It’s done!

 Day 16 - Invercargill to Bluff


The finish


There’s no point burying the lede. I’ve completed the South Island Tour Aotearoa. Months of preparation and training, looking at maps, planning out equipment and gear, then the first spin of the wheels in Picton, so many mountains and peaks, countless chocolate bars, meat pies and sausage rolls, it’s all come to a close. I’m excited to be finished, I’m excited to get home to my beloved, excited to rest my legs. There’s also an interesting juxtaposition; the excitement, satisfaction, joy and relief are all combined with sadness, grief and melancholy for an ending of something special. 

It was special for lots of reasons but one in particular is that I got to ride with my oldest brother, Tony. I’m forever grateful that he was happy to have his kid brother tag along for half of  his trip. It made it all possible, and it was  made easier in the hard times to know I wasn’t alone 


Under the famous sign. A long way from Wellington. 



People talk about type II fun (a type of activity that is not enjoyable while it is happening but becomes rewarding and fulfilling in retrospect) and this trip had many elements like that. It also had tons of type I fun where I was grinning from ear to ear the whole time. I guess I’m predisposed to type II fun as I find myself involved in these kinds of activities pretty often. I’ve been searching for insight into why that may be and the best I can come up with is that, for me, the satisfaction and motivation for doing type II activities comes from a hard thing, done well. 

That was my Tour. 


The setup

We started the morning with our usual routine; some coffee, a bit of something in the belly and then load up the bikes and go. The only difference this morning was that we had family around to share the experience. Our route was modest today with just over 30km on the books, almost all of it on bike trails. We set off at 7am to travel from Invercargill to Bluff. 


All smiles, setting off for the final time. 


The Trail

In hindsight, I can confidently say that we had amazing weather for most of the trip. Sure we had some wind and light rain but the main memory will be sunshine and blue skies. Today cemented that memory and it was perfect riding conditions. A gentle breeze, some light cloud and the sun on our faces. We followed the river out of Invercargill and made our way through the wetlands towards the more industrial strip leading to Bluff. 


Biking, but make it artsy. 


The Finish

Coming in to the town of Bluff I could feel the excitement mounting. The trip was really about to come to a close. At each corner as we approached Stirling Point my heart would flutter with the excitement that maybe this was the last corner. Before we knew it, I could see mum, dad and Melinda waiting with bubbles in hand, ready to toast the completion.


Support crew, ready for us to arrive

Tony and I rolled down the final hill, making our final pedal strokes, lifted our arms in the air and shouted with joy. 

Truly, a hard thing, done well. 


How it began: Picton



How it ended: Bluff


Final tally for the day:

Distance: 33.66 km

Elevation: 93m


And the tally for the Tour Aotearoa South Island:

Distance: 1,295.35 km

Elevation: 11,960m


Comments

Mum said…
Well done completing such an epic ride. Lots of memories to reflect on as you return home to the northern hemisphere. I am amazed at you both having the wherewithal to even contemplate such a trip.
10:56 PM
Anonymous said…
Awesome Rob. Congratulations. Such a memorable experience and blessed to share it with family :).
7:00 AM
Cathrina said…
(Oops forgot my name on the post!) Awesome Rob. Congratulations. Such a memorable experience and so blessed you are to share it with family :).
7:01 AM
Svenja XX said…
Epic! And how wonderful having the fam at the finish line! Truly an amazing and very special experience. Looks like we both enjoy the long road to happiness and satisfaction.
10:34 PM
Sean said…
What an epic experience! Look forward to the video!
3:09 PM

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tour Aotearoa (the South Island)

Image
 Adventure awaits! I should start with an apology to anyone who I've seen in the last few months. I made sure to tell you all that I'm doing a big bike ride. This is the story of that bike ride.   The Plan All good adventures start with a plan. The average adventures start with a few beers. The bad adventures start with a bottle of rum. I'm hoping for the good kind of adventure. The short version is I'm riding the South Island of New Zealand, following the route from the Tour Aotearoa race . My brother Anthony Tony is the inspiration for our ride and has been documenting his journey doing the North Island . You should definitely check out his blog as there's so much good info there, the highs, the lows and everything in between.  Zoom in to see the red line that is our route. You can also zoom in and see the mountains we will struggle over and around. The Tour Aotearoa is an awesome event and I love the vibe. There is an actual sorta kinda race that starts in Februa...
Read more

Do you believe in magic?

Image
Recap - Rest day Yesterday was a rest day - a few things lined up to keep us off the bikes. First was the opportunity to catch up with our cousin, Leigh, whom we had not seen in some time. Second, we had family arriving from Brisbane (Mel, sister-in-law and mum/dad). Another day's rest after conquering the Crown Pass was also a nice bonus.  We spent a lazy morning exploring downtown Queenstown and getting the lay of the land. It’s my first time here and it certainly lives up to its reputation as a beautiful city. The mountains ringing the town are big, bumpy, smooth, ragged…all the descriptions you can think of. Thanks to the cold front we rode through yesterday the high points were also dusted with snow which added yet another layer of beauty to the surrounds. At noon I said farewell to Tony and Leigh as I had a jet boat tour booked. I went down Skippers Canyon and it was a lot of fun. In addition to the jet boat thing, I also got a bit of local information as the bus ride into th...
Read more

Day 6 - I feel the need...the need for speed

Image
 Day 6 - Springs Junction to Ikamatua Today was all about speed. For the most part, our approach to the Tour Aotearoa is to keep it on the level. No rush, no drama, just take it in. “It is what it is” could be the motto so far. However we had done some forward scouting and knew that rain was forecast to hit at our destination around noon.  An early start Since we wanted to make it to Ikamatua by noon that meant an early start. 530am and the alarm took me from my gentle dozing to full awake. Full disclosure, I was in bed and asleep at 8pm the night before so that meant a pretty solid sleep. Feel free to save your sympathy for later in the blog post. Getting ready outside our little cubby-bouse The body keeps the score Tony was a bit more diplomatic in his post regarding our morning routine today .and I’ll elaborate just a touch more. Some mornings have been intentionally lazy but this was not one of them. Our goal was to be riding by 630am so we were up and loading our bikes st...
Read more