Coupla 'old blokes' ride back to former stomping grounds
For Rod Newson and Lyn Shannon, cycling the Alps 2 Ocean trail was not only a good adventure, it was also a great opportunity to visit their old stomping ground.
Born in Oamaru in 1943, Mr Newson went to Teachers' College in Dunedin as an 18-year-old, which was where he met fellow cycling enthusiast Mr Shannon.
"That's where we met, on the first day there and we've been mates ever since," he said.
After two years' training, Mr Newson returned home to Oamaru as a teacher at Oamaru Intermediate School in 1963; the year it opened.
"So I'll be back for the jubilee at Labour Weekend," he said.
Mr Shannon also taught in the area in 1963, as the principal of Enfield School.
The two men, now living in Hawkes Bay, said they were thrilled with their Alps 2 Ocean experience. They were doing the trail with the assistance of Vertical Ventures, which provided an all inclusive tour spread over five days.
While they struck some sections which required some hard work, overall they said the trail was a great ride.
Mr Shannon said for "a couple of old guys", they have put in some serious cycling work recently, tackling the Central Otago Rail Trail the week before.
"We're both nudging on 70, so we think it wasn't a bad effort," Mr Shannon said.
"We'd seen bits on the web and thought we'd do it, we didn't realise [Alps 2 Ocean] was so new."
Among the highlights were Omarama Hot Tubs, and the Otematata to Kurow section.
They struck great weather for the ride, and even though the wind picked up as they rode between Kurow and Duntroon, it was coming from behind which was "brilliant", they said.
"It was great, and Oamaru's doing a good job promoting it," Mr Newson said. "This track was just such an excellent idea."
