West coast ….day 1 & 2

After I left Nelson I saw myself in a nice road. I was heading west to the west coast. My next stop was Hokitika and I had 4 days ahead and about 350km to ride.

The first day just I cycled about 80km and I found a very nice spot on the side of the road for camping. A very nice place just by the river and some colorful trees around. I was the only one who was camping there. After having a nice night in the morning I face with a wet tent the problem which is happening almost every morning. The tent due to the frost is wet and I have to spend some time to dry it before I move.

After I dried my tent I began to ride again but the rain began. At first it was very light rain but after a while it became a quite heavy and it was very cold. I was very cold and it was really hard to continue but just I was telling my self that just go, just go. After a while I saw a sight board for a small river. The name of the river was small hope. That name made me really fresh and I felt very nice after that. just I knew that I have to find a certain place to stay over night due to it was rainy and I couldn’t dry my tent and I had to keep it dry. After 80km I found a place to camp but I didn’t feel good about that and just I continued riding more 10km and there I found a very nice camp ground on the top of a hill. The camp ground had a hut which was perfect. Just I occupied the hut and there was also some campervan around.

After a while I saw another guy looking for a place to stay, I offered him the hut to share but he was happy to stay on his tent. I told him it would be rainy at night and it is better to use of the hut but however he pitched his tent outside. I was cooking some sausages for dinner that another guy came to chat. Moses from Germany who was traveling alone on a campervan and we had plenty of things to tell. After a while Eden the other guy joint us and we were chatting till 11pm.

We fixed an appointment for the following morning to have breakfast together and that was the time to sleep and save some energy for the next day.

On the next day after having a feast for breakfast I left there when there was light rain by the hope of having a nice day and it was.

I had a very nice day and a very beautiful road ahead. It is hard to explain the beauty of that area. The road was moving through the mountains and forests by the river. A big river that was getting bigger and bigger with many small streams reaching the river by hope of going to the ocean and connecting to the endless of calmness.

For many times I just stopped to snap some pictures and enjoy the paradise. It was amazing, unbelievably beautiful. I didn’t have much to cycle due to I had a point to go which was Seal colony near the west port. There is a spot that has many Seals living there and a nice spot for visitors to watch the Seals in the wild. I arrived there about evening, sun was sinking to the ocean on the end and the orange color of the sunset was shining the waves which was hitting the boulder near the beach on the ocean. There was secret on the light, on the life and on the ocean and all the lines were ending to the lighting point on the distance, to the sun. for more than hour just I was gazing to the sun and waves, to the water and the Seals. It was about darkness. There was a campground just before the place and I had to go back for about 1km. but I was not going to leave the secrets. I couldn’t leave there. I know I was not suppose to stay and camp there but I couldn’t leave there. Just when it was completely dark I pitched my tent and squeezed to my little house to listen to the waves to hear the secrets. At night I came out of the tent, rain was stopped and the sky was full of stars. On the end of the sky stars was jumping to the ocean and another astonishing scenery. The rain began to fellow at middle of night. In the following morning I spent about 2 hours to dry my tent and just I left there about 11.

On the forth day I began to cycle in a very nice weather but it was just for a short time and after a while rain began and again everything were wet. I had about 60km to Pancake rocks which is a nice spot to visit in west coast. I was going to cycle there to visit but after 50km cycling under rain I found that I can not continue. The rain was very heavy and I was cold. However I couldn’t visit the Pancake rocks in that time due to I couldn’t take any picture so I decide to stay somewhere near there and continue on the following day. I needed a roof to camp and about km of 52 I found a roof. I jumped off my bicycle and ringed the bell. I asked the owner to stay under roof and he kindly accepted that. I was so happy that I have a roof for night and I didn’t care about the rain. Again heavy rain and I thought I am safe but I was wrong due to the water came under the tent and I had my worth night. Everything was wet and water came inside of my tent. I had a very difficult time to keep my stuff dry but I couldn’t.

