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Seeing as my last epic went down so well here I am again.
This evening I get on a plane for New Zealand for a nice long bike tour. ( and yes I am aware of the hypocrisy) As ever plans are a bit vague. 🙂 I get to Auckland in 30 hours or so from now. Presumably shattered. Probably going to spend 8 weeks there. I have a bike to collect in Auckland as I decided the logistics of taking my own would be too much and its only a cheapy so that I can dump it if needed. I have 3 nights booked in Auckland in a hotel to get my shite together ( ha!)
Route? Well its all a bit vague surprise surprise. I am not going to go up to the North for the main Tour Aotearoa route as I really want to get down to the south and I want to pootle and meander around and at my pace I fear I don't really have enouygh time to do the whole thing. From Auckland I am heading south east for the first few days. The only real fly in the ointment is the first days ride on the Hunua Trail by the recommended routs is 3000+ ft of climbing. I have hardly been on a bike for months. Thats going to hurt. Then on to the Hauraki Rail Trail down to Lake Tuopo. Maybe. I might go to Rotarua instead. We shall see. After that who knows - it will depend on weather and how I feel.
NZ seems to be well provided with long distance bikepacking routes but you are very much advised to avoid a lot of the roads. I think the bikepacking routes vary from back lanes and dirt roads to tricky singletrack - I'll sus it out as I go along
I will be camping of course but I don't think in NZ you get fresh croissants delivered to your campsite in the morning and I have no idea about beer on campsites.
After 8 weeks in NZ I am going to Australia for another 11 weeks for a road trip. No Plans at all for that yet apart from I have asked a slightly eccentric mate of mine to sort me out a car. Gawd knows what I shall end up with. I might well vary these timings a bit - who knows thats months away
I feel woefully under prepared and am totally shitting myself
Amazing, looking forward to the updates and photos.
Love it.
Sounds brilliant- have a great time
Have fun
We cycled the length of the South Island in the 1990s. There are so few people that traffic wasn’t an issue
The best thing about the campsites is the kitchens. Warm, dry and sociable
Sounds a great plan. Enjoy
Sounds an amazing plan, v jealous. Have a great time, looking forward to the piccies.
Fantastic!
Enjoy. Sounds fun!
I have asked a slightly eccentric mate of mine to sort me out a car. Gawd knows what I shall end up with.
Please let it be Inbetweeners style:
I’m just a little bit envious!!
NZ in January is just the best, wishing you a fantastic trip!!
edit, don’t worry about croissants, bacon and egg pies were my staple for breakfast.
but I have to wonder if New Zealand is prepared for TJ?
They have compulsory helmets even off road - the buggers knew I was coming
Sounds fantastic, can't wait for updates!
Enjoy, if nothing else surely it will be drier and warmer!
Also, if you fancy an MTB ride in Queenstown, eldest seems to have become the one towing all the newbies* into Dream Line and fixing everyone's bikes for beer tokens..
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.
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*he was newbie a few weeks ago.
Dream Line:
https://www.pinkbike.com/news/video-the-worlds-biggest-public-jumps-dreamline-mtb-track-new-zealand.html
The Department of Conservation campsites were great when I was last there. (A long time ago) Very low on facilities but in great spots ....looks them up I would guess online these days. Commercial Campsites have kitchens and are usually excellent.
Still gutted I missed out on meeting up with you on the last one, but this is a bit far away!
Have an amazing time and overload the forum with pictures please!
Have Fun!
Sounds amazing. Looking forward to the pictures!
Brilliant!! What tyres for the other side of the world...can't wait for episode 1 😉 Have a great time!
I much preferred Taupo to Rotorua if that helps with your decision making. The Queen Charlotte Trail on the top of the south island is great - and you start it with a trip on a speedboat across the sound!
Bon Voyage! Pics please.
Sounds fun. Here a YT link to a chap in NZ who rides loads of MB trails https://youtube.com/@bestdayevermtb2?si=Vb8Ay7ZRhNKDALpt
If link doesn't work search 'Best Day Ever MTB'. Good luck!
That sounds brilliant.
Looking forward to the updates.
Enjoy your trip, TJ.
Can't believe im the first to ask - What bike?
And have a great time obvs.
Some giant mtb cheapo thing. Secondhand. Its got a nice low first gear which is the main thing. Ill have to get a pannier rack for it. Gonna be a bummer not riding my nice bike
All checked in. Only two and a half hours untill take off to sit about in the airport.
Panic? Me ?
Most of New Zealand is reminiscent of Scotland 40 years ago. If you’ve ever spent a lot of time in Fife, you’ll be absolutely fine. Definitely agree with Taupo over Rotorua. Especially if you’re camping. Any length of time on Rotovegas and everything you own will stink of rotten eggs for the rest of the trip. Cormandel looks amazing. We never made it there on our honeymoon road trip. Stock up well provision wise. Even driving, there was often long distances between towns.
Jammy bastard. Sounds amazing!
