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<\/a><\/p>\nNote: this was written for the dates Feb. 1st to 6th … reliable internet has been a bit of a bother to find (I’m using grocery store Wi-Fi right now).<\/p>\n Over the course of the two nights we stayed in Greymouth, the storm that we endured turned out to be quite damaging for the South Island. Thursday\u2019s high winds blew down thousands of trees and the storm surges and heavy rainfall washed out several parts of Highway 6, our planned route, on the coast. (cyclone \u201cFehi\u201d). C\u00e9dric, Matt -a fellow cyclist, and I, feeling rather intrepid (and cooped up in the hostel) ventured out into Greymouth Thursday midday to see the ocean in action (although once we walked out into the category 1 winds, I kept muttering about how we were going to be impaled by flying sign posts). On the coast, nearly the entire beach was swallowed by the king tides.<\/p>\n Friday, we awoke to heavy downpours and had to wait in the hostel living room for the storm to finally pass. As we bided our time, C\u00e9dric and I started scrolling through New Zealand news sites, the cyclone\u2019s aftermath appeared more serious than we anticipated \u2013 tourists were trapped in cities on our route and mudslides destroyed sections of the highway. Our plans to continue the West Coast Wilderness Trail southwards were becoming bleaker the more we heard about the current situation. As the storm cleared, and discussion with other cyclists at the hostel, we decided that we were going to forego the Wilderness Trail, as it seemed that the chance of coming across fallen trees was more than likely.<\/p>\n Instead, we decided to bike a short flat 40 kms to the next city, Hokitika. Being a little restless after two days locked indoors and annoyed at a heavy traffic of people probably feeling the same, Cedric decided to do the 40km non-stop as a time-trial. Cassie asked in Hokitika if we had headwind or tailwind, as it felt easy and pretty fast (we had continuous headwind\u2026). After we arrived at our host\u2019s house (thanks Kevin!), C\u00e9dric and I inspected the city and the storm\u2019s damages. Apart from a few damaged sheds, it seemed (to us at least) as though the city was already on the mend and the streets were no longer flooded. That night after sunset, C\u00e9dric and I checked out the glow worm dell near the city.<\/p>\n The next morning, after hearing about the continued road closures and trapped tourists south of us, C\u00e9dric and I decided to push south anyway, figuring that the fallen trees and washed out roads were a minor disruption for cyclists, as we are more maneuverable than cars and trucks. Since it seemed that the closed-off towns might have food shortages for a few days to come, we loaded up the rig with seven days\u2019 worth of food supplies in Hokitika and set off down south in sunny weather.<\/p>\n In spots along the road, we could see spots where trees had fallen and the earth had given way. Our night was spent at a campsite in Harihari, at a near-empty, Shining-esque hotel (seriously, I heard kids laughing and running around although none were to be seen the entire time we were there). A good night\u2019s rest seemed promising, as the hotel was eerily deserted, but we were woken up by some meth-heads (and patrons of the campsite) partying at 3am. After C\u00e9dric asked them to be quiet, their response was that only the manager could tell them to shut up and proceeded to turn up the music in spite. Alas, since we were camping on the lawn of the creepiest and emptiest hotel known to this side of the West Coast, no manager could be found. So, as our neighbors were sleeping off their high the next morning, revenge was served hot and steamy on the door of their truck, thanks to C\u00e9dric. (for clarity for our international readers, we\u2019re talking about a digestive by-product). (We know that these people were drug abusers because they were screaming about \u201cP,\u201d which is slang for meth in New Zealand \u2013 meth is also a big issue in the country).<\/p>\n Our Sunday ride started a bit early for two reasons: 1. To avoid being caught as shit-smearers and 2. To avoid as much rain as possible. Out of the 60km to Franz Josef, we managed only half was without a rain poncho and arrived, damp, at 1:30 pm at our hostel. After a quick lunch, C\u00e9dric and I set off on a Tour de Franz Josef Glacier, but found it a little lack luster due to low-hanging clouds and a washed-out trail. We could only see a sliver of the glacier from 2 km away\u2026 let\u2019s just say that the glacial views in Patagonia were much better.<\/p>\n The next day, we set off in more rain to see if there was anything worth seeing at the Fox Glacier. The start of our journey was challenging, as three long ascents were between both towns. The sun greeted us for a small bit of time as we arrived at the Fox Glacier town \u2013 enough to enjoy a coffee. As the weather changed to rain again, C\u00e9dric and I hopped on the bicycle and made our way to the Fox Glacier viewpoint, but found the road closed due to flooding and fallen trees. Our plan B became riding down \u201cGlacier View Road\u201d in what soon became a downpour. After our soggy lunch, we were able to see a small section just below the rain clouds. Although we couldn\u2019t see much of either glacier, I found the ferny forests more impressive. Our day ended at a motel in the middle of nowhere, where C\u00e9dric and I were keen to use the room\u2019s heater and hot shower.<\/p>\n Today, C\u00e9dric and I continued riding southward along the West Coast and were able to experience everything this area has to offer: ocean, mountain, and lakes. With the sheer lack of inhabitants here, everything looked untouched. I particularly liked cycling through the forests, as they are some of the last vestiges of the flora that existed in Gondwana- you can almost imagine dinosaurs emerging from the ferny, moss-filled rainforests.<\/p>\n Tomorrow, we will be cycling up the Haast pass and leaving the West Coast behind.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n