Auckland, New Zealand Distance: 30 miles Time on bike: 0.75 hours Officially our last day of the bike trip and we leave at 9.30 am for the ride down to the warehouse located on the southern side of Auckland to drop the bikes off for shipping back to the UK. On the way we drop off the maps that we’d borrowed from one of Béné’s friends and then call into a shop to get packaging tape and some fluffy blankets to act as protection for the bikes when in the crates. There’s a big sense of relief arriving at the warehouse; the bikes have made i.

Auckland, New Zealand Distance: 0 miles Time on bike: 0 hours As we’re dropping the bikes off tomorrow at the warehouse for shipping back to England we decide to give the bikes a little spruce up. It’s not really necessary to have the bikes cleaned for shipping back to Europe but we thought it would be nice to have them looking all clean for when we collect them at the other side and it’ll also make the job of packaging them up in crates a much cleaner operation. We slog away from 10 am until after 5 pm and they seem to polish up quite we.

Rotorua to Auckland, New Zealand Distance: 180 miles Time on bike: 4.75 hours We wake up to the sound of pukeko birds squawking in the entrance to our cabin. We’ve seen these birds all over New Zealand but never as tame or inquisitive as here. Clearly they are either affected by the geothermal activity, or just get well fed on the camp site. We get up early so that we can take a walk around the nearby park which is full of steaming lakes, bubbling hot springs and mud pools. It’s a nice morning wander and then we return to the cabin to have .

Whakatane to Rotorua, New Zealand Distance: 62 miles Time on bike: 1.75 hours We have to get up early today as we need to get down to the local wharf for 8.45 am to store the bikes in a garage before heading off on a boat trip to White Island which is located about thirty miles off the coast. This is the most active volcano in New Zealand and the only active marine volcano in the country; and quite remarkably they run tours to the island when the weather permits landing. This is something we’d wanted to do at some point, but we’re quite luc.

Whanarua Bay to Whakatane, New Zealand Distance: 84 miles Time on bike: 2.15 hours Well the weather isn’t too good, but then again it’s not too bad. Luckily the rain stops just when we decide to head off. We ride along the coast to Whakatane and when we stop for petrol we notice that the bolt on Béné’s bike frame has gone again. We didn’t have a long enough bolt last time we fixed it, but we had our fingers crossed it would last until Auckland. Luckily it turns out that the bolt has simply lost its thread at the end, rather than snapp.

Gisborne to Whanarua Bay, New Zealand Distance: 182 miles Time on bike: 5 hours There’s a bit of relief this morning as the terrible weather that was forecast doesn’t seem to have arrived just yet. After breakfast we set off at 9.15 am, just as some nasty looking clouds start approaching from the south. We stop just on the outskirts of town to see another monument to Captain Cook which is placed above the bay where he made his first landing in New Zealand in 1769. The statue has a novel history as it was placed here in 1969 and was cast in .

Rotorua to Gisborne, New Zealand Distance: 208 miles Time on bike: 7.75 hours We begin with an early start, but stay in bed to use the internet connection to get some photos and diary uploaded. We get out of the room at 10.30 am, slightly later than the manager would have preferred, and get on our way. Rotorua seems to be a really touristy place with plenty of things to do, but as we’ve seen geothermal activity and spent plenty of time in spas the only thing that appeals is doing some rafting as one of the rivers has a seven metre waterfall w.

Taupo to Rotorua, New Zealand Distance: 82 miles Time on bike: 2 hours There are a few showers this morning, but we manage to head off to the end of the lake where there are some impressive rapids to see. Well, there would be some impressive rapids if they hadn’t built a dam at the end of the lake. This slight problem is overcome when they do a timed release of water a few times a day to keep the tourists happy. We get there for the 10 am release and although it’s really nice to see, it’s not quite as impressive as we thought it may be. R.

Mokau to Taupo, New Zealand Distance: 142 miles Time on bike: 3.15 hours We were expecting the weather to be bad this morning, but it seems alright so we get going at about 10 am. It’s not long after we set off however that it starts to rain. We decide to just press on and ride for three hours in the wet before arriving in Taupo at midday. The rain relents when we’re riding through town and we stop for a picnic near the largest lake in New Zealand. We get company of quite a few ducks, seagulls and a few little birds, but they disappear when.

Taumarunui to Mokau, New Zealand Distance: 191 miles Time on bike: 5.5 hours While in the tourist information office yesterday we picked up a leaflet explaining that the road heading west from Taumarunui is known as the Forgotten World Highway. Rather than head straight to Lake Taupo, we opt to take a bit of a detour to see this part of the North Island. It turns out to be a lovely winding road and a really nice ride which includes a route through the Tangarakau Gorge. We stop off for a walk to see the Mt Damper Waterfall, which at 85 metres hi.

National Park to Taumarunui, New Zealand Distance: 114 miles Time on bike: 3 hours As expected the weather isn’t so great this morning. We keep ourselves busy and wonder whether to make a move or stay put. The place we’re staying in is quite nice, but we feel a bit isolated and have itchy feet to get moving. When the weather shows signs of improving at midday we quickly get packed and head off at 12.30 pm. We ride up to the information centre in National Park, but again get a bit put off the walk we’d planned to do by the DOC staff who se.

