1 December 2017

Update November 2017

Countries visited: New Zealand

Cycled mileage in November: 1,575km
Cycled mileage per country: 1,575km New Zealand
Total cycled mileage incl. November: 28,740.6km
November mileage not cycled 161.8km (walking, ferry)

Days per country: 30d - New Zealand
Days cycling: 19d

Technical failures: 1 puncture, 1 worn jockey wheel, 2 worn tyres

Link to this month's route


We finished October in Wellington after a pretty exhausting ride across the north island. It wasn't until 1.5 weeks after our arrival to Wellington that we eventually pushed our bikes on the Interislander Ferry and arrived to Picton on 4th November. We booked tickets for the first sailing that day and arrived around noon.
On the Interislander Ferry
Luckily the sea was calm after a couple of windy days before. It still wasn't sunny though and we cycled through drizzle for the first kilometres on the south island. Our first goal was reaching Nelson to check our options for visiting Abel Tasman National Park.
Cycling towards Nelson
It took us 1.5 days to get to Nelson and one more day to settle on a plan which involved cycling on to nearby Marahau the next morning, getting on a water taxi early the following day, having us dropped off at Bark Bay in the middle of Abel Tasman National Park and hiking back approximately 25km to Marahau from there.
Yay - made it to Abel Tasman National Park!
Water taxi to Bark Bay
Secluded bays and beaches are all over the national park
Hiking back from Bark Bay...
...to Marahau for 25km
We pretty much stuck to that plan and had a wonderful time in the national park. Doing something different from cycling for a day felt so good!
On the way to the west coast
Unsealed road to Murchison
A bit more of gravel...
From Marahau we cycled on to Murchison bashing out 140 kilometres in remarkably hilly terrain. The next day we passed through the beautiful Buller Gorge and eventually got to the west coast at Westport. The next day the weather had cleared up and we had an enjoyable morning visiting Cape Foulwind and then powering on to Punakaiki and the famous Pancake Rocks.
A Weka checking Simon's new shoes at Cape Foulwind
Coastal highway to Punakaiki
One of those infamous one lane bridges
After pitching our tent at the nearby holiday park we got to the Pancake Rocks just in time for high tide to see the blowholes in action.
The Pancake Rocks
Blowhole in action
The next morning started off with grey clouds but soon the sun came out and it became unpleasantly hot cycling up the hills ahead. We reached Greymouth by midday and did some shopping at a big Countdown supermarket. Even though the weather was brilliant now we faffed around for as long as we could and it required superhuman strength to eventually push on to the start of the Westcoast Wilderness Trail.
Start of the Westcoast Wilderness Trail
That trail connects Greymouth with Hokitikia (and ultimately Ross) and while it is an amazing route it means an inland detour of 60 extra kilometres compared to the coastal route. The first day on the trail we made it to Kumara and the second day we pushed through to Hokitika.
Cycling through native forest on the way to Kumara
West Coast Wilderness Trail near Cowboy's Paradise
Made it to Hokitika
After a good night's rest we continued along the west coast to Franz Josef, bashing out another 135 kilometres. The weather was greyish when we arrived and we did hardly get a glimpse of the mountains along the way. We were so hoping to see the Franz Josef Glacier in sunlight so we booked 2 nights at the local YHA hoping the weather would clear up at some point. Unfortunately that never happened. Instead we hiked to the glacier in light drizzle the next day and found the glacier to be rather disappointing.
Not so impressive - Franz Josef Glacier
From Franz Josef it's a relatively short but exhausting ride to Fox Glacier further down the west coast. No need to mention that the weather still hadn't cleared up and that Fox Glacier was equally disappointing under these circumstances. We pushed on to a lacklustre motel halfway to Haast where we treated ourselves to a night in a cabin as it was only $5 more than pitching our tent. Simon did have problems with his rear derailleur for most of the day and when we investigated further we noticed that one of the jockey wheels was pretty worn.
Replacing a jockey wheel after 28,000km
The next day we woke up from the sun shining brightly through the window of our cabin. We hadn't planned to go far today so we set off late. It was a pleasant yet windy ride to Haast where we pitched our tent for the night. After checking the map we decided to split the way from Haast to Wanaka across the steepish Haast Pass in 2 shorter days.
