Te Araroa : The Numbers

I found this flag in the hut... wonder if it is still there?

One year ago yesterday, I set out from Cape Reinga to walk across New Zealand.  Seems like a good time then to revisit the trip, and first of all come up with some numbers for how far I walked, how many nights I camped and so forth.

Total distance walked along the route : 2,881km

This is approximate, for one there were sections near the start where the marked route involved kayaking but the guide had this as an option, in each case I walked instead.  There were also numerous sections where the path on the map was impassable, or simply didn't seem to exist - often due to erosion.  Generally I kept to within a couple of kilometres of where it was supposed to be.  Finally of course, in a lot of the bush I remain adamant the route on the ground was considerably longer than what the guide claimed - I'd be amazed if the actual distance was not at least 100km more over the entire journey.  In any case, I think it is fair to say that I followed a route that was as long as, and always pretty close to, the entirety of the walking sections of Te Araroa.

Total distance along the route by kayak : 83km

From Pipiriki to Wanganui.

Kayak section missed : 32km

Yes I missed a section of the route, from Mangapurua Landing to Pipiriki.  I am not going to beat myself up over it too much given I covered rather more distance walking around instead.

Additional walking : 230km

Again this is approximate.  I'm not including all the walking around towns to shop, to pubs and back, etc., but rather firstly the bits where I walked off route to find accommodation, for instance to Levin, and secondly where I detoured around an obstacle, most notably the Rakaia river.

Times I left the trail by motor vehicle : 3

I really didn't want to do this, witness the lengths I went to, carrying many days food, to avoid having to hitch into a town to resupply.  I guess I liked the idea of getting to Bluff and saying 'I have come here all the way from Cape Reinga, walking or kayaking except when there really was no other way than to get a boat'.  Well that didn't happen...  The three occasions were : 1) Hitching to Wangarei from that stupid jetty, then taking a bus back towards the route; 2) The bus to Greymouth and back, for resupply and desperately needed new shoes; and 3) Hitching away from the dangerous Rangitata river crossing to Geraldine, and then back to Mesopotamia Station.

Total days and nights on the trail : 120

Including the very last night in Invercargill.  Of which...

Nights spent in the tent : 80

Actually more than I planned - I got quite comfortable in my little tent, and as the weeks passed I was happy enough to rock up in a town and find a campsite rather than looking for a motel.  Then of course there were places like Taumarunui and Greymouth where there really were no rooms to be had.

Nights in Department of Conservation huts : 14

I should have done this more - not least I still had 4 hut tickets left at the end.

Nights with a real bed : 26

Ranging from campsite cabins that were little better than the huts, through cheap motels and student halls, up to really rather nice B&B accommodation.

Photographs taken : at least 721

That is going by the number I've uploaded to my Google albums, I of course took plenty more.  But the internet only needs so many pictures of huts, signs, birds, signs with birds on them, and indeed huts with signs on them.  I have now created a 'page' on this blog with links to all 10 albums, there should be a link to this on the right somewhere.  And there is video!  Edited together from 60 or so clips I shot over the course of the trip this hopefully gives some feel for the experience.

Enough numbers then, and indeed enough looking back.  Going forward, this will hopefully not be the last such trip I embark upon - watch this space!

Rio : The Voyage Home

Mural depicting a somewhat idealised view of Rio.

Almost done with Brazil... I've had a great time here, so glad I came, but... it's going to be good to get home.  I am really quite tired of Portuguese now.  Anyway... no huge hurry, I'm booked on an overnight bus, so, sit around, pack, drink lots of coffee.  Really ought to get going, oh, mine host is getting the churrasco going again .. OK, a plate of meat, rice and beans won't hurt, and then we say our, largely mutually incomprehensible, goodbyes.  Fair play to these people, they've been excellent hosts - in my gratitude I gift them my only slightly broken bicycle - I think it's appreciated.  Hell, I'm sure it's worth something.

Mexico City!  This being the impressive Palacio de Bellas Artes.

Only a three or four mile walk to the bus station, though it seems longer, I've bought a big kit bag, with all my stuff in it this thing is heavy.  Well, easy enough to break the journey up, I stop at various bars, and watch the women's football final in one - Germany somewhat predictably winning.  The bus - is fine, I sleep well enough, though it's an early start in Sao Paulo, 6:30am.  Only a mile to my hotel, via a cafe for a coffee or three... hotel is nothing special, mirror on my bedroom ceiling suggesting the place used to charge by the hour, but not any more.  They let me check in at nine anyway, this is good.