Otaki Beach to National Park, New Zealand Distance: 167 miles Time on bike: 4.5 hours Our night in the tent turned out to be quite pleasant and we both sleep well. We have a chat with a nice couple from New Plymouth, and then get packed away and on the road at 10.30 am. We head to Wanganui, but the roads are straight, fairly dull and quite busy compared to what we’ve been used to. It’s also cloudy again, but the clouds are high and no rain is threatening at the moment. When we get to Wanganui we stock up on supplies for a potential day of t.

Wellington to Otaki Beach, New Zealand Distance: 71 miles Time on bike: 2.25 hours After checking out of the flat and securing our kit to the bikes we take a walk along to the Parliament Buildings. We start with a look into the old parliament building, which is the largest timber construction in the southern hemisphere and has a few areas open to the public. We only have about twenty minutes to have a quick look around before needing to get across the road into Parliament for a free one hour tour starting at 11 am. This proved to be very intere.

Wellington, New Zealand Distance: 0 miles Time on bike: 0 hours We’re staying stationary in Wellington today and have set ourselves the challenge of getting around some of the sights in town. This starts with the national museum of Wellington, known as Te Papa, and we spend the morning there. The museum starts out well and they have a star attraction of a Colossal Squid, which at 495 kg is the largest invertebrate ever discovered by man and has the largest eye of any known creature on earth, about the size of a football. It was caught by a tr.

Kaikoura to Wellington, New Zealand Distance: 103 miles Time on bike: 2.5 hours It is our last day on the South Island of New Zealand, but as we need to be at Picton at 12.45 pm for the ferry final check-in, which is a two hour drive away, we don’t really have time to do more the just get there. Before leaving we give the chains a good oil and clean and Carl chucks his £12 trainers, purchased on arrival in Auckland but only lasted a few weeks before falling apart. The weather today is a bit more cloudy, but they’re high clouds and there’.

Kaikoura, New Zealand Distance: 0 miles Time on bike: 0 hours Today is another nice day. As we get up and check what to do over the next couple of weeks, we decide to book our ferry back to the North Island for the next day and spend the rest of our time in New Zealand on the North Island. Carl spots in the guide book a place where we can kayak along a river for four to five days along NZ’s longest navigable river, which sounds like fun. We then head out to the tourist information but we still haven’t decided how we’ll try and spot the wh.

Reefton to Kaikoura, New Zealand Distance: 170 miles Time on bike: 4 hours To start the day, just before leaving Reefton we see the world’s only Single ‘R’ Class Fairlie locomotive. This was built in Avonside in 1878 to work on the winding tracks in Wales, went into service in New Zealand in 1879. Sadly it’s been a bit abused by the local kids while on display here, but some day it’ll be pristine again. We then leave town, the weather is very misty this morning but we continue up the road towards the Lewis Pass which will take us back.

Springfield to Reefton, New Zealand Distance: 148 miles Time on bike: 3.5 hours It’s a beautiful day but is absolutely freezing outside. There’s a thick frost on the bikes and we leave it until 10.30 am before leaving the youth hostel to give any frost or ice on the road a chance to thaw. The repair we carried out last night to Béné’s bike should mean the frame stays together and we get on our way towards Arthur’s Pass. The air is still freezing when we set off and we manage to cope with the help of the heated jackets and the heated g.

Akaroa to Springfield, New Zealand Distance: 118 miles Time on bike: 4.25 hours We’re really pleased to see that the forecasted better weather for today has arrived, so we can set off again on the bikes and enjoy the sights of the peninsula. The owner of the accommodation has recommended us a route taking in some of the bays and tracks and we set off at 10.30 am; after another round of banana and chocolate pancakes, heading out of town and taking the first ascent of the day. The roads on the peninsula seem to either only go up or down and wit.

Akaroa, New Zealand Distance: 0 miles Time on bike: 0 hours The weather still hasn’t cleared this morning so we decide to stay another day to have a chance to see a bit more of the area when we ride off. Akaroa and the nearby Littleton Harbour were once the centre craters of volcanoes sat next to each other. They’re the only hilly things around here as otherwise the countryside is incredibly flat. To miss the hills around here means we’re missing the only geographical feature around, so we’ll stay put until the clouds lift. We use the d.

Akaroa, New Zealand Distance: 0 miles Time on bike: 0 hours The bad weather that was forecast to arrive, arrived overnight. When we get up, it doesn’t take long to decide to stay put today and just relax and explore Akaroa. After breakfast we take a walk along the harbour and see a bit of the scenery around town. There are a few trips we could go on, including seeing some local Hector Dolphins, but the weather doesn’t make them feel too appealing. We come across a monument with a Union Flag raised behind. We subsequently find out that this .

Lake Takepo to Akaroa, New Zealand Distance: 223 miles Time on bike: 5.5 hours After a very windy night and a bit of rain, we wake up to another sunny day; after a pleasant breakfast outside we pack up and get on our way at about 10am. Our first stop is just down the road at the Church of the Good Shepherd and the monument commemorating the work of the colley dog in farms which lead to the success of the sheep stations. We then oil the chains and get on our way, going through the Berks Pass, away from the Southern Alps. We are aiming to get to .

Mount Cook National Park to Lake Takepo, New Zealand Distance: 81 miles Time on bike: 2 hours It was a windy night last night in the tent and Carl has to get up to put up all the guy ropes to keep the dome tent in some sort of dome shape. There is some light rain, but with the lack of humidity around here the tent manages to dry very quickly. We again need to be up and away quite early as we have one last screening to see in the planetarium, the most southern in the World. This film is about black holes and the science behind them. Seeing these.

