Where the heck?? - Tackling the West Coast of Te Waipounamu - CycleBlaze

March 12, 2022

Where the heck??

Te Waipounamu is one of two official names for the South Island of New Zealand. Along with the other, more well known name, it was gazetted by the NZ Geographic Board as recently as 2013. Up until then, presumably, The Mainland, as it's colloquially known throughout the country,  could have called itself whatever it fancied.

Whatever name it chooses to go by, this part of the country is staggeringly beautiful. And so is the traditional Māori name Te Waipounamu, which means Waters of Greenstone. Pounamu (or jade, or greenstone) is found only on the West Coast of Te Waipounamu and is of great spiritual significance to Māori.

I'm a great fan of appropriate place names. It has to be said that when Aotearoa was claimed for England by Captain James Cook when he landed in 1769, he and his men did a great disservice by beginning the tradition of renaming much of the country after imperial warmongers, royalty and petty gentry. Picton, my home, was named after Sir Thomas Picton, an undoubtedly brave Welsh general who fought in the Napoleonic wars under the Duke of Wellington who called him "a rough, foul-mouthed devil as ever lived". In later life as governor of Trinidad, he was involved in slave trading and was even convicted of torture. Really?

Waitohi, its Māori name, comes from the river running through the town that was sacred to its people. But Picton it remains. Sigh. 

Digression over.

In a little over 24 hours Bruce and I will be embarking on a ride covering most of the length of Te Waipounamu, specifically from Nelson to Queenstown.

Bruce will have to lose his Tour Leader title and be prepared to take direction from others because this is a supported group tour - our first. Not everyone's cup of tea on CycleBlaze, I guess, but I expect this to be THE most challenging ride I have ever attempted. 

To say that I'm apprehensive about my ability to stay with the group and to tackle the mountain passes on the itinerary would be a wild understatement. I've already had to learn how to be a roadie, coping with cleats and tight lycra. Bunch riding , well , let's see how it goes.

And of course we will be touring through one of the most beautiful regions of New Zealand/Aotearoa.  Perhaps I'm a little bit excited . . .

Let's give this a go!
Heart 7 Comment 2
Dawn HunterGreat shot of the athlete! You may be even skinnier after this experience methinks! Have an awesome experience - enjoy it as much as is possible!! 🙄
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2 years ago
Robyn RichardsTo Dawn HunterJust after this pic, Dawn, I got caught in my clip-ins and fell off my stationary bike. Not an auspicious start to my road cycling career!
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2 years ago
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Comment on this entry Comment 7
Susan CarpenterA guided tour on the South Island was my first extended cycling trip . I too was nervous but it was an extraordinary experience. I’m sure you’ll do great and I look forward to following along.
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2 years ago
Dawn HunterWill be looking forward to your writings Robyn. Take care.
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2 years ago
Scott AndersonSo looking forward to this. NZ was our first overseas tour, 31 years ago - a ride from Dunedin to Auckland. We’ve talked about returning ever since, so I’ll be anxious to get a current report.
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2 years ago
Robyn RichardsTo Susan CarpenterThanks, Susan. I enjoy your travels, and hope to be as entertaining. But so many mountains.!
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2 years ago
Robyn RichardsTo Dawn HunterPromise to be careful, Dawn 😂
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2 years ago
Robyn RichardsTo Scott AndersonWow, Dunedin to Auckland puts our ride into perspective! I'm not a great fan of NZ roads from a cyclist's point of view but this West Coast trip in the time of Covid has the advantage of no overseas tourists (our borders still closed to non-NZers for a wee while longer) thus removing much of the traffic.
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2 years ago
Keith AdamsI don't know the specifics of your tour, but no supported recreational tour I've ever been on has insisted that participants ride as a unit. Everyone goes their own pace, stops when they want / need to - whether it's at a designated point or no- and arrives "whenever". There's been no "must keep up with the group" mentality or expectation, so long as you arrive at the day's destination before the route officially closes (and the SAG vehicles are pulled off the road) for the day.

A visit to New Zealand is on my life's bucket list, though probably not on a bicycle.

Good luck!
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2 years ago