New Zealand 2022 🇳🇿 (Alps to Ocean)

Legend

Cycling

Lake Tekapo, New Zealand ‐ Dec 13, 2022

This was a self-guided cycle tour of New Zealand's famous Alps to Ocean trail. We had our luggage transferred for us each day, which lightened our load considerably! The trail was mostly a mix of gravel, dirt and road, with a bit of mountain biking thrown in. It was exciting but also a bit daunting - we would be covering more distance than I ever had before, and I wasn't sure how my body would handle consecutive days of riding.
Twizel

73.6 km

Day one on the road! I was a bit nervous as it seemed like a big day on paper, but very soon, the stunning views and quiet roads distracted me from my worries and I could just enjoy the ride. Lunch at the Mt Cook Alpine Salmon Shop was even more delicious than usual because it felt well-earned. I did discover (the hard way) that I needed more sunscreen on my lower legs, which were radiating heat and looking angrily red by the afternoon - but we live and learn.

+5
Lake Ohau Lodge ‐ Dec 14, 2022

35.5 km

Nice, short day - with a lot of sunscreen and some great forest trails. Some of those were single track but without too many obstacles. Despite a couple of skids and close calls, we all arrived without more than a couple of scratches on us. Bruno and Andy then went on an adventure up a nearby hill - one on foot and one on bike - while I soaked in a bathtub for a couple of hours.
Omarama ‐ Dec 15, 2022

42.4 km

This was the hardest day of the track, both in terms of elevation and terrain. We started with a climb up to Tarnbrae High Point at 900m, which wasn't bad on my e-bike. The descent was the tricky part for me - loose shingle, fairly narrow trails (compared to what I was used to) and long stretches that felt just steep enough to be scary. My arms were sore and shaking by the time I got back to the bottom, and I would probably have benefited from some mountain biking skills before doing that sectio [...]
n. Once we got down, things were fairly comfortable again. We did a 14km detour to the Clay Cliffs, got caught in some rain, then eventually arrived at Omarama where had booked an outdoor tub to soak away our soreness. It didn't quite go to plan because the intense 8pm sunshine meant we spent most of the session taking turns holding the umbrella, but it was still enjoyable.

+3
- Clay Cliffs ‐ Feb 27, 2024
  
  9.8 km
  
  The caves seemed interesting but it was raining by the time we got there, so I didn't explore much.
Kurow ‐ Dec 16, 2022

68.9 km

This was my favourite day of the tour. We began by winding our way up and down a dirt track, with plenty of lakes and panoramic lookouts along the way. It was a mixed use track, the type that I would often hike, and I couldn't help but think how much more fun I was having on wheels. If it had been a hike, the 30km would have been a very tiring full-day affair. On a bike, it was a breeze, and the scenery changed often enough to keep things fresh and interesting. The second half of the day involv [...]
ed more road riding, but we still arrived at our destination - a winery - by the early afternoon. Plenty of wine and cheese later, we made our way to Valley View Glamping to relax in an outdoor tub and take in the views from our dome tents. I would happily come back just to do this section again.

+8
Duntroon ‐ Dec 17, 2022

28.3 km

This was the shortest day of the trip, but it came with an adventure in the form of my first river crossing. It was around 10m long, and deep enough to soak our feet while still being shallow enough to ride through. Needless to say, I didn't make it the first time through and ended up stepping off the bike to push it across - but then I went back to the start, tried it again and survived (barely)! It was fun, and we spent the rest of the day chilling and drying out shoes.
Oamaru ‐ Dec 18, 2022

44.9 km

It's a wrap! Our final day involved non-stop rain, a lot of mud and no lunch break because we didn't want to drip all over the one cafe we found. Many hours later, we made it safe and sound, then had an absolutely amazing shower. This was the trip that convinced me that I wanted to do more bike touring - because after a week on the road, I got to the end and wanted more. Not only that, but I enjoyed more of the journey than I usually do on multi-day hikes. There were so many moments on the road [...]
where I found myself grinning widely in sheer joy, whereas when I'm hiking, I tend to do that mostly along the more scenic stretches - especially the ridgelines. I suspect most of my future trips will feature cycling in some way.

+4