The Great Kiwi Road Trip Part 1: Travel
Home » Blog » Craig Neilson » The Great Kiwi Road Trip Part 1: TravelIntroducing new Good blogger Craig Neilson, who'll kick off by blogging his way around the North Island, with fortnightly installments from his road trip on two wheels.
I've been thinking about travel this year as a crucial part of personal growth, a cultural necessity and the trigger for many people's appreciation of the wider world.
But crikey, it sure is ruining everything. Have you seen the emissions on air travel? The social, environmental and financial cost of petrol? Or a good deal on seafares? How can we protect this cultural institution and create more global thinkers?
This summer I'm doing the Great Kiwi Road Trip on my bike. I'll ride everwhere I go, it's a pretty common town bike with a bag rack, puncture-resistant tyres and two sweet little bells. Modifications for this journey cost something like $300—the bags, rack, all the checks, extra drink-bottle holder & tyres—a bargain, that even includes a new chain and some extra tubes. The kit should be good going for the next six weeks riding eight hours every day, then back to its usual routine around Auckland city central.
Traveling as light as possible I neglected to bring a camera, but there'll be pictures soon. I'm doing this in style and (at least to me), the bike is really a sight to behold! With ex-army side-bags, a charming front basket and bold sweeping mud-guards, I swear I'm the cutest thing on the road.
Day Zero was a test ride on Thursday, the tough-test to see if things would fall off or I'd faint from exhaustion. This was a good idea—not because something went wrong but because I felt like a massive hero for doing it. I blazed up to Helensville, 60 kms from Auckland, dressed up as a pukeko and played touch-rugby at Rata Road Primary School, then cycled back in time for lunch with the Auckland Uni sustainability network. I left early—5am—and fell completely in love with sparrow-fart riding. The traffic's quite trim, the temperature's low, and the sunrise, pink on the horizon behind me, cast long grey shadows, an even glow and my new favourite colour in the brass of the bell I got in LA.
We're on the real thing now. Today is Day One, I set out at 6 and at 1:30pm I've arrived in Kaiwaka, a town whose name translates literally to a boatload of food. I like Kaiwaka.
Kaiwaka's a small township but it's home to Cafe Eutopia, a hand-made (with love) eat-and-chilling spot that's part tent, part treehouse, part circus and part gaden with overtones of shrine. They serve organic coffee, cook vegan and usually smile. Around me, people are talking about the challenges of alternative economies and the secrets of good nutition. The Koanga Gardens are nearby. I can relax here.
In a moment I'll cruise to meet my new Kaiwakan friends: Aaron and Lisa are farmers in the area who aim to treat their cows and pigs with the respect living creatures deserve. Until killing them, of course. If there's going to be farming (and there is, for a long time, let's face it), maybe it should be like this.
Tomorrow: Whangarei, and unless I can help it, the widely feared nightmare of the Brenderwyn hills. After lunch with some friendly vegans, I'm going beach for two days, staying by some sand dunes in Pataua North. Great Kiwi Road Trip indeed!
My legs kinda hurt but I guess that's expected. I'll be blogging at least every second Wednesday so make sure you stay tuned. Pedal power for climate justice!
Wed November 18, 2009 @ 09:34 AM
