A Ride to Remember

New Zealand is a land of outdoorsy-ness and extreme sports. Mountain biking, hiking (tramping), bungee jumping (first bungee jump was in Queenstown, NZ!), paragliding, sky diving, the list goes on. Marathons, iron man races, and long cycle trips are also popular. During both trips to the South Island, I noted an impressive number of brave souls who were cycling the Island. I enjoy a nice bike ride now and then, but I am definitely not hardcore enough to try something like that.

However, a couple of my co-workers have taken on such a challenge. Two brave ladies (who happen to be sisters) from our Customer Services team, along with their father and one sister’s partner are cycling from the top of New Zealand to the bottom!

They have titled their journey “A Ride to Remember.” It is in memory of a recently deceased family member who suffered from dementia and is raising money for Alzheimer’s research. They are also dedicating specific days of the journey to individuals. An example is a day they will ride in memory of the grandmother of a campground manager they have communicated with regarding accommodation.

The journey is 2,300 kilometres long (1,430 miles), and will take 28 days. It was intended to be 26, but due to road closures from the November Kaikoura earthquake, there is a two day detour. They started March 1 from Cape Reinga. Today they have a 92km ride from Turangi to Taihape. They will end in Bluff, Invercargill on March 28. The average length of a daily ride is about 100 km (62 miles). I don’t know about you, but for me that is a long ways to go on a bicycle when you factor in the curvy, hilly terrain of most New Zealand roads, as well as the potential for wind, rain, and flat tires.

The riders will be accompanied by a support vehicle, staffed by another sister and their mother, carrying camping gear, etc.  Due to impressive planning over the past year, they have been able to organize sponsorship for riding gear, rental fees of the van used for the support vehicle, and camping areas.

Some days they will have a bit of company from locals who ride with them for a ways as they pass through. Two other co-workers away last week for a meeting on the other side of the island were stopped at a roundabout. They spotted the riders so pulled off for a chat and some moral support. They have also met some of the linemen across the island that they regularly communicate with at work; certainly a unique way to have a face to face meeting!

I am amazed by what this family has chosen to do and think of them each day, hoping they are having fine weather and easy riding. For more information, visit the links below.

The fundraising goal is $20,000, in part through their Givealittle page: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/ridetoremember

News story: http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/88660294/Ride-to-Remember-for-Alzheimers

Alzheimers NZ webpage for their ride: http://www.alzheimers.org.nz/regions/wellington/news/ride-to-remember-(1)

Music Notes

Each year that I have lived in New Plymouth, the area has found something new to offer me in the music realm. This year is no different, bringing opportunities to keep me busy several days a week.

I continue to accompany a high school choir, which means weekly rehearsals and performances sprinkled throughout the year.

I am also still teaching from home, with 8 students this year. Each brings his or her own challenge to the job, as no two students are alike. Some of my high school students have chosen to focus on performance in some of their exams, which is an exciting opportunity. We have been selecting music to work on and I am happy to report some selections include pieces by American composers. We have already agreed to ignore my natural bias J But setting the bias aside, American music is rarely studied here so it is an opportunity for the students to explore a different genre.

As if all that was not enough, I decided to add participation in the New Plymouth Operatic Society’s production of Mary Poppins. Some of you may remember Phantom of the Opera from 2014, where I was a member of the orchestra. This year I have taken a step up and am rehearsal accompanist. It is a great opportunity to expand my ability to play choral and show scores, as I get to juggle under-scoring of scenes with accompanying the backing vocals during company numbers. It is great fun though. Luckily I am not completely on my own, as I am splitting rehearsals with another of New Plymouth’s great pianists since the volume of rehearsals requiring a pianist is steadily increasing.

The show will be on 6-22 July, should you wish to pop over for a show J

See below for details:

https://premier.ticketek.co.nz/shows/show.aspx?sh=NPMARYPO17

Lake Mangamahoe

Last weekend we were blessed with a rare day of warmth and sunshine. This summer has unfortunately been a rainy extension of spring. Some days it's chilly, other days it is muggy (like today) and we have missed the endless hot days of sunny beautiful weather. So when we did have a nice day when I did not have to be at work, I decided I should explore one of the places around New Plymouth that I have not yet been.

Lake Mangamahoe is located just a few minutes South of New Plymouth.
The land was purchased by the council in the 1920s to be turned into a lake with a dam to water to supply the expanding area. It was named after the Mangamahoe stream, which flows into the lake. The lake is also used for power generation.

