I have to have a bit of a rave about my new e-bike. I ride
along with a big grin on. It’s so much fun. It has a small electric motor,
which assists my pedal power and takes most of the hard slog away.
In this photo, we are admiring the black sanded beach.
It is volcanic iron sand. Close up the silicone grains catch the sun and glitter like stars
in a dark night sky. Oh but on a sunny day it is so hot you get blisters
even if you sprint from the grass to the sea. Shoes are essential. This is the
west coast of New Zealand, just north of the Waikato river mouth. At the
Waikato mouth, New Zealand Steel gathers up the sand, extracts the iron with
magnets and turns it to steel. However, we
must respect the rugged beauty of the hills and shore. Rips regularly take
lives and swimming between the flags is essential.
The bike ride there takes us through
undulating farmland, old sand dunes now grazed by sheep and cows, liberally
dotted with trees and the odd patch of bush. It reminds me of Hobbiton, which
in the guise of Matamata, is only about 150km away. I am so lucky to live here.
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