I stayed with a lovely older lady in Timaru who introduced me to the kiwi dessert, Pavlova. I don't think I'd ever bike an extra kilometer to have it again but am pretty happy that I was able to try it and enjoy it with Sue that night. The next day I cycled 90 kms to Oamaru... in just 5 hours to the minute!!!! I think thats just short of jet speed. I only stopped twice the entire ride and was super impressed with myself (if you haven't yet picked up on that...

Cycling from Twisel to Lake Tekapo was one of the nicest riding days I've had yet. It was a balmy 22 degrees along a teal colored glacial fed canal with a stunning mountain range in the near landscape. Mount Cook was my view for a while until it disappeared in the distance of miles passed. The weather was finally so warm I thought it was time to give camping a go again. So far every time I attempt tenting I end up going back to hosteling because I hate feel...

They call the West Coast the WET Coast for obvious reasons. Franz Joseph, where I spent a couple of nights, gets an average of 5 meters of rain annually. They probably got a meter of that rain during the two days I was there. Rain, wind, greyness, and cold. This is NOT my idea of a nice day for a ride. To be honest, the rain is really starting to dampen my spirits! I don't know if I can handle cycling day after day after day in the rain; my optimism is run...

My new friend is a German girl named Suzann. We became friends in Abel Tasman when we bonded over our mutual dislike for a stinky English girl who never left our hostel room the entire time we were there. Suzann was heading to the coast the day after next and we discussed the possibility of fitting my bike into her car and joining her on the road. After a tad bit of minor mechanical tweaking - we fit the bike in!!! We had an awesome time and both really e...

I kinda hate cyclists. No no no... Maybe I don't mean that? That would be like saying that I hate myself. Let me try again... Perhaps I can better explain myself with a short story. I haven't met very many cyclists on the road. When I was cycling from Nelson to Abel Tasman National Park I stopped to remove a layer of clothes and eat a gummy worm (one of my favorite cycling indulgences). While rustling through my pannier a solo, fully loaded, cycle touris...