Now That's What I Call Music
Staying Alive
If you we were hoping that the absence of an entry yesterday meant we had been crushed by a logging truck then I am sorry to report that we are alive and well.
We did our heroic 88 miles to Punakaiki with only minimal whimpering. It is a Stunning ride, first through the Buller River gorge, then down the coastal highway and we had sun all the way. We celebrated our longest day with a rib eye and some sports drink.
Gold
Today turned out to be a measly 70 with plenty of flat in the afternoon so we are in Ross nice and early. Ross is/was a gold mining town and it seems to have hardly changed in the 150 years since the gold rush. We have a 20 quid cabin behind the pub; it is 'basic' (a Maori word literally translated as 'a bit crap') but, as I said, 20 quid!
Tomorrow we are off to the glaciers.
Animal Crackers
Yesterday I saw a Waka - a flightless bird a bit like a small chicken. Now I know this is probably a bit dim but I had never really thought about why NZ has zo many flightless birds. The answer is obvious - no indigenous mammals to eat them. The country is now brimming with mammals but they were all introduced
, usually to eat the previous introduction once it got out of control. The biggest menace is the possum which outnumber people 17 to 1. There is a big argument here about the use of 1080 (a poison) which does the trick but is indiscriminate. Judging by the thousands squashed on the roads they just need more tourists!
As well as all mammals we introduced most birds and just about anything else with a pulse. Oh yes, plus most of the plants.
Considering that NZ's flora and fauna is about as original as a fake Rolex it is chuffing beautiful!
If you we were hoping that the absence of an entry yesterday meant we had been crushed by a logging truck then I am sorry to report that we are alive and well.
We did our heroic 88 miles to Punakaiki with only minimal whimpering. It is a Stunning ride, first through the Buller River gorge, then down the coastal highway and we had sun all the way. We celebrated our longest day with a rib eye and some sports drink.
Gold
Today turned out to be a measly 70 with plenty of flat in the afternoon so we are in Ross nice and early. Ross is/was a gold mining town and it seems to have hardly changed in the 150 years since the gold rush. We have a 20 quid cabin behind the pub; it is 'basic' (a Maori word literally translated as 'a bit crap') but, as I said, 20 quid!
Tomorrow we are off to the glaciers.
Animal Crackers
Yesterday I saw a Waka - a flightless bird a bit like a small chicken. Now I know this is probably a bit dim but I had never really thought about why NZ has zo many flightless birds. The answer is obvious - no indigenous mammals to eat them. The country is now brimming with mammals but they were all introduced
, usually to eat the previous introduction once it got out of control. The biggest menace is the possum which outnumber people 17 to 1. There is a big argument here about the use of 1080 (a poison) which does the trick but is indiscriminate. Judging by the thousands squashed on the roads they just need more tourists!
As well as all mammals we introduced most birds and just about anything else with a pulse. Oh yes, plus most of the plants.
Considering that NZ's flora and fauna is about as original as a fake Rolex it is chuffing beautiful!
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