A cycleabout a different down under.
Tony Annis, London.
Twilight was falling as I struggled across a fjord up to my knees in water, on the back road from Queenstown to Te Anau in the southern half of the South Island.
I
had crossed Lake Wakatipu on the lovingly restored steamer Earnslaw then
ridden through the magnificent and deserted Mararoa Valley. I seemed to
be in the middle of nowhere, so it was with relief that I finally pitched
my tent by one of the Mavora Lakes, collapsed into my sleeping bag and,
before falling asleep, thought "Why New Zealand" for a long cycle camping
tour.
The country where women first got the vote in 1893, the country where the scenery is not only stunning but changes every fifty miles, and the people are so very friendly. The place is made for wild camping by lakes, mountains or beaches with very little chance of any problems, even for a woman travelling on her own.
I spoke to quite a few and none of them had been given any hassle. One can also stay at the inexpensive Motor Camps, Back-packers and YHA Hostels, of which there are many. Why this year? Next year helmets will be compulsory and I like the freedom of no helmet, and after Africa and Brazil it would be a different kind of trip.
As I rode alongside the lovely Marlborough Sounds heading towards Golden Bay, I stopped at Mapua, which turned out to be one of my favourite campsites in the South Island. Until I was joined by a few ladies in the showers I did not realise it was also New Zealand's only nudist camp site but most of the holidaymakers were not nudists and stayed there because of the camp's very good reputation and excellent facilities, including a small bistro which overlooked the sea.
Cycling
on I came to a very tough 15 Km climb up Takaka Hill which, after a fast
descent, takes you down to Takaka itself and a Backpackers called the
Shady Rest, a very pleasant and relaxed place to stay and recover before
striking further on to Colingwood or down to the beach, being careful
not to run over any penguins.
The Able Tasman National Park provides some fine tramping and canoeing or, in my case, gave me a picturesque way back on a ferry from Totaranui to Marahau instead of climbing that hill again. The complete absence of any pollution and the clearness of the Southern Cross filling the sky at night was beautiful and never ceased to fascinate me, whether I was looking up last thing at night or coming back from a moonlight ride.
Continuing down the West Coast of the South Island the cars and people became fewer, the sheep prettier and touring cyclists more numerous. I realised that I had come to one of the best places in the world for a cycle camping holiday. The splendour of this coast line is something else and only saved from being inundated from people by the sand flies --the further south you go the bigger they get!
A good tourer or mountain bike is needed. I am a believer that a good touring bike can go anywhere that a mountain bike can go when carrying lots of luggage, but tyres should be at least 3 5c as the metalled roads of this country are very hard on the rubber.
If
short of time it is easy to jump a little of the way by taking train,
bus, boat or plane. Travelling by any of these means is fine as long as
one books a day in advance. Even hitching a ride on a truck is possible,
as Hank from Colorado did whenever it rained. He and his companion were
very strong cyclists and could take any amount of heat but hated the wet
and sometimes this coast can be extremely stormy.
Two ways to Arrowtown, the town that looks as if it has been caught in a time warp. One is over Crown Range, a very steep climb to I 12 1 m, the highest through route in New Zealand, or a longer but flatter road that is busier but still has some breathtaking sights. From there to Queenstown "any adventure you want and back for tea" can be loathed or enjoyed for a change after the loneliness from the Haast Pass to beautiful Lake Wanaka.
After the back road to Te Anau it's a long, slow climb from the valley floor to above the snow line and the famous pitch black Homer tunnel. Then a really fast downhill to Milford Sound where, on arrival I was so cold as night fell that I wimped out and booked into the best hotel -- anything for a shower and a good meal!
After
the Southland where the sheep start running away from the cyclists come
the fine cities of Duneden and Christchurch. The square at Christchurch
is a sort of fun area in which you see unicyclists, jugglers, chess players
and, of course, the famous wizard who, every day at 1pm, talks for one
entertaining hour on "How men should deal with women".
A short 8Okm ride from there is the Banks Peninsula and attractive Akaroa, the French town that cannot speak French, and the most amazing cafe/farm/B&B called Tree Crop Farm, a place made for lovers to have a lost weekend.
Travelling up the East Coast one has the choice of swimming with dolphins, whale watching and attractive cycle rides by the edge of the man-made lakes on the way to Mount Cook.
One of the highlights of my stay was the main New Zealand cycle tourists rally at Spring Creek camp ground just outside Blenheim which takes place every year at Easter, though not on the scale of the European ones due to the smaller population. Catering for all cyclists, on/off road, family rides and New Zealand Time Trial Association Championships. To give you a flavour, amongst the rides was the Havelock to Picton via Queen Charlotte Drive, alongside the South (extremely beautiful), a tour of the vineyards and a morning family ride to Cloudy Bay, a very enjoyable few days.
The capital, Wellington, is famous for its high winds but I liked it (especially as one rode further round the bay) and I was well looked after by Jo who used to be the Chairperson of the Kensington & Chelsea group in the London Cycling Campaign. She left London for Wellington and married a fine man, a newsreader on Radio NZ.
The North Island, though not as attractive as the South Island, has parts, which are fantastically beautiful. Lake Taupo, Lake Rotorua and the back road to the Bay of Plenty are very pleasing but the Coromandel is magnificent and the East Cape is full of Maori culture and attractive in a wilder way.
It was in a small township in the Bay of Plenty that I had the good fortune to walk into a small pub to have a drink, after pitching my tent, when a lady came up to me and said, "Come on, join in the fun and buy a raffle ticket. It's all in a good cause." Needless to say I bought one and for the first time in my life I won. If looks could kill! The crowd looked at this cycle tourist drinking his beer with his bike next to him and only then did I notice the prize--Thirty massive steaks and about twenty pounds of sausages-- the joke was on me hardly suitable luggage for a cycle tourist! We agreed to compromise. I kept one steak and donated the rest to the local old people's home.
Further
north the Bay of Islands is very interesting, especially round Paihia
and Russell, but best seen by boat rather than just the bicycle. Ninety-Mile
Beach is fun to cycle on providing the wind is not against you and Katei
and Mangonui are very pleasant places to stay. Auckland, a large bustling
city where some friends treated me really well, has Waiheke Island just
a ferry ride away, perfect for a few days' rest before the return to the
UK.
Finally, after 4400km, four punctures, three tyres, nearly five months and lots of good food and wine, I must be the only person to have cycled round New Zealand and put on weight. Remember, cycle touring in New Zealand is like making love: up and down and best done slowly. A different holiday, in a different down under, with magnificent scenery and very friendly people.
Fact File
Return airfare can be from as little as £729 from London to Auckland. Best time to travel is between December and end of April. Terrain from valley to snow covered passes, so low gears are needed. Panniers: my Karrimore Kalahari served me without problem from beginning to end.
Crossing the Cook Strait between the islands is no problem, but most times it pays to book a day in advance. Two very helpful books are Cycle Touring in the South Island, edited by Alex Ferguson, and NZ Cyclists Guide to Cycle Touring in the North Island, NZ by J B Ringer. Jason's Maps are free and most towns' tourist information offices will have them for their province, and sometimes some of the others.
Money: £ 1 = NZ$2.8 approx.
Tony Annis
Globe September October 1994 vol. 42 No 5