determination.  My dad and I also have the same exact taste buds and appetite.  Without consulting one another, we can study a menu and out of all the dishes, we order the exact same item. Usually there are two or three options that sound appealing and since my mom is so easy going, she agrees to share with us.  I don’t advise sharing with my dad or myself since we always have a huge appetite, we are “territorial” when it comes to sharing a meal. My dad and I eat almost half of each of the dishes ourselves and my poor mom goes with the flow and gets whatever is left!  And our sweet tooth is incredible….makes for lots of great ice cream stops along the road. 

Hair salon "Pritchard Ladies"....we did a pretty good job!

By no means is my mom lacking energy, after all, she was a full time “stay-at-home” mom of 5 extremely active kids.  However, she is more laid back and believe it or not, some of this has been passed down to me!  When you take me out of my normal daily routine, I can tone down the intensity and relax (promise)!  In fact, sometimes I disconnect and my mind wanders so much that I might get a bit spacey, i.e. missing road turns on my route and leave my passport.  For us, nothing is ever a huge problem. We can go with the flow and believe that things will just work out in the end.  This has been a saving grace on my trip, combined with my relentless energy.  From my mom, I also get my passion to create, use my hands artistically, and make things, from sewing, cooking, jewelry, and ceramics.  Before this trip, I never would have attempted to cut my hair myself, nor would I let my mom touch it.  Yet, together we figured out how to do it and she helped me out with my third hair cut, all done resourcefully with the mini scissors in my pocketknife and the utensils found in our hotel’s kitchenette.

Nothing beats a familiar home cooked meal

What I appreciate most from my parents in the simple values they instilled in me as I was growing up, which I also noticed on our trip.  There were some days where a trip to the supermarket for bread and cheese became a delicious picnic and when we cooked in our apartment, craving a familiar recipe from home.  Growing up in the Pritchard family we never had anything fancy or a need to consume and fall into the materialism trap.  The Pritchard kids found joy and pleasure in the basic things in life from home-cooked family meals, endless hours of entertainment outside in the yard playing together, and family holidays in the car to a lot of National Parks, monuments and regional sights.  I am forever grateful for these values because even on a bike with 3 bags of possessions and pedaling 100 km a day, I am the happiest young lady in the world!

My parents were real “troopers”, to make the effort to come all the way to the other side of the world to visit me.  They had to be completely flexible with their itinerary in order to accommodate my mode of transportation but ended up turning their trip into a 6-week holiday, doing the Australia and New Zealand trip I had heard about for years!  I have a few other visits along my route in Australia with friends, which I’m looking forward to.  It’s great to be able to meet up with people I haven’t seen for a while, a definite perk to traveling around the world especially with my global network of friends!

The Right Place at the Right Time

You hear a lot of people say, I was at the wrong place at the wrong time, but there is the flip side to that expression which is the RIGHT place at the RIGHT time and that is what happened to me at the New World supermarket in Hokitika, New Zealand.  I only needed apples....and to tell you the truth, I didn’t even really need them, but I had gone 4 days without seeing a proper supermarket and eating fresh fruit.  For me, that is enough to justify a stop at the supermarket.  However, I knew very well, that I wouldn’t come out with just apples, especially with the hunger I’ve had recently and entering right at suppertime.

Front row parking.....

I parked my bike outside New World, one of the 3 chains of supermarkets I’ve encountered here in New Zealand.  I like this chain because they have a fabulous bulk section, specials on their artisan breads (if you hit the bakery after 5pm), and free wifi…and I mean free as in you wouldn’t have to purchase anything nor ask for a little voucher card like at other places.  Really, you could, and I have, just stand outside and use their wireless.  Having said that, it is no surprise these supermarkets are hit heavily by backpackers, buying their dinners for the night, and stocking up on groceries for the following days.  Inside, it is common to see tour cyclists leaning against the pastry windows on their smart phones, backpackers on the bench by the carts checking emails…It is quite a sight to see! These places are happening, yet I didn’t expect to have such an eventful trip to the supermarket when I first pulled into town early this evening.  

I was due at my host’s house in Hokitika, friends-of-friends from Oregon, the Zuckerman’s.  In fact, I had called from a local gallery to say that I was heading up. Their house was 20 km from town, due east of my route and I had told them I would be there in about an hour.  I passed the supermarket at first and didn’t stop, but at the following round about I turned around.  I have very little self-control these days….

