FEATURE STORY
Biking for Breath Around the World
by Paula Holmes-Eber
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Part IV: The South Pacific -- Australia to Tonga
Eleven-year-old Yvonne was the first to spot the seal. Shining sleek and dark against the black-grey, rocky coast of Kaikoura, New Zealand,
the basking seal blended perfectly into the rocks below us. Anya, our fourteen-year-old daughter, found the next pair: a large whiskered
male stood sentinel above a smaller spotted female -- his wet body glistening as his upper body and head undulated in the fresh salt air.
Reluctantly, we climbed back onto our tandems, my husband Lorenz taking the lead, his camera hanging precariously around his neck in
anticipation of more seal sightings. We were not disappointed. Another mile around the twisting headlands led us to the extraordinary sight
of hundreds of seals playing in a cove below. Small pups jumped into the tide pools under the watchful eyes of their mothers. Juveniles
splashed into the waves, carefully avoiding the sharp teeth and growls of the senior males on the rocks overhead. The barks and honks of
seals filled the air as we stood transfixed on the road.
On our family's 15,000-kilometer journey around the world for asthma, we had seen much to excite and astonish us: ancient medieval castles
and picture perfect towns in Western Europe; traditional cobblestone villages with crooked wooden houses and horse-drawn wagons juxtaposed
oddly against gigantic drab concrete factories in Eastern Europe; and the colorful swarm and cries of people and animals in the night
markets of Asia. Even so, the islands and continents of the south Pacific -- Australia, New Zealand, and Tonga -- brought us yet new,
natural wonders to explore: snow covered mountains; spouting geysers; seals and dolphins dancing in the ocean; eucalyptus forests with
camouflaged kangaroos and koalas; palm-tree lined beaches; and tropical fish-filled coral coves.
New Zealand enticed us with breathtakingly empty and windswept rocky yet verdant coastlines. Inland, we were humbled by majestic mountains
as we pedaled along splashing streams and crystal lakes in the shadow of silent brooding peaks. Arriving on the eve of the Oscars, we were
swept up by Lord of the Rings fever, especially after we'd just seen many of the stunning landscapes which represented Middle-Earth in the
movies.
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The locals dazzled us with a big pigroast.
On the geologically active North Island, we cycled past bubbling, steaming pools of mud in Roturura. We stopped to visit the green, red,
and orange sulphur pools at Wai-o-tapu, and paused to watch the daily erupting geyser. We gasped as it threw huge airy stones of pumice
into sparkling Lake Taupo's chilly glacial waters, surrounded by its ancient volcanic crater.
The hike over the ten miles of immense volcanic peaks in the Tongariro crossing led us directly below the site of the filming of Middle
Earth's steaming Mount Doom. And at the Hobbiton set in Matamata, Anya and Yvonne dreamed of elves and kings and Hobbits. But, perhaps best
of all when cycling on a thermally active island, we could sit in steaming hot pools each night at our campgrounds, massaging our muscles
after a day of beautiful climbs and descents through scenery that probably inspired many of the Lord of the Ring's sets.
The ferry ride to the South Island, weaving among lush island peaks and tiny green passages, was perhaps one of the most beautiful boat
crossings of our entire world journey. In quaint Picton, the four of us sat on the waterfront drinking lattes in the warm March air of
early fall. Our ride south along the east coast to Christchurch led us through sunny vineyards, past quaint hillside sheep farms, and into
tiny historic towns where we would stop to sample the many delicious flavors of local ice cream. In Kaikoura we sprang for a rare treat: a
morning swim with the playful seals who had lined the coast as we pedaled southwards. The following day, a pod of dolphins spouting and
frolicking off the coast held us captive for an hour.
In contrast to New Zealand's physical wonders, Australia presented us with an amazing diversity of fauna and flora. Each morning greeted us
with a surprising cacophony of bird sounds: the calls of sulphur-crested cockatoos, the chatter of red and green parrots, the metallic
drone of magpies, and the haunting laugh of kookaburras. We were astonished to find an entire aviary of exotic birds nesting in the trees
above us, swooping across our campsite in flashes of brilliant color.
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Paula and Anya above the Bay of Plenty. |
As we cycled the 1,000-mile coastal route from Melbourne to Sydney, we passed through strange, sweet-smelling gum forests populated with
even stranger creatures. Several times we were surprised by a kangaroo or wallaby springing across the road in front of our tandems. On a
quiet country lane, a prickly long-nosed echidna stopped our pedaling as it ambled slowly in the summer heat across our path. With patience
and persistence, we were able to spot slow-moving koala bears nestled in the crooks of eucalyptus trees. And turning into a coastal
campground, Lorenz and Yvonne practically fell off their tandem as a huge log in their path suddenly transformed into a six-foot dragonlike
water monitor, flaring its wide neck-fan threateningly before melting again into the Australian bush.
Long empty stretches of eucalyptus forest would periodically open up into sweeping unspoiled ocean vistas. Mile upon mile of pristine
white-sand beaches nestled among palm trees and sandstone cliffs, made wonderful picknicking and surfing breaks from cycling on hot January
summer days.
The tiny Polynesian island kingdom of Tonga offered us yet another world of amazing natural beauty, most of it underwater. The flat
150-mile circuit around the main island led our family to many untouched coral coves. Nestled on our own private beach under coconut palms,
we would cool off in the middle of the day by snorkeling among yellow and blue and electric green tropical fish. We spotted enormous clams,
slow moving turtles, and orange coral. On the ride back to our palm-leaf hut in the tiny capital of Nuku'a'lofa, we would enjoy a
refreshing daily afternoon rainstorm. Hiding under the mango groves, we would smile as local Tongan girls ran out in their brightly colored
piraeos, shampoo in hand, to take a shower in the cooling tropical rain.
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Lorikeets of Australia met us at our hut.
In town, we would weave among rickety bicycles and trucks laden with papayas, coconuts, and breadfruit. Pigs roamed freely across our path
as we dodged clucking chickens. Dressed in grass skirts, men sold yams and taro root on simple wooden tables as lovely olive skinned women,
straight out of a Gauguin painting, strolled along, babies slung on their hips.
A week after our arrival in Tonga, we unloaded our tandems at the gaily hand-painted, tiny two-roomed airport in preparation for our final
journey back to the United States. As the rattling pick-up truck of our guesthouse owner clattered back in the dark, I closed my eyes to
savor the final sounds and smells of this exotic South Pacific island. Twelve hours later, our family stepped out into the sanitary
air-conditioned busyness of Los Angeles. One year and 6,000 miles later, we had returned home for the final leg of our world tour -- across
the United States and Canada.
Yet as we cycle on the home stretch across America towards Washington DC, I catch myself occasionally day dreaming about seals and
seashells, koalas, and kauri forests. At night, I sometimes think I hear the barking of seals, or smell the warm humid flowers of Tonga.
Cyclists beware. The South Pacific seeps slowly but irrevocably into your blood.
The Eber family departed on their sixteen-month cycling tour around the world for asthma on May 6, 2003, World Asthma Day.
To read the other installments of the story, check out Part I,
Part II, Part III, and Part V.
To follow their progress or to make a donation for asthma research and programs, you can visit them at
www.bikeforbreath.org, send them mail at: World Bike for Breath,
P.O. Box 11581, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110, call their headquarters at: (206) 855-2907, or email them at
bikeforbreath@hotmail.com.
Photos courtesy of the Eber Family
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