Back to reality
Reflections on my Tour Aotearoa experience
If you’ve been reading for a while, you’ll know this blog started a few years ago when I signed up to cycle the North Island leg of the Tour Aotearoa.
That involved cycling 1,600 kilometres from one end of the North Island to the other (Cape Reinga to Petone). While no big deal for some people, it was a big step up for me (and Chris) - with much longer distances than I was used to cycling, and a shift from riding on the flat to riding on hills. Being part of a supported group tour meant we didn't need to worry about logistics - we just had to get up and ride each day.
Regular readers will also know that we recently completed the South Island leg of the Tour Aotearoa (almost two years to the day from setting off from Cape Reinga). This time around, I increased the challenge by making it a self-supported ride - cycling with panniers to carry everything we needed and sourcing our own food and drink as we went. I stopped short of making it a camping trip (opting for real beds and bathrooms) and I compensated for the extra weight by reducing the average daily kilometres cycled from around 100 to 80.
In the end, we cycled more than 1,400 kilometres from Picton to Bluff over 18 days, with about 13,500 metres of climbing. (The North Island was 1,600 kilometres over 17 days with 17,000 metres of climbing.)
And it was a fantastic trip. We had (mostly) great weather, the scenery was amazing, drivers were considerate, and we met lots of friendly people along the way.
Now that I have been home a few weeks, here's what stands out for me:
how lucky we are to be able to do such a trip
what a great way to travel cycling is
how hard it is to over-eat (let alone eat enough) when you are cycling day after day.
How lucky we are
New Zealand is a beautiful country. We are lucky to live here and have easy access to such a stunning natural environment. Lucky too that communities throughout the country have developed cycle trails and mountain bike tracks that let us enjoy some of the best parts of the country by bike. And better still, lucky that someone (Jonathan Kennett) found a way to join them together from one end of the country to the other to create the Tour Aotearoa route.
Nearly every day that we were cycling, Chris and I marvelled at how the scenery just got better the further south we cycled. It's not hard to see why overseas visitors love driving down the South Island’s West Coast to Wānaka and Queenstown. Big mountains, rocky rivers, wild coastline, picturesque lakes and an abundance of lush native flora. What's not to love?
It’s hard to pick a favourite day of our tour, but highlights include:
Taking quiet gravel roads from Tapawera to Murchison and Springs Junction through valleys and places I’ve never been before. The forest road over the Maruia Saddle was especially lovely.
Cycling the West Coast Wilderness Trail again. This was my third visit, and I think the best (despite lugging extra weight with me). The combination of perfect cycling conditions, good bike fitness and a great scenic trail worked well for me on the day.
Pretty much the entire second week of our trip that took us down the West Coast to Wānaka. Scenery, scenery, scenery. The best bits were around Franz Josef and Fox Glacier (despite the rain), the ride from Haast to Makarora (despite the steep climb over Haast Pass), and then the complete change of scenery as we cycled on to Hāwea and Wānaka.
The Batman theme song (Everything is Awesome) was on high rotate in my head for much of the trip.
On a personal level, Chris and I are lucky to have the time and resources to do such a ride. Doing our own thing made it more affordable (roughly a third of the cost of a group tour) but camping would have made it cheaper again. We’re lucky too that we're in good health, so we could build up our fitness for all that cycling.
Cycling is a great way to travel
This trip was different from every other cycle trip we've been on. Usually, our rides are either day rides, or an organised supported cycle trip (with gear transported), which essentially equates to a series of day rides.
Being entirely self-sufficient changed our experience. Partly that was about the need to travel light. We only had room in our panniers for the essentials so couldn't take that extra jersey or pair of shoes or spare bike part ‘just in case’. And there were no back-up supplies waiting for us in the car or at our accommodation.
But what really struck me was how different our interactions were with other people along the way. Cyclists will always talk to other cyclists in passing. But when you’re loaded down with panniers and obviously cycle touring, all sorts of other people will stop to chat as well.
We had countless conversations with people interested in what we were doing, where we were going and where we had come from. Often, they were other travellers (especially overseas visitors), who were doing a similar route by car. Some were cyclists themselves (when at home) so took a particular interest in how we were finding it. Many commented on the narrow roads and mountainous terrain (which was a common conversation starter).
I really enjoyed this aspect of the trip, and took the opportunity to ask about their travels and find out about cycling in their countries. But none of these conversations would have happened if we had just been cycling on off-road cycle trails for a few days or were cycling through small towns without panniers (looking more like a local resident than a traveller) or had not been cycling at all.
These sorts of interactions didn't happen on our North Island tour. I suspect that was partly because we weren't carrying gear, partly because we were on main roads less often, and partly because we were travelling as part of a group. Even though we cycled independently, we generally re-formed as a group at stopping points. And people are less likely to approach a group than just one or two people.
I have been thinking for some time about doing some independent long-distance cycling overseas. This experience left me more determined to make it happen. Watch this space.
Eating enough when cycling
Cycling for five or six hours a day burns up a lot of calories. Add in some steep hills, and an extra 10kg of gear, and there's a whole lot more calories.
We knew this before we left - and generally we managed this well. We made sure we were always carrying extra snacks in case we needed them. We ate often. And I feel like I was constantly suggesting we buy some more chocolate ‘for later’. I was paranoid about going into calorie deficit and not having enough energy to keep us going.
But ultimately the back-to-back days of cycling took a toll. We felt great for the first two weeks, and I really did think we could just keep cycling indefinitely. But then things shifted, and we felt weary when we set off from Wānaka (despite having just had a rest day). The next three days were hard work. And I started to look forward to the final day and taking a break.
Our North Island experience was quite different. We had a tough but enjoyable first week, and then things seemed to get (mostly) easier. We were pleasantly surprised how good we felt at the end, and were confident we could have kept on cycling.
For the South Island, it felt like the hardest rides were in the second half of the trip. And I was really happy to park my bike up when we arrived in Bluff.
Chris puts the difference down to the extra weight we were carrying. I think we simply didn't eat enough (or at least enough energy-rich food) but didn't realise it in time to do something about it. We felt like we were eating plenty (and it’s hard to keep eating when you feel full) but, in retrospect, we ate few of the high-calorie slices and sweet treats that powered us through the North Island.
So, we got tired. And we both lost a little weight, which is sometimes a good thing but not when you're doing long distance cycling. A good lesson for next time.
Overall, though, it really was a fantastic trip, and I would not hesitate to do it again. I loved spending the time with Chris and taking our time to make our way down the country.
There's always a sense of loss that comes with returning to everyday life after a big trip like this. While it's nice to be home, it's hard not to miss the freedom from responsibility and all that fresh air and movement.
Fortunately, there's still a few more months of good cycling weather before winter arrives so I will be back out there again soon.
Totally agree with you Angela, get to see every corner of the country. Keep safe, all the best.
Nice wrap up. I loved following your SI adventure. I think the world is your oyster now. Congratulations to you both. xx