Arriving home, I arrived home to about five boxes of stuff. Stuff from life in Japan. Stuff from life from university days. Stuff I had sent home during my journey. Photos, books, electronic stuff, shoes, a suit (I used to wear that every day), a guitar… Before long, this stuff […]
Monthly Archives: November 2008
Coming home…no…arriving in Christchurch was actually a hugely depressing thing. Like physiologically depressing. Like anxiety, butterflies in my stomach. For the last three days since my arrival at my parent’s house, I have been feeling very down. I got to meet my family, which should have been a fantastic experience. […]
Day 859 – NEW ZEALAND: Give me direction!!!
You may notice that even though my “journey is over”, I am still counting days in the titles of my bog posts. This is for a reason. It because my journey is not over yet. Coping with post-journey trauma (as I feel like I am experiencing right now) is as […]
Day 858 – NEW ZEALAND: A family reunion
I’ll let the video tell the story. Once again I apologise for the lack of the Youtube version of this video. Uploading to Vimeo has proved to be more reliable than Youtube, and as I type the video is still uploading to Youtube. So without further adue…(direct link: http://www.vimeo.com/2347163) I […]
Day 857 – NEW ZEALAND: END OF THE JOURNEY
It was hot today. The hotest day I’ve had in New Zealand since arriving a month ago. I pushed on over hills and through the heat today, and stopped at St Paul’s church near the main road in a town whose name I do not know. I spent from 5pm […]
Day 856 – NEW ZEALAND: Kaikoura to a church about ...
A howling tailwind was my best friend today. All day. And just as well. There were some big rolling hills between Marfels Beach and the Kaikoura coast. But once I was on the coast, it was all systems go. To me, the scenery was very familiar. I had to remind […]
Day 855 – NEW ZEALAND: From Marfels Beach to just ...
I needed the day off, so after she packed up and took of for work in the morning, I returned to my tent and slept and read for the remainder of today. I am reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert at the moment. It is an interesting book so […]
Day 854 – NEW ZEALAND: A rest day at Marfels ...
I left Bleheim on a high this morning. Carried over from yesterday, this high was. I was cycling and singing like a madman. This lasted about 20km before I hit the wall. “Um, Rob,” my body cried out to me, “I don’t care how happy your mind might be right […]
Day 853 – NEW ZEALAND: From Blenheim to Marfels Beach
[blog post re-written due to mysterious loss of original] Well a most interesting thing happened today. I decided to ask a girl out on a date. In hindsight I think I felt a little like Andrew Steyn, the lead character in the 1980’s film The Gods Must Be Crazy (see […]
Day 852 – NEW ZEALAND: Is life being kick-started again?
I feel somewhat bad for not giving Neil MacNeil more credit on my blog. He is one of the masterminds behind www.g-raff.co.nz and a former workmate of mine during my time working at Asia Pacific University in Japan. Neil has been a behind-the-scenes master of the universe with regards to […]
Day 850 – NEW ZEALAND: To Upper Moutere
“Oh man, I just realised that this is probably the weirdest thing in the world for you,” Heather said out of the blue. She was driving her bird-pooped old Mitsubishi hatchback with me in the passenger seat, on the way to meet an acquaintance of her’s in Picton. “You’re coming […]
Day 849 – NEW ZEALAND: Meeting Peter Yarrell in Picton
I had to ask Heather to pull over as she expertly navigated her car across the narrow gravel road leading to White’s Bay. Even as we were appraoching the hill, I was lost in nostalgia. Not that I have spent much time at all in the Blenheim area, but because […]
Day 848 – NEW ZEALAND: White’s Bay near Rarangi near ...
Shop windows, pedestrian crossings, and dazzled expressions on faces of commuters whizzed by as I careened through downtown Wellington. It was 7:30am, and the Blueridge ferry that would take me across Cook Straight from the North Island to Picton on the South Island was scheduled to leave in less than […]
Day 847 (continued) – NEW ZEALAND: From Wellington to Blenheim
For those whose computer struggles with the Vimeo version of the videos, I will be uploading a Youtube version of this soon. Link to Vimeo version here: http://www.vimeo.com/2231681 Be sure to watch till the end for the bloopers!
