Roops Rides

Finally got some photos from grahams phone 1) tane mahuta an ancient kauri tree that is 13 metres around estimated to be over 2500 yrs old. 2) our Valentine’s Day motel 3) the interislander ferry with many bikes on board 4) my opinion of cilantro 5) a food truck 6) & 7) vegetation 8) Kevin the cat 9) weka bird 10) art

We’re finally home! Hopefully all pieces of our bikes also, since TSA opened the boxes and they don’t seem to have re-sealed them. In other news, It is strange to drive on the other side of the road now and we will have to be extra vigilant not to make a mistake. Our plants have flourished under the care of and we will probably have to repot them since they are so exuberantly growing. And it is 47 degrees Fahrenheit here so a nicer transition back than if we were to arrive to freezing temps, ice and snow. Stay tuned for the bike trip photo dump from graham’s phone as we could not transfer them while abroad for unclear reasons, as well as our cultural and language observations which were written on paper by hand so first need to be deciphered. The travel journal came in handy !

We landed in Houston on march 6 at 3 pm after leaving Auckland march 6 at 8 pm and flying for more than 13 hours. A bit mind bending. Today we had the great pleasure of spending time with Graham’s aunt Lynne and uncle Bryant, his late mom’s siblings. Tonight we see the ocean perform and tomorrow we fly back to Portland at 6 am 😲.

Sad selfie for leaving New Zealand. We adored our time here and will definitely return one day.

We splurged our last night in New Zealand and stayed at the luxurious , where we were treated with the utmost care and concern.

Obligatory plane window photos over the Marlborough sounds.

1) Sleepy after staying up too late chatting! also came through with a mostly hand sewn and knitted new-to-me wardrobe (as always). 2) view from the Marlborough airport waiting room. We are again shocked by not having to go through security and are here far too early. Bike boxes were overweight (27 kg each) but fortunately only $20 extra each.

Yesterday we cycled around the Marlborough vineyards and chocolate factory and spent the evening with Sonia at a tapas bar. Much cheese was consumed. True vacation style. Today we break down and box up the bikes and tomorrow we fly to Auckland.

Views from Coppermine trail! We rode up to third house and back and I didn’t fall until we were at a stoplight in town and then slowly tipped over when I couldn’t unclip my right foot. This has been a recurring problem this trip and has mystified Graham.

Fancy airbnb with mint leaf water and peach tree, limes, flowers and grapes. We did not even make it to the coppermine trail today what with organizing logistics of bus travel and bike boxes etc. But also an art walk of Nelson. Coppermine tomorrow and bus to Blenheim the following morning to see Sonia! We were instructed to box up the bikes for bus travel so whether or not it is truly necessary we are going to be prepared. Which meant begging empty boxes at a local bike shop and carrying them through town and yes I had to take a break every few min 💪🏽what of it? Our airbnb is full for tomorrow night so we had to find a motel near the bus stop and we will have to carry the boxes there and also ride our bikes there and this will get interesting… logistics get harder when you’re not actually riding the bike. But 2 days riding on state highway 6 next to logging trucks did not sound fun.