Mount Cook National Park, New Zealand Distance: 4.5 miles Time on bike: 0.25 hours Béné is keen to get up for the sunrise, but after being woken well before first light, Carl is happy to stay in bed. We have a mountain view from the foot of the bed and the clouds which have formed overnight look like they’ll hinder anything happening with the sun rising on the mountains. We’re in no rush today as it’s best to wait until the sun has warmed up the snow, otherwise we’ll be skating down the mountain while everyone else can remain in contr.

Mueller Hut, Mount Cook National Park, New Zealand Distance: 4 miles Time on bike: 0.25 hours We set alarm for 7.15 am to get tent packed away, have breakfast and then Carl rides into Mount Cook Village to buy two tickets for the Mueller Hut for tonight as we missed out yesterday due to the hut being fully booked. We then find out that the start of the walk is actually from just near to the campsite, so we feel a bit more comfortable about leaving the bikes parked up there. We’ve already packed our bike kit into the bike panniers so the only .

Twizel to Mount Cook National Park, New Zealand Distance: 44 miles Time on bike: 1 hour Although the weather looked like it should be fine for camping last night, the skies ended up clearing and the temperature dropped to just above freezing. At 9 am the thermometer was reading 2.5 degrees in the porch of the tent and the bikes have a covering of frost. We seem to have survived well enough however and no doubt having the hot water bottles made a big difference. After our now usual breakfast of oats with an orange, a banana, a spoonful of honey .

Oamaru to Twizel, New Zealand Distance: 110 miles Time on bike: 3 hours The alarm is set for 7.18 am this morning, which is half an hour before sunrise, because we’re heading back to the Yellow Eyed Penguin colony to see if we can get another chance to see the rarest penguins in the world. Surprisingly we manage to get out of bed and both hop on Béné’s bike as the single exhaust pipe on Carl’s bike is a bit anti-social at this time of the morning. It’s only a five minute ride and when we get to the colony a few people are there alread.

Moeraki to Oamaru, New Zealand Distance: 41 miles Time on bike: 1.5 hour After getting some photos sorted and uploaded onto the internet, we get politely asked to leave our cabin at 10.45am as we slightly overstayed our welcome. We only have to ride about five minutes to our first port of call which is the Moeraki Boulders. We had already seen pictures of these on postcards and in the guidebook, but seeing them sat there on the beach makes them appear incredibly intriguing. They appear to resemble alien cocoons and some of them appear to have h.

Portobello to Moeraki, New Zealand Distance: 71 miles Time on bike: 2.75 hour We leave just before 10am and ride up to Larnach Castle, which is touted as the only ‘castle’ in New Zealand, even though it’s actually an elaborate mansion house. Carl has a little moment on the way up the snaking road to the castle with a big front wheel slide, but thankfully the bike stays on two wheels as the front tyre just manages to scrabble enough grip on the cold damp tarmac with the help of a foot dab and a bit of throttle. The only sacrifice is possib.

Dunedin to Portobello, New Zealand Distance: 40 miles Time on bike: 1.5 hour We start the day with a ride to the steepest street in the world, going up and down it in first gear; although there was some apprehension about riding down, since all other tourists had opted to walk up, and some of them wondered how we’d get the bikes down, we did manage to get down quite easily with the help of gravity and the engine doing most of the braking. But we wouldn’t want to do a 3 point turn on this street! As the weather seems to be quite nice, we dec.

Milton to Dunedin, New Zealand Distance: 38 miles Time on bike: 1 hour After the concerns over the weather last night it doesn’t look too bad outside at all. In the morning we manage to get more photos loaded up onto the website and then get on our way at 11 am. Just as we’re getting ready to go, the sun even comes out and the weather turns out to be much better than we were expecting. We’re not riding too far today as our destination is Dunedin, which is Celtic for Edinburgh, and has a bit of Scottish history about the place. We head str.

Waikawa to Milton, New Zealand Distance:  110 miles Time on bike: 3 hours We have a really nice morning today as the weather is much better than expected. We head slightly south so see a fossilised forest and we’re lucky that the tide is low enough to get a great chance to see the fossilised trees and tree stumps which are 170 million years old. This is apparently quite rare and one of only three that exist in the World. It was caused when flood waters rich with silica and ash covered the forest and turned the wood to stone before decay coul.

Colac Bay to Waikawa, New Zealand Distance: 139 miles Time on bike: 4 hours The good news is that we have blue skies again this morning, so we have a quick breakfast and get packed away. We need to give Béné’s bike a bump start as her battery got flattened yesterday from over-abuse of the heated jacket and heated grips. There are no problems getting it going however with a little push down the road. Who needs a kick start? We start with a little ride to see the local surfing beach and then get on our way to Invercargill. This was the home o.

Te Anau to Colac Bay, New Zealand Distance: 91 miles Time on bike: 2 hours We’re back on the bikes again today after having a few days off to walk the Milford Track through Fiordland. After getting the bikes repacked we leave at 10.30 am and ride into town to fill up with fuel and get some cash from the ATM. On the way out of town we pass by the campsite that Damien and Celine are staying on and we just catch a glimpse of their campervan, so pull in to say our goodbye’s. We manage to catch up with them in the kitchen area and also bump into.

