2026 Kiwi Capers

The final day of any long trip is always filled with mixed feelings. On the one hand there is a relief that all the planning work that had been done over the preceding year had paid off. It was another quite complex trip, with three groups all starting and finishing on different dates. In spite of the logistical challenges, all the arrangements worked perfectly.

On the other hand there is also a feeling of sadness that the whole adventure is drawing to a close. Soon we will all be back in Australia and the trip will be added to all the previous overseas rides, with only our memories and photos to remind us of what we had experienced.

There is absolutely no doubt that the trails in New Zealand are vastly different from those we have in Australia. The magnitude of the mountains is on a completely different scale from the modest little bumps we have over here. As well as the different terrain, we were also able to enjoy riding ebikes that were not encumbered by the ridiculous 25 kph speed limit. It is obvious that New Zealanders have a more realistic approach to what an ebike should be.

On our final day in Queenstown, we awoke early, packed our bags for the final time and then headed off on the short journey to the airport. The airport in Queenstown is delightful and modest sized, reminding me of Maroochydore Airport in Queensland.

We were able to check in our luggage immediately, even though our flight was not due to leave for about 4 hours. That left us plenty of time to relax, chat and drink coffee.

The flight itself took off on time at 3.20 pm and soon we were smoothly flying across the Tasman. The three hour flight gave me just enough time to watch the new Conclave movie, before we started our descent to Melbourne. If you haven't seen it yet, you really should.

After landing at Melbourne, turned on my mobile phone to check my email. There was one message that I did not want to see. It was from the New Zealand police force, informing me that I had incurred a speeding fine while driving the hire car in the North Island. Although I sincerely doubted the accuracy of the speed recording, I did not want to run the risk of being extradited, so decided that I would just have to suck it up and pay the thing. It was not the homecoming surprise I was looking forward to.

At least the airport was quiet, and we were able to clear immigration and baggage collection without delay. Soon we were met by the shuttle van we had arranged before leaving Australia and we were on the final leg of our journey.

Although it was the notorious peak hour on a Friday night, the traffic was very light and we made it home quite quickly. Unlocking the front door always brings a strange feeling, but it is always nice to be back home in familiar territory again.もっと詳しく