In front of the Angel de la Independencia.

Don't do much with my time in Sao Paulo, not least it rains pretty much the whole time I am there, I do at least find a bar for a last bit of Olympic sport, the men's football gold medal match - Brazil win of course.  I spend much of the next day at the airport, after giving up on trying to buy a bus ticket for later rather than right now.  Well there are worse places to be, and I'm sure not going to miss my flight, farewell Brazil then, it's been fun.

One night flight later and I'm in... Mexico City!  Cheapest option home involved a sixteen hour layover here, OK, time to make a virtue out of necessity then.  I take the metro into the centre, and then that stalwart of city tourism, a hop-on hop-off open top bus, well why not.  And, as it turns out, Mexico City is quite awesome, a veritable smorgasbord of palaces, cathedrals and so forth.  The Zokalo!  Various massive monuments to independence!  Also massive, and cheap, cake.  I have a pleasant day, before retiring to a bar for local beer and many, many nibbles.  They're even showing a repeat of the Olympic closing ceremony which seems appropriate.  Then back to the airport, and a trouble-free flight to Heathrow.  Britain!  Feels like I've been away a long time...

Monkey!

Photos from my trip to Mexico can be found here.

Rio Olympics : Triathlon

Open water swimming is perhaps not the best spectator sport...

Last bit of live sport!  And, a good one for me, having actually done a few triathlons - much more slowly than these guys (yes, male athletes today) of course.  Interesting course they've come up with... I'd have expected the swim to be in the Lagoa, but in fact it's the ill-reputed water off Copacabana beach, and then cycling and running up and down the seafront a few times.  Makes for easy spectating, I even get on to the beach to watch the competitors run into the sea.

Biking Brownlees!

Then a bit of a struggle to find a good viewing spot along the front, seems this event has attracted a big crowd, I guess it being a popular location helps.  I manage anyway, in time to watch the lead riders come around for the first time - there are even a few other Brits here, we discuss the events we've seen in between cheering on the Brownlee brothers.  A short course this, they go round eight times, I suppose that means not many places to watch from so maybe that's why there seem to be more people than for, say, the marathon.

Alastair.

The brothers both seem near the front as they ride past for the eighth time, right, off to find a good spot for the running.  Hmm, think I'm confused about the route, looks like they are indeed just running up and down the front, had thought there was an uphill section... well, no matter, I find a spot, pretty near the finish in fact, in time for the last two laps.  Alastair Brownlee is leading, younger brother James in third, in the event they finish first and second respectively, go Team GB!  In fact, this is turning into an incredible medal haul for Great Britain, in the end we garner twenty-seven gold medals, twenty-three silver and seventeen bronze, only the USA doing better.

James.

Sport over, this is my last full day in Rio, well, last visit to Casa Airbnb then.  I don't usually do product endorsements, but thumbs up to Airbnb - I could not have afforded the prices hotels here were asking.  More than that, customer service was good when I had a last minute panic re. getting keys for my room, and the Casa is the icing on the cake, a lovely little place near the Lagoa.  Have been there a few times just to chill and watch some sport on TV, oh and drink free beer, what is not to like.  Have also enjoyed burger tasting, brigadeiro (sweet, chocolatey local specialities) making, and now they have craft beer tasting, oh yes.

Photos to go with this post can be found here.

Rio Olympics : Canoeing

The Lagoa from above.

One last event that I have a ticket for, and a great location, the canoe sprint taking place on the Lagoa, lagoon I guess, basically a large lake separated from Copacabana beach by a narrow strip of land.  Easy for me to get to, downhill then actual cycle paths, and again a cheap seat, for what turns out to be a variety of races across the water.

Mostly it's kayaks, men's doubles and women's singles over various distances... have to say, this is not the greatest spectator sport, it's not really possible to tell who is leading barring the moment they're directly in front of me.  After a while I find a seat high up, having a panoramic view makes things a bit easier.  Odd competition format here, there are lots of heats, which seem largely pointless, everyone in them gets to the semi finals, except the winner who goes straight to the final.  Not that I'll be seeing any finals, they're not 'til tomorrow.

