AND THE 30 kM BIKE-RIDE

I will never forget the day I biked to Mapua Wharf. While I may have highly overestimated my biking ability - probably closer to a 16 km limit than the 30 km it took to get there - this trip was beautiful. The trail we followed, called The Great Taste Trail, took us past the harbour, round small estuaries, through vineyards and orchards and finally to a tiny ferry, which chugged on over to the wharf.

The entire time, I was caught in a balance. On one hand was my task: of trying to simply survive the whole bike ride without melting into a puddle of sweat. On the other hand: a gorgeous, ever changing scene in every direction. It somewhat helped, though, to move my mind from my sore legs to this blackberry bush on the right, or that streaming sun filtering through the tall pines.

Once we arrived at Mapua Wharf, my sister and I flopped down to bask in the later-day sun. We watched lazily as the local kids jumped from the edge of the wharf into the river.  My sense of achievement was immense, and having spent the day in the midst of nature, I felt like I was glowing. I must say, after 30 kms of riding, those fish and chips tasted even better.