20 May 2008

ساحل غربي … روز اول و دوم

بعد از اينكه نلسون رو ترك كردم ديدم كه وارد يك جاده زيبا شده ام. داشتم از غرب به سمت ساحل غربي حركت مي كردم. مقصد بعديم هوكي تيكا بود و 4 روز تا اونجا فاصله داشتم و بايد 350 كيلومتر ركاب مي زدم.

روز اول نزديك 80 كيلومتر ركاب زدم و بعد نقطه خيلي زيبايي كنار جاده براي چادر زدن پيدا كردم. يك جاي خيلي قشنگ كنار رودخونه و چندين درخت رنگارنگ. بعد از گذروندن يك شب دلپذير٬ هنگام صبح با چادر خيس رو به رو شدم كه مسئله ايه كه تقريبا هر روز صبح اتفاق مي افته. چادر به خاطر مه خيس مي شه و من بايد قبل از اينكه راه بيافتم مقداري از وقتم رو براي خشك كردنش بگذارم. بعد از اينكه چادرم رو خشك كردم دوباره شروع كردم به ركاب زدن اما بارون گرفت. اولش نم نم بود ولي بعد از لحظاتي كاملا شديد شد و هوا هم خيلي سرد بود. من واقعا سردم شده بود و سخت بود كه ادامه بدم ولي به خودم مي گفتم فقط برو٬ فقط برو. بعد از لحظه اي تابلوي رودخونه كوچكي رو ديدم. اسم رودخونه اميد كوچك بود. اون اسم واقعا منو شاداب كرد و بعد از اون احساس خيلي خوبي پيدا كردم. مي دونستم كه بايد جاي مشخصي رو براي پشت سر گذاشتن شب پيدا كنم چون هوا باروني بود و نتونسته بودم چادرم رو خشك كنم و  بايد خشك نگهش مي داشتم. بعد از 80 كيلومتر جايي براي چادر زدن پيدا كردم اما احساس خوبي نسبت به اونجا نداشتم و به ركاب  زدنم ادامه دادم تا اينكه 10 كيلومتر ديگه رفتم و اونوقت زمين كمپ بسيار زيبايي بالاي يك تپه پيدا كردم. اونجا كلبه اي وجود داشت كه عالي بود. من توي كلبه ساكن شدم اون اطراف چند تا ون هم براي مسافرين وجود داشت. بعد از لحظاتي فرد ديگه اي رو ديدم كه دنبال جايي براي توقف مي گشت٬ بهش گفتم كه مشتركا از كلبه استفاده كنيم ولي او دوست داشت توي چادرش بمونه. من گفتم ممكنه طي شب بارون بباره و بهتره از كلبه استفاده كنه اما به هر حال او بيرون چادر زد. داشتم مقداري سوسيس براي شام تهيه مي كردم كه فرد ديگه اي اومد تا با هم گپ بزنيم. موزس[i][1] از آلمان كه تنها با يك ون سفر مي كرد ما كلي چيز براي گفتن به هم داشتيم. بعد از مدتي٬ فرد ديگري به نام ادن به ما پيوست و همگي تا 11 شب مشغول صحبت بوديم. قرار گذاشتيم صبح روز بعد صبحانه رو با هم بخوريم و اينجا بود كه وقت خواب فرا رسيد تا مقداري از انرژيمون رو براي روز بعد نگه داريم.

فردا صبح بعد از مراسم صبحانه در حالي كه بارون نم نم مي باريد به اميد داشتن يك روز خوب به راه افتادم و همين طورهم شد. روز دلپذيري رو داشتم و يك جاده زيبا پيش روم بود. سخته كه زيبايي اون منطقه رو توضيح بدم. جاده در كنار رودخونه از ميان كوهها و جنگل ها مي گذشت. رودخونه بزرگي كه با بهم پيوستن رودهاي كوچك به اميد رسيدن به اقيانوس و وصل شدن به آرامش بي انتها بزرگ و بزرگتر مي شد.

