Gisborne Getaway Part II: Have Bike Will Travel

With a fervent wave and both arms wide open, Tim greeted us at the driveway. “Welcome!” Tim said.

It was a wonderful feeling to be greeted by our hosts for the next few days. “We finally made it!” I said.

“Come on in.” Tim replied.

As our car was parked in front of Tim’s, I asked if it was ok for us to park our car here.

“You’ll be alright there, don’t think we will be using much of the car.” Tim replied. That was a sign of what was to come for the next few days.

They had a beautiful home made out of logwood. We were given the grand tour and were greeted with a pleasant surprise in our room.

“How cool is this!” Gwyn exclaimed, holding up a piece of invite that welcomed us and displayed the internet code.  “We must do this for our visitors as well”.

Witty welcome

As both Tim and Juliana are ardent cyclists who commute daily by bike, we thought it was a good idea to get them a bicycle bookend that we stumbled across in a shop at Napier.

Sitting pretty above the fireplace

Tim’s passion for bicycles was evident when he showed us his workshop or should I say playground. There was a handful of bikes mounted on the wall and a cabinet with all the necessary tools to dismantle and rebuild a bike. Tim was a techie who could assemble a bike on his own. He is also one of the few talented individuals who could restore scrap and give it new life.

Tim's playground.

"For Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday...?"

The next day, we were lucky enough to try out the range of Tim’s arsenal of bikes. Gwyn went on a Peugeot lady’s bike which offered a very upright riding posture. 

"How classy!"

I decided to have a go and...actually quite enjoyed it

Next along came the single speed and fixed gear bikes. It was my first time riding a single speed and the experience was quite uncertain at first. I wasn’t sure how to handle a bicycle without breaks on the handle bar. It took some time understanding and adjusting to the way single speeds work but once I did, they were a joy to ride.

Getting to know the single speed

"drop bar too low"

"So this is what they call the fixie fixation"

While Tim was the bike techie, Juliana was the master chef in the kitchen. Her BBQ Portuguese chicken was so tasty, we were immediately thinking of recreating it on our own. We were also introduced to a healthy new form of breakfast - rolled oats with nuts soaked in milk overnight and served with cornflakes and yoghurt the next morning. Juliana, you'll be glad to know that we have successfully adopted this breakfast as part of our daily regime.

The following few days would be led in the true ERP spirit of LCSG. Eat, Ride Photo.

Evening at Shark Bay

Foldies ready for action

Great beach at Poverty Bay

Live folding demonstration outside the crafts fair

Beach at Sponge Bay

Lunch platter 

James Cook monument, first European to discover New Zealand

Cruising by the beach

Daily breakfast

Outside the mini rose garden

Former Ladies club house

Extremely windy day at Tologa Bay

We had a blast, all thanks to our wonderful hosts, Tim and Juliana. Already in the pipeline are plans to return later this year. Gisborne, we love you!

For Gisborne Getaway Part I: The Road Trip, click here.