30 July, 2006

So sorry the blog is so behind. Life is a bit crazy. We have been to Seattle and back, moved into our house, I've been working, etc. But the main reason is we haven't had regular internet access. So this post was started over a month ago and is just now getting up. More to follow.

Here's Bruce making some espresso at his place. I think he would like Seattle alot because he likes coffee alot.

Friends Adam, Sandy, and Shauna at a play we went to a long time ago.

The little harbor town of Lyttleton, which is on the other side of the hills that run along the South border of Christchurch. It's quite a cute little town. We like to visit the little farmers market that happens there every Saturday morning.

Ahh proof positive that my bike is in NZ with me. This tractor looks a bit like the one at Charisa's parents' place. A little old tech and some new tech.

One of the gorgeous little roads that run all over Banks Peninsula.

So this is the first real ride on my bike after finally getting it registered and licensed. There are a couple of "overreaction" laws here regarding imported vehicles, so I had to replace my already new brake lines and brake pads in order to pass compliance. I won't go into it, it's too painful. Anyway, on my first ride I headed over to Akaroa, a cute little town on Banks Peninsula. Lots of little bays and harbors there. So I park the bike on the main street running through town. I purposely put a lot of distance between me and the car in front of me, so the bike doesn't get backed over. Well that didn't work. I walked down and across the street to a shop. I left the shop and was walking back toward the bike, but was about 100 feet away still. And I see the reverse indicators light up on this Isuzu SUV parked in front of me and I had a sinking feeling in my stomach. I saw it start to back up and I just knew the back was toast, but I was too far away to yell or run. So I just watched my bike get backed over and knocked hard to ground. So sad. The lady was very sorry and so was I actually. Fortunately she had insurance and it took care of the damage. My bike was in the shop for four weeks though. So sad. Below is a map of the area. Drag down a bit and Christchurch is at the top and Banks Peninsula is below sticking out to the Southwest. It helps to zoom out one click. That yellow line is the one main road to Akaroa. Lots of curves.




This is Craig. He fashioned a new footpeg out of a piece of pipe so that I could get back home. I think it was the first time a customer had taken his picture. He was quite a brilliant guy. We talked a bit and I found out he has a Masters in Mechanical Engineering. So I was pretty confident in that footpeg.