Bicycle Touring - New Zealand South Island

New Zealand Packing List

I planed to bicycle tour on the south island of New Zealand and to do some overnight hikes while on the bicycle tour. I used the packing list below in my attempt to take bicycle touring and hiking parameters into account. One objective was to be able to try overnight or two night hikes in addition to the bicycle touring. 

Bicycle Touring and Hiking

The Fiordland National Park is at the start of my bicycle touring hiking Some of the overnight hikes had hut accommodation as well as cooking facilities available. Rainfall is plentiful in that area. I estimated that I should be able to carry sufficient hiking gear in my 33 litre back pack that has a 900 gram unladen mass. Once finished the hiking activities I posted the back pack and some other items to myself (Post Restrainte) a post office near the end of my bicycle journey.  

I found that the he Osprey Talon 33 litre back pack was suitable for the 2 night 3 day hike to the Great Walks hut. The hut include mattress and cooking facilities - so there was no need to carry the tent, groundsheet, Thermarest mattress, stove and fuel. I estimate that the back pack would have been able to carry an extra day's food if a 4 day walk was undertaken. Most of the hut hikers had hut footwear - wearing of boots was not permitted in the Great Walks huts. 

New Zealand South Island - Early Autumn Weather

I encountered better than average weather in the southern half of the South Island of New Zealand during the 4 weeks beginning 15 March 2009. The air felt cooler than I expected, probably due to the lower angle of the sun - 10 degrees lower compared to Adelaide South Australia. I used two layers of long sleeve cycling tops most mornings. The rides often started with the rain coat providing extra warmth and wind protection for the first hour or so. By the afternoon I was typically using a single layer long sleeve top. I encountered a day of rain when hiking and two when cycling - so the rain pants were used. 

I encountered no overnight frosts when camping. The cold night routine involved putting on an extra layer of clothing as morning approached. I used a silk sleeping bag sheet, perhaps a flannel sheet would have been more appropriate for the autumn conditions. 

Light Weight 2 Person Tent

I used a Kathmandu Lansan Light 2 person tent. Its. mass was 1.85 kilograms. The relatively low mass of the tent is achieved through using  lighter weigh material (40 denier) for the fly.  The tent is 1.2 metres wide at the vestibule end tapers slightly at the foot end. At night I stored my equipment inside the tent. If two persons were to use the tent, then equipment would have to be stored in the single vestibule which is also the entry. 

Airport Facilities for Bicycle Touring

I was pleased to see a bicycle assembly area at the Auckland airport. The staff at the Christchurch airport directed me to the bike assembly area which I used after riding to the airport the catch the 5:40 AM flight from Christchurch on my return to Adelaide. I did not find a bicycle assembly area at the Adelaide South Australia airport - although the shower facilities were beneficial, after my 25 kilometre ride to the airport on my outbound travel. 

South Island Campground Facilities

Most of the campgrounds that I stayed at had kitchen and cooking facilities: stove top, oven, microwave oven, fridges sinks and counter space. Some had cooking pots and utensils available and at some campgrounds they could be rented. At one campground the kitchen was closed for painting. Another did not open until 6:45 AM - because I had a shuttle to catch at 7:15 AM. I used my methylated spirit burner for cooking. 

Shuttle, Coach and Train Transport

There is an adequate supply of shuttle and bus transport serving the tourism industry in the South Island . The larger tourist information centres can advise on which services will take bicycles. Some shuttles (passenger vans) have a rack to carry two bicycles. Others tow a luggage trailer that has a rack for two bicycles. The extra cost for the bicycle transport was approximately $10. There was no requirement to take the wheels or pedals off, etc on the services that I used. 

Bicycle Touring Tyres

Based on the bicycle tourers that I met, the Schwalbe Marathon was the tyre model of choice. I cycled mainly on paved roads. The Schwalve Marathon has very good wear characteristics and favourable rolling resistance. The kevlar belt on the Marathon helps to minimise punctures.

Bicycle Repairs

The rear wheel of my bike developed a crack in the side wall of the  rim when I returned to  Christchurch. I was referred to Bicycle Trading Company near the city centre - who installed a new ex stock Mavic A319 rim and spokes to my existing hub. The A319 is made from an alloy extrusion that includes a hollow oval section plus two smaller circular sections where the ends of the coil are pinned together to form the wheel rim - before welding and finishing. 

Digital Camera - Maps and Guide Books

Rather than take the complete Lonely Planet Guide for cycling or tramping in New Zealand, I removed the sections of  most interest from the paperback guide books. Where there were isolated sections of interest or maps that I thought I might need (but did not want to carry) I photographed the maps and guidebook pages and stored them on one of the memory cards for my digital camera. The zoom feature allowed me view the documents on several occasions - when my paper copy was not adequate. 

South Island Cycling Guide

Several touring cyclists I met had a booklet titled "Pedaler's Bible" showing the main cycle routes on the south island. It provided distances and elevation profiles for the routes. The cost was approximately NZ$10. It appeared to be a worthwhile publication for bicycle tourers. I understand that a similar publication was available for the north island. 

My Travel Route

T took coach transport from Christchurch to Queenstown and shuttle from Queenstown to Te Anau. After 3 days hiking I cycled along the Southern Scenic Route to Dunedin. I took a shuttle from Dunedin to Middlemarch and followed the Otago Central Rail Trail to Alexandra and the river trail to Clyde. I followed main roads through Cromwell, Wanaka, Haast Junction and up the west coast to Greymouth. I took the TransAlpine train back to Christchurch. 

Last modified 13/06/2009

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