Starting off this journey all those moons ago, I was high as a kite. On one hand still in my own country, surrounded by what I’ve always known as it came to everything from language and culture, to food and nature. Still nothing was the same, as had just taken that big leap and thrown myself out from life as I knew it.
I was free. Curious. Ready for adventure.
Though I sort of already knew what would be waiting behind it, every bend in the road seemed to hide something I so desperately wanted to explore. And so I did.
I don’t have a proper word for that one feeling. Or perhaps state of mind would be more accurate. There is excitement, and calm. Naive spontaneity, and calculated focus. There is right here, right now – and nothing else exists. There is Flow. And life.
I still love this feeling more than might always be healthy. To be honest, I’ve probably developed some sort of addiction to it. Good or bad, I don’t know. Certain though is that this one seem to be working like any drug, where one keeps needing to up the dose to get that fix.
And I guess that’s how I on my first morning of riding in New Zealand found myself here.
Some would say Stupid. I still choose to go with Free. Curious. Ready for adventure.
Some asking around about the tides, and three good kilometers of pushing my bike through this shallow river got me onto the so called 90 Mile Beach. A name which makes about as much sense as it does to try and ride a bicycle around the world. In reality the whole thing isn’t longer than something like 80 odd kilometers.
I reached the water front in time to climb up on the first dune and watch the waves of the wild sea come crashing in on the sand banks. And definitely in time to seriously start questioning how and if this idea would actually work out.
But then, bang on time according to the wrinkly schedule I’d been handed from some local, the tide drew back. Revealing the epic bicycle autostrada it’d been hiding underneath it’s surface.
1, 2, 3… Let’s go!
Wild sea to the right. Sand dunes to the left. Beach. And as the sun escaped the clouds, an always-changing light show worthy all the superlatives you come up with.
It’s safe to say that this beach gave me a couple of good days. (A key part to which probably being that I’m still off tourist season and more or less got the whole thing for myself.)
Alright New Zealand. You’re officially off to a good start.
Let’s see what else you have in store.
Fredrika