2014 Kiwi Cycling Adventure

March 2014

In March 2014 I took a group of 13 riders to ride the South Island of New Zealand. In spite of the notoriously fickle weather, we had beautiful conditions for every day of the ride. My diary of this ride is lost, so this account is a reconstruction. Read more

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The World on Two Wheels 2014 Kiwi Cycling Adventure
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- Mar 16, 2014, 6:20am
- ☁️ 12 °C
- Altitude: 106 m
- Australia Victoria Hume Tullamarine Airport -37.673609, 144.84826837°40’25” S 144°50’54” E
Day 1
Leaving Melbourne
March 16, 2014 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C
Like all of our previous overseas adventures, this one started when 13 Ghostriders met together at Melbourne Airport, early on Sunday morning. We were about to head off for our first cycling adventure in New Zealand. Although I had been to New Zealand twice previously, this was going to be my first chance to experience it on two wheels.

Although New Zealand is only three hours away by air, we had been prewarned about the difficulties of cycling in this little country. The prospect of facing back breaking climbs, howling gales, maniacal drivers, daily rainstorms (and not to mention frequent earthquakes) may be enough to deter most potential two wheeled explorers - but not the Ghostriders. We were prepared to face almost anything the shaky isles could throw at us.

After an early coffee at the airport, it was soon time to board the plane and head east. About twelve months earlier we had moved to a new house in Pakenham and, since I was sitting by a window seat, I wondered whether I might be able to see my neighbourhood from 30,000 ft. This question was soon answered as the clouds parted and I was able to clearly see the large lake which was a local landmark. At least I knew that the plane was flying in the right direction.

We were on our way.Read more
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- Mar 16, 2014, 2:40pm
- 🌧 17 °C
- Altitude: 10 m
- New Zealand Canterbury Christchurch City Avonside -43.525342, 172.64813243°31’31” S 172°38’53” E
Day 1
Touchdown in Christchurch
March 16, 2014 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌧 17 °C
After the short flight from Melbourne, we touched down at Christchurch Airport, where we were met by the lady who was to be our guide for the next two weeks. I would like to be able to remember her name, but since my journal was lost some years ago, I have no idea what it was. Maybe for convenience I will refer to her as "Jenny". It might even be correct.

Jenny was a combination cycling guide and bus driver. She had a 22 seater bus waiting outside the airport to transfer us to our hotel for the evening. On our drive through Christchurch we could see the widespread damage that had been caused to the city just three years earlier.

Tomorrow we will be transferring to Mt Cook.Read more
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- Mar 17, 2014, 12:10pm
- Altitude: 847 m
- New Zealand Canterbury Mackenzie District Mount Cook Black Birch Creek -43.72889, 170.11711143°43’44” S 170°7’2” E
Day 2
Mt Cook
March 17, 2014 in New Zealand
We traveled to Temuka (2 hrs from Christchurch) before our first ride on quiet sealed rural roads took us to a local winery for lunch. The afternoon saw us riding on more quiet rural roads through lovely scenery, before we drove to Mt Cook (2.5 hrs).

At Lake Tekapo we visited the Church of the Good Shepherd and the statue tribute to the sheepdogs that make farming the Mackenzie Basin possible. The lake is also the first of the storage lakes which feed the hydro schemes in the basin and down the Waitaki valley which we will follow over the coming days. We continued on to Mt Cook where we visited the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre and the local DoC centre . We also walked to a viewpoint for stunning views of the 26 km long Tasman Glacier and Mt Cook.Read more
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- Mar 18, 2014, 12:16pm
- Altitude: 469 m
- New Zealand Canterbury Mackenzie District Twizel -44.260813, 170.10536744°15’39” S 170°6’19” E
Day 3
Hiking then Biking
March 18, 2014 in New Zealand
We awoke early to begin a morning hike to the stunning Hooker Glacier. Although many people had warned about the cold and wet weather of the South Island, we were relieved that so far we had seen nothing but blue skies and sunshine.

As we walked to the glacier, the horizon was dominated by the towering, snow capped peak of Mt Cook. Although not huge by world standards, it can be a treacherous peak to climb, with over 80 climbers having lost their lives attempting to reach the summit.

We stopped at a small lake, liberally filled with large floating lumps of ice. I grabbed a crystal clear block of ice to examine it at close range. It resembled a block of clear glass.

After returning to the car park, it was finally time to get on the bikes and start pedalling. Ahead of us was a 75 km ride to Twizel, which was to be our base for the night.

