Biking & Photography

Just can't imagine time wait for no man! My last posting was in April. Am I losing interest in blogging? Or something else ? Actually I have collected and compiled some photos and information on biking, ready to be processed and published. But then with all the unplanned events cripping into your daily routines unexpectedly,biking (luckily just the blogging aspect) was put into the back burner.

Fortunatelly biking itself still continue till the onset of cold and wet winter during June. After nearly a month of staying indoor during July, we started to get back on the cycleway again. Nothing can beat the fresh air and freedom , especially crusing at nearly 40km/hour going downhill. What a feeling!

 In between I have been indulging in another hobby, venturing into the wonderful world of photography. After picking up a decent DSLR during the After-Boxing-Day sales, I have been working overtime to keep up with the Joneses. In between reading, learing and practising, I have also added a  new lens, close-up lens, filters and books into the stock. It is indeed very fortunate, at this digital age, that the prices of most SLR are quite affordable. The process of learning has been made easier without the use of films. There is no ending to what you want to spend on lenses, gadgets, books etc but I suppose we have to learn when enough is enough. As Harold Davis stated in his book :" Cameras don't take photos, people do." However we still should have the basic equipment in order to carry out the tasks satisfactorily.


Below are some of the shots taken over the last few months. More photos are on www.flickr.com/hohoho_2010

Western Springs Tram  Station

Veil Belly Dancers

Waterfront Pakuranga

Puddle

Red Flower

Arts Centre

Oriental Lily

Morning Dew

The Born Cyclist

An interesting cycling article by Kyle Damon. Next change is 'The Born Cyclist II' .  So watch the space.

I have not watched the movie but there were controversies surrounding the 1995 Rugby World Cup Final between South Africa and NZ.

KT

Matt Damon

The Born Cyclist

Before filming the holiday blockbuster Invictus, Matt Damon went on a nice, long ride with his lesser-known little brother and avid cyclist, Kyle.

ByKyle Damon

When my little brother, Matt, finally asked me to join him for a bike ride, I was ecstatic.

I love cycling—I ride 100 to 300 miles a week—and had been trying to get him into the sport for 10 years. When Matt would call me to do something like show off a new accent he had mastered for a movie, I would be equally ready to boast that I was holding a water bottle and watching CNN while riding rollers. But I'd never convinced him to get on a road bike, even once.

Then Matt was in Cape Town, South Africa, about to begin filming Invictus, in which he plays the role of South African rugby captain Francois Pienaar. The shoot was scheduled to start the day after the annual Cape Argus Tour, the world's largest timed one-day cycling event, and Matt decided he wanted to ride it as a benefit for Pienaar's Make a Difference Foundation (MAD), a children's charity. He'd rented a tandem for us, he told me, and was counting on me to pilot him safely through the nearly 30,000 cyclists who do the 109-kilometer route.

Though I'd never captained a tandem, my instincts told me they resemble road bikes the way U-Hauls resemble sports cars. But I immediately said I'd do it. I'd waited a long time to show Matt why I love cycling so much.

On race morning we awoke to the noise of wind howling around the hotel and rattling its windows. In the room, as Matt practiced clipping in and out of the pedals, I did what I could to prepare him for what we were about to face. This proved to be akin to instructing someone how to swim just before capsizing the canoe. As we put on our MAD kits, I had to convince him that I was not joking about the purpose of chamois cream and that cyclists don't wear underwear beneath their shorts.

The front of our hotel was blocking the 45-mph gusts, so it wasn't until we rounded the corner, awkwardly soft-pedaling, that it became clear we should reassess the situation. People could barely stand up in the gale, let alone ride a bike. As we rolled to the start line, we could just make out each other's relentless swearing over the sound of the wind. Dave Bellairs, the race director, came to greet us.

"I don't know, Kyle," he yelled into the wind. "We've had half drop out so far! I've never seen it this bad in its 30-year history. Your call!"

With Dave and Matt staring at me, waiting for words of wisdom, I spoke eloquently: "Lemme go pee, and think about it." A Porta-Potty blew down the street in front of us, toppling end over end. Dave ushered me to the VIP version, which was anchored with cinder blocks.

