Grumpy Old Men On Bikes

Last night I had fast Internet and a generous data allowance so snuggled up in bed to watch episode 1 of The Grand Tour (the Amazon remake of Top Gear with messers Clarkson, Hammond and May).  If you haven't seen it I can tell you that it is everything that Top Gear now isn't.  If there was any doubt that the secret to Top Gear's success was the presenters and the chemistry between them then The Grand Tour settles it once and for all. It is very slickly produced with cinema quality camera work  but they could have saved a few zillion and filmed it on a smartphone and it would still knock the Ginger Whinger's pitifull attempt into a cocked hat.  The BBC might as well just call it a day and do double-length Countryfile on Sunday evenings.  'HURRAH' says my wife. We are now heading down the west coast in very mixed weather.  We see some sunshine but also get plenty of rain and there is a perpetual headwind that is starting to seriously piss people of

The quake was several days ago.  At the time it was rated as being a 7.5 on the Richter Scale.  This scale is exponential (or maybe logarithmic, A-level maths was a long time ago) and each increase of ONE means the quake was TEN TIMES as bad.  7.5 is a big one.  Today they have reclassified it as 7.8........in other words TWICE as bad as 7.5.   It was the biggest quake in this part of the Ring of Fire for eighty years.  Now that we are through the worst I am glad I was here for it.....something to tell the grandkids (come on Peter and Sarah, get cracking!). On North Island we saw few effects beyond a few cracks in ceiling plaster but we have had to detour around roads closed due to landslips  and you can't buy clean underwear for love nor money.   Our crossing to South Island was traumatic.  Ferry services are erratic and communication  from the operators non-existent.  Eventually, after several changes  to our departure date and time we got a boat within 20 min

I have always been pretty clear that this blog is for my entertainment and not yours.  Since I am not sure that anyone else even reads it I doubt that this is much of a problem. As well as giving me something to do, and a forum for an occasional rant, it also serves as a sort of diary and I am ashamed to say I sometimes re-read bits to remind me of adventures past. I am in New Zealand, leading a small Bike Adventures group, but had no plans to blog the journey as I have done it several times before.  However, last night the earth moved for me! I was fast asleep when an earthquake measuring 7.5 struck from just off the North East coast of South Island.  This is some 200 miles from where I was sleeping but the motel shook sufficiently violently that I feard the ceiling might collape.  If you have ever tried looking for your pants on a trampoline in the pitch black you will have no problem visualising my evacuation into the safety of the car park.  What it must have be