In early March of 2014, I went cycling in New Zealand’s South Island. I had just quit my job and decided to undertake a world tour. I chose to start my tour in Australia, since I have a good friend there from my days working in Tokyo and I hadn’t seen him in years. So I figured if I was going to make the half day flight to Australia, I’d try to get a trip of New Zealand in as well, since it’s well known as one of the world’s best cycling destinations. It’s easy to see why.
I was lucky enough to book a last-minute tour with Pedaltours, a New Zealand based company I was familiar with from a 2008 cycling tour of Vietnam. They’re a solid, professional tour company with well-maintained bikes, full support, and guides that are friendly and knowledgable. I highly recommend their services.
The Flight
I had been living in Seattle at the time, but had traveled back to New York for my sister’s birthday so that added some time to my flight to New Zealand. After a 5 hour flight to San Francisco, it was 13 hours to Auckland where I changed planes for the connecting flight on to Christchurch. The plane was delayed in New York and I was late for my connecting flight in San Francisco. I boarded the plane tired and frustrated and not in the mood to talk to anyone. So I put on my headphones and settled in for the long flight.
Only when the plane was about to land did I overhear a conversation between the man in the seat next to mine and the woman in the window seat. When she asked what brought him to New Zealand, he said he was there to take a cycling tour of the South Island. Yup. Turned out we were on the same tour. What are the odds? In further coincidence, Jon was from the San Francisco area, where I lived for a year back in 2010. He was also a technologist, so we had a lot to talk about.
Cycling New Zealand’s South Island: The Journey Begins
It’s easy to see why Te Wāhipounamu (Māori for “the place of greenstone”), the south west corner of the South Island, has been designated a World Heritage Site. Home to hundreds of the world’s most active glaciers, it is the largest and least modified area of New Zealand’s natural ecosystem.
The group met in Christchurch early in the morning. After introductions, we packed up the bikes, piled into the van and headed west across the Southern Alps to the coast. After a short afternoon ride, we stopped for the night in the town of Punakaiki. Before settling in for the night, we explored the nearby Dolomite Point, famous for its Pancake Rocks & Blowholes. Limestone and mudstone have been eroded by thousands of years of rain and surf into interesting shapes and sizes.
The next day we began our 9 day journey to our final destination, Queenstown. New Zealand has one of the highest UV ratings in the world so sunscreen and eyewear were definitely in order. March is the beginning of autumn so temperatures are mild, mid 60’s to low 70’s (Fahrenheit) so just about perfect cycling weather. And apart from the first day, the weather was mostly pleasant.
Riding between the mountains and the sea, the day was challenging with a few steep climbs and some early morning rain that gave way to hail big enough to be painful when it found its way through the vents in your helmet. After a 50 mile ride, we spent the night at the Beachfront Hotel in Hokitika, famous as a goldrush town in the 1860’s and more recently for timber milling. The following day the weather cleared up. Over the next week, we explored quite a bit of the south island. I’ll give you the highlights here.
Leaving the beach, we traveled through native bush and deserted towns, past Lake Ianthe, a beautiful lake popular for trout fishing. After climbing Mount Hercules, it was a nice downhill and back to the coast for the night’s destination, Okarito, the largest unmodified wetland in New Zealand. Renowned for native birds, especially the white heron, it also offers beautiful views of the Southern Alps.
Glaciers
Day four was a short ride to the town of Fox Glacier and we took the next day off from riding to explore the area. A few of the cyclists in our group opted for the helicopter ride that stops on top of two glaciers: Fox Glacier and Franz Josef Glacier. The glaciers are truly an awesome sight and descend all the way from the Southern Alps to less than 980 feet (300 metres) above sea level.
Whitebait and Flat Whites
This being my first trip to Australasia, I had no idea the coffee culture was so vibrant here. Espresso beverages are common, mostly the same options as I’ve seen elsewhere (latte, cappuccino, mocha) with the addition of a drink I hadn’t heard of before, the flat white. Originating in Australia, it’s similar to a cappuccino or the latte but with “microfoam” and with more coffee and less milk. After a few hours on the bike, a flat white really hit the spot.
Another local favorite I wasn’t familiar with is whitebait, juvenile galaxiid fish. The adults live in freshwater rivers and streams and these fish are caught during their migration into freshwater from the sea. They’re found along the coast and are a seasonal treat. For several days, we saw signs for “Whitefish patties” and similar dishes. A lunch of whitefish sandwich and flat white was a nice midday break.
Stunning Scenery
The scenery we encountered was simply breathtaking. Truly, some of the most beautiful vistas in the world. It’s no wonder “The Lord of the Rings” was filmed here. I hope the photos speak for themselves but really they don’t do it justice.
Leaving the glaciers behind, we headed through lush rain forest, past swamps and waterfalls. We then turned inland following the Haast River towards the snowcapped peaks, climbing through the Gates of Haast before a gentle descent to small community of Makarora, a popular location for hikers.
Nearing the end of the ride, we rode past drier, denser bush and past open sheep paddocks. Cycling along Lake Wanaka with dramatic views of jagged, rocky mountains across the lake.
Almost There
The final day of the ride was the most challenging physically, climbing up the Crown Range and over the Cardrona Road. High winds slowed our progress near the top. We rode past the historic Cardrona Hotel, the oldest hotel in New Zealand.
On the top of the pass were the most amazing views of trip. From the very top, The Remarkables mountain range was visible but most of the lowlands toward Queenstown were covered in fog. As we descended a long series of hairpin turns and switchbacks, the gold-mining village of Arrowtown became visible. After Arrowtown, it was a short, flat ride to our final destination, the resort town of Queenstown.
Moving On
Queenstown is a beautiful town with a population of 12,500. A major center for skiing and snowboarding in the winter, the rest of the year mountain biking and hiking are popular. It’s also close to a small wine producing region.
At the end of the trip, most of the cyclists in our group headed back to their home countries. Jon continued to tour on his own, up the east coast of the island. I got a flight to Brisbane to meet up with my friend, Scott. And all the weight I lost on the trip was put back on the first day we went to the pub. Easy come easy go.