Dumpling Hut to Te Anau, New Zealand Distance: 11 miles Today is our last day on the Milford Track and unfortunately the weather has completely changed overnight. We’ve heard the rain on the roof of the bunk room and at times it has sounded absolutely torrential. We get up slightly later than usual at 8 am, feeling slightly less keen because of the weather. When we do make it out of the bunk room however, the sights that surround us are spectacular as there are waterfalls cascading off the mountains all around us. We’d been told that Fiordl.

Mintaro Hut to Dumpling Hut, Milford Track, New Zealand Distance: 12 miles We have a slightly later start this morning and after having breakfast we’re one of the last to leave at 9 am. We have to retrace our steps from last evening up the Mackinnon Pass, but this time with the packs on our backs. Although we were expecting the weather to change for the worse, it seems to be holding off and the clouds are high in the sky. Our legs are getting tired by the time we get to the top of the pass and we stop in the Pass Hut for a few minutes to get .

Clinton Hut to Mintaro Hut, Milford Track, New Zealand Distance: 14 miles The rustling of sleeping bags starts at about 7 am as the keener walkers start getting up in the dark to make an early start. Not wanting to appear a bit lazy we get up at about 7.30 am, still about twenty minutes before sunrise, and make our way to the kitchen to cook up a big porridge mix to give us plenty of energy for today. We manage to get walking at about 8.30 am and head off again down the track. Again we have quite an easy day ahead as the track continues to foll.

Te Anau to Clinton Hut, Milford Track, New Zealand Distance: 4 miles We have an early start and have to be on the side of the road ready for the bus to collect us at 7.45 am. We manage to have time for a hearty breakfast and one last shower, as the next time we’ll get the opportunity will be next Thursday. We’re starting our journey on the Milford Track today, a walk that was once heralded as ‘The Finest Walk in the World’ with a bit of editorial licence by The London Spectator in 1908. It’s a twenty minute journey on the bus to the b.

Milford Sound to Te Anau, New Zealand Distance: 79 miles Time on bike: 2 hours The priority for today is to arrange a boat tour on the Milford Sound. We’ve stayed in a lodge within walking distance and have been recommended a trip by a Chinese chap we got chatting to last night. Rather than the usual 1 hour 45 minute trip up and down the Sound, we’re going on a smaller boat which takes us closer to the action, takes an extra half an hour and only costs £5 more. We head off on the boat at 9.45 am. One of the most impressive aspects about th.

Te Anau to Milford Sound, New Zealand Distance: 79 miles Time on bike: 2 hours Although it isn’t raining this morning, neither is it sunny. The clouds are holding off, but we’re not quite sure whether a big downpour is on the way or not. The plan is to head deeper into fiordland today and ride the 72 miles to the end of the road, only constructed in 1991, which gives access to the start of Milford Sound. Before leaving town we fill up with petrol and also grab some cash from an ATM and then get on our way. We’ve either read or been told t.

Franklin to Te Anau, New Zealand Distance: 116 miles Time on bike: 2.5 hours It’s raining lightly on the tent so there’s not much enthusiasm for jumping out of bed. After a slow get together, pack up and light breakfast we decide to get on our way. The rain is very light, but we only ride down the road before Carl decides to pop into the Queenstown Motorcycles shop to replace the rear tyre on his bike. We could possibly squeeze a few more miles out of the remaining rubber, but it makes sense to do the replacement while the weather is like t.

Arrowtown to Franklin, New Zealand Distance: 77 miles Time on bike: 2 hours The great news this morning is that the skies have cleared and we again have sunny weather, although it is a bit chilly. There’s a free guided walk around town at 10 am as part of the autumn festival so we get packed away and ride into town to join in. We stick with it for about ten minutes, but we feel we’re not making best use of the good weather so decide to get on our way. We decide to continue the ride we started yesterday and ride through Queenstown and then o.

Queenstown to Arrowtown, New Zealand Distance: 45 miles Time on bike: 1.25 hours After leaving the campsite just after 10 am we make our way along the lake that the town overlooks and  progress towards Glenorchy. The weather looks a bit mixed today, but the forecasted rain hasn’t arrived just yet. We ride for about twenty minutes before the clouds look heavy and we’re not getting much of a view of the surrounding mountains. As we’ve got some time in hand we opt not to push on as we’re not able to see the scenery, but instead retreat ba.

Wanaka to Queenstown, New Zealand Distance: 90 miles Time on bike: 2.5 hours Surprisingly Carl isn’t feeling too bad this morning after last nights get together with Marie and Evan. After breakfast together we get packed away and say our goodbye’s and both head off in opposite directions. It’s been great that our paths have crossed again; firstly at Byron Bay, then at Bargara and again here in Wanaka. Where next we wonder? We ride down the road to visit the NZ fighter pilots museum, but unfortunately this is closed so instead continue alo.

Makarora to Wanaka, New Zealand Distance: 50 miles Time on bike: 1.25 hours Our night at the Department of Conservation campsite went well, even though it got a bit chilly. We’re now sleeping in our sleeping bags, inside a double duvet cover and some light jackets on top to adjust comfort. Now we’ve also got a hot water bottle each and this makes a huge difference inside the sleeping bags. So with a good night of sleep we get up quite early for breakfast on the picnic bench with a great view of the Cameron Flats. Unfortunately just after br.

