Johnny Isaak | Adventure Cyclist
A compendium of adventure cycling chronicles, travel lore, tips, techniques, and tactics for the adventure cycling perplexed.
Waves were washing ashore on my left. Countless stars speckled an inky black sky. The Southern Crux and Milky Way showed brightly. The constellations seemed close enough to touch or maybe scoop a handful from the air. To the north was Ninety-Mile beach cloaked in featureless black. Beyond that was Cape Reinga, my destination for the day and this journey lay on the other side. Signpost to adventure up ahead.
Realizing your dreams and living free is about putting yourself out there. It’s about venturing forth into the wind. Hummingbirds are small, but the can cover vast stretches of open water during their annual migration.
Should I leap and descend into the underworld? Standing on the windswept bluff overlooking the meeting place between the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean, it’s not difficult to see why the Maori consider Cape Reinga such a special place.
Cycling up the North Island’s East Cape has been a highlight of my kiwi adventure. I sacrificed days out of my way to go there, and the detour has been worth it. The riding is remote and off the beaten track. The travel is relatively isolated and secluded.
Farewell to the South Island. Standing on deck at the stern of the ferry, I cast a few fleeting glances to the south as the ship enters Cook Strait steaming toward Wellington. One chapter ends, and another begins.
Inching up the final reaches on the approach to the top of the pass, I knew the end was near. A few more minutes laboring over the pedals and I reached the summit. It was 2:15 pm. Four hours and 1170 meters of climbing on mostly gravel road had put me at the top of Danseys Pass. There was nothing to greet me but the howl of gusts blasting along windswept ridges and heavy blue skies overhead. The elation in knowing a lot of downhill awaited coursed through my veins. The hard climbing for the day was over.
