Category: 2018 New Zealand

Today started with a visit to WOW – World of Wearableart and Classic Cars Museum. Wearable (just wearable, in some cases) art that is submitted for a yearly fashion show in Wellington. It is amazing the imagination and skill of some people.

It was then a short drive to start our cycle across Rabbit Island. We cycled on trails across the island 12 km to a ferry to take us across the inlet to Mapua and our cafe for lunch.

We were questioning the wisdom of a generous lunch as we began the cycle through Ruby Bay and over a steep pinch towards Tasman. The next part was on the Tasman View Rd – always a hint of climbing to come. I had to walk a couple of times (unlike Warren) as the steepness on the gravel surface proved too much.

We were rewarded with nice views at the top and a great downhill to the town of Motueka – 12 + 31km and 221m up made this our hardest day to date.

Our day started with a 16 km drive from Blenheim to Rarangi for a 16 km ride on bike paths back to Blenheim. Rarangi is on the beach and a popular camping spot.

We stopped at the Millenium rock on the way which had holes drilled in it to view sunrise on 1/1/2000 and the inland mountains.

From Blenheim we drove across the range to Nelson. This area is the heart of the famous Marlborough wine country and we passed many well known winery vineyards.

We passed through Nelson to Wakefield to cycle back on the start of the Great Taste Cycle Path. It was generally well signposted, compacted gravel or bitumen and went alongside the coast as we approached Nelson. Unfortunately Cyclone Gita damaged some parts which are still closed.

Our motel for the night (Harbourside Lodge) was on the marina at the port and we enjoyed the view from our balcony.

We were picked up at our hotel this morning by our guides Rachel and Vicki from Adventure South. Joined by 7 other cyclists from Austria, Australia, NZ and the United States, it was to be a long day today in our minibus with trailer in tow.

We started the drive in thick fog and drove for about an hour to the small town of Waikari where we adjusted our bikes and headed for a 25 km ride along a quiet country road to Greta Valley to check the bikes were ok. It was much hotter than we expected and we worked up quite a sweat going up the hills.

We then got back on the bus for a short drive to Cheviot for lunch. The rest of the afternoon was spent getting to our motel in Blenheim. Unfortunately this part of the country suffered a severe earthquake in 2016 which closed Highway 1 for 13 months. The road is now open but there is still a lot of roadworks so the going was slow.

We had a short stop at Kaikoura to stretch the legs and check out the beach.

On the next section of road we saw where the seabed had risen 2m due to the earthquake and exposed new rocks. Seals basked on rocks while workmen stopped us regularly.

We arrived at Blenheim at 1730, looking forward to a hot shower and dinner at the pub across the road.

After an early flight out of Brisbane we arrived in Christchurch at 1330 and caught the bus into town. After settling in to our hotel, we went for a walk around the city centre. The ruins of the cathedral stand as a stark reminder of the devastation caused by the February 2011 earthquake.