"THIS IS WHERE OUR 'BIG' ADVENTURES ALL STARTED" 

Below - Totara artwork on old abandoned buildings. Beautiful 😊

Why Cycle New Zealand?

For a 'cycling challenge' that without knowing it, was about to change our lives.

We didn't know it at the time, but this adventure was going to be bigger and so much more challenging for us in more ways than one!

The spark? The 'Tour Aotearoa' one of the world's greatest Bike-Packing trips. This challenge includes taking on the iconic '90 Mile Beach' and 'The Timber Trail'!

Stretching 3000km from Cape Reinga to Bluff. 

www.touraotearoa.nz  - Designed by the Kennett Brothers. 

Above - 90 mile beach - "shall we ride it or take the road" ? 

Steve (soon to be nicknamed 'Cheeky Charlie'!) had searched bikepacking blogs to find somewhere really different to turn the pedals.

After years of triathlon, LEJOG (Lands End to John O'groats) and short cycling trips, Incredible-Pedals in a distant land were calling!

Having discussed this with Emma (soon to be nicknamed 'Marvellous Molly') who was jetting off to Bali on New Year's Day 23 for a 'splash of surfing'

A plan was made by me (Steve) to fly out to NZ in February. Emma had said she would join me after her surfing trip. This seemed very unlikely to me at the time and so my very detailed plan of action began! 

I wrote down the route and meticulously listed each daily destination and distance.

Me - Plan? Meticulous? Organised? Just doesn't happen! 🤦

I even had 'tent putting up' and some 'survival' advice from my good friend Ade Turner!! 

Switching the TA route from the most commonly used north-to- south and deciding to go South-to-North:

Fly in to Queenstown, South Island - cycle to Bluff, at the southern tip. Turn around and head north on the Tour Aotearoa route plan! 

So I handed in my notice, said goodbyes to my wife, family and friends and jumped on a plane to NZ with my bike box. 

Saying goodbye was always going to be difficult. Especially to my beautiful lady wife, Annie, who always supported my endeavours! 

Being a VERY SELFISH person, a liar, coward, and all round nasty helped I suppose. 

And the drive to take on something 'before you kick the bucket' helped too. 

Above - a cafe called "Bugger Cafe" in Pipiroa sold these tee-shirts. Inappropriate maybe, but they "make you laugh a little"! 

During the following miles and months that were to follow the incredible-pedals took on a new meaning for me. Total concentration, exertion and fatigue playing a massive role in trying to come to terms with how much hurt I've caused to my wife, family and friends. 

Apologies are never enough for my actions, rightly so, and having to live with that is part of my 'daily challenge' 

Below - pic taken in the Philippines on Negros island outside a martial arts gym. April 2025.

Below - flying into Queenstown 

Everything changed, when true to her word, Emma arrived in Queenstown! No surfboard in sight - just a very tanned but in her own words "not very cycle fit" young lady with a bike! 

What a surprise! 

And as you'll see, if you'd like to read on, there were lots more surprises to come! 

Our Route

The Journey

Queenstown Airport was really easy to escape from - build the bike outside the terminal, get on and pedal into town, about 15 miles to a pre-booked Airbnb to take a couple of nights' post- flight rest! 

And then the Incredible-Pedals began in earnest! We cycled a short distance to catch a small ferry boat to Walter Peak Station.

A 45 minute ferry across a very scenic Lake Whakatipu.

And then.... "dead easy" 🤦🤦 64 miles to Mossburn!!

That's when things took a change for the worse!

Above - On route to Mossburn on the "infamous" corrugated gravel 🥵!! - Mind blowing scenery 👍👌🚴🚴

We hadn't taken into account the remoteness nor the type of terrain we were about to encounter! 

And have you ever cycled on 'CORRUGATED GRAVEL' - now I must admit to not being religious - but if there is a 'hell' then this type of surface will be there!! 

'The Road to Hell' by Chris Rea springs to mind! 

We didn't make it to Mossburn (you won't be surprised to read!!)