Isaquias Queiroz on his way to winning his semi final.

Well, I get to see one good result for Team GB as Liam Heath and Jon Schofield win their semi in the two hundred metre double kayak - they'll go on to get the silver medal.  The locals have something to cheer too, Isaquias Queiroz wins a semi final too, in the men's single canoe - differing from the kayaks in having an open hull, and propelled Polynesian style with a single bladed paddle.  He'll go on to take the bronze.  Pretty full here in the cheap seats, whether down to support for Queiroz,  or just proximity to the many condominiums surrounding the Lagoa, I don't know.  Nice to have a bit of atmosphere anyway, a fun morning all told in fact.

Doesn't seem too hard!

Photos to go with this post can be found here.

Rio Olympics : Marathon

Waiting for the runners.

Back to free stuff then, and another event harking back to ancient Greece.  And, more female athletes, does seem I am spending a fair amount of time in Rio watching women in tiny little costumes... well, largely due to timing, honest.  So, I roll downhill on my bike, over cobbles and past the Lapa arches into the centre, just in time to see the field heading south.  That was something of a bonus, my plan is to get to a point on the loop section they'll be running, and indeed, after parking the bike, a short walk gets me to one end of the ten kilometre loop, as evidenced by the fifteen kilometre sign in one direction, and thirty-five kilometres the other way.  Took me twenty minutes or so to get here, so not a long wait for the leaders, a group of eight well ahead of the main pack.

He's watching over things as usual.

Standing here I get to see them go past three times, gives a sense of how the leaders pull further ahead.  I notice more Ethiopian athletes - Mare Dibaba gets bronze for them in the end, gold going to Jemima Sumgong of Kenya.  The GB contingent are a way back, still we can't win everything, and just completing the marathon is impressive enough - it's a hot day for it too, can't say running looks like a lot of fun, and in fact a few of the ladies don't get any further than the medical post a few yards from me. 

The leaders.

The crowd does its best to encourage the runners, particularly the back markers, though I have to say, even at this ideal spot, there isn't much of a crowd.  I feel that this gives the lie to the idea that the locals cannot afford tickets, and this is why there are so many empty seats.  Rather, I think the fact is that Brazilians just aren't that interested in international sport unless it's football, or Brazil has a good chance of winning - or ideally, both.

Well, I've enjoyed cheering on the Olympians of all nations anyway...  shame about the whole cycling through Rio thing, but what can you do.  I can't face riding up the cobbled street I bounced down, so, long way round, drivers who have no idea how to treat cyclists, to be fair I join the locals and ride down one way streets the wrong way, it's just so hard to find a street going the right way.  Have to push for a while, road is closed due to some stupid sports event or other, honestly who do they think they are :).  Back home and my hosts are cooking up churrasco - barbecue essentially - and there are many parts of pig, it is good.

Dixon and Samuels, working hard.

Photos to go with this post can be found here.

Rio Olympics : Hockey

USA piling on the pressure.

So, wanted to see a team sport and this is as good as any, better still I get to see Team GB play, our women against the USA in fact, should be some rivalry here.  It's at the Deodoro park,  OK then, train it is, I find the central station and buy a return ticket easily enough, time for a beer in fact, website reckons a twenty minute journey so I allow seventy just in case.  Heh, public transport.  I'm sure I get the right platform, but the train seems to be on the wrong line, stopping at every station instead of heading directly to the sport.  Worse, this 'red' line won't even take me all the way there.... OK, I get off at the Engenhão and change, well try to.  Seems the direct 'green' line is... not running? ...or something?  Another red train, in the end I stop at twenty stations rather than the hoped for three, and it takes over an hour.  Still, the stop is actually in the park so... ah, no.  For some reason we don't stop there, but travel on and I have to jog back half a mile, sigh.   Through security, more queues, and finally I'm in, missed twenty minutes, not great when the game only lasts an hour.

The crucial penalty corner.

Well, didn't miss any goals anyway, seems to be a close game, hard fought too, the (British!) announcer keeps having to report on our players getting two minute timeouts for 'temper'.  Goalless at half time, but not long into the second half, er, third period, the girls in blue score, woo!  Um, boo I mean, turns out those sneaky Americans are wearing our kit... well, red is better anyway.  We're on the back foot though, the USA keep the ball well, their defence is on form too.  Good spectator sport this, I guess just an accident of history that sports with inflated balls and no sticks conquered the world instead.

