02/01/08
Howdy gang! I hope everyone had a brilliant New Year’s Eve and New Years Day celebrations. As you would have read in my last post, today, it was back on the road for cyclin’ Steve. My destination for the night was Rotorua, which is one of the major tourist destinations in New Zealand. Basically, in the South Island, it’s Queenstown, in the North Island, it’s Rotorua. As such, I have pre-booked 3 nights in the “In the Zone” backpackers hostel here. I’m in a 4-bed room, with 2 other guys, one of whom is here only to bike. So, what’s so good about Rotorua? Well, heaps I guess. The whole region is basically a hotbed of Geothermal activity. You can’t walk far without tripping over hot springs and the like. Also, it is a mountain biking mecca, having hosted the world mountain biking championships this year. And lastly, this is the prime area for Maori culture. So, as you might guess, I’m wondering if I need a third full day here as well. Read on for more about my ride into town, and first evening here. Check out the map too.

11/03/08
Hello friends! Well, after several days of challenging weather, what with heavy rains, crazy winds, cooler temperatures, etc., it would appear that Mother Nature finally decided to be kind to me and bless me with a remarkably nice day. It was back to the original days of my trip, with very hot temperatures, along with which comes the sweat. However, it was also the return of a glorious tailwind for a great part of my ride, coupled with a predominantly downhill day. Did you get a load of the ride stats on the map? My average speed was 21+ km/hr over a 90km ride! How sweet is that? Well, very sweet, let me tell you. Three days of biking to go after today. Craziness. I must say though, I needed an easier day, as yesterdays summit bid has left my calves screaming today, again, much like I had run a marathon. Glad there are no stairs here at my hostel. When will I learn that boulder jumping down 1000 vertical meters is a bad idea? Probably never, as it’s such great fun. Anyway, read on for the rest of my little tale. Not much to say, but I’ll say it anyway.