As above, NZ feels like a time warp - in a nice way. Coromandel Peninsula for whales but it was surprisingly hilly... I found the Kiwis friendly and mostly safe in a slightly chaotic way. Get the boat over from Wellington to Picton and then do a bit South through wine country. Fantastic cycling. Oz is also good cycling but a bit more confrontational. The drivers (generally) often share the Anglo Saxon attitude of 'screw cyclists'... We survived tho and enjoyed the riding.
Bon courage/voyage.
Sounds ace.
Sounds great.
I will be camping of course but I don’t think in NZ you get fresh croissants delivered to your campsite in the morning and I have no idea about beer on campsites.
One of my memories of New Zealand was that every village has a bakery with a few seats inside or out. Order a filter coffee and get endless top ups whilst you eat bacon and eggs or pastries.
Enjoy the trip.
Awesome, you'll have an amazing time.
I lived in Tasmania for 2 years, make the effort to include a few weeks there, gorgeous forests, pristine beaches and the most amazing wildlife, and not stupidly hot.
We only did a few weeks in NZ and in a van, and managed a few highlights, walking the Tongariro Crossing, kayaking with fur seal pups in Abel Tasman NP, wine, penguins, whales and that's before you hit the mountains in the south. It's really stunning. As said just make sure you are well stocked up at each town and have a plan B. Enjoy, very jealous.
If I knew where Wakatane was........
Most of New Zealand is reminiscent of Scotland 40 years ago. If you’ve ever spent a lot of time in Fife, you’ll be absolutely fine
To be fair, if you make it out of fife there aren't many places you won't be fine*.
*I am allowed to say this, almost born, fully raised.
Fantastic. Have a brilliant trip. Looking forward to the trip report and photos. Take care and enjoy yourself.
If you make it to Whakatane, make sure you walk over the headland from Ohope beach to Otarawairere Bay. Magical place!!
If my memory is still working, there’s an oyster farm near Whakatane where I had my first and only oyster burger.
Good luck TJ, hoping the updates add a veneer of sunshine to the rest of the Northern hemisphere winter.
Have fun tj, I loved all the updates last time.
https://www.racesupplies.co.nz/products/putoline-chain-wax-kit
I look back on my plane journey to New Zealand as a distinct epoch in my life - that's how long it felt.
As for NZ itself, I had a ball. It's very hard to imagine how you couldn't enjoy it. The Kiwis get a lot of things right, including, importantly, coffee and baked goods.
Enjoy the stars. I'll never forget stopping for a roadside piss on the way from Christchurch to Wanaka and just standing there, wang in hand and utterly mesmerised, gawping up at the heavens.
Hope your Aussie car is the last of the V8 Interceptors.
The drivers (generally) often share the Anglo Saxon attitude of ‘screw cyclists’
Got back from NZ a few weeks ago, and I thought the drivers attitudes towards cyclists was one of the best of all the countries I've visited. That might not be a particularly high bar, but I found it really notable that even if there were really good cycle lanes and I was on the road anyway, none of the drivers seemed to have a problem with it, and nearly all of them passed me patiently and with plenty of space.
The Kiwis get a lot of things right, including, importantly, coffee and baked goods.
I loved my time in NZ, but I really didn't rate the coffee or the food.
I hear jean shorts are quiet popular down under!Enjoy.
Sounds like you'll be passing pretty close to where we are . Moved out here to Cambridge a couple of years ago after 25 years in Glasgow .
Haven't really had the chance to do much long distance stuff since we got here but have ridden some of the rail trail from Paeroa out to Waihi and can recommend the Gorge as a worthwhile detour off the main trail .Waihi beach is stunning as well , luckily were on holiday there next week and the weather looks good ?
I'm working through the weeks but if you want some company on a sat or Sunday morning when your on the rail trail or maybe on the Waikato river trails let me know .
As far as advice goes , the pies are brilliant , coffee is good , the sun seems to be an entirely different one to the one you get in Scotland and will burn you in ten minutes, the biking in Rotorua is better than in Taupo but Taupo is a nicer place but you wouldn't be disappointed with either .
The roads are a bit funny to ride on , they have a white line with a kind of hard shoulder which can be anything from 2 meters to 2cm with no link to how busy the road is and certainly round our way there are a lot of dairy farms so even on the quiet roads it's not unusual to see a milk tanker . There is also quite a lot of nothing in between towns so if you get a chance to fill up on water it's worth taking it .
I haven't made it to the south island yet but everything looks amazing and I'm sure you'll have a great time .
If there's anything you need give me a shout .
Ta moonsaballoon
I might take you up on that.
the sun seems to be an entirely different one to the one you get in Scotland and will burn you in ten minutes
Very much this! I was in Australia a couple of years ago (September/October time) and even on overcast days, needed a sunhat and the factor 50, regularly reapplied!
Have a great time TJ, looking forward to the pics. 🙂
the sun seems to be an entirely different one to the one you get in Scotland and will burn you in ten minutes
Yeah at Cambridge NZ you are at the same latitude as Greece os southern Spain. NZ and Australia range from tropical to mid latitude, the most southerly points of South Island and Tasmania is like north France. And there is still depletion in ozone in the southern hemisphere, nowhere near as bad as the 80s but it's not fully recovered, so UV can be far higher at times then you get in the northern hemisphere. So yes the public health advice is for sunscreen and sun block.