Franz Josef Glacier to Makarora, New Zealand Distance: 203 miles Time on bike: 4.5 hours After breakfast and getting packed away following our two nights in the cosy cabin, we get on our way at 10.15 am to head further south down the west coast of the South Island. Again we ride past the Franz Josef Glacier and then follow the winding road which takes us down to the Fox Glacier. From a distance, this doesn’t look quite so impressive so we settle for a viewpoint accessible on the bikes, rather than take a walk. We do however take a side road t.

Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand Distance: 7 miles Time on bike: 0.25 hours It feels like luxury to be in the cabin, especially after the night before being so cold in the tent. We’ve decided to go ahead with the skydiving, which is a new experience for the both of us but something we’re both really keen to do. The weather seems perfect again with clear blue skies and the jump is over the Franz Josef Glacier so the scenery will be spectacular from the air. After dragging ourselves out of the cabin we walk to the office and go ahead with boo.

Waiuta to Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand Distance: 209 miles Time on bike: 5.5 hours We wild camped last night in the deserted gold mining town of Waiuta and it was absolutely freezing. After depositing just about every item of clothing in our possession over our bodies, we manage to make it through the night and get enough sleep. There’s always a strange feeling when wild camping in that your senses are much more alert to sounds and noises from the outside of the tent. The flapping of the tarp on the bikes, at times, sounded like the rumbl.

Punakaiki to Waiuta, New Zealand Distance: 82 miles Time on bike: 2.5 hours Today we continue down the west coast, calling in at Greymouth for food supplies and fuel. Carl also takes the opportunity in the car park to tighten the steering head bearings on his bike. It’s always good to do asks like this near to civilisation, just in case something goes wrong. We then take the main road inland towards the Lewis Pass that goes to Christchurch, but pull off along a small road which leads to the town of Waiuta. Waiuta was a gold mining town from .

Motueka to Punakaiki, New Zealand Distance: 171 miles Time on bike: 4 hours We have a beautiful day of sunshine and the forecast is good for the next few days for the western side of the south island as the wind is coming from the east for a change. The campsite which was packed last night is now deserted. We heard the engines of the cars starting when it was still dark, as the fruit pickers set off for a day of hard graft. We have the place to ourselves for breakfast and then get packed and on our way. We pass through the apple orchards as we .

Wharariki Beach to Motueka, New Zealand Distance: 85 miles Time on bike: 3 hours It’s been a really windy night and Carl even ended up getting up in the middle of the night to move the bikes to act as a wind break. The tent was getting a real battering and was even on our faces at times, so we try to protect the tent a bit when we can. Carl even resorts to putting his ear plugs in to be able to sleep. After breakfast we get packed but only ride the bikes a short distance to the nearby car park and walk to Wharaiki Beach. The wind is still blu.

Marahau to Wharariki Beach, New Zealand Distance: 77 miles Time on bike: 2.25 hours We have a major job of getting packed this morning as so many things needed to get dried overnight in the room. It was like a steam room at times with the amount of humidity generated. To start with though, we have an indulgence with toast, butter and a small jar of Nutella. The repacking process actually goes better than we thought and we’re really looking forward to getting back on the bikes after having four days off. By 10 am we’re all ready to roll so w.

Mutton Cove to Marahau, New Zealand Distance: 0 miles Time on bike: 0 hours It rains quite hard during the night but in the morning it’s stopped. We have quite an easy day today for a change and just need to retrace our steps from yesterday afternoon to walk back down the coast to Totaranui to catch the water taxi back to Marahau at 3.15 pm. We’re up and about at 7 am and get most of our things packed away and just leave the outer shell of the tent erected to give our kit some shelter and hope it might dry off a bit. For breakfast, we have .

Onetahuti Beach to Mutton Cove, New Zealand Distance: 0 miles Time on bike: 0 hours Despite trying to get going at 7 am, it’s dark and a bit overcast with a bit of overnight rain, so we eventually start our trek at 7.30 am. This may cause us some problems further up the coast when we need to cross a tidal estuary, but we’ll try and make up the time. It’s tough going when we first set out as we’re certainly not used to carrying this much kit on our backs. Thankfully we were able to borrow a proper trekking backpack from Carl’s Auntie S.

Te Pukatea Bay to Onetahuti Beach, New Zealand Distance: 0 miles Time on bike: 0 hours We try and get going at a relatively early time so we can make the most of the kayak before needing to drop it off further up the coast where it’s scheduled to be collected at 3.15 pm. We have a very enjoyable breakfast with Petrea and Richmond from Auckland and Thomas from Poland before getting on our way at 10 am. It’s been great to meet up with them and we say our goodbye’s on the beach and exchange contact details before paddling off. The reason weâ.

Marahau to Te Pukatea Bay, New Zealand Distance: 0 miles Time on bike: 0 hours We have an early start and are out of bed just after 7 am. We need to get the tent packed away and the kit stowed on the bikes by 8 am. We can store the bikes in a nearby shed for the few days we’ll be away and have assembled the bare minimum of kit that we think we can get away with for the next three days of kayaking and trekking along the coast of the Abel Tasman National Park. We’ve opted for the self-guided tour as we’re happy with going it alone in the ka.