I didn’t even make it into the supermarket before my first encounter.  I parked my bike outside next to two other loaded touring bikes.  Coming towards me was a young lady.  I asked her if she was traveling alone and indeed she was.  She was young solo tour cyclist number three for me.  After going 4 years without ever encountering one, she was my third in 3 days.  Johanna, 21, was Swedish touring the south island on her own although she had just the other guy with her and they were going to head over a mountain pass together.  Impressive.  Of course, we got a picture together.  She hadn’t ever seen another solo woman touring and I told her about the other two I had recently encountered. 

They set off, and I connected to the wifi.  My phone started making all sorts of crazy sounds as I entered New World.  Of course from the moment I set foot inside, I forgot all about what I had come to buy.  In the last 4 days, the only fruit I had was from a can, except for some overripe bananas at lunch that day.  I know I say it a lot, but I do miss SE Asia, A LOT!  Food here is expensive and the cheaper items aren’t really nutritious.  I find myself eating the worst food possible for fuel in New Zealand.  In Asia I had loads of fruit, veggies, soy protein, and legumes,….Here that has all been replaced by chocolate, cookies, bread, trail mix, and canned foods.  I’m working on changing that even if it means breaking my daily budget for a few months!

So back to my story,….I did end up getting the apples, had my choice of cheese scones or garlic rolls on special (I chose garlic bread and ate half while wondering the aisles), raisins for my trail mix, and bar of chocolate to gift to my hosts.  I put back some other items I had in my hands after I asked a local about the super markets in the upcoming towns.  There was one in each “big” town.

I went to check out and I saw two cyclists behind me.  I asked them where they were from and it turns out they were on a group tour with a company from the states and in day one of their riding week.  They were buying wine and ground coffee,….It’s a whole other world when a SAG van follows you and carries your bags!  My last pit stop was meant to be the toilet.  It made my evening to find hand sanitizer in the dispenser of the bathroom.  I was in need of a refill since Singapore (hey, no judging with this gesture,.. a post is soon to come about the tricks of the trade with tour cycling). 

Topped off the hand sanitizer

I had my items in my bags, kickstands were up and I was ready to go.  But wouldn’t you know, up came a young gentleman asking me where I was coming from.  I told him where I started and of course that led us into a conversation about bike touring, which it seemed he had done plenty of.  We talked and talked and shared stories about biking.  He was also a runner, hiker, kayaker, and worked as a fire fighter.  From his accent I thought he was Kiwi, but it turns out Clinton was from Sydney and on holiday exploring the South Island, a place he visits often for all the outdoor activities.  He was on his way to a trail running race tomorrow, which got us into talking about marathons, triathlons, bike races,….you name it.  Every time we went to say good-bye, a new topic of conversation arose and we continued to chat. 

In the mean time, the group of Czech cyclists in a guided tour rolled up with their guide. I’d seen for the past four days (ever since my night at in the camper van) and shared 2 campsites with them.  I never see the riders actually riding, but the driver honks at me with a van full of cyclists at different places on the main road.  We are like good old friends by this point and so I interrupted my conversation with Clinton to greet them!  Afterwards, we picked up our conversation again.  This time he was giving me ideas for cycling in Australia and my route in Tasmania when my friends Coen and Oliver rolled up (from my previous post).  I had seen them the previous night in Hari Hari at the campsite, but I had stayed with a Warm Showers host, so I hadn’t caught up with them about their ride for the day.  We said our good-bye’s for good this time as they were headed back to Christchurch tomorrow and I was going north.  These two and Oliver’s dad were good fun, always with a smile on their face and cracking jokes.  What fun!

My loyal Czech cycle guide, I've been with them 5 days on the road now

They went in to do their grocery shopping and Clinton and I continued to talk. By now, almost 2 hours had passed since I had called my hosts to let them know I was coming.  Clinton nicely offered to take me up to their house, even though it was in the complete opposite direction for him.  I wasn’t going to accept, not because I don’t take rides from strangers, but I don’t go in cars.  However, since my hosts lived totally off my route by 20 kilometers, I thought that justified the car ride.  He wasn’t helping me progress on my route, rather it was more like a wee detour!  Poor guy had never entered the supermarket to buy what he needed, so while he did, I unloaded the bike and tried to get it in the car he had rented.  It wasn’t easy, but when he came out, with two people and both the wheels removed, it fit!   

