Frankly, I’m not sure how to describe all the incredible moments of the six-day biking adventure we did with eight other people and two fabulous guides…so I guess I am best to simply retell the highlights in hopes of giving you a flavor of the experience. Put simply, this ride was not for the faint of heart (or weak of legs!). While billed as appropriate for beginners to moderate riders, if you were not in good physical condition, do not have dogged tenacity on uphill climbs, and are nervous about riding on uneven terrain and on narrow tracks, this tour would not be enjoyable. Period.
Frankly, this was a lot tougher than Andrew and I expected – but fortunately we have stayed in good shape for our advancing years and are both stubborn enough to want to challenge ourselves physically. Half our group chose to rent e-bikes – these basically give you a battery-charged push of varying degrees you can select when the going gets rough. We were not in that group – and in retrospect we probably should have done so…call us masochists and let’s move on. We did pretty darned well on manual power, but admittedly there was some real cursing going on when long and often steep grades popped up along our route.
“Some of the most scenic landscapes in New Zealand’s South Island by bike on the Alps to Ocean Cycle tour. Encounter the majesty of New Zealand’s highest peak, Aoraki, Mt Cook, the sweeping tussocklands of the Mackenzie Country, and the flowing rivers, vineyards and farmland of the Waitaki Valley as you cycle towards the historic and vibrant coastal town of Oamaru on the Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail. With superb mountain scenery as your backdrop, you’ll be enchanted by the picturesque canal rides from the alternate trail start at Lake Tekapo. We then follow the trail along the dramatic turquoise Lake Pukaki through to the alpine retreat of Twizel. Our journey continues on ancient Maori trading and food gathering routes, past the historic hydro‑schemes and through one of NZ’s newest wine growing regions in the Waitaki Valley. You’ll enjoy more than just cycling on this trip as you discover ancient Maori rock art, dramatic limestone landscapes, and explore the small local communities along the trail.”
The biking group was composed of folks from Australia, New Zealand, UK, and the US. The average age was around 60, and we had one delightful young man in his early 20’s traveling with his very feisty grandmother. We all got along really well and were very supportive of each other. In fact, it turned out that one couple who live in Boston spend all of February with extended family in Encinitas (the town just south of us in Carlsbad) and we will get together with them in the next few weeks!
So, some highlights for you:
The first day or two of riding we had to contend with high winds and even some rain. On our first day the headwinds were so bad – especially for those of us on manual bikes – that we had to turn around and ride part of the planned course back to an earlier starting point and hop the service van to meet up with the riders who actually managed to complete to days planned track. Quite a shakedown run! For reference, we rode between 30 and 60K a day depending on the terrain and our energy. There was always the opportunity to sit out a section of the days ride in the van that hopped along with us.
Much of our ride was alongside various lakes, rivers and man-made channels that sprouted from dams along the way. We learned that 80% of New Zealand’s energy is generated by wind, water and solar! Pretty impressive if you ask me. The color of the glacial lakes is an ethereal bright/light blue that is impossible to describe accurately…perhaps our photos can come close to illustrating but it took my breath away every time.
Another highlight of this trip was the opportunity to meet local people along the way. We mostly stayed in locally-owned motels/inns that were very clean with great beds (!!!) and we often picnicked at lunch and ate at local restaurants for the other meals. Some of the proprietors were more than happy to regale us with history and family tales, and that was a treat in and of itself. The final night we stayed at a very special place called the Burnside Homestead – a Victorian-style inn that has been owned and managed by a lovely couple for nearly 45 years. The rooms are decorated with loads of memorabilia from multiple earlier generations of an earlier owner’s family, and the grounds are beautifully manicured by the current lady of the house. They have even renovated the old horse stable into a beautiful guest house that some of our group stayed in. Quirky our room was…the shower was built into a closet! (Good water pressure even).
Aside from a few scrapes and scratches obtained from bikes being blown over by wind or taking a gravelly turn a bit too fast, both Andrew and I came through it all in one piece and very happy. Our ride ended in Oamaru – a funky little town replete with gorgeous botanical gardens that we rode through in our final kilometer and a cool steampunk museum. In all, we left the tour with great memories, new friends and snazzy biking shirts!
Esther
Living La Vida Loca 