Summer Cycle Touring Season in NZ

I just got back from a week of GPS field work with GNS Science around the Marlborough region of the South Island of New Zealand, and I was amazed at the number of cycle tourists I saw.

In the past most of my cycle touring has been in winter when I’m the only one smart (or dumb) enough to be out touring. (Remember- you can read more about my previous trips here and here).

However, as with a lot of places, summer is the big time for cycle touring. But I saw so many cyclists as I was driving around I thought it justified a post. Most of them I didn’t get a chance to talk to, but I did chat to two couples that I thought I’d mention.

The first were some Australians who were near the end of the Molesworth Road. (There’s some good info on it on TravellingTwo). They really enjoyed the ride, and were heading north to Auckland eventually. We had a bit of a chat about my trip- and they gave me some good tips for camping in France. They were just back from a  big ride in Europe, so that was good to compare notes.

Here’s a photo of the sort of road through the Molesworth/Awatere:

Another couple I met at the accommodation we were staying at in Ward. They were an older American couple, who were on their first day, and only had 3 weeks to ride in the South Island. It sounded like they were going to be doing pretty long days, so they might have time. I gave them some route tips (like going through the Mackenzie Country and trying to spend as much time on the West Coast as they can)..

But other than these two couples, I was seeing between 6 and 10 cyclists a day on the roads- a far cry from my winter rides when I’d be lucky to see another cycle tourist in 3 weeks!

Of additional note was the Kiwi Brevet which finished just as we got to the area. This went through the Molesworth and I saw the following sign that had been posted to remind the riders that they were on the right track!