Last week, I took off for a three night stay in New Plymouth, Taranaki, which is another one of my fave New Zealand places. I love to stay at the Belt Road Seaside (Seaside? How 1920's British is that?) Holiday Park. The park is right on the edge of a cliff, facing the sea, and cabins have the most breathtaking views; I had an en suite. I needed that shower after all my biking, swimming, walking.
Every day for three days I went swimming at the beach down the road, about a 15 minute walk away. On day two, I hired a bike from the Park and did the coastal walkway (I walked it on day three). The coastal walkway runs right beside the Park and is great for anyone: walkers, cyclists, scooters, mobility scooters (senors can hire them free from the i-site office nearby), skaters, and wheelchairs. I adored seeing all the different ways folk got along on the walkway.
The woman hiring me the bike lowered the seat for me.
"I don't think this is working," I said. The last time I'd hired a bike, I could only get on and off by balancing myself beside a fence. So, the woman lowered the seat again for me, down to its lowest setting. It was still hard to balance but I could - puff, pant, puff, wobble-wobble - just reach the seat without the bike crashing down to the ground.
By the end of the day, I had a real sore bottom! Getting on and off the bike had been a challenge. I had to do it so often ... whenever I crossed a part of the railway track or stopped to let people pass, or saw a big hill in front of me (or what I classed as a big hill. Other people would no doubt call it a slight rise). I wobbled and puffed continuously.
below: part of the view from the deck of my cabin.
The en suite cabin
A view in another direction.