But I was not visited by any profound revelations by the time I stumbled like a spandex-clad Buster Keaton back through the wind to Matt. "Bad news," I said, grabbing the top tube of our stretch-limo bike. "I can pilot this thing and guarantee that we survive. But with respect to collarbones and road rash, we're rolling the dice."
Matt looked down. He had to be at the film set the next day (where-as I had important plans to ride the course backward on my road bike).

The film's producers were already terrified he would get hurt—and that was before our tenuous situation as tandem first-timers was compounded by the high winds. Matt is smart enough to know that the producers weren't being paranoid, that hundreds of people were counting on him to be in top form the following morning. But he is also athletic, competitive and confident in his physical ability: When he was five, I watched him tie a towel-cape around his neck, climb to the top of a jungle gym, and—before I could stop him—launch himself off the top, believing that he could fly.

Despite the cape, he'd broken his ankle.

"Let's do it," he said.

The starting gun was barely audible with the clamor of upended staging, flapping banners and tumbling debris. Of the 73 start groups, only two completed the first hundred meters without a crash. We snuck through, remaining upright. A few kilometers in, we hit a 4 percent climb. Figuring all four of our legs were now loose, I told Matt to put down some watts, then heard a loud snap.

"What just happened?" I heard from the backseat.

"You might be a cyclist after all," I said. "We just broke a chain."

A couple high-fives later, in celebration of our power, we dismounted to wait by the side of the road for the official support team.

Some passing cyclists yelled, "Jason Bourne wouldn't quit!"

Soon, a mechanic on a motorcycle appeared with a chain-break tool. He repaired the link, gave us an Afrikaans pep talk and cruised off. We started again, grinding away into a wall of wind.

By the time we reached the next climb, our front derailleur was failing, and we were stuck in the big chainring. Pedaling uphill was like doing sets on a leg press, and our brief attempts at synchronized standing were thwarted instantly by the wind. Once again, our mechanic friend skidded up to us, but this time his contribution was far less helpful: "Looks like you're stuck in the big ring," he observed.

"What does that mean?" my rattled stoker asked.

"It means the wind is no longer our primary concern," I said. "And we now have something in common with the dude in the upside-down Porta-Potty."

The next couple of hours were grueling. Our cadence averaged below 80 rpm, and we couldn't stand, even just to bring blood back to our most sensitive areas. As captain, I couldn't take a drink or the bike would get away from me in the unpredictable gusts. Sweat dripped from my face, turning my bike shorts into a Jackson Pollock of perspiration. My first and only attempt to glance sideways to appreciate the scenery and loosen my neck coincided with the rider in front of us being blown off the road—past our front wheel.
Matt yelled as I dodged the wreckage and returned promptly to my one viable body position. Otherwise, he'd been quiet. I knew that was a sign of trouble. I suggested a nature break, which revealed that he could barely walk. His rear was, in his own words, "swollen in the shape of a bike seat."

"Are you sure we're not supposed to be wearing underwear?" he asked.

Support vehicles pulled over to check on us, including one filled with movie producers. One of them rolled down the window and shouted, "This is ridiculous—hop in the car." Another said, "We'll do a press release describing your mechanical issues and the wind, and no one will fault you for stopping."

"No way," said Matt. "We're gonna finish this thing."

We threw our stiff legs back over the now-familiar one-and-a-half-meter top tube.

The gusts were strongest in the valleys. Near the bottom of a long descent, I yelled to Matt to brace himself. We were approaching the coast—and a torrential sandstorm. Our legs and arms stung from the merciless pelting, as the grit penetrated our skin and filled our ears.

As we leaned the bike into the grain-filled squalls, Matt screamed, "I really like cycling!"

I laughed. The bike shook.

The remaining climbs were too steep for the big ring, so we resorted to stopping at the base of each one so I could manually move the chain to the small ring. Then we'd embark on the inelegant process of mounting a tandem pointed uphill in high winds. Each stop was further complicated by requests from well-meaning fans who emerged from the storm wanting autographs. Matt was reaching for Sharpies when he needed calories.

The last hour featured two 7-kilometer climbs that squeezed the little remaining strength from our legs. I was wiped out, and I knew the sport. I couldn't imagine what Matt's legs—and butt—must have felt like. Even so, when we limped across the finish line, he was smiling.

