Cycle complete!
Visited the famous Hamilton gardens a few days ago when a very unusual thing happened to me. As I was moving through one section of the gardens I happen to pass by 2 Chinese tourists a mum and a son (I think!) He was taking a picture of her when I said to him would he like if I took a picture of them both. He looks at me and says something to me which I don't quite understand so I resort to using a series of hand motions to reexplain what I had originally said. He says something again quickly in Chinese and points to his mum. While I was still mildly confused at what he was getting at, she grabs my arm and pulls me over beside her for the photo.
"Hold on" I'm thinking to myself, "I was asking if he wanted to get in the picture with her. Now shes grabbed my arm and seems very very happy about getting a photo with me, a total stranger. Would she not rather get a nice family photo with her son?! Anyway there was no getting out of this one so although her arm was wrapped around mine, I kept my hands firmly in my pocket in case she was getting any ideas! The photo was taken and I got a big thank-you from her while I returned her smile. I left hurriedly with a rather bemused look but soon could not contain my laughter with what had happened. it was just so unusual! Maybe the beard had made me look more mature.. maybe too mature that I was now attracting middle aged Chinese women!! Now if only if the younger ladies would do the same... :D
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My heart beats a little faster as my legs make the all familiar rotations, left, right, left. The streets are disappearing fast now as I hit the outskirts of Auckland. All around me is blue skies and the sun heating my back quite nicely as I head south towards the Bombay hills. Its only been a half hour but Im on my way at last making some inroads into this amazingly scenic New Zealand. With my shorts on and my red Cork GAA top proudly on display, I make my way towards the town of Huntly where I hope to reach before nightfall. Unfortunately it has been a late start and I know the sun will be setting around 17:30 so I need to make up some lost time. The legs are fresh, ready for action and I'm focused, determined on making some good mileage. Later in the afternoon I stop at a pie shop and hungrily devour a $3 steak pie in 2 minutes flat. It tastes good knowing I'm gonna burn it off easily over the next 2 hours. I hop on my bike again and pedal across the Waikato river, but hit a serious hill. It took 30 minutes of slogging it out in 1st gear to reach the top, and by the time I get there I realize that the legs will take a while longer to get used to these challenging hills. I pull over, pull out some ginger snaps and Cadburys chocolate and devour a lot more than I probably should!
An hour later the sun is setting and I realize I better start finding a camping spot for the night. I hadn't even got near to Huntly but it was still a good distance for the day. I pass by field after field. "Oh those few trees over there would provide decent cover" I say to myself. Unfortunately a house on the other side overlooking it denies me the opportunity and so I press on. After 10 minutes of searching I spot a small gravel road to my right. It literally is the only side road for miles about, and seeing it to be a little neglected I began thinking there may be better spots up that direction. Pushing my bike up the gravel track I spot a shed at the top of a hill next to the road. It looks promising. I roll my bike up to the gate have a quick glance around me. "Nothing coming.. Good! Lets go!" I open the gate, close it again and jog with the bike quickly to the sheltered side of the shed through the grass. 3 sides of the shed are covered with one being open, I peer inside and all there is inside is some old hay and some overgrown grass. I walk around it making suer there are no "hidden surprises" inside like rats or mice. None in sight, "Sweet! I'll take it!" I left the bike hidden outside the shed and brought in the panniers (bike bags). I unrolled the sleeping bag at the open side of the shed, climbed into it and put my head back. The stars were starting to come out as the sun set over the horizon throwing oranges and reds across the sky to my left. No words could describe it, the silence added to it. No sound of cars or diggers or anything, just silence. It was stunning. I attempted to read a book on my kindle but instead I could only stare at the starlit sky unfolding before me and think of the incredible God who made it all. All those stars and galaxies God put them there, for us to marvel at. What an incredible creation! I stargazed for an hour before tiredness got the better of me. And with a yawn I rolled over on my side and that was that. It says its a "2 man" tent but I dunno, we were able to fit 7! Twasn't the comfiest it must be said!!
Things have been a manic here so Day 2 never happened (apologies France!)
Did you know that leprechauns became extinct in the 16th century when a bout of Iconunot hit Ireland. The German government can and will reject weird baby names, as by law a person's gender must be obvious by their first name, hence the popularity of Michaels and Marias!
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The AuthorName: Daniel Ross Top Tips:
1. Constantly challenge yourself. 2. If you never try you'll never know what's possible. Archives
October 2016
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