We’ve been on the road now for just under a month and the tiredness is finally catching up with us. After a break in Tekapo we got back on the bike with high spirits and excitement for the Otago Rail Trail. We had noticed that the roads were becoming busier and the hard shoulders non existent so we welcomed the opportunity to spend 150km on traffic free paths.

We’d decided that cycling over the Lindis Pass with the girls was way to ambitious so we caught a shuttle bus to Cromwell which was pretty damn frightening as the bus driver was a maniac driver and the roads were winding and narrow. Continue reading →

A few days into our cycle journey we had learnt an important lesson and that was to be more prepared and knowledgable about what our route would bring. We now make a very conscious effort to speak with locals about the different townships we pass through and what they have to offer regarding food and accommodation.

After pitching our tent in a complete strangers yard we headed onto Hororata to stay with a host that we’d contacted through ‘Warm Showers’. On the way we’d stopped at a small side street and used our picnic rug like a sail to shield us all from the sun while having lunch. Jay & I were struggling all day against another head wind, so when Carol our host burned up in her car unexpectedly and offered to take all our panniers back to the house, we jumped at the opportunity and it made our last 15km much easier. Continue reading →

Sunny insured that a 4am start to the day wasn’t going to be overslept. We got everyone washed and everything packed just in the time for our airport transfer. A little bit of bad luck and maybe some dodgy food yesterday meant that I was feeling very seedy and the situation wasn’t helped by the fact that our shuttle bus driver was a maniac on the road. After using every bit of concentration I had I managed to wait until we got to the airport to be sick in the toilets and then I was ready to start our adventure! Continue reading →