Day 846 – NEW ZEALAND: Video update from Wellington
Matt Chernishov, amongst other things, enjoys kite surfing. Even more than finding a bargain, perhaps. “I got this kite for one hundred and fourty bucks,” he informed me proudly as we set up on one of the many beautiful bays near Wellington. “An old kite like this isn’t as fancy […]
Day 845 – NEW ZEALAND: Wellington kite surfing
Misty rain, lots of traffic, but tailwinds. That sums the riding up today. The highlight was meeting up with Matt Chernishov, brother to Mike, who I met up with in Hamilton a few weeks back. Matt is planning a world trip for next year, so it was great to throw […]
Day 843 – NEW ZEALAND: From Kaitoke Regional Park to ...
The breakfast promised to me by 10 O’Clock Cookie Bakery and Cafe yesterday was awesome. Basically a huge pile of the kind of stuff that will power you for the rest of the day…hash browns, eggs, German sausage, portabello mushrooms, ciabata bread, bacon… The bakery is a family affair, run […]
Day 842 – NEW ZEALAND: From Masterton to Kaitoke Regional ...
Another wonderfully restful day today in Masterton. The morning was spent at the Masterton Reformed Church, and the afternoon was spent wandering around the beautiful Castle Point. Fiona, the friend I am visiting here in Masterton, has been attending the Reformed Church in Masterton since she arrived back to New […]
Day 841 – NEW ZEALAND: Afternoon trip to Castle Point
A quiet day today, with some bush walk action…photos to come. Some inspiration from Dean Karnazes in the mean time, from his book 50 Marathons in 50 Days (ISBN 978-1-74175-559-6). Page 224 It is so easy to live a life that has been scripted for you by others, to fall […]
Day 840 – NEW ZEALAND: In Masterton
It was a fairly fast ride into Masterton from Eketahuna today, despite an hour long distraction in the form of the Mt Bruce Bird Sanctuary. Masses of native birds in the wild and in aivaries (including kiwis). Beautiful spot, and well worth the $10 to get in. I was stoked […]
Day 839 – NEW ZEALAND: From Eketahuna to Masterton
I was stoked to catch up with my Uncle Lindsay this morning before heading off towards Masterton. I last saw Uncle Lindsay at my cousin Rachel’s wedding in February 2006. It just so happened that he was up in Palmerston North for a national Baptist convention…great timing. Also pretty stoked that […]
Day 838 – NEW ZEALAND: From Palmerston North to Eketahuna
I had the privelidge of once again being able to visit a school at very short notice today. Takaro School in Palmerston North was the school, arranged by Moetatua Turoa. I know that the students have computer class this afternoon, so I really hope some of them check the blog […]
Day 837 – NEW ZEALAND: Takaro School in Palmerston North
“I am impressed that you could arrange me to speak at such short notice,” I commented as I met Marama and KJ Allen at the Maori Studies Department (Te Tari Maori) at Wanganui High School. “Well, technically it’s not possible,” KJ admitted. “But you’re too good an opportunity to pass […]
Day 835 – NEW ZEALAND: Wanganui High School
As I pulled out of the closed campground, I noticed the Ranana Hall and Marae. I stopped to take a photo of the picturesque location, and three people walked out of the gate. “Hi there,” the tall man with a ponytail said. “That’s a strange looking bike.” Small talk ensued, […]
Day 834 – NEW ZEALAND: From Ranana to Wanganui
I was up early this morning, making porrige in the Lodge’s self-catering kitchen. Mandy and I were chatting, when… “Would you like to borrow a canoe?” Mandy asked with a tone of motherly concern. There was not much arm-twisting required to get me to accept. When Joe heard of the […]