I got burnt to shit on a clear 12 degree winter day in Tasmania
Abigale had never had sunburn till she got out to NZ. Now she never goes out without sun screen on. She is working outside every day out on the trails. Some places have sun screen available free to top up when needed.
She sends me a pic most days. Last 2 mornings
Would very much recommend the Queen Charlotte Track that's mentioned on the previous page. We did it back in 2010 and in peak season you could only to two thirds of it on bike, but it looks as though that may have changed. There's probably various ways to do it but we did the luxury option (was on honeymoon), of having the boat drop our bags at a hotel halfway along after it had dropped us off at the start.
Other NZ biking highlight was heli-biking in Queenstown, but that does not sound very "TJ"!
Queen Charlotte Track
I’m very envious TJ! I was at a conference in Rotorua a few years ago and while I agree about the sulphurous smell I really enjoyed the day I took off to go cycling in Whakarewarewa Forest. I still have the map, in the form of a giant glasses cloth…
Have a fantastic trip. Looking forward to the inspirational photos and updates!
How exciting.
Very brave, but you'll soon be relaxed and making friends.
Sounds like an epic adventure TJ. Enjoy!
Got back from NZ a few weeks ago, and I thought the drivers attitudes towards cyclists was one of the best of all the countries I’ve visited
Aye, i think you may have misread my post. I was referring to Oz drivers being a bit more aggressive. Kiwis were fine if sometimes a bit chaotic IME. 🙂
Lucky bar steward. I would add a vote for Queen Charlotte Trail, although I when I did it ahem years ago it only opened up for bikes for a limited period (in March?). But things may have changed
Good luck and enjoy TJ, looking forward to another of your cycle adventures.
Good luck TJ . I am well and truly jealous have wanted to go to NZ for decades. . Also it's just occurred to me that you could be watching rugby in New Zealand soon. Have a great time
I have arrived in Auckland. Absolutely shatterd. My body clock thinks it's 1812. Feet like balloons
Checked into my hotel. Perfectly acceptable. Big yellow burny thing keeps appearing in the sky.
Just messaged the chap i am getting a bike off to put that off until tomorrow . Need to buy an effing helmet and a pannier rack and chat up the lass in reception to find somewhere to sort the bike
View from my hotel
Congratulations on your arrival in NZ.
"Just need to chat up the lass in reception".I'm starting to like the sound of this adventure.
Lolz at reeksy
Went out for a burger and got free chips. Good omen
Sure they weren't chups 😉
Bought a majic plastic hat and found a hipster craft beer place
Welcome, I hope you enjoy your ride through NZ. To add to the others offers, I am out in Papamoa, just south of Mt Maunganui which might be an option if you end up on the rail trail to Waihi and are heading to Whakatane or Rotorua. Its about 3.5 hrs pleasant ride (half cycle trail) north of Rotorua so if you end up this way and need sleep/shower let me know.
My own thoughts/opinions of riding the central North Island for 24 years, the main roads are getting busy, especially in January but if you have time it is worth taking the back roads and quickly finding piece and quiet. As Moonsaballoon says, the 'hardshoulder' can be a bit random but often you get 2m of space even on a main road. DOC campsites and others are generally good, some cost and need booking, others are free and just turn up. The info is all on the doc website. My favourite N Island trail is the timber trail (just north of the central plateau). Went through there last week and saw Kaka (native parrot), bellbirds and a morepork (NZ owl).
Its not too hard to find a diary for icecream and drinks every 2-3 h or so but make sure you have enough water with you. I went through about 7 litres a day doing 11 h days on the bike. Some of the taps in the campsites aren't guaranteed so I carry puritabs.
I do have to disagree with those above who says NZ drivers are courteous. Ride like about 20% want to kill you for being in the way of their oversized UTE and you wont be far wrong.
I spent a month there, walking, diving and cycling. Brilliant place. Try and fit in a cycle tour round the vineyards, and always wear sunblock. Enjoy!
Got my bike sorted today. Bus into the ' burbs to meet a nice chap who sold me a giant liv. Flat bar gravel touring bike. Ok its a ladies bike. I dont care. Only problem its 28/ 38 / 48 chainrings which is a bit high.
So i cycled to T Whites second hand bike shop and after a load of searching thru boxes and faffing about with incompatible parts finnally got a 22/ 32 / 42 triple fitted.. The crankset that came on the bike did not have replacable chainrings so ended up replacing bb crankset and chainrings with a nice secondhand fsa set. The also had some nice sweptback bars and a rack. They let me do all the work in the shop and loaned me tools.
Bike was £225 and all the bits £110. ****ing bargain. Think i might take them some beer tomorrow
Looks like you're Liv-ing it up mate 😉
Good luck with the beer TJ. Craft beer is pretty much the standard now.
I live in Hobart now, so if you make it to Tasmania, I'll shout you a beverage of your choice.
Just kidding. It'll be a Cascade pale ale or stout because I live right next door.
PCA
Is that:
Go
Walk out the door
Don't turn around now
You're not welcome anymore
............