From the Mountains to the Sea, the last Great Ride in New Zealand

People often ask what our favourite part of the trip around New Zealand has been.

Discounting all the bits with cake and beer, I guess they must mean the cycling bits, in which case it would have to be the Great Rides.

There are 23 in NZ and so far (and growing) and we’ve ticked off 7 of them, albeit not every one in its entirety.

A Little Downtime

Eight months into the tour and it can often seem, and feel, like we spend all of our time cycling, but, as the weeks go by, we have been spending a bit less time on the bike and a bit more time doing other things. Even when we are cycling there are certain things, little pleasures that are always worth a detour or taking time out. The last few weeks especially, since leaving Christchurch, have been all about downtime and enjoying the simple, surreal, sugar-dusted things that New Zealand has to offer.

For example:

Random Strangers

There was a Dutchman, a Canadian and a Kiwi standing at the top of a hill…..
No, not the start of some bad joke, there actually was.
All giving us much encouragement and praise as we puffed and sweated up the road towards them the scenic Rakaia Gorge viewpoint and the end of a big climb.

Personal Baggage

Even at 3,000 feet above sea level, the ambient temperature, which reached over 37 degrees centigrade yesterday, is set to top that today and is rising rapidly. Much more rapidly than me as it turns out.
The computer says I have exactly 182 feet of climbing left to do to reach the Lindis Pass saddle, the high point, but with the road touching gradients of 16% it may as well be miles not feet.
I am cycling in roughly 2 minute bursts before I have to pause, breathe, let my sky-rocketing heart rate slow, to sweat and to whimper quietly.
I’m also trying not to drink. Why on earth you might think?

Lord of the sandflies. The Wild West Coast to Wanaka and celebrating half way.

Think about your partner, the person you love, the person you enjoy spending time with. Now think about how it would be to spend 7 months alone with them, sleeping in a space which measures roughly 4 x 6ft square…..?