Bluff to home on roads less travelled
BY RACHEL YOUNG
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Two bikes, two children, two adults and two beloved toys made it into Blenheim yesterday more than six weeks after they left Bluff.
Dave and Rachel Monk and their sons Dylan, three, and Lewis, 22 months, have travelled the length of the South Island in a twist on a summer camping holiday.
The Monks, both nurses at Wairau Hospital, have completed several cycling trips together, so last year they started taking their sons with them on smaller trips to see if it was feasible to complete more than 1300 kilometres with the youngsters in tow.
Mr Monk said it was great to see, smell and be immersed in some of New Zealand's less travelled roads.
They mainly camped at Department of Conservation sites but also slept where they found suitable accommodation, which one night meant sleeping in the cricket pavilion in Luggate.
With two youngsters, the Monks ensured the trip was "kiddie-friendly" by having regular breaks, travelling to playgrounds and stopping in places to swim and spend time doing activities.
This also meant strapping in their sons' favourite toys, a teddy bear and a duck, to keep them happy.
"It was a really special time with the family," Mr Monk said.
It was amazing how little they needed to survive, with each parent towing about 40 kilograms, including one child each, he said.
"It's shown us what's important in life, as you can get by without the material things."
Mrs Monk said watching sunsets and meeting locals were the highlights of the trip for her. The hardest part was the hills, particularly Haast Pass.
Their good fitness meant they were well prepared for the trip, she said. No-one was injured, but both bikes suffered punctures.
Arriving in Blenheim yesterday afternoon, Mr Monk said they were looking forward to not queuing for toilets and to some home-cooked meals.
Dylan said it was his toys and his friends he was looking forward to the most.
The Monks are already planning another family trip, cycling around the world when the boys are older.
- The Marlborough Express
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Well done you guys!!! Amazing achievement and you should be proud. I hope this inspires other families to get out there in your lovely countryside and enjoy the fresh air and scenery.
Really glad that you all had a great time and we are reading about it in a positive light. Could just have easily been a tragic headline though - sorry but can't believe that you put your children at such incredible risk. NZ roads are not the place for our young ones.
EPIC! Good work guys, what a great example of holidays couples and young families can do that are different and bonding in many ways!
To those who complain about on coming traffic and a cyclist...heard of breaks...100km/h is a limit, not a target, slow down and wait for an opportunity to pass, like you do with a car, and do so with grace and patience.
What an awesome time they have had, but I know where Aaron #14 is coming from. It is totally freaky going around a bend or over a hill at high speed to find a cyclist in front of you and traffic coming the other way. Our roads are not designed well at all. I would like to see our main routes improved so cyclists are safe and motorists can stop having mini heart attacks. I would love to do something like this but not while our roads are so unfriendly. A lot of these blogs deteriorate into a cyclist versus car issue, we need to band together and get at the roading money holders
Cyclists should be banned from state highways. They're lucky they didn't get killed, their stupidity is unbelievable. I do a lot of road travelling by car and recently by truck hauling 40 tonnes and most parts of our roading system are just too narrow when you come upon cyclists and on coming traffic at the same time, especially on a bend. Its a tight tight squeeze and I've come close and I've seen it lots. As a driver its damn scary as the last thing I want to do is accidently clip and kill a cyclist especially a child. I support cycling as I enjoy it myself but just wish that cyclists and vehicles were much further apart.
Awesome, what a great idea. Cool parents!
They should have there children taken off them by cyps for doing something so reckless.
Great effort ... not just getting there, but to get your family away from the comforts of modern living.
These guys are awesome, they have inspired me to see our beautiful country and truely see it. Maybe not the same way the have done. We often complain about are daily affairs and the things we want, they have accomplished so much with there kids and themselves with so little. Respect... Bro
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I think some of the comments show up New Zealanders ignorance of the road code. You should be able to stop in the length of the clear lane in front of you. If the road code is followed you will not have a problem encountering cyclists, slow moving traffic, stalled/stopped vehicles, wind fall or accidents on blind bends.