After a rest day in quiet Oamaru, Del was keen to cover some ground today - in fact 114kms of it - and by 4.00pm, in spite of steady rain, he'd tackled Dunedin's hills and had settled into a motel unit in the city. At that stage he hadn't had opportunity to see or hear much of the reports of the earthquake in Christchurch. Nevertheless the convoys of police cars and ambulances passing him on the highway heading north indicated the seriousness of its aftermath.
Unbeknown to Del, our daughter, Julie, and I plan to meet him in Invercargill. Julie flew down today and I'll follow tomorrow. We'll organise a motel unit, make arrangements to get his bike and trailer back to Orewa and book his flight home. Most important of all, we'll be there at Bluff to greet him at the finish. All going well, this will possibly be on Sunday 27th February! Can't wait!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Our thoughts are with Christchurch today!
What a terrible disaster! Thank heaven that Del had pedalled ahead of schedule and had reached Oamaru, 240kms south of the earthquake's epicentre. The weather was atrocious today with heavy rain and strong winds. Early in the day Del had decided to stay put rather than risk cycling in such poor conditions. He felt the quake soon after midday and its aftershocks but luckily he was safe and there was no damage in his area. Hopefully, if the weather has improved, he'll head for Dunedin tomorrow. Thank you to all those folk who enquired after his safety. We'll all be relieved when he's home safe and well.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Flat out!
Speaking of "flat", Del's dodged an endless number of squashed little bodies lying across his tracks - possums, rabbits, hedgehogs, stoats, pukekos, seagulls, cats, dogs - you name it - he's dodged it!
The innumerable white crosses on the roadside are also a sobering reminder of others that didn't manage to make it home!
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