I am, I think, quite reasonably
apprehensive about dying tomorrow It's 15k / under 10 miles, split
morning. Previously, I had been car into different thirds. If you are
pooling (in the sense that I have smarter than Google Maps, which is
neither car nor license) on my way outdated, rather than bicycling on
to seasonal work; anyway my rusted a motorway the first third is on a
old frame and warped wheels gave closed highway, converted to a
way, and I just indulged in a new sort-of close village of mansions,
bicycle (large 29" MTB, normal the front-portion of each being one
tires). acre of personal socker field,
realistic topiary garden, or the
Previously I've only biked halfway most popular- herds of shiny black
(just 15k total), but it was the miniature ponies, backing onto
nice half. Something I have become homes that are the hotel from The
acutely aware of is that it's Shining.
commonplace in NZ for large
vehicles to simply drive with one The way the district was separated
wheel on the wrong side of shoulder off was that the former highway was
noise-makers. I guess it's quieter blocked at one end and road made
that way. discontinuous at the other, so
there isn't even a question of a
I believe strongly that it must be truck shortcut. Then, the only
possible for people to bike on vehicle traffic entry/exit is a
roads (given that walking them is confusing unidirectional entry
illegal and crossing them followed by exit on a 110kph
impossible); and it's necessary to motorway past the city, and you're
have one of the possible jobs in going to be on the motorway for a
NZ, seasonal fruit picking. Of the while (it's roughly aimed at
wonderful migrant fruit pickers I Auckland, an hour north of
spoke to some are uncarred that Hamilton). BUT the central
basically can't/don't leave their road/former highway has a big 3
Working Holiday Visa shared metre luxury cycle path, which can
dormitory rooms when not picking. be entered from a very
So I would like to convince at out-of-the-way luxury cycle path
least myself whether it is morally through a difficult to reach outer
possible to bicycle to and from riverbank park in the city.
seasonal work, and just in the NZ
countryside generally. There are
lots of wild places I would prefer
to be for the next ROOPHLOCH and
just in general.
It seems more like a parody of
wealth than paragon. Like Edward
Scissorhands, but the smallest
houses are five times the size, and
there are also flocks of miniature
ponies amoungst the topiary. There
are old people and exquisitely
winter-tanned young people
sauntering from visiting their
ponies to the Mary Antoinette
strawberry-picker-inspired rustic
high class cafe and restaurant. I
went there once when the highway
still existed and neighborhood
wasn't obvious yet. It was possible
to book an expensive authentic
strawberry picking experience in
some toy garden rows the cafe
overlooks.
Anyway, this will be the last thing
I will have experienced if a truck
hits me when I take the cycle-path
exit from that neighborhood onto
Airport Road some hours from now.