Instead we just about made it to Lake Mavora - BELOW (about half the distance)

Only making it here after luckily coming across some kind folks who stopped, took pity, and gave us much-needed snacks! Yes, we hadn't packed enough food or water either!! 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♀️

That night we camped for the first time and our 'Guardian Angels' (thanks Mum!) must have been looking down on us.

Because two bikepacking sisters appeared, set up next to us and then fed us!! Yes, we hadn't got any cooking equipment either!! 

Oh by the way - the "SCENERY WAS SPECTACULAR" It was just that the planning so far had been a "Spectacular Failure"!!

Bluff (our actual starting point) was still a few miles on.... More corrugated gravel and then beautiful, wonderful tarmac appeared!

Thank you Mr Edgar Purnell Hooley the Welsh inventor of tarmac!

We arrived in Bluff after a couple more nights of camping. Booked a Airbnb and drank far too much coffee! 

ABOVE: Fantastic cafe staff in Bluff - Owanga and Dee. Great characters 😍

And then before some Incredible-Pedals started we sailed off for a 'Great White Shark Cage Diving' experience

ABOVE: No, it's not Charlie's wet weather cycling gear! By the way NO Great Whites were spotted on this particular trip, sadly🤦

On Saturday 4th March....... We took the obligatory 'Bluff Signpost' photo and with 'wet weather gear' on, set off on what should have been the Tour Aotearoa!

Except that after chatting to Glenn in the camping store, 2 days ago (where we purchased a camping stove, gas and dried food!)

We made our way towards the east coast of South Island to Kaka Point and then across to the gloriously beautiful Clutha Gold Trail and the stunning Lake Dunstan Trail. 

ABOVE: Clutha Gold Trail - Scenic and mainly flat.

BELOW: Lake Dunstan Trail - Scenic and a more challenging ride. 

Whilst in Albert Town we walked to the Wanaka Show and after advice from a Rescue Team purchased a GPS Personal locator Beacon (below) Just in case! That's how remote NZ can be!

Carrying enough food for 2 to 3 days became the norm! And water purification tablets too! 

ABOVE and BELOW: An unexpected flight and boat trip at Milford Sound. Beautiful 😊

At Luggate (which was a small, almost Western/Cowboy town, (that would have looked just right in Texas!) we picked up Highway 6. This road would take us all the way up the west coast to Greymouth.

BELOW: The many Suspension Bridges we crossed had various 'warning signs'! 

ABOVE: Molly 'spreads her wings' on route to Haast. (sometimes you have to entertain yourself with long days on the pedals!!) 

BELOW: Waiho River Close to Fox Glacier and to Franz Josef. 

After a comfortable night in Greymouth and a chat about 'taking a route to suit'  we decided to jump onto the Tranzalpine Train to Christchurch so heading back to the east coast 🚴🚴

BELOW: A catch-up and walk up to 'The High Point' of the city with a good friend originally from the UK, Chris Lowe, was a highlight of our brief time in Christchurch. 

BELOW: Logging Trucks are BIG and FAST in NZ and can be VERY intimidating on the roads. 

From Christchurch we headed to Culverden on Highqays 1 and 7 - EXTREMELY BUSY ROADS

BELOW: en route to beautiful Hanmer Springs 

Below - Hanmer Springs to Kiakoura. State Highway 70.

A cyclist/motorcylists/drivers DREAM ROAD..... Twists, turns and some fast rolling sections. 

Below - on route to Abel Tasman National Park

Below - Rest day in Motueka so Abel Tasman boat trip and hike! Stunning. 

Below - Rest day in Motueka we also treated ourselves to a cinema night at the Gecko cinema (settees, tea in cup and saucers! Proper posh!) 

Below - In Motueka we met  "Dr John" (as he called himself!) trying to sell us his 'very authentic' Haiwatha Vintage Cycle!

Could not squeeze it into my panniers - so it was a NO from me!! Quirky guy 😊🚴 makes the trips even more interesting /fun!