Fortunately the weather stayed clear and the kilometres quickly ticked by. It was a perfect start to our New Zealand riding.Read more
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- Mar 19, 2014, 6:24pm
- 16 °C
- Altitude: 63 m
- New Zealand Otago Uxbridge Waitaki River -44.889244, 170.90521744°53’21” S 170°54’19” E
Day 4
Cycling to Kurow
March 19, 2014 in New Zealand ⋅ 16 °C
This morning we had an option to visit the nearby DOC Black Stilt recovery centre to learn about one of NZ’s most endangered bird species. The black stilts are under pressure from the invasive lupins which chock up the braided waterways – as well as the foraging rats and hedgehogs who attack their nests,

A short drive to the low pass above Otamata accessed the downhill cycle and side road which took us to the majestic Aviemore dam. A beautiful sealed lakeside road kept us entertained before we had a short drive to our accommodation for the night. The small village of Kurow was worth
exploration by bike, traveling from the historic bridge over the Waitaki River, to the beautifully restored St. Albans Church.Read more
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- Mar 20, 2014, 7:29pm
- 13 °C
- Altitude: 9 m
- New Zealand Otago Dunedin City Saint Clair Saint Clair Beach -45.905821, 170.4972245°54’21” S 170°29’50” E
Day 5
Cycling to Dunedin
March 20, 2014 in New Zealand ⋅ 13 °C
Our third day of cycling was our toughest yet. Although the distance was a moderate 60 km. the howling gale from the ocean made the going incredibly tough. At times we felt like we were pedalling backwards, such was the ferocity of the wind. We also had the added challenge of some serious climbs.

It was little wonder that we relished the chance to get out of the wind for our lunch stop. Our final destination was the large city of Dunedin.Read more
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- Mar 21, 2014, 6:30pm
- 17 °C
- Altitude: 12 m
- New Zealand Otago Dunedin City Musselburgh -45.886009, 170.50384945°53’10” S 170°30’14” E
Day 6
Rest Day in Dunedin
March 21, 2014 in New Zealand ⋅ 17 °C
Today was our "rest" day in Dunedin, although we all did much more sightseeing than actual resting. There is a pronounced Scottish influence in this region, and it is even possible to buy tartan kilts and bagpipes in the city shops.

Tomorrow we get back on the bikes to begin our ride on the famous Otago Rail Trail.Read more
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- Mar 22, 2014, 6:31pm
- ⛅ 18 °C
- Altitude: 426 m
- New Zealand Otago Central Otago District Ranfurly -45.128244, 170.08897445°7’42” S 170°5’20” E
Day 7
Taieri Gorge Train, Otago Rail Trail
March 22, 2014 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
This morning we took the spectacular Taieri Gorge train to Middlemarch. The 58kms of rail travel from Dunedin is rated as one of the world’s great rail trips. The 2-hour route traverses the Taieri Gorge travelling across high iron viaducts and tunnels. All trains feature heritage carriages and we enjoyed a viewing carriage on our trip, which provided even better panoramas.

The afternoon saw us start our three day journey on the Central Otago Rail Trail as we cycled back in time to New Zealand’s rural past along a trail that has been specifically converted for walkers, mountain bikers and horse riders.

The Trail follows the old Central Otago branch railway line from Middlemarch to
Clyde. This trip is not just about the cycling but also exploring the many small towns and abandoned gold diggings as well as meeting the locals.

Some of the towns we visited along the way made us feel like we had been transported back to the 1950s.Read more
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- Mar 23, 2014, 1:36pm
- Altitude: 330 m
- New Zealand Otago Central Otago District Lauder Lauder Creek -45.051392, 169.67623445°3’5” S 169°40’34” E
Day 8
Riding the Otago to Lauder
March 23, 2014 in New Zealand
After crossing the highest point of the trail at Wedderburn we rode via the Idaburn valley to the Poolburn gorge with its tunnels and rail bridges. With the willow tree edged gorge below the trail and the welcoming pools beckoning we emerged into the scenic Lauder valley with a downhill run to our lodgings.

In the late afternoon we took a drive to the historic gold mining village of St. Bathans for a walk around the beautiful Blue Lake.Read more
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- Mar 24, 2014, 7:38pm
- Altitude: 169 m
- New Zealand Otago Central Otago District Clyde -45.191519, 169.33015145°11’29” S 169°19’49” E
Day 9
Completing the Otago Trail
March 24, 2014 in New Zealand
Our final day on the Otago Rail Trail was a relatively (and partially downhill) ride of about 45 km to Clyde, Up to now we had escaped the legendary bad weather, but we could all sense that a change was coming. The clouds were building and we could almost smell an impending downpour. The unknown factor was whether we would reach the end of the trail before the rain started.

We rolled along in fairly brisk fashion, looking over our shoulders to see is the rain was getting any closer. By some fluke (miracle) of nature, we all managed to complete the ride before the storm broke.

After taking some time to look around the town and take a few pictures, the bikes were packed into the trailer for the last time. We climbed into the bus for the drive to Queenstown. No sooner were we in the bus, than the rain started. It kept falling all the rest of the day. It was a comforting feeling to know that our planning had been perfect. None of us cared if it rained for the next week - our cycling was over.Read more
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