Day 1 - Wellington to Pelorus Bridge

 Tour Aotearoa - Day 1

Wellington to Pelorus Bridge

Today, the journey begins. 

Our official start. Wellington.

Tony and I set our alarms for 6am and dutifully got up and out of bed at 5:30am. Between my jet-lag and our shared excitment to get on the bikes we were up and at 'em nice and early.  It was an easy ride from our apartment to the ferry terminal where we would board our boat to Picton.  

Our ride for the first part of the...ride.

The onboard experience on the MV Connemara was outstanding. Tony had the foresight to book us into the Pōhutukawa Lounge which came with a full breakfast buffet, fresh barista coffee and an impressive array of drinks.  We dutifully settled into our seats and began eating our body weight in food to fuel us for the day.

The crossing through Cook Strait can be scary. Today, not so much. The sea is not angry this day, my friend. We were able to sit back and relax and enjoy the beautful scenery and mentally prepare ourselves for the riding.

A good day to cross Cook Strait

Once we arrived in Picton it was a quick check of the gear and we were off. The route took us on a coastal road along Queen Charlotte Sound and the sights, sounds and smells were amazing and so very different from my coastal rides in and around Vancouver. The road undulated as it went up and around various inlets and we passed small hamlets nestled in the forest that seemed to reach right to the shoreline.

The start of the South Island ride


The road gradually took a detour through farmland and we got to enjoy a different set of sights and smells and sounds of the dairy and sheep operations. As the trail took us back towards the coast we crested our peak for the day with a lookout on the town of Havelock. We needed to stock up on supplies for the next day and this quaint little town did the trick. I’m always partial to a town mascot and the Greenshell Mussel riding a surfboard with an outboard motor was pretty cool.

You're not as cool as this mussel


Our last 20 klms took us through more farmland as the road snaked it’s way through a charming valley, following the twists and turns of the Pelorus River. Our campsite for the night is the Pelorus Bridge Conservation Area and my trusty tent got it’s first usage in NZ. 



The final tally for the day was 2 hours 52 minutes in the saddle covering 54.61klms and 559 metres of elevation gain. The body is holding up ok and I’m happy with the first leg. This had all the elements of an outstanding day in the saddle. The sun was shining, the breeze was gentle, the terrain varied and - apart from a Havelock to Pelorus - was pretty quiet for traffic. The jet-lag is starting to kick in and I feel way more tired than what can be accounted for from the ride. 

Tomorrow is shaping up to be a big day. We have chatted with a few other riders who describe our route tomorrow as some of the hardest we will face. 

How did we do? You’ll have to check back tomorrow to find out...

Comments

Gillford said…
Great first day !! Let the weather stay just like this.
12:40 AM
Sean said…
May you continue to be Tony's weather good luck charm!
5:34 PM

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