خيلي وقت ها مي ايستادم تا از اين بهشت عكس بگيرم و لذت ببرم. اونجا به طرز غير قابل باور و مبهوت كننده اي زيبا بود. من به محل اجتماع فوك هاي دريايي در بندر غربي مي رفتم و به همين دليل مسير زيادي براي ركاب زدن باقي نمونده بود. اونجا محلي هستش كه فوك هاي زيادي زندگي مي كنند و جاي جالبي براي بازديد كنندگانه تا فوك ها رو درمحيط زندگي خودشون تماشا كنند. من  نزديك عصر به اونجا رسيدم٬ خورشيد در انتهاي اقيانوس در حال فرو رفتن در آب بود و رنگ نارنجي غروب امواجي كه به تخته سنگهاي نزديك ساحل مي خوردند رو درخشان كرده بود. اونجا رازي در نور٬ زندگي و اقيانوس وجود داشت و همه خطوط به يك نقطه نوراني در دور دست منتهي مي شدند٬ به خورشيد. بيشتر از يك ساعت بود كه به خورشيد و امواج خيره شده بودم٬ به آب و به فوك ها. كم كم داشت تاريك مي شد. زمين كمپي در نزديكي اونجا بود و من بايد حدود يك كيلومتر به عقب برمي گشتم. اما من نمي خواستم اون فضاي پر رمز و راز رو ترك كنم.  نمي تونستم اونجا رو ترك كنم. مي دونستم كه نبايد اونجا بمونم و كمپ بزنم ولي نمي تونستم برم. وقتي كاملا تاريك شد چادرم رو بر پا كردم و چپيدم تو خونه كوچكم تا به آواي موجها گوش بدم و اسرار رو بشنوم. شب هنگام از چادرم بيرون اومدم ٬ بارون بند اومده بود و آسمون پر از ستاره بود. ستاره ها در انتهاي آسمون توي اقيانوس مي پريدند و منظره حيرت انگيز ديگه اي رو درست مي كردند. نيمه هاي شب بارون دوباره شروع به باريدن كرد. صبح روز بعد 2 ساعت وقت صرف خشك كردن چادرم كردم و ساعت 11 راه افتادم.

روز چهارم شروع كردم به ركاب زدن در يك هواي عالي اما اين مدت خيلي كوتاهي طول كشيد و دوباره بارون شروع شد و باز هم همه چيز رو خيس كرد. حدود 60 كيلومتر تا صخره هاي پنكيك مونده بود كه جاي بسيار زيباييه در ساحل غربي. داشتم به اون سمت ركاب مي زدم تا اونجا رو ببينم اما بعد از 50 كيلومتر متوجه شدم كه ديگه نمي تونم ادامه بدم. بارون خيلي شديد بود و من هم سردم شده بود. به هر حال نمي تونستم صخره هاي پنكيك رو اون موقع ببينم چون نمي شد هيچ عكسي بگيرم پس تصميم گرفتم يه جايي همون اطراف بمونم و روز بعد مسيرم رو ادامه بدم. سقفي لازم داشتم تا زيرش چادر بزنم و حدود كيلومتر 52 بود كه يكي پيدا كردم. از دوچرخه ام پايين پريدم و زنگ زدم. از مالك خواستم اونجا بمونم و او با مهربوني پذيرفت. خيلي خوشحال بودم كه سقفي براي موندن طي شب دارم و نگران بارون نبودم. بارون شديد بود و من فكر مي كردم جام امنه ولي اشتباه مي كردم چون زير چادر آب جمع شد و شب بدي رو گذروندم. همه چيز خيس شده بود و آب توي چادرم اومده بود. لحظات سختي رو گذروندم تا وسايلم رو خشك نگه دارم اما نتونستم.