2014-12-01
After another failed attempt to sleep in, (just kidding. We actually prefer to get up around the same time every day.) we had a breakfast of oatmeal and chocolate, and then set about figuring out the pla... Read More →
2014-11-30
After relatively quiet night we woke a little bit early. Breakfast and packing up went as usual and we were off. Right out of Havelock was a gentle climb for the first 4km to a view point at the top. How... Read More →
2014-11-29
After all the kayaking yesterday, we both slept very well, and even slept slightly later than usual, waking around 6:45 am. Sleeping in! We didn’t have a super long day of riding ahead of us, so we too... Read More →
2014-11-28
Started off the day in a bit of a rush to catch our bus to from Nelson to the Abel Tasman National Park but we managed to get breakfast down, all of our gear together, and walk straight on to the bus. Af... Read More →
2014-11-27
We woke up a little earlier than usual, but rather than wait around, we decided there was no reason to dilly dally, so we got ready, had breakfast, and took off. There was a rainbow out our bedroom windo... Read More →
2014-11-26
After a very stormy night, which meant not much restful sleep (the wind howled like a banshee and the rain hit the tent with a fury, even though we were semi-protected under the tree), we woke to blue sk... Read More →
2014-11-25
Woke up this morning, and the fog had rolled in. The mountains we could see yesterday were shrouded in white clouds, and a fine mist was falling. We followed our usual morning routine of oatmeal, dishes,... Read More →
2014-11-24
Took a moment this morning for Pam to Skype with Penny before we figured out where we were headed. We have been trying to decide on what route to take and where to end this adventure, Greymouth was a for... Read More →
2014-11-23
We had quite a ride today. We began with a hearty breakfast at the hotel, both getting the continental breakfast and then splitting a large plate of bacon, eggs, sausage, toast, and hash browns. Needless... Read More →
2014-11-22
Woke up this morning to more rain, but had to get going. You can sit around forever waiting for weather, but there is usually no point in it. If we cycled only on the good days we’d never get anywhere.... Read More →
2014-11-21
It was raining yesertday, rained all night, and never stopped raining. We didn't do to much today, just rested and ate a whole bunch. Matt made some tweaks to the journal to allow you to see the pictures... Read More →
2014-11-20
A very quiet, still night left us very refreshed and ready to begin the day at around 630 am. Matt got breakfast going, while I started packing up the tent. Our stove was having trouble last night puttin... Read More →
2014-11-19
When we checked into our lodgings last night, a couple of girls were also checking in and were going to be right next to us, they were giggling like schoolgirls and causing a lot of noise. We knew they w... Read More →
2014-11-18
After a rather rainy night we awoke to a great morning, blue skies and few puffy clouds, just a bit chilly at 5C. We paid our bill for the night and hit the road. In just a few km we entered the Mount As... Read More →
2014-11-17
Our camp neighbors last night were very noisy so we didn’t get a terribly restful sleep, never a good sign when you are putting in earplugs. Either way we did breakfast and hit the road. Well actually ... Read More →
2014-11-16
Started off the day with blue skies and a few clouds, a welcome change to the rainy weather of yesterday. We hit the Queenstown bike trails on our roundabout way of getting to Arrowtown. The bike trails ... Read More →
2014-11-15
Well last night was an adventure, it started with some wind, then some rain, then lots of wind, rain, and a few lightning strikes. Amazingly enough our tent stayed very dry and we woke up to a cold morni... Read More →
2014-11-14
Matt woke up especially early this morning, and I’m glad, because it meant we got going and on the road early. It was very chilly as we left the campground, and we were both bundled up pretty much as m... Read More →
2014-11-13
Today was entirely filled with a trip to Milford Sound via a Real Journeys tour. We left this morning in a bus designed just for this trip, it had plush seats facing slightly outwards, large windows, and... Read More →
2014-11-12
Started off with a cold morning, around 5C when we left at 8am. We knew it was a short ride from Manapouri to Te Anau but didn’t want to run into any surprises. We whisked through the first 10km and Pa... Read More →
2014-11-11
It is difficult to describe the incredible beauty we witnessed today, but I will try. We woke up very early, around 6 am, and made some breakfast before getting ready and heading down to the dock where o... Read More →
2014-11-10
Made it through another night without getting rained on in the tent and got on the road at around 8:30am. We thought that we wouldn’t need our rain gear but only made it a kilometer down the road or so... Read More →
2014-11-09
Started off the morning getting out of camp at around 8ish. High level clouds in the sky but no wind, plus it was Sunday so the roads were quiet. We continued following the Southern Scenic Route today an... Read More →
