Hokitika-Wellington

On the Westcoast of the New Zealand South Island it is hard to loose your way, a man told us on a rest area on highway 6. You just keep on riding. And indeed, riding highway 6 is about all you can do. We feared it might be too busy, we feared it might get boring. Luckily we were proven wrong.

The more we leave the big tourist attractions (bungy jumping, fiords, scenic flights, jet boating etc.) and NZ holiday season behind the more relaxing it becomes to cycle along route 6. Up to Hokitika the road makes it's way through lush moderate climate rainforests. Which we get to enjoy in rare beaming sunlight. Between Ross and Hokitika we hit the coast for real, views over sandy beaches and wavy seas complete our holiday feeling.

From Hokitika we pick up the Westcoast Wilderness Trail, a bike trail that supposedly is easy, family stuff, never steep. The track is well kept and takes us through beautiful forests and more open areas, but never steep....On grades over 10% our heavy bikes start to slide in the thick rocky gravel. We end up pushing uphill and around narrow bends a few times. After one day we have done the best part and are worn out. A good restaurant meal and a night in our first proper hotel room with private bathroom (which Kiwis call an ensuite) cannot make us follow the remainder of the track to Greymouth, although route 6 becomes busy again....

From Greymouth to Punakaiki we cycle a fairly busy road along an ever more stunning coastline. The sun is hot, shade becomes scarce, the grades become more steep again as the sandy beaches turn into rocky bluffs. We eat our well deserved ice cream that day after seeing the famous
Pancake Rocks that still puzzle geologists today.

On the campground that night we watch a future champ cycling with his little brother on top of a surf board sailing behind his bike. Strong legs!

The next day we hit the north of the Island in Westport, hours in the sun without shadow make me wish for rain. Don't know when the gods started listening to me, but that night it starts pouring. So where everyone expects rain we had sun, and where the weather usually is good we end up cycling in the rain....

From Westport to Picton in 3 days. We happily leave the ever busier route 6 for the more in land and delightfully quiet route 63. Open grassy hills with sheep and cows turn in to vineyards and fruit trees. In Renwick we tent at a lovely backpackers, run by an elderly couple. Veranda, fruit trees, shoes off please going in. On departure we each get a lovely scenting rose. Should anyone wish to try, it's for sale.

In Picton we can board almost immediately on the ferry to Wellinton on the North Island. Thus ending the first part of our journey. Wow that went fast!

So now we are in Wellington, big city shock, too dangerous to cycle (and we both have cycled bigger and busier towns), so we don't. Cycling does have public attention in NZ, so it is bound to improve. But untill then cyclists are not really a party with a proper place in the infrastructure in NZ, and the odd warning light or cyclist area at a traffic light won't cut it. Not when roads hardly have shoulders and lanes are too narrow for bikes and cars to ride next to each other...Cars usually do not enjoy slowing down to cyclist speeds, so guess what happens on busy streets!

So we walked through a very windy Wellington today and enjoyed the Te Papa National Museum. Really a must, if you wish to understand what this country, the animals and the people that live in it, are made of. Tomorrow we leave this busy area by public transport. We continue to cycle in a hopefully more cycle friendly environment.