Below - Pelorus Bridge, Marlborough 

Below - Pelorus Scenic Trail - turned into a tough pull, push, scramble and after a very long steep climb from Nelson, just what we didn't need! 

Below - Picton, South Island 

We took a rest day in Picton which gave us the opportunity for a quick swim in Marlborough Sound (it was sooo COLD!) and then a boat ride where we were fortunate to see Hector Dolphins - now they can really swim! 

Our ferry to Wellington took about 3 and a half hours and is described by many as 'one of the most beautiful ferry rides in the world' !

Molly decided otherwise when it became a bit 'choppy' 🤢 and due to a 5 hour delay, most of the crossing was in darkness!

Below - Wellington, North Island

Below - Pip and Murray whom we met on the Cluthra Gold Trail were true to their offer and put us up for 2 nights in Wellington - Murray even picked us up at the harbour as we arrived late evening after long delays on the ferry departure!

Beautiful folks - thank you 🚴🚴

After some walking around Wellington, a swim session at the local pool, getting the bikes serviced, being spoiled rotten by Pip and Murray and having covered 1300 miles through the South Island we set off to see if we could make it through the North Island 🤞🚴🚴

A couple of short sharp ups and downs out of Wellington, a cycle through a golf course with "flying golf balls"!! and then we picked up the Remutaka Rail Trail

Below - on route to Napier on SH2 we came across a very badly damaged section of road, maybe caused by an earthquake? 

Napier..... A beautiful art deco town

Below - a quick chocolate stop on the way out of Napier 

Below - Kuripapango camp ground on route to Taihape. Possums and wild boar making it a uneasy camp night in the forest! 

Possums are extremely common in NZ you'll often see them on the roads as 'road kill' and lots are caught by trappers. Their skins/fur used for making clothes. The possum socks are pretty good 👍

Below - Napier Road on route to Taihape. A challenging day, lots of leg power required on the climbs! 

Never did see a KIWI crossing the roads (nocturnal and very rare apparently) - apart from the HUMAN KIND!! 

Below - on the Okahune to Turangi road we took a gravel track that climbed steeply for 6km only to meet a 'dead end' 🤦 the only saving grace was meeting a 'boar (wild pig) hunter' who was happy for a chat/photo 

Hunting is a very popular sport in NZ. With many associated magazines to choose from. 

Below - the start of the iconic Timber Trail. A real test of our bikes/luggage and most of all ourselves. We are not off road cyclists and the earlier trails in this trip had been challenging...... This was going to be on another level! 🚴🚴

On 18th April we cycled from Taumarunui to Ongarue approx 20km to start the timber trail  - first day target was to get to The Timber Trail Lodge

Which was 45km from our start point. We made it and were extremely happy with our progress and the way the bikes and ourselves coped with the terrain 👍🚴

Above and Below - day 2 on the Timber Trail and we meet 'Mardy' the 'Maori Trail Ranger' - great bloke, gave us so much useful advice. 

Lots of steep climbs on the 2nd day and like yesterday, quite a few gnarly bits too! We congratulated ourselves on only having to push the bikes up one steep section and Charlie only fell off his bike once! 🏋️🥵

We made it to PUREORA CABINS just as the light was fading in the forest. Cycling out into the light it seemed! No one around so we decided to see if we could gain entrance before dark! MOLLY SUDDENLY BECAME A CAT BURGULAR!! 

Pureora Cabins turned out to be a Government run establishment - the Maori couple who run it turned up later that evening and were just brilliant - bringing up their grandsons and trying to maintain this very remote accommodation. 

We were so happy that the Pureora Cabins were there at the end of the trail - be great if this incredible family still manages to keep it running 🤞👌❤️

The boys gave us a guided tour of the grounds, with some Maori Hakka teaching too SEE PHOTO! and we did a bit of bike servicing on their beaten up bicycles before we left. 

Was the Timber Trail what we expected?

