Blown off Course: Cycling Southland

From:      Kirstie, Stuart, Matthew and Cameron
Subject:   Blown Off Course
Km:         280
Place:      Manapouri, Fjordland, New Zealand

Candles blown out

After leaving Invercargill, our New Zealand adventure begins on Stewart Island, a small, isolated island community off the South Coast of South Island. There is nothing beyond but Antarctica and little to do but enjoy the view and keep your eyes open for rare legless wingless birds. We see none.

It is here that Kirstie’s 37th birthday comes to pass, in New Zealand’s newest National Park, Rakiura. Cameron seems very pleased that Mummy has her birthday on an island named after Daddy but is less than impressed by the climate which delivers on its’ promise of four seasons in one day and makes the birthday candles very hard to light. There is however no trouble blowing them out, even without the kids to help.

Blown off course cycling Southland

Once back on the mainland, the prevailing winds when you are cycling Southland are North Westerlies or South Westerlies, seemingly dependent upon our direction of travel and always against us. While the wind may be new to us, long standing inhabitants have been sculpted by its relentless force and learnt to bend in the direction of least resistance. The trees are the only weather vane we need. But our course is not dictated by the weather but by geography. We are heading for Manapouri.

Learning to cope…

We are still figuring out how to best to manage ourselves and make progress in these conditions and have struggled to carve a route through the coastal settlements that lead towards Fjordland. This area has bred many sheep shearing world record breakers and there’s plenty for them to practice on. New Zealand gave birth to some 6.3 million lambs this season which gives Matthew plenty of opportunity to practice his counting.

The wind is the enemy..

They say that it is wind and not hills that are the enemy of the cyclist and we are beginning to appreciate how true that is. So far there have been moments each day when we’ve discussed whether to stop or push on. Luckily, despite the wild landscape, there are still plenty of tea shops to turn back to. Although the wind is still there when we’ve finished our brew. Still cake is fuel for the fight.

We must push on though

But our pace overall is not just being dictated by geography and wind speed but also by a doctor’s appointment in Te Anau, where the children need a top-up of Hepatitus B on the 26th November. It means we’ve not been able to follow the recommended treatment for wind – which is to rest and wait for a change of direction. Instead we’ve had to push on. The relentless wind saps our spirit, speed and mileage. And with the weight of the children in their trailers our speed is not much to start with. But our celebrity status remains a blessing as locals rush out to check if we are ‘the mad English family in the paper’ and nourish us with invites to stop for tea and cake.

Unexpected benefits of being blown off course

But being blown off course leads to unexpected encounters with people and places and these are the essence of adventure travel. One stormy night at the foot of the Takitimu mountains, we find shelter at the Te Waiau Mahika Kai Trust, a Maori ecological and cultural restoration project. As well as a warm bed we begin to learn a little about Maori principles while the children finally find a use for the wind – flying kites.