I had a map to guide us, but of course with all the talking in the car, I navigated us poorly and we took a few wrong turns.  Eventually we made it and I was thankful that I had chosen the car.  Tomorrow I have a big day and I was fine getting in as much “rest” as possible today. Besides, as you know, I always enjoy good company, especially someone with similar interests. 

Clinton probably regretted offering to take me to my host's house,...it took awhile to get the bike in his hired car.

I laugh now as I write this blog with the biggest smile on my face.  No two days are ever the same for me.  Just this morning a student at the South Westland Primary School asked me if I ever get bored or lonely.  How can I possibly have time to get bored or lonely on this trip, my days are so entertaining! The strange thing is, had I really decided not to go to the supermarket and instead headed straight up to my host’s house, my evening would have unfolded in a completely different way.  Sadly, I probably won’t ever see any of the people mentioned in this blog ever again.  But for me, my night of meeting the third solo female cyclists out on the road, greeting my Czech friends, wishing my French/Dutch guys good-bye, and meeting a nice Ozzy was memorable.  Not to mentioned I arrived at my host’s place on cloud nine, full of adrenaline, to find out that they themselves are also really fun, lively people! Together, we enjoyed a delicious meal and great conversation and stories.   

UUhhs and AAhhs of New Zealand

They call it the country of "Long White Clouds", now I understand why

Yes those are the only words coming out of my mouth these first few days in New Zealand as I ride by some incredible sights.  Actually Oh my gosh!!! And Jolin!!! (the Spanish translation for no way) follow all the oohhhs and aahhs.  The scenery blows my mind.  In a way, it’s familiar and reminds me a lot of Oregon.  I started my tour of the south island in Christchurch and headed southwest across the plains over to Mt. Cook.  This area was surprisingly flat and dry.  I could smell the pine trees in the air and the water evaporating on the crops coming from the irrigation sprinklers in the fields.  Again, familiar smells that we also have in Oregon. As soon as I acknowledge the fact that I wasn’t expecting to see so much flat countryside, it started to get hilly.  I looked down at my bike computer expecting to see an absurd amount of climbing, but to my surprise I didn’t.  I realized it was because the hills didn’t last long, they are short and sweet, but, continuous. There was not one flat section of road for at least half of the kilometers I did during day two. 

I feel a bit out of place here, although tour cyclists are a common occurance.  I’ve already seen 5!  In fact they don’t even stop to chat on the road.  I pulled over today as a couple went by and they just kept on pedaling.  The sight of other cyclists for me is still a novelty, I guess not for them!  I feel like I’ve been transplanted to a western developed area where everything runs smoothly and works properly.  My mind (and heart) is still somewhere back west in SE Asia and will shortly catch up to my legs that are pedaling frantically here in New Zealand.

Mt. Cook was my backdrop for a good 50km 

The distances here are incredible because the landscape is vast.  I can’t believe how immense everything feels.  I can ride kilometers and kilometers on the same road and the mountains and hills in the backdrop never seem to change.  Except for the camper vans that whiz by and the rental cars, there is little civilization to be seen here.  In Asia, in the same amount of kilometers, I would have passed 3 small villages, a couple dozen people who all greeted me, and a handful of food stalls.  The kilometers in SE Asia went by quickly because of all these different sights.  Here I’m finding that my days pass by more slowly.  Everything seems so far off in the distance, where as in Asia it was much more intimate and closer.  Although I don’t have the same roadside entertainment as I did in SE Asia, I do have some new distractions.  New Zealand is filled with rugged outdoorsy men and I sure don’t mind keeping an eye out for them as I pedal!  I’m a sucker for that accent as well, they all sound so sophisticated, I love it!

