Above and below: hillside scars from the Kaikoura quake
for night to fall, just so I could go to sleep on the
ground seems a bloody silly choice. I push on.
The recent Kaikoura earthquake was much bigger
than most people realise; even after seeing front
page pictures of roads and railways broken and
shoved into the sea, I’m not prepared for the
magnitude of mountain-faces having disappeared.
The road was re-opened just a few days before and
what they have delivered here in the time frame is
extraordinary. I can’t quite believe the extent of the
damage. Entire hills and valleys have dropped out
of sight, necessitating massive infrastructural work.
New bridges, culverts, roads, cantilevers, lintels and
more. It goes on for kilometre after kilometre, and
most of it is rideable at a reasonable pace. Parts
of it were controlled by lights, or manned sections
where the lane was one-way, and newly surfaced,
with continuous assault from still slipping hillsides.
Three things thrilled me about this afternoon’s ride,
the rich early evening sun on the misty blue waters
of Kaikoura’s windy coast was transfixing; the little
stone church, St. Oswald’s, was still standing and
KIWI RIDER 25