Well I still wasn’t feeling 100% despite the day off, but I looked at the map and figured I could get about half way to Motueka then camp somewhere. Following the river was going to be easy! And so it proved to be, the day was almost entirely downhill and with a stiff tail wind, the ride could only be described as ‘a bit of a breeze!’ I was soon whizzing along at breakneck speeds, eating up the kilometres with hardly any effort at all.
It wasn’t long however, before my rhythm was interrupted by the sound of a police siren close behind… very close behind…. gosh had I really been going that fast? I’m sure there was a 100kmh limit on this stretch? It turns out I was being pulled over, not for speeding, but for failing to display my helmet in a correct manner. Yes apparently the cycle helmet has to be displayed on top of the head, not the back of the bicycle rack, it’s the law! I was also reliably informed by the very nice officer that failure to comply with this ‘helmet display law’ can result in a fine of $55. Cunningly I used the old ‘ I’m only here on holiday’ ruse, and any talk of fines was soon forgotten in favour of a detailed inquiry of the nature of my bike trip and how did I like the country…? blah blah blah!
It wasn’t long however, before my rhythm was interrupted by the sound of a police siren close behind… very close behind…. gosh had I really been going that fast? I’m sure there was a 100kmh limit on this stretch? It turns out I was being pulled over, not for speeding, but for failing to display my helmet in a correct manner. Yes apparently the cycle helmet has to be displayed on top of the head, not the back of the bicycle rack, it’s the law! I was also reliably informed by the very nice officer that failure to comply with this ‘helmet display law’ can result in a fine of $55. Cunningly I used the old ‘ I’m only here on holiday’ ruse, and any talk of fines was soon forgotten in favour of a detailed inquiry of the nature of my bike trip and how did I like the country…? blah blah blah!
New helmet display device in operation.
So without much effort at all I found myself cruising into downtown Motuake. I was last here 18 years ago when it was dubbed the ‘murder capital’ of New Zealand. This is one of the major fruit growing regions in New Zealand, so itinerant fruit pickers gather here during the harvesting season and I guess the hard drinking culture and their natural exuberance must have got out of hand that year resulting in two murders. There’s still a bit of a hushed excitement about the place. I checked into The White Elephant hostel, where I stayed last time, it seemed to have grown bigger and busier, much like the town.
The White Elephant backpackers hostel
No comments:
Post a Comment