Today started with a very good crossing of the Strait and the time was well used with a lot of our administrative work that gets put off. Hence I now find myself arriving in Picton and haven't sat idle for the last 3.5 hours.
After changing in to riding gear it was off along the familiar Queen Charotte Drive. Familiar because in the past I have ridden it a coople of times with the Grape Ride or when getting back in to Picton having ridden the Queen Charlotte Track. Yes I must have gained quite some fitness over the last couple of months as the few hills on this ride did not seem like much at all!
Even though this road got off lightly with the big storm/s of 2021 there were quite a few traffic lights to have to get through as the slips had caused considerable damage. In one section it was clear one house will be written off and maybe one has already been cleared from the site. Clearly these folk did not realise the risk in which they were living however it should serve as a flag for any of us considering sinking a lot of money in to "Bricks and Mortar" - make sure you undertake your due diligence and don't think that Insurance Companies will continue to carry your high risk properties. Insurance is not a right. Insurance is a risk sharing system where we all put in to the pot to cover the "unforseen" risk. I'm sure many people do not want to be putting in to a pot where there are known high risk customers. A bit like do you want to be in the same pot as drunk drivers in as much as you want your car to be insured.
While on this gig - below is a pic of a door and just how good insurance has been for some. This door is in the Gents bathroom of the 100 pus year old "Trout Hotel. Check out the gap at the top of the door. Clearly the old girl after sitting here for 100 plus years has gained a considerable tilt. That's what old buildings do. Now, if the owner of this Hotel was fortunate enough to have owned it in Christchurch 12 years ago they would today have found themselves with a brand new hotel thanks to their insurance company and thier very wise decision to have it insured.
For the Trout Hotel here though the owners are faced with putting the matter right from an ever decreasing small profit pool. Another good reason to undertake sound due dilligence ahead of any Bricks and Mortar decision.
Yes. I have been an insurance man and am so pleased to see all the good that insurance can bring to individuals and scociety in general.
DISCLAIMER: Even though I have been a Registered Financial Adviser in the past, I am no longer and none of the above can be taken as provding any form of financial advice in any shape or form.
Anhow, now, back to the riding which was great, knowing that it would be a short day and the overcast sky and back wind helped with getting through Linkwater to Canvastown very nicely.
It's easy to stop and take pics in places you do not know however back on home turf I find myself having to conciously stop to take in the scenery I have traditionally taken for granted.
We've spent a bit of time mapping out and refining our ride for the rest of the TA and it really all begins tomorrow with the infamous "Mangatapu" Saddle before a few 120 km plus days so while the very hilly North Island is now behind us the longer daily distances are in front of us.
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