I don't know if he'll ever be a cyclist the way I am, but he'd seen the dark side of the sport and never quit, even when the red carpet to a gracious exit was rolled out for him. Every rider who finished that day deserves credit, but not everyone was subjected to a stream of invitations to stop and enjoy a luxury-car ride, a gourmet sandwich and a published excuse. Yes, the conditions were horrible, which made the ride sublime. Such experiences cannot be planned or manufactured, and I think that's what draws many of us to them. In all his films and travel, Matt had never done anything like this. The next morning he hobbled off to work with the Cape Times under his arm. The headline, in bold type, read "Toughest Cycle Tour Ever."

"Thank God we're not shooting an action scene today," he said.

"Pretty cool," I said, "for a hairy-legged actor."

Kyle Damon is a Massachusetts-based painter, sculptor and five-time Ironman triathlete. When not riding a tandem, he races with Team Psycho and works with his brother advocating for Water.org. Matt's movie Invictus opens December 11. He has promised Kyle a second ride.

Great Barrier Island Trip

Family weekend trip to Great Barrier Island

Date : 17 Dec to 19 Dec 2010

No sure it was the right choice to go to Great Barrier Island (GBI) but was always in the back of my mind that we should do a trip there. The locals call it Barrier.

Gaik has been there a few years ago during her company’s Xmas outing. So it is only fair that the 3 of us should pay a visit to GBI too. So off we went.

After embracing new tech and have it embedded in our brain, or for that matter the two youngsters were born into the world of internet, not sure how the four of us would survive without internet and mobile phone for the next three days. Frightening thought!

I laid down the rule that we don’t take our laptops but mobile phone is alright. It turned out that mobile phone was almost useless too as the coverage area at GBI was less that 5%. 3 days could sound like 3 years or 3 hours there! Who knows ? Unknown is exciting, frightening as well as challenging too. Good for the brain and ‘young body’.

Auckland Domestic Airport

Plane

Early to bed and early to rise in order to catch the 7.45 am flight from Auckland domestic airport.

Our pilot and plane (Behind)

Instrument Panel

It was a 9 passenger seats twin engine Britten Norman Islander. A really small plane with two huge propellers generating high decibel of noise which rendered the use of ear muffler a must.

At 145 knots / hour, it took about 40 minutes to get from Auckland to GBI, which is located 90+ km NE of Auckland.

Taking off was very smooth. The plane was flying at low altitude and that gave us very good view of the landscape below. No turbulent, no waitering, just sitting tight and enjoyed the scenery. 

GBI Coastline

Waiheke Island

 

 

 

 

When approaching Claris airport on GBI, I saw the plane was heading towards the grass area beside the tarmac runway. I thought, “Oh no we are going to miss the landing.” 

View of tarmac runway

No sweat. The landing on the grass strip was flawless. No sound, no bound, just very soft and gentle touchdown. High fives to the young pilot!

We booked our accommodation at Mt St Paul’s Lodge Medlands which is about 15 min drive from the airport.

Day 1

The weather was good, quite sunny and not much rain. We drove to Port Fitzroy, about 40 km from Medlands. The whole journey was mostly sealed road but quite winding. We started our walk from DOC (Dept of Conservation) office. The short walk on Warrens’ track took about an hour, crossing stream, climbing steps, negotiating narrow and steep tracks. It is supposed to be one of the easy walking tracks but for the city folks it is tough. There are orange markers on the track to guide you. 

Warren's Track

Track Marker

After the walk cold refreshment is a must – ice cream and large cold bottled water from the local dairy. On the way back to our Lodge, we turned into Mabey Road and heading to Whangapoua Beach. Our lucky day, I guess, where we saw rare Brown Teals swimming on the beach. There were also NZ Dotterel and Oyster catchers there too. Triple bonuses indeed.

Brown Teal

Day 2

The weather was not very kind at all. May be we should have a rest day ? It was raining overnight but fortunately it turned to drizzle in late morning.

So we decided pack and drive along Whangaparapara Road to Whangaparapara Harbour and have lunch at Great Barrier Lodge. The Whaling Station was situated on the other side of the harbour and across GB Lodge.

After lunch we did short walk on Tramline track to Kauri Fall. There was a cow right at the gate entrance of tRamline track. Am I safe with my red jumper ? Lucky the cow just grazing or resting. All in all we crossed 7 wooden bridges to get to the Fall.

