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.
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| Cycling the Coromandel... |
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| ...on narrow and winding roads |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Hauraki Cycle Trail, a former railway track |
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| Hot, sulphuric springs in Rotorua |
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| A lot of geothermal activity |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Mountainbike trails on the way from Taupo to Huka Falls |
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| Huka Falls |
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| 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.
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| Start of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing |
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| Freezing cold near the highest point on the walk! |
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| 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!
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| Start of the Gentle Annie to Napier |
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| Not so gentle! |
From Napier we continued to Havelock North where we stayed with Irene and Glenn, family of Dominik's friend Stefan.
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| 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.
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| Cycling Route 52 |
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| 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.
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| Old railway tunnel on the Rimutaka Cycle Trail |
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| The first bit of the trail is pretty rough... |
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| ...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.
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| View over Wellington |
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| Cable car from the city to the botanical garden |
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| Working on the bikes part #2 |