Nuts, cheese, dried fruits, back to the basics in New Zealand

Food stalls, well, they just don’t exist here.  There are several little towns dotting the map, mostly touristy developments with little cafes and pubs.  Therefore, my front left pannier, which I put back on my bike after going without in Asia, is filled with food items.  At $4 a cup of coffee and $20 for a simple lunch (sandwich and drink), I don’t think I will be frequenting many restaurants here in New Zealand. Today I bought powdered milk and instant coffee and I was a sad, reminiscing about the days when I would drink 3 to 4 delicious coffees with condensed milk at 30 cents apiece.  Powered milk just doesn’t compare, not even the full fat version!  I’ve gone back to supermarket picnic lunches, eating all sorts of dried fruit, cheese, and crackers.  I can’t believe I survived off of beverages and fruit during my days cycling in SE Asia.  Here, I find myself eating three or four big meals during my ride, in addition to breakfast and dinner.  I can’t seem to get enough fuel!  Without the heat, my body gets hungry faster.

Love my grocery stores here!

The heat, another thing I miss here in New Zealand.  The weather has also caught me off guard.  My body had acclimated to SE Asia’s weather, which was incredibly humid with temperatures were right around 35 Celsius (95-100 Fahrenheit), never fluctuating more than a few degrees from morning to night.  Here, I’m lucky if the temperatures reach 25^oC!  In fact, two nights ago my hosts started a fire in their fireplace and I was dressed in my long underwear leggings and long sleeve wool shirt.  Remind you, it is summer in New Zealand…..My body is in climate shock to say the least and I have a hard time staying warm.  I don’t shed the winter arm warmers and vest until about 1pm, and some days I simply ride with my vest all day long.  I’ve worn it more in the past 3 days than I have on my entire trip!  I’m hoping I will soon adjust but for now, I spend a good part of the day with goose bumps, and try to pedal faster to get warm.  Having said that, the sun is incredibly strong because unfortunately there is a whole in the ozone layer about New Zealand and Australia. The UV rays are very powerful and it is easy to get burned.  I’m coating on the Natura Bisse UPF 50 sunscreen!

Another big change from SE Asia to New Zealand are the prices, I can’t get used to them, I’m appalled!  I knew I was going to be doing a lot of camping and supermarket picnics, but even so, I can’t seem to keep my jaw from dropping when I look at the price tags.  How do people eat healthy here when fruit can cost sometimes 10 New Zealand Dollars a kilogram and vegetables the same?!?  The prices were similar in Malaysia, but there I was dividing the currency by 4 or 5 and in Laos by 10! Here, the New Zealand Dollar is more or less the same as the American Dollar and slightly weaker than the Euro.  I’ll be curious if I can stick to my budget of $17 a day.  I’ve got plenty of time to think about how to get creative and cheap with my diet.  I tend to justify my expenses thinking this is most likely a once in a lifetime trip…however, I say that with a big grin on my face!

I met these British tourists at Lake Pukaki, also cyclists, but this time in a rental car

I forget people speak my language (with a bit of a different accent). On the first day, out of all the cars that passed me, I only got one honk.  In the morning of my second day, I finally got some waves.  I was crossing a bridge and cars could only go in one direction at a time.  I put myself behind a line of traffic and followed.  However, I couldn’t keep up with them, so the cars in the opposite direction waiting on the other side, started to come through.  No problem, the first three were small, and so they passed easily and waved.  I waved back.  My hand was still up as the fourth was about to come, so I proceeded to wave with a big smile on my face.  It was a bigger red sedan with a wide trailer attached to the back.  The man started saying something to me and of course, I assumed he was going to cheer me on, like I was used to in SE Asia.  Well, instead a loud “F*** you biker! Park it!” came out.  I of course, still had a big smile on my face and actually started laughing, being completely off guard by his negativity.  Perhaps all the people were saying the same thing to me in Asia, but I just couldn’t understand them.  However, they all had big smiles on their face and this man was as red as his car in the face.  I don’t understand how one cyclist can make someone so upset, come on!  ¡¡Vaya mala leche tio!!

Sweet Dreams

Don’t get me wrong , I’m not complaining, just taking in my new environment, making observations, and naturally comparisons come about as I try to get my wheels churning here in New Zealand.  It has been a dream of mine to visit New Zealand for a long time.  As a teacher, working during the Kiwi summer, I knew a trip here was going to have to wait until special circumstances, in order to enjoy it during their summer months for an extended period, so that is what I’m doing here in New Zealand on The Loong Way Home!