new zealand - Lifes Adventures

A Journey's End

As the sun rose this morning I willed myself to remember every detail. The warm glow rising slowly against the dark hills. Oranges and yellows appearing over the ridge as I hear the rooster crowing in the pen next door. I've seen every sunrise here for the last five weeks

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Lockdown Life

It's day twenty three of lockdown here in New Zealand and I thought I'd share a bit of what life in lockdown has been like for me since the rather abrupt end of my twelve week bikepacking trip. Having landed well and truly in lockdown nirvana here in Hope in

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Difficult Times

It's day fifteen of lockdown life here in New Zealand and I've spent every day of the last two weeks telling myself to write and failing to do so. Whilst cycling I managed to do it fairly regularly and here I have no excuses, I'm just a serial procrastinator. Friends

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Maungatapu and The Great Taste Trail

Riding out of the campsite in the cool morning mist I was prepared for a long day's riding. First on the menu today was the gravel road up to the Maungatapu track followed by a four mile, seven hundred metre climb to the top of the mountain and down into

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Kia Ora South Island

Up with the lark (or before it I think!) I was checked in and ready to cruise at 6:15am. Today I bid farewell to the North Island after thirty five days and one thousand, one hundred and fifty miles riding the length (and detours) of the island. Being thirteen

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Wheeling into Wellington

Up early to try and beat the wind I was on the road before 8am. I'd had a restless night of tent flapping and then chasing what I think was a hedgehog (I didn't have my glasses on) out of the tent porch at 2am. The wind wasn't too strong

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Bottom of the North Island

Waking to the pitter patter of rain on the tent I lay there and tentatively stretch my legs. Ooff, the top of my calf muscles groan in protest as they remember the epic effort of yesterdays hike-a-bike across the Aorangi forest. Knowing that I can have a nice lazy morning

adventure

Aorangi Adventures

Having stormed south for the last four days on the road I was craving a bit of adventure so it was time to head off the TA route for a few days. There was a route I'd spied called the No. 8 Wired on the bikepacking website and had decided

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Tearing up the tarmac

After the intensity of the Timber Trail and the Mountains to Sea track the last four days have passed by in a blur of miles and road as I've steamed southward. I won't bore you with the minute detail of every day but will ty to summarise some of the

adventure

Mountains and Rivers of the Whanganui

It was an early start out of Taumaranui in the morning as I had a big day ahead. Forty miles to the Blue Duck Cafe, thirty of which would be on gravel of unknown quality, then a further six miles on the Mountains to Sea route along the Kaiwhakauka track

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Timber Trail Tales

Up with the lark I was on the road at 8am after saying goodbye to Margot. After writing that I was all alone in the campsite last night I saw a biker arrive and it was Margot from New Caledonia. She'd just finished the timber trail and so we chatted

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Great Lake Trails

I'm just going to come straight out with it - this has been the best day of my trip so far! I wouldn't have thought it at 6am this morning when I awoke to hear the campers next to me slamming car doors and chatting as they packed up ready

adventure

Taupo and the Tongariro

How time flies when you're having fun! It seems like only yesterday that I arrived in Taupo for my nice relaxing break and all too soon it's time to move on tomorrow after three days here. It's been a nice detour from the TA route but likewise my head is

adventure

Wonders of the Waikato River

I started the day riding through glorious Hobbit country. Lord of the Rings and Hobbit fans drive here in their hoards to visit the Hobbiton movie set just southwest of Matamata. The town's visitor information site looks like it belongs in the movie as I head south along lovely quiet

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Rain on the Rail Trail

The drought is over! After a record breaking 47 days without rain, the North Island was blessed with the wet stuff today. I was up and ready just after 8am this morning as I didn't want to pack away a wet tent and as soon as I had started to

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City Flyby

Well I decided to keep moving and so yesterday I packed up and started the long, hot climb out of Murawai beach. Murawai beach to Miranda SpringsI felt surprisingly good as I tackled the hills that had seemed like mountains the previous day. I was heading for Auckland and really

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From Bay to Beach

It's been four days since my baptism of fire (or should that be sand?) on the Tour Aotearoa (TA) and yet it feels like it could be four weeks. It still amazes me how much can happen in just one day on the road so here's the lowdown of my

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Ninety Mile Beach

Well that was one hell of a start to the Tour Aotearoa (TA). I came here seeking adventure and today New Zealand well and truly delivered. This first section of the TA is called ninety mile beach and you basically ride along the beach from Te Paki Stream all the

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Northland

Kia Ora from Northland! The last 4 days have seen me pedal my way from Paihia in the Bay of Islands on the east coast, across the Twin Coast Cycle Trail to Horeke on the west coast and then up past Kaitaia to the most northerly point in New Zealand,

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First Impressions

Greetings from New Zealand! It's good to finally arrive after a total of 33 hours of travelling - and the best news is that Bamboo Betty made it too. I've never been so anxious waiting at an airport baggage area and now I can breathe and know that I'm where