Biking in New Zealand – Part 1

The plan of the trip was simple – to make two circle rides in both islands. The idea was simple in my head but was a little harder to put it in action. The first days were hard. Every country has its own customs, systems and laws. My fitness shape also wasn’t something to brag about. I experienced my first shock in the first day. I had to sleep in a tent. Not the first day, I thought to myself and had a real mess inside my head and in my bags.

Cape Reighn lighthouse is promoted as the most northern part of the northern island, but it unfortunately isn’t. It took me seven days and 566 kilometres to get to the lighthouse. The road was tiring. Up and down. It was killing me. I was a little disappointed. The road was long and tiring, and in the end, you only see a lighthouse and the Tasman Sea and the Pacific. It is nice, but it’s nothing special. I decided to go back on the Ninety Mile Beach road. It is safe for motorbikes and mountain bikes, but travel bike is unfortunately too heavy.

After two weeks, I was back in Auckland. You aren’t allowed to ride a bike over the harbour bridge, so a Russian bus driver stopped for me when he saw my flag. You aren’t allowed to travel with bikes on these kinds of buses. The Christmas eve was more special because of Maori. I didn’t have a place to stay till 7:30 p.m. A local found me on the street and offered me a place to sleep. I would be stupid If I wouldn’t accept it. A shower, dinner and a couch. A traveller’s luxury. I didn’t sleep a lot, because Santa was bringing gifts, but this was one of the most beautiful experiences. We said goodbye the next morning – in our way, with a handshake, and in their way – with touching our noses. I can say that their way is more emotional, intimate and much more real and authentic. If Christmas was bad, the New and the Old year were bad. I spent two days in an average camp and the weather was bad. No shops were around so I had to eat plain pasta. Believe me, it wasn’t tasty. New year went by in three minutes. I only waited for midnight and went back to the tent. The three-day ride by the active volcano Mt. Taranaki or Mt. Egmont was covered in clouds. Despite being 2518 metres above the sea level, I only saw the peak of the volcano.

I took a bus from Vanganui to Wellington, which I didn’t plan. But you don’t know the roads when you’re planning the trip. I made the right decision. The road was narrow, there was no bike road and there was heavy traffic. I also have to say how impatient the drivers are. They overtook me even in sharp turns. The worst are the truck drivers, who own the road. They were driving very close to my mirror. I’m not talking about half a metre, but around 30cm. Scary. Later, a cop stopped me on the southern island and gave me an old reflective vest. If I knew what a difference this would make, I would’ve bought it the first day. After that, they overtook me and drove more than a metre away from the mirror.

I avoided big cities, as they are a nightmare for bikers. Traffic lights and sidewalks aren’t fun. I was more interested in the countryside. Two ferries are driving to the southern island, Interislander and the cheaper one, Bluebridge. The ride will last three and a half hours, but what is interesting is that you always see the southern island. I had a small problem on the first day on the southern island. The coastal road to Kaikoura was closed and the detour was 300km long. I was supposed to see the blue whales there. I took the road anyway and was lucky. It was closed at 12 but was opened at 1. Kaikoura greeted me with rain, so I drove to see the whales for nothing, but I was in luck the next day. I saw to blue whales and some dolphins. It was magnificent, but it didn’t take my breath away. Why? I couldn’t lose the feeling, that it’s a little overpriced. The trip is three and a half hours long and watching of the whales only lasts half an hour, but you pay 90€. The choice is yours.

After talking to some travellers, I decided to take a bus from Kaikoura to Oamaru. The road is flat and there’s nothing to see. Others also said it was the right idea later. But the beginning of one of the most amazing stories happened in Oamaru. In the morning, I went from Oamaru and met a fellow bike traveller. Canadian Jean, 61 years old, had the same pace as me so we cycled together. I was faster while cycling up the hill, and he was faster while going down. 22km before Dunedin, we had some problems. The way up the hill was 11km long and so was the way down. Under the hill, there was one side road, but we took the main road. Mistake. After five kilometres, the fog came, and it was cold. I was the first one up but encountered a problem. The road was closed for bikes. I quickly found another, macadam road and arrived in Dunedin. I walked in the city and watched the shops. Suddenly, I saw Jean in front of me. How the hell are you here, I asked him. He was stopped by cops, but luckily, didn’t have to pay a fine. We searched for an accommodation, each by himself and using our own methods. He was using a map, I was using a phone. We slept in a different hostel. Since we didn’t meet, I thought the story was over. It wasn’t. When I was walking out of the city, I saw him again. But this time, we didn’t leave together, since he stayed in the city for one more day. We said goodbye to each other and wished each other a safe trip. But this isn’t the end of the story. I will continue the story in the second part, so keep in touch.

Jerman Joži