Category: Physical Activity

The Southern Tour. (and what happened to the left side of my body)

For my M.P. Challenge, I have done the Southern Tour, a cycling race on the South Island of Aotearoa. There were two national titles this year: one for the Hill Climb, and the other for the Time Trial. There were two other cyclists in my age group, another Bohally student, and a boy from Timaru. I got second in all my races, and I am very proud of myself. In the last race, though, the unexpected happened. It was the Road Race, and about 500 meters in, the boy from Timaru, who I was drafting off, swerved into my front wheel, yeeting me off my bike. I got multiple wounds on my left leg, a big sore on my hip, two messed up elbows, 2 blood blisters on my fingers, gravel stuck in my pinky, a sore on my 4th finger, and a sore ankle. Then, I got back up, back on my bike, and YEETED like the Big Unit that I am, straight through the finish line, beating everyone else by miles. Or…

I hung on to the other guys wheel, got dropped, and rode the rest of the 18 km in pain, finished in 2nd, got in an ambulance, got patched up, went to urgent care, and got sent home, and still have wounds as I am writing this report. But I DID get 2 silver medals, which turned out to be quite costly, as I then missed out on a lot, such as swim training, the e-pro 8 challenge, and a few days of music practice.

  • Matthew Hall, Boys U13, The hill climb on day two of the Cycling New Zealand Cuddon’s Southern Tour in Blenheim, September 1st, 2019 © photo: Anthony Phelps
  • The time trial leg of the Cycling New Zealand Cuddon’s Southern Tour in Seddon near Blenheim, August 31st, 2019 © photo: Anthony Phelps
  • The medal and jersey presentations at the Cycling New Zealand Cuddon’s Southern Tour in Blenheim, September 1st, 2019 © photo: Anthony Phelps
  • Matthew Hall Boys U13 gets his medal from Laurence Pithie, The medal and jersey presentations at the Cycling New Zealand Cuddon’s Southern Tour in Blenheim, September 1st, 2019 © photo: Anthony Phelps

The Walk

For my M.P. Challenge I did a three day tramp with my dad. It was from the Pelorus road-end to the Maitai dam. We went as a family to Emerald Pools, where mum and Andrew left. We started walking along the track, all the way to Captain Creek Hut, where we stayed until next morning. Then we walked to Middy Hut, but we didn’t stay for more than an hour, we had to get to Rocks Hut, where we would stay the night. To get there, we had to climb 650 meters, for Rocks Hut was near the top of a mountain. It was a hard climb, and it was good to get to the Hut. There was a sign that had a picture of a helicopter on it, and said no camping. It was cool. I got to read till a 11 with candles because there was no electricity. The next morning, we walked up to the Dun Saddle, and then descended. We went down a trail that walkers and mountain bikers use, but we didn’t run into any mountain bikers. It was raining for a good bit of it, but it died away. Overall, it was a tough challenge but I’m glad I did it.

Day 1

We started out from the Pelorus road-end, and walked for 1 hour to Emerald Pools. We stayed there for 20 mins, before leaving. We then walked about 2 hours and a half to Captain Creek Hut. It was small, with 6 beds. There I found a book called Atlantis Found, by Clive Cussler, which I read and carried with me up to Rocks Hut, where I left it for other trampers to read. We lit a fire, to make the Hut nice and warm, then I read for most of the rest of the time we were there. We got up in the morning, had breakfast and left.

Day 2

We left Captain Creek Hut, and walked along the trail. There were a few swing-bridges along the way, and it was a fun walk. We then got to Middy Hut about 2hrs later. We still had more walking to do though. We had to get up to Rocks Hut, a 650 meter climb. It was very hard. We eventually got to the Hut, and rested for ages there. We lit the fire and I read my book. We went up to the lookout and then went back to the Hut because it was getting dark. The Hut was warm by then and I read till 11.

Day 3

We left Rocks Hut and climbed up to the Dun saddle. It was rainy and foggy, so we got really wet. Once we got to the saddle, it was downhill the rest of the way. It eventually stopped raining and we went down and down and down. We were on a track that mountain bikes used as well, but we didn’t run into any. When we got to the dam, mum and Andrew were there and we went home. It was good to get home. I enjoyed the tramp a lot and would do it again. But much later, I’m too tired to right now.

Link to my RAMS form

The Rabbit Island Triathlon

Today I had to get up at 5:30am for the Rabbit Island Triathlon. I was taken out from Blenheim to Renwick, where I was dropped off by mum and picked up by Lachlan’s dad, Warren. We drove out to Rabbit Island and Lachlan, who had done it last year, showed me the course.

I put my shoes, towel, and T-shirt on the ground, and my bike with my helmet on it on a rack. Then I waited for ages. Tristan from Motueka came later and we waited some more until the start of the race.

The swim was super short. It was only 250 meters. The sea was pretty calm so it was pretty easy. There were a lot of people around so it was at times hard to swim, but it was mostly easy.

The bike was super long. It was 9.3km, 4 laps around a course. There were some tight turns and steep hills, which made it really hard. There was also a nice long straight bit of road, with a sharp turn at the end, then another long straight bit going back up.

The run was so hard. My legs hurt really bad after the bike and it took ages to settle in. The sun was in my eyes a lot so it was hard to see. The finish was a relief and I was exhausted. I felt good that I had finished though, and glad that I had done it.

The results just came in. I got 4th in my age group! I’m really proud of this achievement!

Big Tahuna 1000 Metre Sea Swim

We had to get up really early the morning of the race. Everything was already packed and we were able to leave immediately. We were worried about the times because the Big Tahuna Website and an email we had received had 2 different start times on them, but it worked out fine in the end. We had emailed the organisers about that but we got no reply.

When we got to the beach, we went to registration and received an envelope containing a swim-cap, an electronic timing chip and a strap to attach it to my ankle. We set up our stuff next to Jess from the swim club and my friend Joel. Just before the race it got announced that a few people had received spot prizes and I was one of them. Then the race started.

Race start…

The sea was really calm, and a good swimming temperature, and I was hyped when the race started. There were lots of different waves, or heats for my race, and I was in the second one. They had a big, inflatable, floating waterslide that you can go on just before you finish, and it was really thin and slippery, and because I was tired, I had to crawl across.

Race finish.

As I was finishing my 1000 meter sea swim, I felt really tired, but also proud that I had accomplished my first Big Tahuna. After recovering from my tiredness, I remembered that I had won a spot prize! I went to claim it and it was a cool sea swim t-shirt. I got second in my age group which was 10-13, and I was pleased to go under 20 mins which was my goal.

Copy of my RAMS form.

My certificate

Training for the Big Tahuna

The Big Tahuna 1km swim is the first thing I’m going to do for my M.P. Challenge. It is on the 2nd of the 3rd at Tahuna Beach. I have completed a Risk Management form and am all set for the swim. It is an organised race so it should be safe. Here is a link to a risk management form, which has been checked off by my teacher.

This will be fun, and my first physical challenge for the M.P. Challenge.