A Hill! UGH!

Mally and I got off to a somewhat early start this morning. We left the hostel before 8 and pedalled away towards Marahau to rescue our bags that we had left behind. The day started off quite grey and ominous - perfect weather for the road ahead. We had been on this route before when we took the bus to Collingwood and knew that a large hill loomed in the distance. We were geared up to tackle it though.

The road started out slightly uphill for about 20km... and then a little more uphill for 5km... and then the real hill began its 10km ascent to 791m. I was glad that I didn't have my pannier bags because I'm not sure that the bikes engines (aka, my tired legs) would have survived with my not-so-granny gears. But without the panniers, we cranked ourselves up the hill. The sun started to peak out part way up (don't worry... I was drinking my water every .5km... no dehydration for me) and then it came fully out by the time we reached the summit... just in time to give us a spectacular view of the surroundings below. We had seen the views just a day earlier, but they are much more rewarding when you have to get up to the top on your own. We stopped at a few lookouts to appreciate our much deserved views and then began to cruise down the hill. The road was quite windy, but the turns were fun... almost like a good ski trail. We reached the bottom and pulled in to a fruit orchard for some treats. We bought some strawberries and kiwis and on our way out the owner brought us a couple of peaches (we must have looked hungry).

I also noticed on the way out that I had lost a running shoe... oh dear... I couldn't possibly go back up the hill to search for it... oh dear. The lady at the orchard saved the day once again by offering to drive us up the hill to search for the shoe. Another example of the kindness we have encountered in NZ. If anyone ever finds themselves in Marahau, make sure to stop by Riverlands Orchard. We found the shoe, but unfortunately some trucks also found the shoe. My insert was broken to pieces, but luckily the shoe is still in tact (phew - I only have one pair).

We then set out for our last hill... the one we raced over yesterday in order to catch the bus. The hill seemed a little harder than last time, but it was nothing compared to what we had just conquered. We finally arrived in Marahau, retrieved our bags, and hopped on a bus back to Nelson (nice time to nap). After a refreshing shower, I found some more real fruit ice cream (ahh!) and am now headed off to find some more food (mmm).