Dunedin to Te Anau

It all starts with a dance ... many of them.

The man dances with his machine. Are the wheels true? Tubes inflated, tires treaded, gear packed well? Bike clean, chain lubed, spokes tight?

The man dances with his thoughts. Dreams of a potential future life here in NZ. Remembrances of fine times with family and friends. Good vibes to Mom. Is he connected to the amazing scenery or in his head? Is he like the pastor thinking about making love to his wife while giving his sermon, and thinking his sermon while making love? Or is he riding, breathing, watching, listening? Ah ... the dance of the mind.

The man dances with Trust. With hunks of metal weighing between 1 and 10 tons blasting past, sometimes within inches, trust is a given.

The man dances with newfound friends. Mark delights with his solid personality, Sonny clobbers him into less knee pain, Jenny and Peter are superior hosts and gracious tour guides of the magnificent Catlins, Pablo guides him through wonderful back roads, Roz drives him over 10k of gravel. These Kiwis are damn proud of their country, and have every right to be.

And today I meet a leprechaun of a Brit, DeanO by name, who blows it all away. See, I had spotted him at Riverton, and thought HA, who would be foolish enough to bike in those heavy boots. Who could possibly have such a clean bike ... he's bussing it around. Especially when he turned up ahead of me on the road. We end up together, and spend an afternoon cycling and drinking beer. DeanO, my friends, has spent most of the last 10 years cycling the world! He has just a tad more gear than me, but carries a tent and sleeping bag. DeanO, o quick to judge dancer, sleeps in the forest every night. DeanO shaves washes and spends a full hour each night cleaning his bike. DeanO is living in the lap of luxury on a most ever in his life NZ$20/day (US$14) and may have just found his dream job taking tourists on mountain bike explorations. DeanO is as cool as the other side of the pillow.

The man dances with pain. Knees bark, the neck growls, and mostly the right glute bites large. How much is too much? When to stop, when to keep pushing through. When to hit the vitamin A(dvil).

The man dances on his bicycle through some of the most spectacular scenery. Quiet roads, rainforest, stunning mountains, spectacular lakes, rivers that take his breath away they are so beautiful.

And he dances with the grace of privilege, the grace of this magnificent adventure.