Heading out tomorrow

[Peg]

Our first longer ride this season. 10 days riding, focus on the middle of the South Island, where spring should be in full bloom, high-country lupins , riding some of the few remaining roads we've not ridden over the last few years.

Day one: New Plymouth to Wellington. Boring, done it too many times, like any other road that's close to home, know every pothole. Longest day of the trip - stay at my sister Lou's in our capital city for a few days.

Day two: Ferry to Picton, then over to the west coast. Staying at Westport for the night.

Day three: Check out the historic mining area of Denniston, then down the west coastline to Franz Josef. We'll take a look out at the wetlands in Okarito on the way.

Day four: Travel on south and through the Haast pass to Queenstown for the night.

Day five: Take a look around the lake to Glenorchy, then back through Queenstown, up through the Lindis Pass & over the Benmore & Aviemore Dams, spend a night in Otematata, at the pub.

Day six: North to Mount Cook Village, catch up with a friend working there, on through Tekapo to Methven for the night.

Day seven: Another pass - Arthur's - arguably the most scenic of them, and once over, we'll cut away around Lake Brunner and through Blackball - for roads less traveled. Overnight in Reefton.

Day eight: Lewis Pass back over to the east coast, short day, so we may take a dip in the hot pools in Hamner Springs en-route. Heading for Kaikoura, where lobster is probably on the menu that evening.

Day nine: We're booked to go out on a whale-watching cruise in the morning, then it's a short day's ride in the afternoon back to Picton to catch the late ferry. Stop at Lou's again, one night this time.

Day ten: The run back home to New Plymouth. Depending on the weather that'll be via the usual most direct route - or over the Rimutaka Hill and up the middle.

Weather can be changeable in springtime, so I've planned for days of mostly between around four hours. That way, if it rains, we can seek shelter in cafe's, or travel early or late to avoid the worst of it. On the upside - there'll still be quite a lot of snow on the mountains - and springtime can be very scenic in that part of the country.

[plumber63]

I google map New Zealand. Then Dropped down on a few roads. Beautiful landscape to ride thru.

That should be a awesome trip, Be safe.

[redjay]

I watch A Brit A Blonde A Bike on YouTube so I have a good idea what the South Island looks like around Wanaka where they live. Very nice scenery. Enjoy your trip.

[rolfe]

Have a Great Relaxing Ride

Beautiful Country

Originally Posted by Peg

Our first longer ride this season. 10 days riding, focus on the middle of the South Island, where spring should be in full bloom, high-country lupins , riding some of the few remaining roads we've not ridden over the last few years.

Day one: New Plymouth to Wellington. Boring, done it too many times, like any other road that's close to home, know every pothole. Longest day of the trip - stay at my sister Lou's in our capital city for a few days.

Day two: Ferry to Picton, then over to the west coast. Staying at Westport for the night.

Day three: Check out the historic mining area of Denniston, then down the west coastline to Franz Josef. We'll take a look out at the wetlands in Okarito on the way.

Day four: Travel on south and through the Haast pass to Queenstown for the night.

Day five: Take a look around the lake to Glenorchy, then back through Queenstown, up through the Lindis Pass & over the Benmore & Aviemore Dams, spend a night in Otematata, at the pub.

Day six: North to Mount Cook Village, catch up with a friend working there, on through Tekapo to Methven for the night.

Day seven: Another pass - Arthur's - arguably the most scenic of them, and once over, we'll cut away around Lake Brunner and through Blackball - for roads less traveled. Overnight in Reefton.

Day eight: Lewis Pass back over to the east coast, short day, so we may take a dip in the hot pools in Hamner Springs en-route. Heading for Kaikoura, where lobster is probably on the menu that evening.

Day nine: We're booked to go out on a whale-watching cruise in the morning, then it's a short day's ride in the afternoon back to Picton to catch the late ferry. Stop at Lou's again, one night this time.

Day ten: The run back home to New Plymouth. Depending on the weather that'll be via the usual most direct route - or over the Rimutaka Hill and up the middle.

Weather can be changeable in springtime, so I've planned for days of mostly between around four hours. That way, if it rains, we can seek shelter in cafe's, or travel early or late to avoid the worst of it. On the upside - there'll still be quite a lot of snow on the mountains - and springtime can be very scenic in that part of the country.

[Badger: Black Hills]

I'm jealous of the ride you have planned. New Zealand and Australia are on my bucket list. unfortunately I won't be riding when we do it. Ride safely and enjoy that beautiful country!

[duffy]

Sounds like a great trip...........enjoy.

[JD Hog]

Sounds like an awesome trip Peg, have a safe ride

[The Black Knight]

Hi Peg, have a wonderful trip in your beautiful Country and drive safely, my friend.

[Peg]

End of day 6... and it's been excellent so far. One day's rain (#4 in to Q.town), but fine weather the rest of the time. Little problem yesterday, when I found a near-flat rear tire in the morning. Picked up a long staple somewhere on day 4. We found a replacement tire an hour away in Alexandra, crossed fingers and rode off there... The dealer there let me borrow tools and his lift to roll the wheel out for him. His techs were busy with booked work, and I'd rather do the simple stuff myself anyway - so big thumbs-up to Davidson Honda in Alexandra.

On back towards the east coast again tomorrow, Arthurs pass is probably my favorite of them.

[smokier]

Excellent that they worked with you Peg! Glad the tire didn't delay you too much!
Enjoy, ride safe!
I am a little green with envy!

[izarnebatter]

Your journey has been incredible. Man, you described it so interesting that I even decided to reread it again to feel those emotions. I think you might enjoy traveling by train along the high hills or the coast. Such journeys take your time but allow you to enjoy every corner of the country you visit. One of the biggest advantages is also the low cost of such trips. So if you are a student, it is not a bad option to see the world and save money simultaneously. To find the best ticket, dbfahrplan.com can help you. I often choose this mode of transport for the opportunity to see everything at once.

[spby52]

beautiful country. enjoy

[algirdascommodity1]

td {border: 1px solid #cccccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}[FONT=Arial][I]I like your plan for the trip. I am going to repeat it! But first I want to go to Spain for Andalusia dovolen