Stepping off the plane only 6 days ago, I am looking through my pictures as if it was a lifetime ago that I was half way around the world. Funny how the location of where you are can warp time. Could also have to do with the dreaded jet-lag. I did have a hard time remembering where all my family was in their day to day, the time difference was as big a difference as you can get. Greg was constantly saving me from calling my mom in the middle of the night.

We cycled well over 1000km, over logging roads, gravel, single track, rivers, tunnels and suspension bridges. I took over 1200 photos and at least a couple hundred little videos. I will try hard to condense it down to explain the trip.

Leaving from Stockholm on a bleh Thursday in early December 2024, we travelled to Doha Airport. During an expected 10hr layover and we kept ourselves busy by going to a spa so Greg could train and I sat by the pool. Our next stop was New Zealand, but after a few hours, due to airplane malfunction, we made an emergency landing in the Maldives. We had to stay in the airport, which was small and hardly accommodated this large airplane plus it’s regular travellers. 17 hours later we boarded a new plane headed for Auckland, still over 10 hours left in our flight.

Arriving in Auckland, New Zealand felt very familiar and yet intriguing and foreign at the same time. I suppose language has a lot to do with it, but as we found out, time and time again, New Zealanders are friendly, kind, and helpful. Felt like they looked out for you, cared about you. First stop was Biosecurity as we declared our tent. We had not known that we should wash everything, so we were prepared to have it taken away, but she said our tent looked as clean as could be. We found that Biosecurity is very important to New Zealand, and often times you were asked to wash off your bike, shoes, anything muddy before tracking it to another part of New Zealand. As it rains every day, no joke, some days it might be just a sprinkle, but it still was rain, having muddy shoes was inevitable. There was an art to taking on and off the rain coat and you never needed to pack it away.

The first part of our trip was focused on the Ironman 70.3 Championships. We needed to get ourselves and Gregs bike to Taupõ. The weather was glorious during that week, which was great for the tan but not great for all the athletes competing. We enjoyed hanging with 2 other couples and even a 3rd couple we knew was also competing, so everything was very social!

We had many nice dinners out and enjoyed exploring Taupõ together. It was also really nice to have some friends to hang with while we cheered on our spouses during the race. Overall the atmosphere was festive and full of triathletes so a lot of muscle was walking around this relatively small New Zealand town.

After the race and celebratory dinner we all went our separate ways. We headed back to Auckland where we arranged to rent some mountain bikes. We found this bike shop in Henderson, just outside of the city center. There was a hotel next door and that was where stored our luggage and Gregs bike. There is always beautiful flowers everywhere, and birds. BIRDS are singing so beautifully as you pass every tree!

Unfortunately the start of our cycling journey only takes us back into the city center, which takes about 40minutes by bike. We are jumpstarting our distance by taking a train to Wellington. First we spent the night in Ponsonby, which is a hippy, eclectic suburb of Auckland and gets us close to the train we need to catch in the morning. Here we get a dose of Christmas cheer before enjoying the best eggplant parmigiana!

This lovely train, called The Great Journey, has a viewing car that allows you to stand outside. This train is stopping for summer rail work so we got one of the last rides on it, which really proved to make our return trip quite expensive and not as fun. But the train ride was beautiful so we enjoyed it nonetheless.

Off the train in Wellington, it has started to rain, but we are staying in a hotel just next door. Our next means of transport is a boat, or ferry, that will take us to Picton the next morning. After four hours on the water we find ourselves lathering on sunscreen ready to start cycling. The ferry did have half a handful of other bikepackers too. One guy was from Switzerland and doing the Bluff to Bluff to ride. He had already done some of the ride we were about to do and he gave us some tips.

Right off the ferry we start climbing and we are rewarded with beautiful views overlooking Picton. I am also amused with the continued creativity that I find, this time with charismatic mail boxes.

We don’t cycle too long today, for we started late and our legs have been sitting on trains and boats too much. I am sure my ‘ironman’ man could handle much more, but as I said many times this trip, I am NO IRONWOMAN. Well, we find ourselves in a small, very small, town called Havelock. It is the capital of (Green) mussels and they are very different than the mussels you get on the opposite side of the world. They are huge, a real mouthful and very meaty. Less is more and the portions were very generous.

Today’s ride would send me crying to go home. It started out a little wet as we crossed the beautiful Pelorus River and its magical green water. The rain continued all day, sometimes harder than others. We were embarking on an off road, gravel route over the Maungatapu Mountain. The gravel was large and chunky and with my heavy bike I did a lot of pushing up hill. My ironman helped me at times too. At one point we passed a sign that said danger of Asbestos but we were so far into the hell of it, turning around was almost as deadly. The top of this mountain is infamous for murders, and so the sign at the top says Murder Rock. I was in no mood to take photos, as Greg was first up the mountain and ready to murder me. I rode most of the way down, although some of the loose gravel scared enough crap out of me that I walked a few sections. We made it to Nelson and our lodging allowed us to wash our bikes.

