i crossed the border to germany at fessenheim over the bridge at the hydroelectric power plant. my first stop was at bad krozingen, a typical town with a pedestrian zone in the city center and its historic buildings surrounding the market square where the farmers sell their goods on a saturday morning. it was nice… Continue reading schwarzwald
Category: travel
goodbye, farewell new zealand
after returning to christchurch, i had three days left before my flight back to europe. three days to sort out my stuff, see a couple of friends and prepare myself for the nearing end of the trip. i had a couple of beers with phil whom i first met while working in hillston back in… Continue reading goodbye, farewell new zealand
hakataramea pass
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
dansey’s pass
it was nice cycling weather when i left ranfurly and it stayed that way until halfway up the pass. the top of the pass was engulfed in a black cloud which i soon couldn’t see anymore because of the mist that was getting more and more dense and a constant drizzle was cooling me down… Continue reading dansey’s pass
otago rail trail
once in middlemarch, the start of the otago central rail trail, it began to rain and i opted for a stop at the kissing gate cafe. along the upper taieri gorge the trail is crossing viaducts, leads through tunnels, and over some of the original bridges from the rail line. there is an informal camping… Continue reading otago rail trail
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
von river road
the von river road is a gravel road which made the climb from the lake up the valley rather challenging. once on the high plateau the road is quiet flat, there’s hardly any traffic and the scenery of unspoiled beauty. we stopped at the mavora lakes in the evening. it was busy as it was… Continue reading von river road
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
scenic inland route
after cycling out of christchurch i realized that i forgot my maps in town. as i was already too far to think about turning back i got instructions from a local which were easy enough to follow without a map. it made me realize how much i depend on maps. not only for the obvious… Continue reading scenic inland route
banks peninsula
i stayed one night in christchurch before exploring the nearby banks peninsula. it is always a hazzle to get out of a bigger city and this time i not only wanted to get out but get out at a certain point, the start of the little river rail trail. like australia, new zealand converted some… Continue reading banks peninsula