I knew it was a popular place for walking and mountain biking, but did not realize there was such an array of choices. I quickly found that I had given myself far too little time; oh well, I will just have to go back!
I chose to start at the far end of the lake, so that I could get the scenic view of Mt. Taranaki. Since it was late in the day I only did a short loop but I fully intend to return so I can do the entire lake circuit.

Power Station

Redwood glade

Swans!

Waitangi Day

The first six months of the year are great in New Zealand because you get a public holiday nearly every month, which means a long weekend from work, yay! This of course means the last half of the year can seem like it drags a bit, but oh well, for now I intend to enjoy the days we get out of the office.

This weekend is Waitangi Weekend. February 6 marks the day the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840. The first official Waitangi Day was in 1934 and it became a public holiday in 1974.

The Treaty is one of New Zealand’s founding documents and was signed between Maori Chiefs and British Crown representatives at Waitangi, in the Bay of Islands.
The Treaty came about when the British government made the decision to gain sovereignty over New Zealand. There had been significant migration from England, and plans for major land settlement were under way.

The Treaty was prepared in English under the direction of Lieutenant-Governor William Hobson. A missionary and his son translated the document into Maori. The Maori Chiefs deliberated for 24 hours before some agreed to sign the Treaty. The Treaty was sent around the country to be signed by others in the next few months. Not all signed, but in May of 1840 full British sovereignty over New Zealand was declared. Unfortunately the understanding of the full meaning behind the Treaty was not always consistent between the Maori and the British, which has led to a long history of debates. In 1975 the Waitangi Tribunal was created for investigation of breaches by the Crown.

My first year in New Zealand, I stumbled on a museum in Wellington which houses the Treaty of Waitangi and other important historical documents. It is quite a feeling to see such an important piece of history; hopefully I can one day see similar things for my own country!

South Island Hikes

I am pretty sure that no trip in New Zealand would be complete without doing a bit of hiking. I enjoy seeing new places and while I am do not consider myself a really serious hiker, I have come to appreciate the challenge of exploring new parts of the world on foot.

We did a destination hike to Coal Creek Falls. I did not feel it was wonderful as a hike, but the view at the end was fantastic, so it was worth the effort.

From the beach at Greymouth we took the Point Elizabeth walkway over the ridgetop and through the woods J It was a good mix of shaded and open, so we got ocean views with no overheating since the track wound in and out of trees.

New Year’s Eve we headed towards the Northwest corner of the island to Abel Tasman National Park. We enjoyed a beautiful coastal hike that took us to Apple Tree Bay. It was a hot sunny day, so we spent a good portion of the hike anticipating a relaxing afternoon cooling off at the beach. Unfortunately that did not happen since it started raining about 10 minutes after we got to the beach. It was a lovely area though, and I look forward to going back to maybe one day complete the entire 60 kilometer (37.3 miles) track.

Impulse Stops

When we travel, we tend to only have a vague idea of what we intend to see or do. This trip was no different, with our only concrete plans being where we booked accommodation as we booked early to avoid higher prices and fewer options due to summer peaks.

So off we went to Christchurch, picked up our car and got some breakfast (where we discovered that at Christchurch hipster cafés you can order a burger with a pink bun!), and set off towards the West Coast. As we headed towards the Alps, we had a panoramic view of the mountains across the plains, with the obligatory small towns. We even got to drive through Springfield, New Zealand! As we entered the mountains we came to a spot called Castle Hill and decided to stop. The area is a fascinating group of limestone formations from the ice age. Some rocks show drawings thought to be from the Waitaha, the first known group of people to pass through the area. Due to an approaching rain storm we did not stick around too long, but we did enjoy a few minutes of climbing through the boulders.

Another chance stop was in Greymouth, when we saw a sign for a WWII pill box. It was out by the beach on the edge of town, and was carefully camouflaged by the surrounding terrain. It appears to be part of a Coastal Defense plan from 1942-44 in fear of Japanese invasion.

View from the pill box

Support pillars for the original train bridge

Part of the bridge, now resting along the river

Mining memorial

The current train station

A third unexpected but enjoyable stop was the town of Havelock. It is a quaint little town at the edge of the Marlborough Sounds. Town center has the smallest police station I have ever seen, and a combined flea market and museum. It also has allowed me to add a Havelock mail run to my bucket list. You can book a seat on the mail boat and get a tour through the Sounds.