Day 27

A 730 start time had been decreed, so I was up early to get breakfasted and packed. Somehow this process has slowed down rather than speeded up over the course of the Tour. I shared some strong coffee with Col and Kieran (at no point have I regretted bringing the Jetboil and its coffee plunger attachment!) and we gathered outside the hotel in the misty dawn.

Andrew joined our trio train today and we travelled along very close to the prescribed cycle trail. Tarmac felt so much better than those silly stones. The fog meant you couldn’t see far ahead, which was probably a good thing given the boring flat plains with extremely straight roads.

Gerard and Col set cracking paces driving the train, which Andrew and I did our best to emulate. We averaged nearly 30kph the first two hours riding – it was net downhill and a very slight tail wind. The cold air meant I was wearing jacket and leg warmers again. The forecast morning rain thankfully did not eventuate!

We reached an intersection where we could deviate from the route for coffee – the vote was unanimous! Centre Bush had good coffee, excellent bacon and egg butties, and chocolate-coated liquorice, which mingled happily on my tummy.

Our pace increased after the refuelling, and we powered towards Winton, zooming through without pausing for refreshment. We were generally travelling on roads that paralleled the main highway, so traffic was light. The flatness – and the straightness – continued but the pacelining meant you maintained momentum rather than getting discouraged. I reflected on how different (and how much slower) this experience would have been on my own.

The next food stop was Wallacetown, where the general store had the usual eclectic range of sandwiches, cakes, takeaways and groceries. We sat outside in the sun and caught up with Nick and Vic, and Pete.

After a bit more riding, there were more houses and we realised we were on the outskirts of Invercargill! The route skirted the town and took us through an estuary, along a nice flowing cycle path.

At the end of the path, a stop was called and we assembled some sandwiches. We were slightly ahead of schedule for Gerard’s and Andrew’s welcoming parties but no one really wanted to sit around too long.

The next section of highway to Bluff is very unpopular with TA riders. But (as with the Pahiatua track so long ago), we were fortunate to be doing it on a Saturday, when truck traffic was much reduced. It zoomed by pretty quickly.

I was trying to reflect on the end if the journey but was slightly distracted by wishing I had removed the warmers from my now-too-hot legs and regretting not going to the loo at the last stop. I decided this was probably quite appropriate to the journey overall! It was hard to think about having cycled here from Cape Reinga – too big for my tired brain to take in as a real fact. The secret of TA is taking it one day at a time – and not looking too far ahead – so to comprehend the whole seems a bit unnatural.

We flew through Bluff and then approached Stirling Point. I’d been here many years ago and remembered it as a signpost in a car park. But it’s been significantly improved in the past 25 years! A nice platform and screened area, though a few too many tourists. But they kindly let us monopolise the sign while taking photos.

We adjourned to the restaurant nearby, sitting down with a beer. I felt like I had in Wanaka – joyful and peaceful and thankful. Ready to stop but not regretting any of the time taken. Not necessarily feeling a massive sense of achievement but feeling content and strong.

I might do some more retrospective/reflective blog posts next month, but for now I’m looking forward to a week sleeping, relaxing and being offline! If you want to read an hilarious TA blog, check out Captain Underpants’