Soon I leave south Island

April 30 – May 2

I wake up 6 am, the night has been cold and I ‘ve slipet restlessly, outside it’s still dark. Actually, I just want to turn over and go back to sleep, but I’m packing up pretty quickly  and heading for Murchison. It’s not further than 11 km. The air is chilly but theweather forecast has promised risning temperature around noon.

This morning, the road lay flat and winding, with the Buller River flowing gracefully to my left and dense forest stretching endlessly to my right. As I got closer to Murchison the landscape opened up. Large fenced pastures and the sun has woken up.

In New Zealand, road authorities often show great consideration for us cyclists, and signs like this are a common sight 🫶🥰

Few km before Murchison I see the sign about a public recycling plant. I have to inspect it and at the same time leave some of my waste that I have collected since last night.

Just few minutes after 8.30 I entering Murchison, a small village, approximate 550 inhabitants. It is a rural service town for the surrounding
mixed farming district. I stoped when I saw a FourSquare supermarket for some provisioning.

I continued down the small street, a charming cafe in Riverside, came into view. I had skipped breakfast that morning, having decided to enjoy my
first meal of the day in Murchison.
The café was warmly decorated and furnished, with soft sofas piled with cushions and a wood-burning stove in the middle of the room, filling the place with warmth, a pleasant scent, and a wonderfully cozy atmosphere.

There was a wide selection of food, and I ordered a traditional English breakfast. I also spotted the perfect opportunity to bring my damp sleeping bag inside and drape it over a wheelbarrow full of firewood standing next to the stove.

When my English breakfast arrived, I realized just how hungry I was. Just looking at it made me smile, and the aroma was enough to make my mouth water. Even the coffee I had afterwards tasted exceptionally good.

I could stay here for hours, with the café’s cozy décor enhanced by the wood stove and wheelbarrow—well, aside from breakfast, of course.

The weather outside has brightened up, and a gentleman at the café told me it’s going to be great all day. Just after ten, I hop back on my bike, eager to continue the journey. I’ve planned to spend two nights along the way before arriving at the Interislander ferry in Picton.
Marvelous

The road and surroundings is marvelous, first part follows Buller River with dramtics gorges and native beech forest. Cows, sheeps grazing close to each others  and deers on the other side of  highway 6. Mostly gentle climbing and descending. No major mountain passes,  exept up to Hope Saddle Lockout and Belgrove.

The weather is perfect for cycling, sunny but not too hot, easy to breathe. Scenic surroundings and Sheep everywhere you look, like a woolly invasion taking over the horizon.

My first challenge was a few kilometres up to Hope Saddle, part of it quite tough. Upon reaching the peak, I arrived at the viewpoint by taking a gravel road to the left.
I have covered 235 meters of altitude when I lean the bike against a wooden railing. At the viewpoint, there’s a parking lot, a few benches, a roofed patio, and a long drop toilet—known in Swedish as a latrine—made of green lacquered composite material. Of course, there are also green bins for garbage, never ever toss your waste into nature

Then quite easy cycling, first 6-7 km downwards and then flat cycling. It’s just past 6 p.m., the sun about to set, and outside Kohatu I’ve found a
lovely green spot with a huge oak tree. Perfect for pitching my tent, and only 45 km from Nelson.

Shortly after 8 p.m., I settled into my Marmot sleeping bag, immersing myself in a downloaded radio program exploring conflicts in the USA, followed by several engrossing chapters from Jo Nesbo.

I slept like a log when the mobile alarm shoots out 6 am but my morning zombie mode was on, as always, and I was a little frozen.

It’s pitch black outside and the temperature is below zero, at least -3 degrees because the green grass has turned white.

First a simple breakfast and coffee, then packing the tent and camping gear. When everything was done, it was almost light outside.

I’ve checked the Maps. Me apps to know what’s coming next. A 6 km hill, the first 3-3.5km pretty moderate but the rest not a single metre below 7%.

Everything, even this hill has an end. When I reached the top, which is called Spooners Range, 408 m.a.s.l  the sun smiles right into my face, the view below was truly extraordinary.

A wonderful scenic view unfolds, with the sea shimmering far away on the horizon, and reaching Nelson becomes my goal for today.

After this short but much-needed break, I cycled downhill and then flat cycling through an insanely beautiful landscape.

First stop at a local grape juice farm, bought a bottle of dark red juice. Next stop at a pasture where two Ardennes horses are eating something from a feed bucket and a bulldog-like dog is barking at me.

The dog, who then barks attentively at his mistress, arrives and is insanely cuddly, a woman in shorts and boots also arrives and we start chatting.

After telling me about my goal for the day, she kindly gives detailed directions to a scenic cycle path from Wakefield to Nelson which I noted with excitement. Small country roads are almost more friendly and scenic to cycle on.

In Wakefield, a small cozy rural village, I notice two early risers coming out of a bakery with freshly baked bread. A sign above the door says that it is also a café. Order an Americano coffee and a stuffed meat pie.
Sat down outside in the sunshine and enjoyed the beautiful morning, the coffee and the pie.

At the village grocery store I turn right as the woman with the Ardennes horses told me.

The road winds between pastures and small green hills, fantastically beautiful.

I pass small farms, grazing cows and sheep and almost no traffic…

…10 km of perfect cycle path before I’m back on Highway 6 again.

In Richmond, a larger community very close to Tasman Bay, I made a short break in an antique shop, just wanted to look.

I followed a cycle path into Nelson City, tracing the coast and passing the harbour.

Now, as the clock nears twelve, the tide is low, revealing several hundred metres of wet sand, scattered shells, and small marine creatures searching for food.

Rumor has it that Nelson is New Zealand’s sunniest city, with 2,400 hours of sunshine per year, averaging about six hours per day. On a day like this, it’s easy to believe, and residents are unlikely to suffer from any lack of vitamin D.

Before reaching the city center, I passed some memorials, and the first thing I did upon arrival was to provision some food.

Then I wandered into a bicycle shop, just to browse, when a cute Wislaw with a toy in his mouth greeted me, clearly saying in dog language, “I want to be cuddled.” Do you think I could possibly say no to that?

I’ve already booked a night at a backpackers hostel, Paradiso Hostel and from Nelson city center it was only 10 minutes cycling.

It lies in a residental area. The hostel is surrounded by a white picket fence and large shrub-like plants. I’m alllowed to park by bicycle in the backyard and under a roof.

19 NZD for the room,  fri WiFi, shower and breakfast is included. Laundry machine and dryer in the backyard.

I unpack my gear I make up my bed, lower bunk. After a shower and change of cloths , I enjoy free coffee in the kitchen. Then I gather up my laundry and settle down in the dinner room overlooking the swimmingpool which is bathed in sunshine.

Befor prepering my dinner, which tonight consist of rise, smoked salmon I’m treated a vegetarian soup by , I belive a young french guy with a beard.

His beard may have been untidy, but there was nothing untidy about the soup he had made. It was absolutely delicious.