Kauri Fall

After the Kauri Fall, we proceeded to Kaitoke Hot Spring Track, which is a short drive from the Tramline entrance. Due to heavy rainfall overnight, the water in the Hot Spring was not hot at all, only warm at certain spots. Quite disappointed but did enjoy the walk.

Searching For Hot Spring

Day 3

The weather in the early hour at 6 was fine but started raining around 9am. Another off day for us? May be.

The host informed us during breakfast that most likely we have to take the Sealink ferry back to Auckland as no flight came in in the last two days due to bad weather. Not looking forward to the ferry trip though. Option was to stay another night but have to get back to work the next day. So just have to keep the fingers cross.

No chance of doing the Mt Hobson and Windy Canyon tracks, we drove to Port Tryphena, about 10km from Medlands. We drove along the coastal area and there were plenty of gannets diving for fish, pied shags and herons along the seaside. 

Tryphena Whalf

We have lunch at Wild café; met some very friendly locals who apologised to us about the unpleasant weather. It makes your day! You don’t encounter this in any city at all, or for that matter anywhere else! It makes you feel welcome.

We popped into the shops beside Wild Cafe and guess what ? The most expensive pair of kid’s sandal I have came across at NZ$30+.  As there is no factory on GBI and all things have to be transported from the mainland, things are very expensive. Chip or fish is at $5 a pack, petrol is $2.60 per litre when it is only $1.80 in Auckland, and getting there is not cheap either. However crayfish are plenty, fresh and taste excellent.

At 2pm we drove back to Mt St Paul’s lodge. The host told us we need to head back to Tryphena to catch the Sealink ferry back to Auckland.

Not looking forward to the ferry trip as the weather was not ideal and sea was quite rough. A bit of seasick the whole way but tried to reduce the symptom by sleeping. JiWin has no problem at all but the rest of us, in some way or another, thrown out, have upset tummy, frequent bulging, dizziness etc. 

However we managed to keep alive during the most difficult part of the journey; Headed back home with heavy head and light feet and still in rocking motion even after getting home. What an experience but definitely not looking forward too. Still feeling the symptom the following day - heavy head and light feet feeling.

Mt St Paul’s Lodge

Mt St Paul's Lodge

The accommodation was excellent, 4 out of 5, although there was no room service or bar fridge in the room. The room is clean, spacious and ours has two balconies with good view. It is located on Kaitoke Beach, next to Medlands Beach.

I guess the best part is always the last to come: Meals.

We have very excellent 4 course dinner for 2 nights and 2 breakfast. Just look at the dinner menu makes you want to extend your stay there. All credit should go to Trish for her expert like cooking and presentation. You are satisfied and when your tummy is satisfied!

Dinner Day 1

APPETIZER : Fish cake with dip

ENTRÉE : pumpkin/kumara creamy soup with scallop and crayfish.

Main Course

Roasted Hapuka with vegies

Dessert : Little Pots of Chocolate with Cointreau.

Day 2 Dinner

APPETIZER : Fish cake with dip

ENTRÉE : mushroom soup with seaweed.

Main Course : Crayfish in sweet chilli sauce.

Dessert : Coconut pudding with berry sauce.

Note" Crayfish was caught the day before by the host. 

A trip to GBI was like back to the past 50 years ago, to do nothing modern except putting on your pair of tramping shoes and burning off few kilos of body fat. Weather was not ideal but we managed to mark our foot prints on the Island. During the same weekend, Auckland was hit by very heavy rain and storm. So we could consider ourselves very lucky indeed.

A lot of Firsts during the trip: first time on a small plane, first time without internet and mobile phone for three days, first time on ferry for almost 5 hours and first time to a place where electricity was generated from wind turbine, solar panel or diesel engine. 

Other than pounding your feet on the bush and track we managed to stay sane by reading, solving soduku and enjoying the unspoiled view of nature.

Another 2 unique features of GBI: the smallest library (in the World ?) and very colourful bus stop even though there is no bus service on the Island. The bus stop is use by the school bus.

