Very harsh weather cannot spoil a grand adventure!
Last nights stay at Anatini Farmstay although very much like a B&B, which is one of my least favorite places to stay, was by far the best yet. Margaret and John Hore have an amazing place and were fantastic hosts. Margaret's garden would make both Peg and Susan smile. Unfortunately due to the rain I didn't take any pictures. Their kitchen and living room are combined and that is where spent most of our relaxing time in front of the wood stove. We were there with another couple who started the A2O the same day as we did.
We also learned that much of one of the three "Chronicles of Narnia" films was largely filmed on their property. Unfortunately, I don't remember which one. They shared some of their memorabilia with us. It was fascinating.
We left about 8:30 in a steady rain. It had been raining all night so much of the track was quite sloppy. Temperatures were in the high 40s. Many have heard me say "there's no such thing as bad weather only bad gear". Well unfortunately our "gear" wasn't up to the task and in no time we were thoroughly soaked. Our jackets performed fairly well but the rain pants failed miserably. Fortunately is we kept moving we were able to keep relatively warm.
We completed the 47 km (just under 30 miles) at about 12:15. A very nice woman got out of her car in the rain to snap some pictures of us. We covered a total of 301 km (186.62 miles) and had a fantastic time. I haven't ridden that far since Pat and I did the Natchez Trace Parkway; probably in the late 80s. It was truly a wonderful experience for both John and I.
We gathered our luggage, took a $5 shower (worth every penny) and caught a ride to the bus stop for the trip back to Christchurch. The two buses we took to get to the airport to pickup the rental car were running behind schedule and by the time we got to the airport the rental counter was closed. So we caught a cab to our hotel and will pick up the car in the morning. All local restaurants were closed so we had to settle for gas station grub and no celebratory beer.
All in all a great day and trip. Thanks to John for the companionship.
Last nights stay at Anatini Farmstay although very much like a B&B, which is one of my least favorite places to stay, was by far the best yet. Margaret and John Hore have an amazing place and were fantastic hosts. Margaret's garden would make both Peg and Susan smile. Unfortunately due to the rain I didn't take any pictures. Their kitchen and living room are combined and that is where spent most of our relaxing time in front of the wood stove. We were there with another couple who started the A2O the same day as we did.
We also learned that much of one of the three "Chronicles of Narnia" films was largely filmed on their property. Unfortunately, I don't remember which one. They shared some of their memorabilia with us. It was fascinating.
We left about 8:30 in a steady rain. It had been raining all night so much of the track was quite sloppy. Temperatures were in the high 40s. Many have heard me say "there's no such thing as bad weather only bad gear". Well unfortunately our "gear" wasn't up to the task and in no time we were thoroughly soaked. Our jackets performed fairly well but the rain pants failed miserably. Fortunately is we kept moving we were able to keep relatively warm.
We completed the 47 km (just under 30 miles) at about 12:15. A very nice woman got out of her car in the rain to snap some pictures of us. We covered a total of 301 km (186.62 miles) and had a fantastic time. I haven't ridden that far since Pat and I did the Natchez Trace Parkway; probably in the late 80s. It was truly a wonderful experience for both John and I.
We gathered our luggage, took a $5 shower (worth every penny) and caught a ride to the bus stop for the trip back to Christchurch. The two buses we took to get to the airport to pickup the rental car were running behind schedule and by the time we got to the airport the rental counter was closed. So we caught a cab to our hotel and will pick up the car in the morning. All local restaurants were closed so we had to settle for gas station grub and no celebratory beer.
All in all a great day and trip. Thanks to John for the companionship.
Hi Ed! I just realized that I neglected to subscribe to the new blog, so I was able to read all of your NZ posts all at once. WOW! Looks like you're having a wonderful time with John and NZ looks beautiful! Thanks for sharing with us. It's a joy to travel "with" you. Enjoy every moment!
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