NewZealand (local)

I have a confession to make. There are times when I enjoy planning our trips as much as taking them. There is a certain excitement to putting a magic marker on a map knowing that you will be following that zig zag line on your bike. Could it be that the planning process heightens the anticipation of the trip? Is it the beginning of the adrenaline rush? And if it was adrenaline that we were looking for, then why not go to the adrenaline capital of the world, New Zealand!

The tour would begin in Wellington at the southern tip of the North Island. We would take a ferry ride across Cook Sound to Picton. From there we would make our way to the coast and bike along side the Tasman Sea to Haast. At Haast we would turn inland to Lake Wanaka and Queenstown. After taking a week off from biking to hike the Milford Trek, it would be back across the island to the Pacific Ocean and Dunedin. Our trip would end in Dunedin where we take the bus to Christchurch and then the train back to Picton.

From hiking on glaciers to kayaking with fur seals, our trip to New Zealand was more than just a long bike ride. We spent 3 months cycling on both islands but could have easily spent another 3 months and not run out of amazing places to visit. If you've ever dreamed of cycling in New Zealand, stop dreaming and just go. Pack up your panniers and go.

Am Morgen des 01.12.07 landete Mäfju in Auckland. Auf seiner 4 monatigen Reise will er die Nord- und auch die Südinsel erkunden. Er startete entlang der Westküste Richtung Süden und passierte einige Herr der Ringe Drehorte, bevor er in die von Surfern geliebte Gegend um Raglan kam. Dort verließ er die Küste und fuhr quer durchs Land nach Rotoruo, wo er für einige Tage bei einer Familie verbrachte, die ihn schon in Auckland eingeladen hatte. In diesen Tagen erkundete er die sehr aktive Geothermische Gegend mit Vulkanen, Geysiren und vielen blubbernden Tümpeln. Danach ging es weiter an die Ostküste und entlang dieser wieder nach Auckland. Damit war die erste Runde geschafft. Der zweite Abstecher führte ihn in den Norden wo er in Paihia Silvester verbrachte.

Dopo Patagonia, Toascana, Sicilia e Corsica ecco la cigliegina sulla torta: la Nuova Zelanda da Auckland a Christchurch in bicicletta. Due mesi e mezzo e 4500 km (almeno credo, il tour deve ancora finire!) tra laghi, vulcani, alpi e splendidi paesaggi costieri.

A three month bicycle journey through both islands of New Zealand. It begins in Christchurch in January 2008 (south island) and ends in auckland (north island) in April 2008. This is a Live-blog that already contains a lot of information...and during the trip you can track my route and read fascinating reports with amazing pictures!

Our trip began in Wellington at the southern tip of the North Island. After a day to adjust to the time and date differences, we took a ferry across Cook Sound to Picton. From there we made our way to the coast and biked along side the Tasman Sea to Haast. At Haast we turned inland to Lake Wanaka and Queenstown, the adrenaline capitol of the world. After taking a week off from biking to hike the Milford Trek, it was back across the island to the Pacific Ocean and Dunedin, where we stopped cycling and used wonderful New Zealand public transportation to make our way back to Wellington.

On the road, we stopped at a fruit and vegetable stand owned by Maoris natives, the first peoples to inhabit New Zealand. They gave us a warm welcome and soon the whole family, aunts, uncles, and children, was buzzing around us. They showed us their craft centre and took some pictures. Thinking we were missing something, they made us a Baby on Board sign. We fastened the sign to Marjolaine's bike, over-thanked our hosts, and were back on the road an hour and a half later with 3 tomatoes, 1 avocado, and 10 kiwis.

``The Great Heart Travelers'' promote the blood donation riding around the world. They made a Europe tour of 5400 km in 2004, and a tour in New Zealand in 2005.

In March 1996, I sold my home to fulfil a dream I'd had since my childhood. At age 46, I'd always wondered if one day I might realise my ambition to ride horseback the length of the beautiful country in which I live - New Zealand. So I did it.

It took almost a year but my trip was complete, and this is the story of my journey. It's not just my story, though. The journey was more than a physical one - it became a mental, emotional and spiritual journey as well. And not only for me, it affected (I hope all positively!) the lives of so many other people.

I hope you enjoy my story as much as I enjoyed living it!