NZ2050

I opted for the alternate road route this morning rather than tackle the off road route over the Maungatapu Saddle, for reasons I discussed in yesterday’s blog. Catching up with other riders later in the day who had gone over the saddle confirmed I made the right...

Wednesday, March 4th: It was fun feeling like a Wellington cycle commuter as I rolled down the hill from Hataitai to the CBD on this warm, grey and windy morning. But unlike them I was escaping the city. I headed to the docks and boarded the Interislander ferry for...

Tuesday, March 3rd: Today’s remarkable ride over the Rimutakas and down into Wellington was going to be a  spectacular way to conclude the North Island half of my Tour Aotearoa. Anticipating the joys, and mindful of my crucial needs to meet in town to set me up...

Monday, March 2nd: Getting a good night’s sleep in rural New Zealand can be hard. Once again, I found I’d pitched my tent last night within earshot of a main road. Heavy truck traffic, complete with the thump-thump-thump of engine braking, continued til after 11pm and...

Sunday, March 1 Although we started celebrating Lynn’s birthday yesterday afternoon, today was the the actual day. At least we had a few hours together at our sumptuous retreat, Hiwinui Country Estate, before I resumed my ride to Bluff and Lynn headed home. Tucked...

Rain! At last!....well sort of. When I left Apiti this morning it was overcast and damp. I put on my waterproof jacket to try to entice the rain to try harder. To no avail. I, and the surrounding countryside, just got slightly damp. Where trees sheltered the road from...

Today I began my day’s riding in a rather unusual way. A short ride from my motel via a local bike shop to get a couple of spare tubes took me to a tunnel… …this is the view from the far end back to the street level. Immediately to my right was a lift, built about 100...

The photos above are of my campsite at Pipiriki this morning, and the night before inside the old school which now serves as the very hospitable base for Whanganui River Adventures, The man with the red cap is Junior, one of the staff, who is brilliant at fielding...

Sitting around chatting with fellow cyclists staying at Mike and Kay’s backpackers last night, I made a good decision: not to take the main TA route through spectacular country to the Whanganui river, then a jet board ride down to Pipiriki. But to get there by road....

I was well refreshed by a good night’s sleep in a proper bed, a big dinner and breakfast...and relieved to find when I was packing up my cash and credit cards, in their plastic bag, among my toiletries. Don’t ask me how they got there. When your worldly possessions...