Waikawa to Marahau, New Zealand Distance: 117 miles Time on bike: 2.5 hours The sun is shining this morning and we’re on the South Island of New Zealand with a month of exploration ahead of us. After breakfast we head out of town, filling up with fuel and topping up the tyres with air and take the scenic Queen Charlotte Drive from Picton to Nelson. The roads are great and the scenery feels very Norwegian with fjord like water ways and forested hills. It takes about two hours before we arrive in Nelson and pull into a supermarket to pick up so.

Dannevirke to Waikawa, New Zealand Distance: 141 miles Time on bike: 3.75 hours The great news this morning is that the weather forecast was correct and there’s a cloudless blue sky for our ride down to Wellington. After breakfast we head off from the little cabin that kept us nice and cosy last night, when the temperature dropped to the lowest we’ve ever seen on the trip when we’ve been riding. On the ride out of the camp site there’s a condensation plume coming out of Béné’s exhaust – something that’s never happened on any mor.

Napier to Dannevirke, New Zealand Distance: 78 miles Time on bike: 1.75 hours There is a beautiful sunrise this morning over the sea, which for once we can enjoy from the comfort of staying in bed. It’s a relaxed start to the day and we make use of the free wi-fi to get some photos uploaded to the website before getting ready to go. Unfortunately when we come to leave it’s started to rain, which wasn’t quite what the forecast had suggested. We need to be in Wellington at the bottom of the North Island tomorrow for 1 pm to catch the ferry .

Gisborne to Napier, New Zealand Distance: 143 miles Time on bike: 3.5 hours Gisborne is the first town in the World which sees the sun rise. We kick off the day with a walk along the coast to see the monument of ‘Young Nick’, Captain Cook’s cabin boy who was the first member of the crew to sight land and spot New Zealand. This is followed with the monument to Captain Cook himself, modelled on a globe with the routes of his three voyages plotted. We’re so glad that the weather has improved today and we have a nice ride planned to get to .

Tauranga to Gisborne, New Zealand Distance: 176 miles Time on bike: 4 hours It starts raining early in the morning and the forecast for bad weather today looks like it may be true. The weather forecast in NZ seems to be amazingly accurate from days before, but at least this helps us plan what to do. We can’t be too upset because it’s the first bad weather we’ve had and it’s only supposed to last a day. Before breakfast we’ve pretty much decided to stay put and get on with a few tasks such as washing the tent inner liner and a few stit.

Hot Water Beach to Tauranga, New Zealand Distance: 110 miles Time on bike: 2.75 hours We have an early start as apparently this section of coastline is good for sunrises. When the call of nature comes at 6.30 am we decide to get up and make the use of the walk to go down to the beach to see the sun come up at 6.50 am. While there we also take a walk along to see the rocky point before making our way back to the campsite for breakfast and to get packed away. We get going at about 10 am, but only to ride the few miles along the road to a place ca.

Amodeo Bay to Hot Water Beach, New Zealand Distance: 91 miles Time on bike: 3.25 hours We’ve been so lucky with the weather so far in New Zealand and again this morning is no exception as we’re greeted by blue skies when we open the door to the tent. After breakfast next to the shoreline we get packed away and head off on the bikes. For the first part of today we’re taking a loop around the north part of the Coromandel Peninsula. This is a bit more remote and the road is a narrow, winding gravel surface for most of the journey. It’s qui.

From Auckland to Amodeo Bay, New Zealand Distance: 146 miles Time on bike: 3.5 hours We eventually manage to get moving today, but before leaving get the photos sorted and a few updates added to the website. We also give the bikes a quick wash as they’ve managed to acquire some cement as a result of passing through road works on the ride down to Auckland on Sunday. Thankfully the cement comes off easily and we manage to get on our way just after 11 am. The first stop is at the local garage in Mairangi Bay who kindly let us dispose of the used.

Auckland, New Zealand Distance: 26 miles Time on bike: 0.75 hours After getting the photos sorted on the laptop we then set to work changing the oil on the bikes. The task on Carl’s bike is made a little bit more difficult because the sump bolt was slightly rounded when a mechanic in Malaysia tried to help us, but only ended up causing some damage. We have difficulty moving the bolt without the socket slipping and causing further damage, but then Carl remembers that Brian has an angle grinder (he told us a story about how he nearly chopped hi.

Auckland, New Zealand Distance: 42 miles Time on bike: 1.25 hours Today we start with a naughty breakfast of banana pancakes with Nutella and shortly afterwards get cracking with some maintenance to the bikes. The last time the steering head bearings were greased was in Georgetown, Malaysia for Béné’s bike and Adelaide for Carl’s bike. They’re a bit of a weak point on these bikes, but if they’re kept greased up they don’t have a problem covering big mileages. When we strip the bikes, Carl’s bearings are still looking good, but Bé.

Russell to Auckland, New Zealand Distance: 159 miles Time on bike: 3.75 hours Today we’re heading back to Auckland to meet up again with Caroline and Brian before we head further south. We manage to get going by 10 am, despite intentions to start earlier, and again end up riding the fantastic ‘Old Russell Road’ to get south rather than taking the ferry and joining the main highway. It’s the third time we’ve been on this road now and even though the scenery is a bit familiar at least we know we’re in for a good ride as there’s rare.