Yes and more. Challenging and such a thrill to get to the end. Bodies, bikes, luggage, all still in tact! 

Below - Is it a understatement to say that Logging is a major contributor to New Zealands economy! 

Below - Tuateawa Road, gorgeous coastal track. 

Below - rode the Hauraki Rail Trail into Waihi - fantastic and flat!! 

Below - Whiritoa Beach..... Beautiful 

Below - riding SH25 was scenic in parts and also quite narrow and busy. 

Below - Penrose, Auckland - Mount Smart Stadium. When in NZ you just have to go and watch the national sport 😊

Moana Pasifika v Rebels. 
Great game!

Below - leaving Auckland behind heading to Devonport (15mins crossing) on a very gloomy morning. 

Above and Below - on route to Brynderwyn. Challenging climbs and some great scenery - a few animal skins getting dryed out too! 

DARGAVILLE...... the name just says it all!! What a town. A few beers in a local bar, bike check in a local bike shop (top class mountain biker lady runs it, knows her stuff alright!) and then bit of repair work on my luggage rack at a local garage! LOVED IT! 

Below - if only every local garage looked like this! 

Below - on route to Omapere cycled through a heavy storm, at one point being rescued by a local farmer  for shelter! We cycled through Waipoua Forest and stopped to visit The 2000 year old Tane Mahuta Tree.

BIG day, so many tough climbs today 💪💪

Drenched but happy incredible-pedallers with Maori Tane Mahuta Ranger

Below - Met this young lady traveller in Rawene. Another great character 👍

In Rawene we jumped on a small ferry to Kohukohu. 15min fast ferry!

Cost 1 dollar!! Amazing.

Then cycled onto Ahipara. There we took a look at 90 mile beach and decided it was not for us!

No excuses, just decided we'd enjoy the road far more! 

Below - road from Ahipara towards Kaitaia

We took SH1 to Ngataki (mainly rolling, no big climbs!) and found an Airbnb to stay that night. The next day it literally never stopped raining! So it was rest day! 

Rain saturated Airbnb - below The boat in the yard nearly came in useful! 

Ngataki to CAPE RENIGA Only 40 miles to go! 

Our panniers left at Airbnb - first and only ride of this trip without the luggage!

After we have reached Cape Reinga Lisa, Airbnb owner, is picking us up from the Cape and bringing us back to the Airbnb! Amazing lady.

She has also arranged a Maori lady (Betsy)
to travel with her to the Cape, so that she can take us to the lighthouse, as the final path is closed due to landslides. 

Above - long and winding (windy!) climbing road to the Cape

The weather was dry with extreme head and side winds! Plus a few very steep climbs! Just for good measure!!

We would not have been able to access the final walk to the Cape without the help of Lisa and Betsy due to the Maori cultural/spiritual nature. 

South Island miles 1300 

North Island miles 1267

Total New Zealand miles so far 2567

Service work so far: 1 puncture, 1 new chain, front brake pads, luggage rack lugs repair. And regular chain drive cleaning/lube

Mollys bike: regular chain drive cleaning/lube

MADE IT - AWESOME 🚴🚴

Cape Reinga. A very special place for the Mouri people and there is definitely a special feel to it! 

Total miles in NZ still not complete as we now had to cycle from Ngataki to Auckland to catch a flight to 'who knows where'! 

Above - "come on people, make your mind up, where to next"??! 

We had a celebration drink that night at our Airbnb and then worked out a route back to Auckland 

Below - game of crown green bowls in Cable Bay! Charlie started off strong, but after some coaching from a local lady player.... Molly kicked his ass!! 

Our route from Ngataki to Auckland was a journey through more Maori land. Beautiful in places with some super challenging climbs. Heading back down the east side of North Island 

Totara Wharf 

Totara North Hall - this area is off the main road and was abandoned when we were here. Some beautiful and thought provoking images/graffiti - a must see 👍

Below - "coffee and beans n bangers" time "partner" - in some parts of NZ we very much felt it was a bit like the "Wild West" would have been! 

