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Forums cleanup: Please help

Submitted by rfay on Sun, 2009-09-20 16:20

We need a little help cleaning up the forums. Sometimes people post there and old, obsolete things about ancient tours remains.

If you are reading in the forum and come across an item that is out of date, irrelevant, or generally obsolete, please click the little link below it that says "mark obsolete". We'll delete it and we can have a less-cluttered site.

Thanks!

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Recent Forum Topics

Cycling in New Zealand. In 12 months.

Submitted by oddcod on Wed, 2010-09-22 21:58

Touring Notes - Your tours, planned tours, looking for riders

This is what my more knowledgable friend has suggested:

Arrive christchurch on 05 sept- cycle up to wellington ( 428 k's) to catch the SA v Wales game on sept 11. Chill for a week in wellington and watch the SA v Fiji game on the 17th sept. We then cycle to Auckland ( 658 k's) to catch the SA game on the 22nd ( will be 5 days of averaging over 130ks a day). We then head to Rotoara ( 234ks) to catch an Irish game on the 25th. We then depart for wellington ( 420ks) to catch a nz game on the 02 oct. From here it all depends on what tickets you have. Q finals 1 and 3 are in wellington and 2 and 4 are in christchurch. The semi finals and finals are all in Auckland, eden park. So after the nz game, depending what tickets you have will prob be best just to take public transport to wherever you need to go. Hopefully lots of people will have similar tickets and can be a big group adventure.

Suggested is a robust bike. I'm 6ft, and I have some thermal clothes but I don't think enough for this time of year in NZ. Especially is it's a wet as people in Australia say! Is there anyway to rent, borrow or must I buy a bike? Seems like it'll be expensive for a couple of months.

I'm asking for any collective input from those of you that advise or help or both!

Thanks for reading. Dixon.

NZ cycling

Submitted by Steve Mahovlic on Thu, 2010-09-23 16:22.

Check out our website www.kayaks2.com for info on our two trips to New Zealand - 2006 & 2010.
Steve

I'd be inclined to use

Submitted by stephen.p on Sat, 2010-09-25 14:33.

I'd be inclined to use public transport between the cities and stay in the regions where the cycling is nicer - Christchurch has lots of nice places - Akaroa, North Canterbury, Mackenzie Country, Waipara etc.

Its just going to be one long slog - ruining your post game beer drinking.

You can hire bikes I think its Adventure South. Check the nz version of ebay - trademe.co.nz for 2nd hand - especially with a friend who can eyeball a bike.

As you are likely to be travelling into the larger cities be aware that NZ does not provide bike laned streets, and the footpaths are varying widths. You're car fodder on a wet windy day. And with the additional volume of traffic and bloody campervans it could be a mess.

Don't mean to put you off but you might get a better buzz from a cycling section that avoids some of that.

All the best

Stephen - currently cycling in Hungary, but heading home to NZ soon(ish).

The ride from Ch-Ch to

Submitted by Kiwicyclical on Mon, 2010-09-27 04:12.

The ride from Ch-Ch to Wellington passes through some spectacular scenery. Spring in Canterbury is also characterised by Norwesterly winds which are orographic and can be strong and hot, but with generally fine weather East of the Alps. When you get into the lee of the Kaikoura's the weather can be very good if it's coming from the west. The Kaikoura coast is the highlight of this part of the trip (stop and see the baby seals playing at the waterfall).

You might want to catch the train out of Wellington as it's not that easy riding out of the city. The traffic is very much reduced after Levin and the riding is pretty flat (but can be very windy) until past Bulls. From then on the riding has some big hills and 130 km a day will be big days. The North Island weather is likely to be a bit worse than the eastern side of the South Island as well I would imagine (particularly around Wellington) and you could expect it too be cold at times (especially around the Central North Island as you cross the Desert Rd and head towards Taupo). We are late September now and there was snow on the Desert road last week. It gets progressively warmer as you head to Rotorua and Auckland.

I've been riding all through winter in the Central North Island and it feels I have been wet every day of August. I have used a Goretex jacket and softshell long pants most days, with winter gloves and a beanie. This has been adequate. Overpants and sealskin socks would also be useful at times.

The ride I did today in late September was in shorts and a light jacket and I was a bit hot... so you could expect a bit of everything.

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