Queenstown and Glenorchy

I have mixed feelings about Queenstown. On the one hand it is a spectacularly gorgeous little town. On the other, it is crawling with tourists and activities catered to them. I find that I enjoyed it when I stuck to the less populated parts. Getting really good coffee didn’t suck either.

I had heard its reputation for gouging food prices so I did the sensible thing and steered clear of the restaurants. Instead, I headed to the local supermarket and bought an entire roast chicken with some bread, mixed greens, and fresh fruit. That was enough to provide me all my meals during my three days of stay there. The upside of staying in a hostel is access to a full kitchen with a fridge to store your food and plates and silverware to eat off of. Oh, and access to a laundry was great too. I finally got to wash the few clothes I had brought with me.

The most memorable part of the day was the mindblowing ride to Glenorchy and back. It was a mere 27 mile ride but such glorious twisties and outstanding views of Lake Wakitapu!! This was the first day that I started to truly feel happy on the bike and remember exactly why I ride! :D

The little village of Glenorchy

LOTR geek, you say? Why yes, I am!

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Wanaka to Queenstown

Today was a very short riding day. Only an hour’s worth riding the 100 km from Wanaka to Queenstown. It was also a little hair raising though because I took the Crown Range road which is the highest driving road in NZ. My fear of heights really kicked in at the huge drop below and the steeply descending road and I slowed to a crawl. It is quite maddening how this works. Those same roads on solid ground I would ride fast through in a heartbeat. Add some elevation and exposed sections and I’m riding like an ass.

There were seven hairpin turns at the end which I also managed to botch up spectacularly. I remember flying down roads like that in the Alps five years before. I guess my skills have gotten quite a bit rusty since then.

Oh well, I’m in Queenstown and my hostel – Bumbler’s  Backpackers – has an epic view.

Dorm room with an incredible view at Bumbler’s Backpackers in Queenstown, NZ

Geraldine to Wanaka

Day 2 of the ride. I still felt very achy and tired. I had a bit of a long day ahead. In terms of mileage it was short if you’re in the United States but the roads here are like in Europe – twisty and winding. Most of the ride went through big sky country – vast open plains with dry brown mountains all around. It looked nothing like the photos of glorious snow-capped mountains that I had seen online so I was a bit bummed. I guess November is a far better time to visit if you want that view. The summer here had been a scorcher so all the snow had melted.

The first fantastic view I had was of Lake Tekapo. So so blue and sparkling. I pulled off the main road to find the old historic church I had read about. I walked up to the lake, snapped a few photos and took off.

Old historic church on the banks of Lake Tekapo

Lake Tekapo

Selfie!

And then came my first holy-crap-that’s-unbelievably-beautiful moment of my trip as I neared Lake Pukaki. Picture a bright lake with misty blue mountains encircling it. Also picture no place to pull over and just drink in the sight! How frustrating! I have never seen anything like it. If there’s a heaven, this is what it looks like.

Lake Pukaki – absolutely marvellous!

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Christchurch to Geraldine

77My second first day of riding dawned early. I took off at 8:30 AM and followed the same route as the day before, starting from Leithfield, passing through Rangiora and Oxford. I took the “scenic inland route” of Highway 72 which wound through the Canterbury Plains. I found myself occasionally wondering who named it that given that it passed through endless flat dry barren plains, a bit like the Palouse in eastern Washington after a long summer. Like the Palouse, the area is probably very beautiful in the spring when it is green for miles around but right now it was really dull and I was very bored. I was also still trying to get used to the weight and handling of the bike. After almost a year off of riding, my muscles were also trying to get used to this new position and exertion. The ride was uneventful and I made it to Geraldine at just about check-in time for the hostel.

Getting coffee in downtown Geraldine. With some ride-appropriate reading.

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New Zealand – how it began

Well, I appear to be in New Zealand. I’ve been here for about four days now. I landed in Auckland and was picked up by my friend Kendal, who has been really amazing and supportive in my plan to ride around NZ. I also got to meet Sarah Hart, the gal who had toured NZ for a year whom I had interviewed for GWWR. They were both fantastic gals and really good riders. I got to do a nice local ride with them to a pub where we had dinner and conversation.

I spent the first couple of days going around to the local bike shops to find a bike to rent or hire and came up with nothing. I’ve been really frustrated at this. The lowest bikes I could were a Kawasaki Ninja 650R and a BMW F650GS twin. They were both just a wee bit too tall though and I could barely only touch the tips of my boots to the ground.

And then I got an email from Andrea Ladbrook of Kiwi Motorcycle Rentals in Christchurch. She said that she had a BMW 650GS twin with a low seat and factory lowered suspension available for rent. I made up my mind to fly to Christchurch and get that bike. She was even kind enough to offer to pick me up from the airport and stay the night. I had originally planned to get a bike in Auckland and do a loop around the North and South islands. This was a bit of a twist in the plan but it meant that I could ride one way and drop the bike off in Auckland. Not a bad change in plans!

Andrea and Allan were both really great. And the bike was perfect! Well it was still a bit high and a bit heavy but more perfect than anything else I could have gotten. We set up the handlebars for my arms, added the GPS mount, and attached huge Givi panniers (hard luggage is a first for me). I took it for a short test ride and liked the way it handled. Not at all buzzy like the singles!

First day of the ride! Next to the BMW F650GS twin I would ride for the next month.

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