Spending ten days riding so many great trails with friends was a fabulous kick off to my New Zealand trip. However, since their comfortable touring mode pace is significantly faster than mine I was pretty wiped out by doing more mileage most days than I would have on my own. I was really looking forward to slowing things down a bit. Even though I am not fast,I do find it challenging to take full days off the bike; it’s like there is this little part in the back of my brain that says “keep moving forward, what’s next?”. One of my goals is to stop giving that voice so much power and learn to just chill out every now and then. Cue an extra night at Gentle Annie. My initial plan was to get up and push on to Westpor; I needed to get my bike looked at and the rain was due in two days time. And then I realized, wait a minute, the rain IS coming and I’m going to be a bit stuck in Westport, how about I spend an extra day here, now in this beautiful place. Gentle Annie felt a bit like Esalen Institute, without the hotsprings and other people making your food. The vibe, as we would say in California,was very chill. From the camp you could walk to a labyrinth up on the bluff. The photos above and below are taken from that vantage point.
Leaving Gentle Annie on Saturday morning my legs felt great for the first time in days and it was enjoyable to be back on the bike. However, my bottom bracket or cranks were still making a disconcerting creaking and I knew the bike shop in Westport was closed on Sunday so I planned to arrive before they closed on Saturday. But first I had an important stop to make at a coffee cart in Waimangoroa.
Two years ago I stopped here on a rainy day and the woman who owned the cart was so incredibly kind that she stuck in my mind all this time. I wanted to return and tell her what an impression she made on me. Bev was still there and thrilled to reconnect and receive my kind words. Her partner Woody is the artist of the beautiful sculptures below. I also got to meet him this time.
Bev informed me that I had arrived on the perfect day because the circus was in town that night! Now, mind you, this town probably consists of about 200 people and I would not go to the circus in the U.S. (too much animal cruelty), but I had a feeling this circus was going to be different. And it included camping and was only $10! Count me in! I had a fair bit of time before the festivities kicked off so I pedaled the 9km climb to the historic mining town of Denniston and the sky cleared for stupendous views up and down the coast. After my ride I stopped back at the cafe and a fellow mountain biker bought my soda and introduced me to a few people, including a musician performing in the circus! Little did I know I had already met about 30% of the people that would be present! The circus was basically a bunch a young people that were fire performers. For the evening local musicians performed a variety of types of music and once darkness set in the fire show was on — they were quite good! All in all I think there were about as many performers as attendees (including Bev and Woody!) and we threw frisbee, practiced juggling, and generally enjoyed good company. What beautiful community! I was the only person to camp in the field that night! Now it was time to get to Westport as rain was bearing down.
Always budget conscious, upon arrival in Westport I talked myself into staying at the campground, even with the impending days of rain. I rationalized that I could always move to a hostel or hotel when I had enough. In Kiwi land these are called Holiday Parks and have communal kitchen, TV rooms/lounge, and bathrooms with showers. I was thrilled to do some cooking with access to pots, pans, and a grocery tore nearby. As the rain poured down I made a big pot of soup!
This morning, just as I was about to head to the bike shop for some repairs, a kind man with a full bike toolkit offered to help me instead. In 30 minutes he had me fixed up and rolling smoothly! This was such a kind act that saved me both time and money. I decided to continue to brave the rain (currently torrential) and spend another night camping. The kind owner let me know that if I was getting too wet I was welcome to sleep in the TV room — indoor accommodations at camping prices! I have been the fortunate recipient of such generosity today! During a morning lull in the rain I rode about town a bit and otherwise I am catching up on blogging, stretching, and some Spanish practice. Several more days of heavy rain ahead and I’ll try to make the most of it.
Exploring Westport between downpours.