Library

Bus Stop

Beauty

Very Colourful

Attitude Attitude Attitude

I think it is appropriate to make a 'Grand' entry to the world of blogging by introducing a piece of fantastic article, both for the young and the old by Paul Holmes. His argument is very logical, practical and utterly true. Hope we all can learn something from this. KT


Paul Holmes: Right attitude makes own luck
6:00PM Sunday Nov 01, 2009 By Paul Holmes



A couple of times this year I have been asked to speak to high school students. For what it is worth, here is what I tell them about life as I have found it so far.
Schools are wonderful places of learning and caring and friendships. It doesn't matter how flash or not a school is. What's important is that you love your school. If you love your school, it will love you back.
Of course, I know it's not easy to love your school if you've got other things on your mind; if things aren't good at home, for example, or if no matter how hard you try you just don't seem to be able to pass things too easily. Sadly, for some people, school can seem only to be a place where you do not succeed in the ways you want. Other people, the luckier ones, breeze through school. It is easier for them to love school, because it is a place that rewards them.
But school is where you meet people you will know all your life. And when you look back on your school when you have passed through it, I hope you are able to look back and cherish your school.
I went to a school like this, Karamu High in Hastings. Successful people can come from any school. You don't have to start out wealthy to do well.
Karamu High is down one of the state house ends of Hastings. Our year, nevertheless, produced two Cabinet ministers. It produced a man who for nine years was president of the New Zealand Labour Party. It produced a distinguished scientist. And it produced me, a man who may have done reasonably well in the tricky old world of broadcasting.

I want to tell you some things from what I've learned about life. You can take them or leave them.
I learnt above all, only three things matter. Attitude, attitude and attitude.
How you see the world is how well you'll do. If you are the kind of person who always finds fault in things or people, the world will always find fault in you. If you always complain, if you always think something is wrong, you will not get ahead. No one likes a whinger.

Attitude, attitude, and attitude. Always try to be positive about the world. Always try to be positive about yourself. Always try to be positive about other people.

I know that's not always easy for people your age. You're coming into your teenage years. They're not easy. Teenagers are supposed to be miserable, difficult people a lot of the time. It's just how it is. I would not want to be your age again. But I tell you this, and I want you never to forget it.

Develop a positive attitude, a sunny attitude, and something wonderful happens. People will like you. People will welcome you. Through them, you will meet other people because you'll be pleasant to have around. If you believe, you can achieve. If you can dream it, you can do it.

A great German poet, Goethe, once said. "The moment you definitely commit yourself is the moment providence also moves. All kinds of things occur to help you which would not otherwise happen. A whole stream of advantageous events flow from your decision. They bring you all kinds of unexpected chance meetings and material assistance which no one could have foreseen. Whatever you do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. To make your dream come true, begin."

There will be times you will have to be bold in order to achieve. There will be times you will have to take a risk with your life's direction. Fortune favours the brave. There will be times when you will have to be brave, even if you feel you can't be.

When Sir Edmund Hillary lunged over the top of that vertical rocky crevasse forever to be called the Hillary Step to find himself a few metres from the summit of Everest, that was boldness and risk and daring of the highest order.

Peter Blake set out to sail at speed round the world, driving hard at night in ferocious gales in the frigid Southern Ocean - that was real daring, real risk. In taking those risks, both men conquered their worlds.

Don't worry yet if you don't know exactly what you want to do in life. I kind of always wanted to be in radio. I never had much desire for television although later I got a fantastic opportunity to do what became the Holmes programme and I took it and embraced it. However, at the start, although I knew I loved radio and that I had a powerful fascination for it, I didn't really know what I wanted to do in radio. So I travelled the world working on air in countries like the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Austria and Australia.

I did not really know what I wanted until I was about 35. Then, at 37, I got the challenge of my life with the NewstalkZB breakfast show which I did for nearly 22 years. Taking that programme on was a great risk. I could have failed miserably and for the first year, I did. But I persevered and won the ratings war. Then two years later, the Holmes programme came along. Man, did I work.

People thought it was a glamorous life. Certainly I was paid well. But it was nothing but daily hard work, getting up at 4 in the morning, getting home at 8 at night.

My point is this. People say I've been lucky. And I have been. The time was right for me. I've had and I still have wonderful jobs and they've paid me more than I ever thought possible. But you know what? The harder I worked, the luckier I got.

So, you don't need to panic about your life. Some people find out what they want early, some find out later. And if you are struggling at school, don't worry either. New Zealand's richest man left school at 15. Work hard at your schoolwork, but if you're struggling, don't let it get you down.

