Just Bluffing
Kia ora koutou,
Day 77 and Laurence and I are on our way to Bluff, right at the bottom of the South Island. In a couple of days we will thus have traversed the length of New Zealand (yes, yes, I know, we haven’t gone to Rakiura).
But, in a twist, now our journey won’t end there.
A few weeks ago, in a snowbound but cosy hut at Mt Lyford, we finalised a rather big change to our itinerary. From Lyford we were due to ride over to the West Coast then back over Arthur's Pass to ski Temple Basin, then onto Craigieburn, Broken River and Mt Cheeseman. Australia stole the snow this winter* and some of the skifields here in NZ have done it tough.
So, given the less than ideal conditions, we bypassed these skifields. Not ignoring them, just delaying our visit.
Those of you following our journey will know that from Lyford we pedalled up to and skied at Porters, Mt Olympus, Mt Hutt, Fox Peak, Dobson, Roundhill, Ohau and Awakino. Thence to Queenstown and skifield nos 17 and 18, Coronet Peak and The Remarkables, before riding onto Bluff. Yes we are now well versed in the art of riding up to and down long, often rough skifield access roads. Yes our trailer lids are filling up with skifield stickers!
From Bluff our journey will twist itself and come back north, to the 3 skifields around Wanaka, thence to head over Haast Pass, up the West Coast then across Arthur's Pass to ski Temple Basin, Craigieburn, Broken River and Mt Cheeseman, the last of the 25! As we hoped, these fields now have better snow cover for us to enjoy. We will now finish in Christchurch, Laurence’s hometown, at the end of September.
Thus our original roughly linear journey will now go a bit pinball. The change also increases the distance we will travel to around 5000km and we won't be far shy of 100 days when we finish. You can follow this on MAProgress.
This change is perhaps partly a metaphor for climate change.
Us, somewhat hedonistically, looking to improve our ski experiences as climate change turns things upside down. People in places like the Pacific, for whom we are fundraising, forced to move, to change, because of it.
This past month on the South Island has delivered – a pre-dawn ski to emerge from a cloud sea to the top of Mt Dobson to watch the first rays hit Aoraki, New Zealand’s highest mountain, then spread light across the Southern Alps. Skiing creamy, first tracks powder snow. Staying in little mountain huts, warm lodges, cold tents. Eating some of the best carrot cake I’ve ever tasted (and I’ve tasted plenty!). Taking our bikes and trailers along some of the finest trails in NZ, some of the Nga Haeranga (Great Rides) – Alps2Ocean, Lake Dunstan Trail and more. Experiencing the Winter Olympic sport of Curling on NZ’s only purpose-built curling rink. Experiencing so much generosity and hospitality. Yes it’s been tough – long days, sometimes into the night, grinding into headwinds, pushing on. Yes I completely destroyed a ski! But with effort comes the reward. And always, always we are encouraged by the generosity of those who have donated to our fundraising cause. We’re at the halfway mark of our $75,000 target, so still a mountain to climb.
So 7 skifields to go,1000km to go, 3 weeks to go……
*Whilst there’s a bit of FOMO I am so happy for the alpine resorts and towns back in Oz, after a couple of rotten seasons.
The Fundraising Project
The goal of our $75,000 fundraising target is to support a Save the Children pilot project building Vanuatu’s first climate resilient shipping container classrooms, ensuring that no matter what, children have access to education. You can read further details here.
Detailed plans are now with the Ministry of Education, Government of Vanuatu for approval, an exciting stage for the project.
You can make a general donation or treat yourself to ‘buying’ one of the 25 snow resorts Laurence and I plan to ski at (11 are still waiting for a new owner!).
And all you cyclists, see below for an opportunity to enjoy a fabulous NZ cycling holiday with Adventure South and help the fundraising.
“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Huw and Laurence on this inspiring journey. As the climate crisis escalates, our Pacific neighbours are disproportionately affected – and children are always the most vulnerable. Every dollar raised through Alpine Odyssey Aotearoa will help build climate-resilient communities that protect children’s futures.”
- Heather Campbell, CEO, Save the Children NZ.
Fancy a $4000 NZ cycling holiday with Adventure South NZ?
Our good friends and a partner in our journey, Adventure South, have generously given us a $4000 NZ cycling holiday to use in our fundraising. We are auctioning this off to the highest bidder between now and 10 October. Whilst we are finalising the auction details, keep an eye on my Facebook and Instagram for auction details (and if you’re not on these platforms send an email to info@huwkingston.com for more details).
The winning bidder gets to choose between two classic tours:
1. Alps to Ocean Classic – the most popular trip on the Aotearoa/NZ's longest Great Ride.
With your choice of any date across the 25/26 NZ summer season and your choice of bike hire of standard ‘acoustic’ MTB bike or Sinch ebike. Value Base Trip Cost up to $3595 plus bike hire up to $600.
OR
2. Cycle the Kawarau, Dunstan & Roxburgh Gorges – riding 5 of Southern and Central Otago’s best Great Rides.
With your choice of any date across the 25/26 NZ summer season and your choice of bike hire of standard ‘acoustic’ MTB bike or Sinch ebike. Value Base Trip Cost up to $3395 plus bike hire up to $500.
Partner Profile - Northwave & Michelin
Alpine Odyssey Aotearoa is very much about making connections – with people and places. Two of our partners help us connect in a very different way. Both of us are using Northwave Kingrock Plus Goretex bike shoes to connect us to our pedals. I hesitated typing shoes as they verge on being a boot. We needed a shoe that was robust, waterproof, warm and with a sole that could grip on uncertain (eg snowy) ground. We’ve both been massively impressed by the Kingrock and in some pretty ugly conditions our feet have stayed warm and dry. And, nearly 80 days in, are still in perfect shape (the shoes perhaps not our feet!)
Laurence and I have been mimicking the famous Michelin man under our layers of clothing trying to stay warm on Alpine Odyssey Aotearoa. Michelin tyres have, in their rubbery way, been our key connection between bike and trail, bike and road.
And as always, you can follow our journey on Facebook and Instagram and occasional newsletter updates like this one (and of course if you don’t want to receive these, just unsubscribe below)
Appreciate all the support.
Cheers
Huw & Laurence
