It is a fourteen hour flight from Los Angles to Christchurch and Air New Zealand has wonderful planes and staff. On Tuesday, March 8th, our tour guide drove all eleven cyclists to a park where we would learn the features of our bikes. My bike was hybrid with eighteen gears and large knobby tires. During my first ride, the chain broke, which allowed me the opportunity to walk my bike for a mile. I would learn latter that walking your bike is not uncommon in New Zealand. Our group consisted of eleven adventurous souls who were from the USA or Canada. The youngest was 51 and oldest was 75. It is very humbling to have a 75 year old cycle past you on a six percent climb as you were walking your bike. Several members of the group cycled between fifty and seventy-fives each day. I average between twenty and thirty miles a day. On the last day of trip, I spent six hours either cycling or walking up undulations. The hours that I spent at the YMCA taking spin classes were helpful; however, riding on gravel is challenging and was a confidence building experience. We rode by creeks, streams, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, and the Tasman Sea. Many days, I would see white specks on the mountains, which turned out to be sheep. It was not uncommon to stop riding due to cows crossing the road. The tour guide would constantly remind us to “stay too left of the left of the leftâ€. My bike had in large type “keep left†on the handle bars. The food was excellent and I sampled several pints. My recommendations are: as much lamb as you can find and Speight’s Summit. One of my favorite days was taking a boat ride in Milford Sound, which Rudyard Kipling called the Eighth Wonder of the World. Another great day was riding on the Central Otago Rail Trail. On that ride there was a thirty knot wind pushing us down the gravel path. Alice and I are now starting to dream about our next bike adventure.

| January 1970