31st Dec 2001 (Auckland) - The journey has taken about 36 hours, but Jonny and I arrive in Auckland
greeted by the midday sunshine and a warm breeze, feeling good and raring to go. Plans to put the boxed bikes in a taxi
are shelved when we find a bicycle assembly area right outside the airport entrance - the UK this is not!
About to ride into Auckland using the worlds worst route map |
Much bike fettling and 2 hours of [navigationally challenged] riding later, and we had made it to the Youth Hostel, which was our
one and only reservation of the trip. Still feeling good, we decided that jet-lag was for wimps, and went into the city to buy a map and some supplies...
We were both asleep at 7pm, and slept right through new years eve.
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1st Jan 2002 (Auckland - Wharekawa) - Shocked into action by the first alcohol-free new years eve
that either of us can remember, we are riding by 9.30am. Doing perfectly well by ourselves, we nonetheless
tag along with a friendly local cyclist who is showing a strange looking German guy how to get out of the city. It takes us
about 2 hours to realise that Jonny's expensive panniers are not fitted correctly, which handily explained why they kept falling off.
Pacific coast cruisin' | 
Hmm - didn't we just come from there? |
We had chosen to ride the Pacific Coast Highway, as it went South and looked cool on the map. All very enjoyable until about
7pm, when Jonny's rear wheel started to make loud clanging noises, and we were forced to retire to the first
campsite we could find to investigate. As I removed a broken ball-bearing from the wheel, many of
the other campers came to roast marshmallows and sing songs around the red glow of Jonny's face and forearms
(he had refused my offers of suncream all day long).
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2nd Jan (Wharekawa - Rotorua) - Putting blind faith in the remaining bearings in Jonny's wheel, we steam along next to the coast on one of
the best road sections of the trip, before heading inland. It is scorching, and my 5 litre water supply is already heavily depleted by lunchtime when
we stop to find some shade in a layby. The heat has got to others too though, and we look on as a motorcyclist
cruises slowly into the layby, rides through it, and crashes in a heap through the fence at the end. Luckily everyone is ok,
but it takes me, Jonny, and 4 others to pull the motorbike back off the hill.
Having a dabble in the Blue Lake | 
Lake Tarawera, and the once proud Mount Tarawera
(it blew up some time ago) | 
One of Rotorua's many bubbling mud pools |
That was when we met Peter, Stephanie, and their extended family. We explained our plan to ride to
Hamilton and get the train to the South Island. "You don't want to go to Hamilton - it's dead boring! Chuck your bikes in the car and come with us to Rotorua!"
Which we did. They bought us lunch, booked us a tent spot at the Rotorua youth hostel (where they were also staying), drove us around with the
family to see Lake Tarawera and Lake Tikitapu (the Blue Lake) and the Thermal Village, and lent us after-sun lotion. Superb. Thanks!
First New Zealand beers (yes, this is the end of the third day!).
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3rd Jan (Whakarewarewa Forest) - The Forests around Rotorua have a number of purpose-built mountain bike trails, so we bought Jonny a new rear wheel
and headed off to try them out. I wrote in my postcards that it was the most fun I've ever had wearing a pair of shorts, and I stand by that.
Jonny got off to walk all the best bits, but I think he still had fun :o)
But is it art? | 
It did get steeper, honest. | 
The beginning of a rather fine downhill | 
A twig spooks Jonny |
Beers and a dip in the youth hostel's own geothermally heated pool rounded off an easy day.
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4th Jan (Rotorua - Taupo) - Following ideas from Pete and Stephanie, we rode South again to tourist centre Taupo with the hope of catching a coach straight to Wellington.
As it turned out though, you can't just get on a coach, especially at 5pm on a friday. So it was either stay 2 nights, or spend the next day riding 100 miles to the nearest (yes, nearest) train station.
Lunch by the Waikato River | 
What a great bike (yes, that's my bike) | 
A tiny corner of Lake Taupo, which used to
be a mountain, until that blew up too |
There's plenty to
do in Taupo, so we found ourselves a tent spot for 2 nights from a woman I affectionately named Dragon Lady, then went out and drank beer in the Irish pub. Chatted to a Canadian guy called William with a terrible
taste in shirts, but a quite reasonable taste in women.
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5th Jan (Taupo) - Tourist Day! Rode out to see the Aratiatia Rapids, then went jet boating on the River Waikato which was excellent. Jonny's attempt at getting us a
youth hostel member's discount for the jet boat worked, but ended up with a heated phone call between the jet boat staff and the youth hostel. We found out later the
discount was for the other jet boat company... Rode back into town for lunch - a Burger King Whopper meal, with another Whopper for dessert,
and I think Jonny then managed another Whopper too as it was raining. When the sun was back out, we rode to see Craters of the Moon (bubbling mud pools, thermal vents, the smell of fresh
sulphur, that kind of thing), and then the impressive Huka falls on the river.
Floodgates open at the Aratiatia Rapids (overflow
for the concealed hydro-electric power station) | 
The Huka Falls | 
Craters of the Moon - not really like the moon at all |
With the Wellington coach already booked, Jonny tried to make contact with some Wellingtonian relatives of his, in the hope of a visit.
You can only be impressed with an answerphone message that begins "Hi, you don't know me, but I know your daughter...". Beer.
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6th Jan (Taupo - Wellington) - Dismantled the bikes and taped them into little parcels for the coach. Got on coach, sat down for 7 hours! The first
part of the journey took us past Lake Taupo, which is about 20 miles long/wide and used to be a mountain before it blew up (20,000 - 2,000 years ago) in
a series of gigantic volcanic explosions. In some of the riverbanks you can still see trees flattened by the final eruptions. Then we passed 3 snow capped active volcanoes, so the rest of the journey was a bit of an anti-climax!
Contact having been made, Jonny's relatives met us at Wellington, took us out for a meal, poured us beer and whisky, and gave us a comfortable bed each. The offer of another
night's stay was gratefully accepted!
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7th Jan (Wellington) - Like Rotorua, Wellington also boasts some fine purpose built mountain bike trails. The Makara Peak MTB park was
only a 10 minute ride from our base, so we grabbed a map from the bike shop and headed out for a very enjoyable
day of mountain biking without all the luggage. Sheer drops from some of the narrow gravelly trails gave a good "fear of death" fun factor, and there were great views over Wellington to boot (geddit?).
No caption necessary | 
Messing around above Wellington | 
Makara Peak trails | 
Jonny looking suspiciously capable |
Our hosts David and Leshun once again ensured we were well fed, well watered and
well looked after, so another big Thanks! there too.
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8th Jan (Wellington - Christchurch) - The time had come to leave the North Island, but we almost missed the ferry waiting for Tiger Woods
to emerge from his private jet on telly (for a golf tournament). Still, we made it with a minute or so to spare, and enjoyed a calm sunny crossing (apparently quite rare) to arrive in Picton on the South Island.
Then it was a case of jumping on our train, enjoying the scenery, and being patient with the 40mph average speed over the 200 miles south to Christchurch.
Top tip of the day was never again to stay at Addington Budget Accomodation in Christchurch. To take our minds off the
prospect of being murdered in our mud hut beds, we headed into the city to load up on souvlaki, burgers, several beers, and then a few more burgers.
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