Vents Nomades

Our contrasting experiences in the vineyards is finished, it welcomes the stranger to leave the South Island wilderness. Towards Christchurch ... The gods of wind put on our some surprises ... One night the wind gets up at two o'clock in the morning. Not the breeze rustling the branches ... A hot and stormy wind despite the blue sky. This reminds us that some 3000km a cyclone is in the process of descending on the North-east coast of Australia. Results at dawn: a pole of the tent and waterproof cover surge protection bags blew away. Elsa found it stuck in a pillar.

Descending the vast plains of eastern New Zealand over fifty km / h with the wind at your back. When we change course towards a mountain pass ... Magic: the wind changes with us! In seconds you see foggy sky and suddenly, the cold wind comes to us slap in the face ... The temperature drops in 2 min. 15 ° C! Here you really feel that the south pole is not very far!Fortunately we quietly turn along a river to the west. What is good to ride again the wind in our direction!

We went through three mountain passes near to a thousand yards winding through the valleys where only sheep can live to finally find a railway transformed into a 190km bike path. What happiness! We would like all the world's roads like that:  with bridges overlooking beautiful rivers and tunnels. And all full of smily people.

Although the west coast is beautiful with all these national parks that protect native forests, it was hard to share the narrow road with all those endless parades of camping vans. Fortunately the wind was with us ... In one day we cycled 180 km! And if someone tells you that it's flat did not believe hell no! We did 845m in altitude that day.

Motivated by the desire to earn a few dollars to Motueka to pick apples and pears to go finally to South America, we cycled, cycled and exceeded 18,400 km on the computer! Not without difficulty, with a day of headwind and a rim torn into three.