i had a light start into the day until the turnoff for the hakataramea pass at kurow. it was perfect cycling weather with enough clouds to cool down the temperature in an otherwise blue sky. the hakataramea pass was another recommendation from bob, the guy we stayed with at the buller gorge. a quiet gravel… Continue reading hakataramea pass
Category: locations
dunedin
my motivation stayed with me until dinner but was rapidly reclining within 5 minutes. washing up and brushing my teeth was all i could muster before crashing into bed. i got up once for breakfast the next morning but went back to bed immediately and stayed there until the afternoon. in the evening we enjoyed… Continue reading dunedin
the caitlins
we camped at another freedom camping spot in fortrose before cycling through the caitlins. we stopped at curio bay to have a look at the petrified forest and saw some yellow-eyed penguins sunbathing. the south island has a lot of scenic places but didn’t score with beaches so far. but the caitlins have that as… Continue reading the caitlins
southland
after two days on gravel it was a nice change to ride on a sealed road again. just at the junction for the von river road we met a swedish couple who sailed in fourteen month from their home to new zealand and found out about the best way to see the country and switched… Continue reading southland
queenstown
tagged as ‘the adventure capital of the world’ queenstown’s main road is a succession of adventure tours and thrill selling shopfronts. i called jens and laurence who were on their way back from a day trip to the milford sound. as their hostel was booked out, i pedalled out of town to the twelve miles… Continue reading queenstown
wanaka
jens and i were looking for a campsite, but the cheapest was not much savings compared to the price of a hostel. especially when we get the low emission discount at the yha which in this case has a direct view of lake wanaka and the surrounding mountains. after sorting out our luggage and our… Continue reading wanaka
world buskers festival
as central christchurch was still off limits after the earthquakes, the world buskers festival was happening in hagley park this year. which took away the street feeling of the performances but had the advantage that the audience could easily switch between the different stages. the shows included comedy, theater, stunts, acrobatics, music and more. one… Continue reading world buskers festival
east coast
after blenheim the scenery changes again with rolling bare hills while the road leads over the dashwood pass. i took the turnoff to marfells beach, another d.o.c campsite and the first one which i left again after i had a look around. the place was completely taken over by locals who seemed to want to… Continue reading east coast
marlborough sounds
once again i stayed at a d.o.c. campsite, this time at pelorus bridge. a wonderful campsite at a river surrounded by forest with several walking tracks in the area. on top of that it has a kitchen and hot showers. i met another cyclist, guillaume from france. we both cooked two meals each and had… Continue reading marlborough sounds
golden bay
as i was getting weary of the main road, i took a left turn into a gravel road and exchanged the rather smooth surface of the road with gravel but had only 2 cars within an hours drive. the scenery was untypically sparse for new zealand but not without character. the next morning i bought… Continue reading golden bay