The next morning I went straight to a sport store and bought rain pants. I am not going to lie but what I thought was going to be New Zealand weather was turning out to be far from it. I figured the rain pants would guarantee no more rain or have to actually be worn, but I wasn’t taking any chances. Todays ride out of Nelson was a sheer delight and so opposite the horrors of the Maungatapu Mountain. The trail was called the Tasmans Great Taste Trail and it brought us all the way into Marahau, to camp for the night. Along this trail, which was very well marked, we had to take a small ferry, and that is where I had my second encounter with the very cheaky Weka bird. These birds are considered thieves and pests by the locals, but I found them very charming. They looked a bit prehistoric and were quite large.

Being that summer vacation has started and it is christmas time we were always lucky to find a spot in a campground. We learned that they always save a spot for the unknowing tourist, for ONE night, but not always so lucky to be able to spend 2 nights. We enjoyed our one night in Mãrahau campground but had to move on. We ended up cycling a few miles down the road to an even better campground called The Barn. We ended up taking a day off the bikes and hiking the Abel Tasman Coast Track, which started right at the campground. It was a beautiful walk. That night we slept with the fly off and coasted to sleep under view of the stars. Magical.

We left The Barn campground on December 24, heading to Kaiteriteri, a beachy area and a airbnb that had reliable wifi and a washing machine. It was really important to us that we could FaceTime the family on Christmas. This was the only time we stayed 2 nights bikepacking. It was a quiet Christmas for us. We did bike out to a larger grocery store and picked up some Xmas food for us, which included shrimp, but no cocktail sauce so we had to make our own. We also got green beans, potatoes and sour cream, and cranberry sauce. It was nothing like Christmas. We knew that it would be different and this was the first time away from the family during this time. It is not going to be a recurring event but did our best to enjoy where we were. We tried to go out and have a beer and be around other people but you could only buy a beer if you bought a substantial meal, meaning more than an appetizer. It is NZ law and well, I could appreciate that. But we had so much food back at the room and we couldn’t take it on or bicycles that we opted to bring shrimp cocktail and our own beer to the beach, and go for a swim.

Also, this area is known for the blue penquins, but it was not the season to see them. Wrong timing, but hence the Penquin Crossing sign.

We were up and out on Dec 26 because we had a big day ahead of us. At this point, we are starting to calculate our trip much more precisely because we have to rely on other means of transportation. We have learned that the trains are out because they are doing all sorts of rail work during summer hours. Rental cars require a five day rental and we only need 1 or 2 day. It all became a bit frantic but this is where we are. We are headed to St. Arnaud. It was a very long day of riding with all sorts of sh&t like gravel roads laid with bricks. Terrible riding, for miles. Miles. Hills that lasted hundreds of traverses. We met another bikepacker, a woman, she was so strong. She was british and had back panniers that were bigger than my tires. Traveling solo and passed me on every downhill while I was far ahead on the uphills, we basically evened out. It was fun to ride together for this leg of the journey and we both agreed it was a hell of a day of riding.

So we found ourselves at St. Arnaud, our other bikepacking friend had prebooked a campsite, but I went in and asked the Alpine Lodge if we could pitch a tent and they said no problem. We enjoyed cooking our camp meal in the kitchen and found ourselves using the tea kettle to heat our water. Once again we have not used our cooking gas.

Due to that long ride to St. Arnaud, I slept hard and looked forward to a fairly flat ride to Blenheim today. At this point my nether region was so uncomfortable from riding on a very ill-fitted seat for a woman. It really was a dummie move on my part not to bring my bike saddle. The days ride to Blenheim was pretty straight, along the Wairau River, past miles and miles of vineyards known as the Marlborough Valley. Approximately halfway through the days ride was a nice pit stop at a church that provided a bathroom and drinking water. It was a very hot day, and we weren’t spending any time under the cover of trees. At this point we were faced with a sturdy, unrelenting head wall. As soon as I saw a formidable tree that provided shade we stopped and ate our lunch. Then on ward and our next stop wouldn’t be for a long while but it did promise fresh cherries. Arriving in Blenheim around 15:30 we had time to make it to a wonderful bike shop where I found my new best friend, a comfortable bike seat. My inner happiness would only spiral upward from here. The city was quiet and we didn’t find many restaurants open. We ate fried food at a greasy pub and drank a local Wairau River white with the ducks at our campsite.

Going from Havelock, Nelson, Abel Tasman, Kaiteriteri, St. Arnaud, Blenheim and now heading back to Picton rounded out our trip to the Southern Island. Short and sweet with hopes of returning and sticking with the Southern Island next time. Today our trip to the Ferry back to Wellington is a trail called the Whale Trail and is a lovely marked route directly to Picton.