2014-11-08
Overnight the heavy winds from the East died down and the clear skies turned cloudy with some light sprinkles. Just enough water to get everything nice and damp. We got up and headed to the kitchen for b... Read More →
2014-11-07
Today was the day of 3 waterfalls and 2 bays. We woke up early, ate a quick breakfast and dressed, and rode our bikes unloaded down to the McLean Falls Car Park, about 3 km down the road. Then it was a 4... Read More →
2014-11-06
We spent the day literally doing as little as possible. We ventured out of the cabin just a few times: we ate a “second breakfast” at the café, and had an afternoon snack of cake and cheesecake. In ... Read More →
2014-11-05
Started the day with blue skies and some clouds on the horizon. We got going around 8:30 and decided to skip the 16km gravel road to Nugget Point. It is supposed to be very pretty, but we got a long dist... Read More →
2014-11-04
Woke up to a very chilly morning, it was so cold we decided to cook our oatmeal and eat it back in our cabin where we had the heat cranked up. It was windy, too, so we knew it was going to be a tough rid... Read More →
2014-11-03
After a mostly calm night the hostel, except for that one woman at 2am who was talking very loudly and meowing, we woke up to take an opportunity to Skype with Penny and finish up some tasks on the inter... Read More →
2014-11-02
Last night was a wild night. The wind had started to pick up in the evening, and we watched the unique cloud formation known as the Taieri Pet forming as the sun was going down. By the time we crawled in... Read More →
2014-11-01
Woke up this morning to the birds as usual, in particular a pair of Paradise Shelducks. They seemed to be annoyed that we were occupying the tennis courts. Tried a new kind of Cadbury Dairy Chocolate (mi... Read More →
2014-10-31
I (Pam) got quite the treat this morning. Remember that we were staying in an old hotel, with shared bathroom. Well, when I got up to use the bathroom, I opened the door and came face to face with a gent... Read More →
2014-10-30
We were quite comfortable in the hut for the night, with the exception of a few exceptional gusts of wind that woke me (Pam) up sometime around 1 am, but that just gave me an excuse to look out the windo... Read More →
2014-10-29
We went to bed last night with a plan to finish two more sections of the Alps to Ocean trail, and we woke up to rather heavy rain washing away our plans. Because the trail is varied surfaces including gr... Read More →
2014-10-28
The great thing about camping in a Dark Sky Reserve is when the sun goes down and there’s a clear sky, you get to go do some of the best star gazing on the planet. Matt and I took full advantage last n... Read More →
2014-10-27
Today started off a little cool and with a brief light sprinkle after breakfast. It was overcast, but we wanted to chance getting a good view from the top of Mount John. We headed out pretty early on a h... Read More →
2014-10-26
We went to bed late, and the Guineys were kind enough to let us stay in the guest room, so we had a comfy, cozy bed for the night. It’s a working farm, so of course the roosters were up crowing at the ... Read More →
2014-10-25
We woke up rested and ready to tackle the ride to Fairlie. First order of business-breakfast. The café down the street served breakfast beginning at 9 am. So, we headed down there at 9, but there was no... Read More →
2014-10-24
Well, we had every intention of heading out to Fairlie today, but we got exactly 2 km down the road, and Pam’s knee was really hurting. Sharp pains. Uh, oh. Not good. So, we turned around and found a h... Read More →
2014-10-23
It was a surprisingly quiet night on Rakaia Gorge, the wind is known to howl, but it was whisper quiet all night. We woke up to the chorus of birds singing that welcomes sunrise and started our day in go... Read More →
2014-10-22
We woke this morning to birds chirping and the sun coming up. Quite a lot of condensation on the tent through the night. Matt got up a few times in the night to the strange sounds of critters, but he nev... Read More →
2014-10-21
We started off the day at Biffy’s house in Christchurch at a leisurely pace. We made ourselves some breakfast of oatmeal and then partook of some more breakfast when Biffy made some toast and tomatoes.... Read More →
2014-10-20
Our New Zealand adventure has begun. Saturday, Matt was in full freak out mode. As we gathered all our supplies and made any last-minute purchases, I attempted to clean the house and get all the chores d... Read More →
2014-10-18
Well, the bags are packed (sort of). The passports are out and ready to go. It's almost lunch time, and we have 11 hours until our flight to New Zealand leaves. There have been some questions about the t... Read More →
2014-10-16
The date quickly approaches! In fact, our flight leaves in just 2 days. I can't believe it's already here. I think we have everything we need, we're just waiting for the last few items to be delivered. S... Read More →
2014-09-30
Welcome to the journal of Pam and Matt as we embark on a bicycle tour of the South Island of New Zealand. Who are we? Pam and Matt are an avid bicycle touring couple. Whenever possible we are out seeing... Read More →