Yet another shot of me in an arena.

Not sure I entirely understand the rules, but no big deal, I can see where the goals are.  GB moves forward, and wins a penalty... corner?  Seems to involve most of our team ganging up on a few Americans, I'm not too surprised when a goal results, all square!  It's all GB now, though time is ticking away, can they get another, yes they can!  A great shot from distance, a bit of worry as apparently the ball has to touch one of our sticks within the semicircle for it to count, there's some deliberation but the goal is good.  Just a few minutes of nail biting and it's a result - must confess, while I'm not normally much of one for nationalism, there is something satisfying about beating the USA.

China working one of their many fruitless penalty corners.

I get another match for my money, can't fault the value here.  More ladies, China v. New Zealand, think I'm neutral, haven't quite forgiven the kiwis for their 'paths' yet.  They don't seem to need my full support though, before long the girls, unsurprisingly in all black, start scoring.  Not much of a crowd, a lot of the British and American fans have left, the remaining locals seem to either be cheering on China, or just amusing themselves - one largish group chanting, I'm pretty sure, 'frango, frango', that is, 'chicken, chicken'.  Not sure why.  Meanwhile NZ are scoring more goals, and while the Chinese keep getting penalty corners they can't capitalise on them.  It finishes up 3-0, well that was fun, and at least it is not a long walk to get on the train, I get back to the centre easily enough, and even find a bar with a samba night - well it is Saturday - before trudging up the huge hill to bed.

Photos to go with this post can be found here.

Rio Olympics : Athletics

Not just track, there is field too.

OK, so this is what the Olympics is really about, events that in many cases would be recognisable to the ancient Greeks who invented the whole thing.  Of course, they'd be confused by the female athletes, and indeed the clothing, but never mind.  Good to make it here, the Engenhão stadium is most impressive, and 'only' an hours ride... not sure what the seating deal is, I got the cheapest ticket but there is no segregation and lots of empty seats, so I just get near the front.  There is one section reserved for athletes' family, so I only sit there for a short while - specifically, while Jessica Ennis-Hill and Katarina Johnson-Thompson run their respective hurdles races.  Why yes, I have picked a good session to go to...

Johnson-Thompson flying over the hurdles.

It isn't just about the heptathlon of course, there is an awful lot of sport happening, albeit mostly qualifying rounds, heats and so on - well, this is the first session.  There are men throwing the discus, women putting the shot, and various distances being run.  The only race for a medal I see is the women's ten thousand metres, well, it's value for money, not blink and you miss it like the hundred metres.  Good event for Ethiopia this, Almaz Ayana and Tirunesh Dibaba take gold and bronze for them, with Kenyan Vivian Cheruiyot getting the silver.  Can't say it's a terribly close race, Ayana finishes fifteen seconds ahead of Cheruiyot, with a new world record time of 29:17.45, and the lead group of six laps the rest of the field, including all three Brits, at least once.

Ayana and Dibaba on their lap of honour.  You can also spot a tracksuited
Johnson-Thompson, waiting for the bar to be raised in the high jump.

Back to the heptathlon for the high jump, this is going to take a while as there are a lot of competitors, and each gets up to three attempts at each height.  Still, the bar inches upwards, Ennis-Hill jumping well, Johnson-Thompson doesn't even bother with lower than 1.80, this is a good event for her.  Slowly the jumpers thin out, the running and so forth elsewhere on the field ends and the crowd is focused on this.  Six athletes remain with the bar at 1.89, Ennis-Hill manages it on the second attempt, Belgian Nafissatou Thiam makes it look easy.  To 1.92, Johnson-Thompson and Thiam sail over, none of the others, including Ennis-Hill, make it.  Then Johnson-Thompson clears 1.95 at the first attempt - a new Olympic record!  It doesn't last long, Thiam equals it, then jumps 1.98!  This is a new world record for the heptathlon, can the British athlete equal it?  Not at the first try... second attempt, the crowd claps along to the run up, and she's over!  More clapping as we try to encourage them over the bar, now at over two metres, but it's not to be, seems fair that they share the new record anyway.  And on the heptathlon points table, Johnson-Thompson leads, with Ennis-Hill not far behind.

Ennis-Hill launching herself at the bar.

Photos to go with this post can be found here.