We had another late start the next morning to escape the crowd of tourists and tour buses passing through before noon. The first bit of the way was pretty flat and had great views on the surrounding mountains.
Enjoying the landscape on the way to Haast Pass
There were so many waterfalls!
Then for the last bit before the summit it got super steep and we felt pretty exhausted once we reached the top. Soon after we reached a campground and called it a day.
Summit of Haast Pass
There were a couple of campervans already and two Croatian-Australian couples invited us for dinner. It had been pretty windy all day but in the evening the wind got weaker which meant the sandflies were out in full force. In fact they were so bad that they sounded like rain on our tent!
Camping with a view
In the morning we discovered that there was another German cyclist on the same campground. Luise must have arrived when we were already in our tent. We kept chatting during breakfast and didn't leave until after midday.
Passing lake Hawea on the way to Wanaka
The way to Wanaka was a slog. We kept riding up and down hill after hill and felt shattered by the time we reached the YHA. Despite being awfully sweaty we couldn't be bothered with taking a shower as we were way too hungry. There was a porch at the YHA with a gorgeous view over the lake and the mountains behind it so we sat down there and enjoyed a hearty dinner and a bottle of wine. We also hit the 28,000 kilometres mark a couple of days ago so there was a reason to celebrate.
Relaxing in Wanaka
The next day went by doing nothing really but the day after we set off to Omarama. Even though we cycled across Lindis Pass, which is the third highest sealed road in New Zealand, the day went by rather uneventful.
We loved the look of these flowers
Made it over Lindis Pass
We woke up from the intense heat of the sun shining onto our tent but didn't hit the road until 10AM. The first bit until Twizel lead us along the highway. In Twizel we met two Scottish cyclists, a 73 year old with his son. We kept chatting for quite a while before we headed to the Alps2Ocean Cycle Trail. It was pretty exhausting to cycle on the loose gravel and quickly everything was covered in dust. The views totally made up for it though.
Views along the Alps2Ocean Cycle Trail
On the last stretch before Tekapo the wind picked up and slowed us down to walking pace. Eventually we gave up and opted to get back onto the highway where we there was a smooth surface at least. Also Dominik's rear tyre probably wouldn't have survived any more gravel riding. We had to replace it with a foldable spare tyre that night anyway.
Despite all efforts Dominik's tyre just wouldn't last to Christchurch
It was around 6 pm when we reached Tekapo and we were pretty lucky to get the last free site on the campground. German touring cyclists Ronja and Simon had pitched their tent right next to our site already and we started chatting. We had planned to go down to the lake shore and possibly the famous Church of the Good Shepherd for some star gazing but stayed on the campground instead chatting until after midnight and did the star gazing from there.
With German cyclists Ronja and Simon
The next 2 days went by rather uneventful. Clouds increased and the wind kept blowing into our faces relentlessly. We made it to Fairlie on day #1 and then to Geraldine. From Geraldine we took a so called Scenic Route to Rakaia Gorge. It was nice being off the main highways but there wasn't anything scenic about the route. Rakaia Gorge was nice and after a greyish day the sun came out for a beautiful sunrise over the gorge.
Rakaia Gorge
From Rakaia Gorge there were only around 90 kilometres left to Christchurch. The weather was pleasant but the headwind not so much. We made good progress though and didn’t stop for a break until we were less than 30 kilometres short off Christchurch. After the 2011 earthquake the city is still a giant construction site and cycling into Christchurch turned out to be rather stressful.
Made it to Christchurch!
We arrived pretty early to the YHA though and after dumping our stuff we went off in search of a pizza which we had been craving for days now.
1 Pizza each just wasn't enough this time...
The next couple of days went by relaxing, exploring the city, making plans for Australia and Asia and finally completing some changes to our gear. Stay tuned for details!