Arriving in Wellington 4 hours later, we found navigating our way out of the terminal quite tricky. When we did get ourselves to the train station we learned that replacement busses that do not accommodate bicycles were being used, which meant we needed to ride our bicycles on the highway. We were not thrilled but had no other choice. We had booked a room in a house in Upper Hutt, a suburb outside of the center, getting us a little farther north. Horrifyingly, New Zealand has a dedicated bike lane on the highway. Using hyper focus and speedy legs we pedaled for our lives and arrived at a train station about 30 minutes later. From there we took a train to Upper Hutt, had pizza and a beer before heading up a very steep residential area to our awaited room.

We were up and out early and found a french toast breakfast down in the town. Today we are cycling the Remutaka Rail Trail. This was a lovely ride, with rolling hills and really dark tunnels. There was a super suspension bridge. Lots of other cyclists were riding too but mostly e-bikes. It was a warm day, with lots of single track and exploration. It was a great day. We ended the day in a wine town called Martinborough.

We had a lovely night in Martinborough. The campground in the town was perfect and after having a nice shower we sat and had some locally made rum and chatted about life. Sleep came easy and we headed out bright eyed back to the town center for an amazing masterpiece of a breakfast. At this point our days have been carefully calculated for we need to get back to Auckland to return bikes and get home. Our time is running out.

Todays ride will bring us to Masterton, and this I will continue to confuse with Martinborough which is where we stayed last night. In Masterton we were hoping to get a bus to Palmerston North or Whanganui, but we had no such luck. Instead we stayed in a lovely mother/daughter owned Inn where we did laundry and prepared to bike a long and hard day because we had train tickets for 5:30pm in Palmerston North to get us to Whanganui that night. It would be an extra trying day as it was also forcast to have torrential rain. I put my rainpants on the task and was thankful to have them.

As much as the day had its hardships, it was also filled with drive and determination and that is what is truly remembered after all is said and done. At this point in the trip I was starting to feel that tug to get back home, see the kids and sleep in my own bed. We pedalled all day and stopped briefly for a bagel that we had prepared that morning. We landed in Palmerston North to be reminded that it was New Years Eve. Being in a climate that was this warm and no snow, it really felt like the holiday season passed us by. We enjoyed a plate of nachos and a beer before meeting the bus driver that was nice enough to let our bikes stay assembled for the bus ride. That was a Christmas miracle. We arrived in Whanganui, and the hotel owners made special cookies to help us ring in the New Year. Not “that” kind of special, but homemade.

The next morning was dry and peaceful as we made our way to Pipiriki. There was a lovely gravel road with rolling hills that followed the Whanganui River. Along the way we stopped and made some coffee, had a snack and met another bikepacker named Guru. Due to the fact it was New Years Day, this coffee shop was closed but the owner allowed us to use her picnic table. We headed on ward to our camp.

The next morning we were off to take a jet boat up the river to The Bridge To Nowhere. This would help us move along in our journey and be a super fun experience. We were the only bikers on this trip, but the other travellers were kayaking or canoeing.

The bridge was the gateway to the next trail that would guarantee a lot of climbing today. The good news is that what goes up also comes down. The first part of the trail consisted of crossing a number of suspension bridges, 7 in total I think and they were very narrow. So each time we had to take off my side panniers and lift the front tire up. It became tedious.

The trail was overall well marked, sometimes warning you to disembark from your bike or watch for falling rocks. The trail wound tightly on single track ledge and they warned you not to linger. At one point, Greg was a bit ahead, he yelled out to be careful, and my pedal got caught on a plant growing on the inside of the ledge. Naturally I went to put my other foot, my left foot down on the ground but the shift in my balance and no solid ground to stand on, I was now falling off the cliff. This was a frightening experience that I will forever haunt me. Greg quickly came back and pulled me to safety.

After getting my nerves in check, I cycled to the top with a new sense of gratitute for sure and focused on the fun to be had on the way down. As luck would have it, it started to down pour as soon as I reached the summit. We stayed under shelter hoping it would pass but it never really did. We found ourselves slipping and sliding all the way down, and was quite stressful and dangerous at times. We were extremely muddy and we stayed in a DOC, or campsite that had no showers or electricity. It did have a covered picnic table and collected rain water.

Due to all the mud in our chains my bike was not shifting very well. We were about to embark on a very chunky gravel road for hours of rolling hills. Then a van, that had just unloaded a bunch of canoes down at the river, stopped and asked if we needed help or a lift. We graciously accepted a lift to the nearest town which saved us a days ride on hard gravel and kept us out of the pouring rain. We could not have been more appreciative. It was a double win, because his conversation was lovely! He is a native New Zealander but married to an Australian woman and told us all sorts of stories. We landed only a few miles from where we wanted to get to that night. This accommodation allowed us to do some laundry and wash our bikes from all the mud. We met a couple that had been hiking for 59 days. Admiring the sheer size of their packs, we suggested they invest in a bike.

