Bonus posts part 1

Day 42. The march to Slope Point.

Invercargill to Slope Point

Daily total: 86.655km Running Total: 2298.39km

Left this morning completely unmotivated, dreading the next few days of riding. The sky is gray, the road is a never ending straight of asphalt! I stop at a beach. I manage to sort out places to crash for a few days time. In the distance a faint slither of blue amidst a sea of gray. I continue, passing the 4500km mark. The blue grows. The deeper into the Catlin's I go, the more the road bends and the landscape starts rolling all over the shop. The blue grows, shadows start forming for the first time. I arrive at the campsite, the sun has broken through. Only a few km from Slope Point. I wish I brought a celebratory beer. Turns out the owner of the campsite sells them cheap. The sun is out, I'm at Slope Point. I break the beer out! I have hit the most Southern part of the South Island!!! Other tourists look bemused at the overly happy cyclist in now I'll fitting clothes plying himself with booze! I get back to the campsite in time to skank a lift to go penguin spotting. An activity I had ruled out due to time and money. We sit around d in the cold, waiting, waiting,waiting. Then there's a cheer. A yellow eyed penguin appears and waddles about as comically as they do on the TV. Just pottering about being all penguin like. Its going to be a pretty,pretty cold night tonight, no worries, I have lent a hardcore winter sleeping bag for the night. Sound as! Today has been quality!

Signs...sometimes I try and work out what was going through my head when taking photos...

In the distance, a future goal: Antarctica. A mere 4800km away. 

Success!

What is missing from this photo?

Tourists are known to frequent the coast lines of NZ, with no natural predators their numbers can be overwhelming...

...here two tourists break away from the pack to gain a better vantage point...

Tourists are rewarded by their patience with a visit from a rare Yellow Eyed Penguin. The tourists let out a collective woop to alert other tourists are aware of their discovery of this tiny stranger coming close to their pack...

The Yellow Eyed Penguin goes through its slapstick routine to amuse the tourists whilst deep down hoping that a big wave will come and wash them away...

Day 43. The march from Slope Point.

Slope Point to Owaka

Daily total: 82.99km Running Total: 2381.38km

The winter sleeping bag proved difficult to escape. The warmth. The near on missed sun rise. What I saw of it from the warmth of the sleeping bag was grand. 

This was the colour of everything during the sunrise. I was just too warm in the sleeping bag to get out of the tent to busk in it's full glory.

I really should have got out of the sleeping bag sooner.

Day 44 and 45.

Owaka to Balclutha and out about in Balclutha

Daily total: 84.86km Running Total: 2466.24km

Catching up with peeps from Wellington in this town whose main source of employment lays within the meat industry. The town itself is nondescript but it borders so much beauty. Empty beaches, jutting rocks. 

Day 46. End of the road

Balclutha to Dunedin

Daily total: 98.24km Running Total: 2564.89m Overall: 4797.61

Took the scenic route along the coast, turning off at Waihola, the town of the mixed message.  You pass the the welcome to Waihola sign with the tagline 'Enjoy our lake' which was then followed by a sign that read "No hospital, no doctor, one cemetery".  I was curious to this strange juxtaposition of signage but I have also seen Deliverance.  

Enjoy.

The landscape of NZ threw in its last hand of hills at me and they did not disappoint. The first, a seemingly innocuous hill that proved to be deceptive, time and time again. The zenith always just out of reach. With the amount of climbing, my imagination told me that the views must be great but everything was obscured by a thick layer of fog. Rendering any views useless and well, seeing the other side of the road. A good time to be wearing a gray T-shirt and owing a gray backpack. 

Foggy...ok I can see the other side of the road.

The second, a misread hill on the outskirts of Dunedin, a long straight road on the map, which I read as 'flat' based on my extensive experience of long, straight roads. This wasn't not to be the case. This was the enemy of flat, a big two fingered salute to the very essence of flat. It was like New Zealand knew my journey was drawing to a close and decided to squeeze one last challenge of a hill in. I did not cave.

The last few days still held surprises, everyday was met with scenic moments that induced smiles and joyus repeated use of 'fucking hell'. This country does not let you down. Constantly bombarding the senses, each area trying to outdo the previous. The last few days have been amazing, the desire to keep going but I need to save my energy. The hardest challenge has yet to come...it will push me, it may break me but I am stubborn. I will conquer!