1 November 2017

Update October 2017

Countries visited: New Zealand

Cycled mileage in October: 1,320.1km
Cycled mileage per country: 1,320.1km New Zealand
Total cycled mileage incl. October: 27,165.6km
October mileage not cycled 116.2km (walking, car)

Days per country: 31d - New Zealand
Days cycling: 18d

Technical failures: 2 punctures, 2 worn bottom brackets

Link to this month's route


We arrived to Auckland end of September and were stuck there for a few days waiting for the delivery of spare parts for Simon's bike. After a bad-weather break halfway between Auckland and the Coromandel Peninsula we eventually arrived to Thames which marks the starting point of the Coromandel Loop.
Cycling the Coromandel...
...on narrow and winding roads
Coromandel coastline
Two pretty sunny cycling days along that scenic route brought us to the famous Hot Water Beach. During low tide you can dig a pool on that beach which will then fill with hot water from a thermal spring underneath.
Digging a pool on Hot Water Beach
We continued riding towards Matamata where they built the “Hobbiton” set for the Lord of The Ring movies.
Matamata - the Hobbiton film set is nearby
Our way led us from Matamata on to Rotorua via the stunning Hauraki Rail Trail. Rotorua is an attraction in itself with a lot of geothermal activity, steaming hot springs, geysers and sulphuric smell all over the place. Relaxing in the Blue Bath was a nice way to pass the time while we waited for better weather to continue our ride to Taupo.
Hauraki Cycle Trail, a former railway track
Hot, sulphuric springs in Rotorua
A lot of geothermal activity
Relaxing in the Blue Bath
It wasn't until 3 days later that we actually made it to Taupo with the way there including some awfully muddy offroad stretches on the Te Ara Ahi Cycle Trail.
Te Ara Ahi cycle trail - a bit muddy!
In Taupo we had to perform another round of bicycle service. The bottom brackets on both bikes had worn out bearings. Also Dominik decided to change his spike-equipped downhill pedals for SPD pedals as he puts so much power on his pedals that the soles of his shoes usually wear through after 5,000 to 10,000km. Additionally he changed his 175mm crank arms for 185mm crank arms which suit his height of 2.05m much better.
Working on the bikes part #1
With the bikes serviced we set off for a test ride on some of the mountainbike trails to the Huka Falls and on to the Craters of the Moon.
Mountainbike trails on the way from Taupo to Huka Falls
Huka Falls
More geothermal activity - Craters of the Moon
From Taupo we rode on to Turangi that happens to be a good base camp to hike the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. German compatriots Stephie and her mother kindly gave us a lift to the trail head and also were great company for the famous 20km long walk.
Start of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing
Freezing cold near the highest point on the walk!
Enjoying the stunning view
The next destination after Taurangi was lacklustre Waiouru. The way there included hail, storm and a puncture on the Desert Road. We were forced to have another bad weather break at Waiouru before we could eventually tackle the Gentle Annie. This 200km stretch of remote back road is infamous for its hills with the steepest named Gentle Annie. Undoubtedly it was an awfully exhausting 2-day ride on the Gentle Annie from Waiouru to Napier but we got there in the end!
Start of the Gentle Annie to Napier
Not so gentle!
From Napier we continued to Havelock North where we stayed with Irene and Glenn, family of Dominik's friend Stefan.
Our hosts Irene and Glenn
We kept following back roads from Havelock North to Featherston and rode the popular cycling route 52. Unfortunately the weather was against us once more and gale force winds made the ride rather unpleasant.
Cycling Route 52
The longest place name in the world
The last 85km from Featherston to Wellington led us across the Rimutaka Cycle Trail that roughly follows an old railway track. The trail includes some unlit tunnels, washouts and a lot of (loose) gravel.
Old railway tunnel on the Rimutaka Cycle Trail
The first bit of the trail is pretty rough...
...the way from the summit into Wellington is much more pleasant
We spent more than one week in Wellington, exploring New Zealand's capital and upgrading Simon's bike. Simon now also uses SPD pedals and longer crank arms (180mm instead of 175mm). Check out the Our Bicycles section for more details.
View over Wellington
Cable car from the city to the botanical garden
Working on the bikes part #2