You know something? I never met a dumb person. I believe that. Everyone has a unique and valid view of the world. We are simply, all of us, different. Some of us get there sooner than others. And we are all good at something. It is simply a matter of finding out what it is. Work hard at whatever you do and life itself will guide you. Just follow the signs.

I learnt in my work, dealing with people round the world and round New Zealand, that intelligence is not a vertical thing. Intelligence is much more subtle. Some people are brilliant academically but they might be terribly boring and hopeless with other people and they may not have good attitudes to life. It is not just intelligence that will get you ahead. More important is what you've got in your guts and your heart.

There is another important thing. You get nothing that is worthwhile free in life. You have to do the work. There is nothing romantic about hard work. It's lonely. It can be a drag. But when you get a break at something, a chance to do something you love, then go for it and work hard. Work harder than everyone else around you.

And if you work hard, something else happens. You will get even greater opportunities. And when opportunity comes along, take it, because opportunity plus hard work equals even further opportunities and luck.

By luck, I mean that which you make yourself. I mean the luck that comes from hard work and a good attitude. If you work hard, you will be lucky and you will succeed.
Life is not easy. It isn't now for you, possibly. It is not easy for the grown-ups, either. There are always obstacles in our way. We all have stuff in our lives that sadden us or disappoint us. We all have things in our hearts that weigh upon us. We all have secrets. We've all tried to do things we couldn't make work. We've all loved people who didn't love us back.

But it is not the bad luck or the negatives in our lives that define us. What defines us is how we cope with them. I have found that every problem is lessened when you turn to face it. If you put it off, or run away from it, it will get bigger or at least seem to. Face your problems, talk about them, share them with a friend. You'll be amazed how, when you do so, your burden lifts.

Friends. In the end, people are all we have. Treasure your friends. Look after your mates.
People are everything. Don't dismiss people because they're different from you.
Find out what makes them tick, and you'll be amazed at how much you learn and how much they give back. Understanding other people is one of the keys to success.

Knowing what people want and why they want things and want to do things will help you towards your dream. Help other people with their dreams and they will help you with yours.
Be interested in other people. Every single person on Earth is fascinating. Each has their own story and their own strengths. When you are interested in others, they will be interested in you.
That will lead to opportunity, opportunity to luck. Again, it's attitude.

There is another thing. Be kind to other people. Try not to hurt people. Be generous. Being kind and generous is far more powerful than hurting. The more you give, the more you'll get back.
If a person makes a mistake against you, forgive them. Don't keep it in your heart. Your resentment will become bitterness and bitterness is a bad attitude. If a person falls, help them up.

I was at the Food Show recently, selling my Paul Holmes Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Now that's hard work, standing behind a stall at the Food Show for four days. But, you know, I love it. Hard work, yes, but it's about people. I meet people. I find out stuff. I talk to them. I find out what they're thinking.

A man and his wife approached me. "Mr Holmes," he said, "I have always wanted to meet you and thank you."

"For what?" I asked. "What did I do?"

He said that over 20 years ago I helped them greatly. His wife is Kuwaiti, he told me. Her parents had just won permission to come and live in New Zealand when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait but there was no way he or his wife could contact them to say they could come.

"Yes," said the wife. "I knew you would help us, Mr Holmes. So I rang you and somehow got hold of you at TVNZ. I explained the situation to you. And you said you would phone the office of Don McKinnon, the Foreign Minister, to see if he could help. And you did," she said.

"And they made a swap or something and my parents were able to come to New Zealand. They have both died, but they lived many happy years here."

Now, it was only a phone call made a long time ago which I had quite forgotten about. But what a difference that call made to those people's lives. Over 20 years on, they thanked me. No kindness to good people is ever forgotten.

Remember this. Love always wins. It might take longer than evil and hatred, resentment and envy, but love always wins. Always trust love. Remember, water can cut through iron.

Find out who you are. Know who you are. Know your strengths and weaknesses. Be proud of your strengths and laugh at your weaknesses. Be brave even if you are frightened. Value yourself. There is only one of you. Don't worry if you feel different from everyone else. We're all different.

Good luck to you all. But make your own luck. If you can dream it, begin it.

Life is shorter than you think.
- HERALD ON SUNDAY