Below - on the Matauri Beach Road

Sometimes you just have to STOP take a moment, breathe, smile and admire the views! As Molly would say... "I feel so lucky"!! 

Above - Whangarei Falls

Above and Below - Warkworth towards Helensville via Kaukapakapa - more gravel a few very steep climbs and some tricky bits!! 

Below - Helensville to Auckland. Steep climb out of Helensville then rolling countryside and finally a brilliant 'cycle lane' almost to the door of our last Airbnb in NZ. 

Below - more Tatora artwork. Charlie loved that place! 

A couple of rest days in Auckland, bike boxes sourced (luckily) and a last minute flight to somewhere with a totally different culture. 

South Korea here we come! 

Cycling New Zealand

Food and Accommodation 

Mr 4 Square came in very handy during our time in NZ

Food

We found the food in New Zealand to be expensive with sometimes limited variety. 

Maybe because we were living day by day as you do on the road, but even finding fresh fruit seemed difficult. 

Fish and chips were extremely good! And we ate a lot of takeaways. Difficult to find good vegetarian options! 

And kiwi fruit MORE EXPENSIVE than in the UK!! 🤦🤦

We learned to time our arrival in places carefully after realising that lots of cafes closed mid afternoon. 

Accommodation 

We used 'Warmshowers', 'Airbnb' and Hotels with a bit of camping (when absolutely necessary! Charlie hates camping!!) oh and not forgetting 'Kind Hearted Strangers' offering us stop - overs.

The TA route calls them "Trail Angels" 😇

The Airbnbs ranged from cabins to beautiful homes in some fantastic locations... But always UP A HILL at the end!! Or so it seemed 🚴🚴🥵🥵

Accommodation we found was often a mix of reasonable and quite expensive. Standards were generally good or exceptional 👍

Cycling New Zealand

Ups and Downs

Ups:-

Amazing, stunning scenery. 

People generally friendly and very very helpful especially when you really need help! 

A challenging cycle destination/ride, testing your riding ability to it's limit. Your endurance, mental strength and ability to cope with varying situations.

We both had those "I can't do this anymore" moments. Very painful muscles and absolute fatigue. Especially during the early part of the trip. 

The variety of the cycling terrain. From long straight highways, where you can see enormous mountains to tight, winding sometimes difficult trail passes.

If you choose to fly into Queenstown... It's very easy to cycle out of there. 

Downs:-

Logging Trucks! Which can be so dangerous and some car drivers in NZ are let's say..... "not very cyclist friendly"!! 

On some of the well known trails be aware of Electric bike cyclists coming the other way, often in guide led groups - sometimes moving a little faster than their riding abilities can handle! 

The weather - when it's hot it's really HOT! We were told that NZ's ozone layer is so thin now that your skin burns real easy! And believe it, because it does, even with tanned, suncreamed skin!!

And the rain.... A bit UK ish! Lots of it! 

Expenses were generally high for accommodation and food. 

Above - good reading material on the loo - a must! 

Should YOU Cycle New Zealand?

It's a BIG YES from Charlie and Molly - if you get the opportunity - Just Do It

New Zealand is a beautiful country. Surprisingly though it has it's problems. Charlie went there with 'Rose tinted glasses' thinking it was to be the perfect place.

In fact it's like every other nation, money problems, social and racial issues. 

Cycling New Zealand

Practical Pointers

IMPORTANT :-

BE prepared for your bike boxes and kit to be thoroughly checked on arrival in New Zealand. 

DON'T UNDERESTIMATE the type of challenge you are taking on. Like we did!

Some places in NZ are so isolated and extreme. It's easy to lose phone signal, run out of supplies, pick up an injury or illness and suddenly find yourself without a means of getting help!

Get yourself a GPS Personal locator Beacon. Especially if going off grid! 

Water Purification tablets. 

Carry enough food and water for a couple of days. 

Spare battery packs. 

Always let someone know where you are heading and if possible your Eta.