Russell, New Zealand Distance: 4 miles Time on bike: 0.25 hours Today we have a booking to go on a Tall Ship around the Bay of Islands. After breakfast we get the tent packed up and arrive just in time to park up and store the kit in the office and jump on the ship, the R. Tucker Thompson. The ship looks fantastic and from another era and we can’t wait to get going on the water. We watch it arrive in the harbour, and it’s the only old style sailing boat about. There are only three staff in the crew and twelve customers, so it’s a nice sma.

Kaimarama Bay to Russell, New Zealand Distance: 135 miles Time on bike: 4.5 hours Thankfully nobody approached us to complain about pitching the tent on the grass next to the beach; but just to be sure we weren’t making a nuisance of ourselves we get the tent folded up and packed away by about 8 am. For breakfast we have what’s available and manage to get through about five oranges, an avocado and some oreo biscuits. The reason for the oranges is because we’re desperately thirsty but don’t have anything to drink. After breakfast Carl ge.

Matauri Bay to Kaimarama Bay, New Zealand Distance: 72 miles Time on bike: 2.25 hours It’s been a lovely place to camp at Matauri Bay and in the morning we don’t feel like we’re in any rush to get moving. We cook our breakfast of fresh snapper, that was given to us last night by one of the other campers, and enjoy the view. We take a wander along the beach and then slowly start getting packed away. There’s a big bus camper truck parked near to us and Béné gets chatting to the owners on her way back from the kitchen. They’ve just com.

Opononi to Matauri Bay, New Zealand Distance: 144 miles Time on bike: 4 hours Thankfully the weather has calmed down this morning and we have blue skies. While getting  packed away and Carl is making breakfast, Béné enquires with the camp site handy man if he has a soldering iron we can borrow. We need to fix both the extension lead for the charging socket and also the phone charger connection as amazingly both of these failed within 24 hours of each other. Thankfully the handyman has a soldering iron and he even offers to fix the connection.

Dargaville to Opononi, New Zealand Distance: 60 miles Time on bike: 1.75 hours Today we plan to get moving further north but spend the morning relaxing, checking a few things on the internet and backing up all our files. The reason we’re a bit reluctant about getting back on the bikes is because there’s been a bit of a change in the weather. Although it’s still beaming with sunshine, the sky is interspersed with heavy rain clouds causing short bursts of showers now and again. By midday we decide to make a break for it, but no sooner have .

Dargaville, New Zealand Distance: 45 miles Time on bike: 1.25 hours After breakfast we take a walk around the corner to visit the Dargaville Museum which has a fantastic collection of interesting pieces and sets out the history of kauri tree felling as well as recovery of swamp kauri. The chopping of kauri trees commenced in the 1850s and continued until only 20% remained. Thankfully they’ve left a few of these mighty giants as it takes thousands of years to attain their size. There was also an interesting display of kauri gum and how this wa.

Dargaville, New Zealand Distance: 0 miles Time on bike: 0 hours As Dargaville is the Kumara Capital of New Zealand, Joan takes us for a drive along the road to pick up a sack of Kumara from one of the local producers. The vegetable seems to be pretty similar to a sweet potato and are delicious, especially as chips. We spend some time around the house while Sue gets herself ready to head to the airport and after a nice lunch on the veranda we make an early start to Whangarei with the intention of stopping off at a museum near to the airport whic.

Dargaville, New Zealand Distance: 0 miles Time on bike: 0 hours After a good night of rest staying over in Joan’s house we all get together for breakfast. Joan has a lovely house, being one of New Zealand’s originals and it’s full of character with great views over the river and the hills surrounding Dargaville. After a discussion on what to do today we all hop in Joan’s car and drive north to see some of the countryside that this part of the world has to offer. This takes us to a forest viewpoint which was once used as a fire lookout a.

Auckland to Dargaville, New Zealand Distance: 115 miles Time on bike: 3 hours Today is our first proper day back on the bikes since riding into Brisbane, so we have to get some things tidied up and repacked. This takes a bit longer for Béné as we used her pannier bags for stowing the bike jackets and helmets while the bikes were in transit. The first port of call is a ride to the nearby testing station as we need to have a Warrant of Fitness carried out and also register the bikes. This should be straightforward, but we find out that we’ll .

Auckland, New Zealand Distance: 44 miles Time on bike: 2 hours There is excitement and nervous anticipation this morning as we’re going to see the bikes again for the first time since dropping them off in Brisbane Port on 21 March. All we’ve been told is that we have an appointment with customs and quarantine (MAF) between 8 am and 10 am at the warehouse. Unfortunately it’s on the other side of Auckland which, although is only a twenty mile drive, means we leave just after 6.30 am to avoid getting stuck in traffic. Everything seems to be .

Auckland, New Zealand Distance: 0 miles Time on bike: 0 hour We’re really hopeful that we’ll get confirmation today that we have an appointment with customs and quarantine in order to release the bikes. After a bit of chasing we find out that there is an appointment, but unfortunately it’s tomorrow morning between eight and ten. At least we have a time and date, so we now know where we stand. After commiserating the delay with the bikes by having banana pancakes with chocolate, we give each other a haircut. As we’re not going to get the.

Auckland, New Zealand Distance: 0 miles Time on bike: 0 hours Our itinerary for today is to visit the Auckland Museum, which apparently has an unparalleled Maouri and Pacific Islands collection. We get there for late morning and spend a few hours wandering around the three floors of the very majestic building which was constructed as a war memorial in 1929. The museum also has a very interesting section on volcanoes, which due to our location certainly makes it all the more captivating. They even have a mock up of a house which simulates the ef.