The next morning we were picked up bright and early at 6am to get a ride to the Timber Trail by the TimberTrailShuttle.com. This trail has been on Gregs mind since we started biking and I was happy that we were finally able to complete it. This company drives you to the start of the trail and a lot of people do half one day and half the next, staying in a beautiful lodge and eating delicious food half way down. We did not have that luxury, so we were doing the full 84km trail in one shot, and by our own pedal power. Electric bikes seemed to be the superior choice. The 84km was more than 50% down hill and the uphills had easy traverses and the whole trail was beautifully maintained. However, it was chunky at times and we had no suspension so by the end of the 84km I had serious sores on my hands and other places. It took a toll on the body. But we did it and it was a hell of a day!!!!! Super fun. Now to spend the night in a cute cabin, with a mannequin.

The next day was all about getting to Taupõ. Back to where it all began. Taupõ has an airport and we have decided to box our bikes and fly to Auckland. If we had maybe 1 more day we could have biked the whole way, but we couldn’t risk it. Renting a car was not an option, we tried, and no busses would transport a bike, and the trains weren’t running. Sad really. We hitched another ride to the start of the Timber Trail with the same company and started from there to Taupõ. Overall an easy day that had a bit of rain and a bit of sharing the road with cars. But it was sentimental for us both for this was our last real day on the bikes. We were also seeing a side of Taupõ that we hadn’t and now felt even more connected to this area.

We boxed our bikes in electric bike boxes because that is all the bike store had. Go figure. The airlines are not too happy with this oversized and super heavy box but we make it to Auckland in one hour, landing at 7pm. Assembling the bikes and getting everything situated we start pedalling to the hotel at 8pm, arriving around 10pm but with no complaints. We had a super ride from the airport all the way to the suburb of Henderson on paved and well lit bike paths! We were greeted with huge smiles from our hotel reception for they remembered us and have been curious about our journey.

The next morning we wash and return the bikes. The shop owner was also super happy to hear about where his bikes have ventured off to. We spend a trying few hours widdling down our belongings and weighing and repacking cause the airlines have warned us that it is 60euros for every kg over. We head in to the city center, feeling like we know the area pretty well and enjoy a super meal and reminisce. We are exhausted and melancholy. This has been a true adventure.

Yet another adventure, the one that finally gets us home is still to be had.

January 8th we head to the airport, being driven by our delightful taxi driver Peter. He was our first driver off the plane and continued to be our go-to guy through all of Auckland. Let me know if you need his number, he comes highly recommended. We get through check in without any extra charges, and get all the way to Doha to learn that our next flight was cancelled. We are rerouted to take off 24 hours later to Abu Dhabi then Copenhagen, then Sweden. We had to beg and plead for lounge access so we could spend our day with a little bit of peace and quiet. It was a long travel home. We were greeted with snow and chills, but it was nice to see the kids again. I got the flu two days later and spent the first week I returned in bed and feeling lousy. But there you have it. Our trip to New Zealand.

New Zealand is beautiful. The landscape changed as you moved around the country, but always green. Birds chirped everywhere. So many happy birds. The earth or the plants and flowers ALWAYS smelled so fragrant, so fresh. There was little to no litter and a sense that people really cared about the environment. The people were outwardly friendly and caring. Happy. We took the public busses a few times to get into the city, and we noticed that everyone said hi and good bye to the bus driver. At first I just thought they knew everyone, locals, but after talking to others, say the gentleman that picked us up from the side of the road with our bikes, we learned that is just the way. Imagine. Respect and kindness.

There are toilets everywhere. Sometimes it is an outhouse, but they are conscious of providing this essential throughout all the trails. Drinking water was also available everywhere too, and if it wasn’t potable there would be a sign. Most establishments took card but not too many took American Express. The biggest downside was finding travel throughout the country, via trains or busses. That was non existent or difficult. They do have a lot of small airports scattered around the country but difficult when travelling with a bike. However, the bike trails are vast and well maintained and beautiful, so if you can take the time, travel by bike and plan for it.

I did find myself getting melancholy after a week or so and couldn’t put my finger on it, cause I didn’t miss home or anything. I realized it was when I looked at all the sheep. Seeing them in captivity and there was soooo many of them, made my heart hurt. They are not all used for wool production, no they are commodity. They are appreciated and taken advantage of for their ability to keep the grass manageable but at the end of the day they are slaughtered or sold for food. There is also a lot of cows too. This is New Zealand.

I am grateful I got a chance to experience this special place. The Maori people and their land. And maybe one day I will return with my bicycle and see even more.