Auckland, New Zealand Distance: 0 miles Time on bike: 0 hours Unfortunately Béné has come down with a bit of a cold, so Carl uses the time to eventually get completely back on top of the trip diary and the website so we’re back up to speed and can relax. We call the shipping company to find out how soon we can get the bikes and get told that it’ll probably be Wednesday. We were never really expecting to get them so soon after the ship arrived in port, but if we can get them in a couple of days it’ll be fantastic. Carl has also found out.

Auckland, New Zealand Distance: 0 miles Time on bike: 0 hours Despite an earlyish night, we’re still not quite adjusted to the three hour time change so again it’s 9 am when we get up, which isn’t too bad for a Sunday. The weather is showing some signs of improvement today, so after breakfast we take a drive to see some of the areas around where Brian and Caroline live. The first place is a plot of land they’ve bought to build a new house, which is in a lovely location not too far from the centre of the city and will make a fantastic ho.

Auckland, New Zealand Distance: 0 miles Time on bike: 0 hours Well, it would appear that we’ve gone actively searching for naff weather as it’s a bit grim outside when we get up. For the first time we have a little bit of jet lag as we’ve jumped forwards three hours from Queensland time, but still manage to get up and about just before 9 am. It’s both amazing and a bit sad that we’re now in New Zealand, which is ‘supposed’ to be our final destination on our motorbike ride around the world from England. It’s somewhere we’ve bot.

Brisbane, Australia to Auckland, New Zealand Distance: 0 miles Time on bike: 0 hours It’s our last day in Australia today and can’t believe it’s nearly three months since we arrived at the beginning of January. We have a flight booked at 12.20 pm, but we get a lift into town with Simon and Sarah when they leave for work as we need to get to the airport early so we can get our motorcycle carnet documents stamped and signed by Australian Customs to confirm the bikes have left the country. The day starts with a bit of luck as our ‘Go Passâ.

Brisbane, Australia Distance: 0 miles Time on bike: 0 hours We spend a couple of hours in the morning getting some more updates done on the website and are just about getting caught up with the backlog we’ve accrued during our time in Australia. We’ve found cheap and easy internet access almost impossible to find here, so really appreciate being able to use Sarah and Simon’s connection to get back up to speed. We again catch the, now quite familiar, train into Brisbane centre. Our destination today is the Maritime Museum, which is the fir.

Brisbane, Australia Distance: 0 miles Time on bike: 0 hours After again getting some of the backlog caught up on the website we jump on the train into Brisbane. This time we head to St George’s Square where we hope to be able to go for a free tour around City Hall. Unfortunately it’s in the middle of a three year refurbishment programme, but we still get a look inside and see a presentation about the works that are underway. We then visit the Brisbane Museum nearby, where we see the history of skateboarding in Brisbane and also some history.

Brisbane, Australia Distance: 0 miles Time on bike: 0 hours We have a more relaxed morning for a change and get some catching up done on the diary and internet. We then catch a train to South Bank and go to the Queensland Museum where we spend a good few hours. In the late afternoon sun we relax and snooze on the grass by the river, which we hear has only been replaced recently due to the floods. Everything is clean, but a few places are not open and are still being repaired. It’s a bit strange to see the place after watching it on the news w.

Brisbane, Australia Distance: 11.5 miles Time on bike: 0.5 hours The good news this morning is that the weather has changed for the better and we have a dry sunny day to ride down to Brisbane Port. The bikes are absolutely spotless and feel really nice to ride, but that’s probably because we’ve been off them for a while. We leave the apartment just before 7 am and get to the packing warehouse just after quarter past. The guys have a slightly bigger crate ready waiting for us compared to what they showed us on Thursday and we’re hoping the.

Brisbane, Australia Distance: 0 miles Time on bike: 0 hours After a quick breakfast we take a drive to the nearby Bunnings DIY warehouse so Carl get a metal bracket to repair his chain guard on the bike. Back at the bikes we set to work finishing off the cleaning job to get them through Quarantine for New Zealand. We have to clean under the front panels, the air filters, the panniers and get all the camping equipment spotless. By about 2 pm we’re just about done and the bikes feel ready for crating and shipping to New Zealand. We just have ev.

Brisbane, Australia Distance: 0 miles Time on bike: 0 hours We’re up at what feels like the crack of dawn as we’re heading out on Simon’s boat to see the islands offshore from Brisbane and to do a spot of fishing. The weather could be a bit better, but this doesn’t deter us and we’re really looking forward to the trip. We have breakfast at Simon’s parents’ house, where we collect the boat and meet up with Simon’s brother Nick before heading off to the boat launch. We have a fantastic trip, despite the weather, but sadly don’t .

Brisbane, Australia Distance: 0 miles Time on bike: 0 hours Today is going to be a tough day as we need to get the bikes cleaned up ready for transporting to New Zealand. When we came into Australia we had a really tough time with Quarantine and we really don’t want to relive that experience. We head out to the bikes at 9.30 am and then spend until 4 pm working solidly getting the bikes clean. In order to make sure quarantine will be happy, we get in every nook and cranny and make sure there are no signs of dirt anywhere. The bikes are cleane.