Leg 6 – New Zealand Summary…

This is the shortest leg of the whole trip so despite having a few hours to kill before my flight I’m not sure how much I’m going to be able to write for this…

Distance: 942.2miles / 1516.3km
Riding Time: 66 hours, 30 minutes, 21 seconds
Av. Speed: 14.2mph / 22.8kph – despite my bike being a bit lighter for NZ I was often a bit limited by my knee
Punctures: 0
9 Riding Days
1 Day crossing from South to North Island

New Zealand as a whole has probably been the easiest leg so far. Having my Dad with me has made every aspect of the day easier and more enjoyable, so it could take a couple of days in the States getting back into the flow of it.

The major downside I’ve found with New Zealand is the roads. Whilst they don’t have holes, they are often really rough and make a considerable difference to speed and comfort when riding a bike.

Apart from that I don’t really have anything to complain about. Coming into this, I expected the weather to be similar to what I faced in Europe and I really wasn’t looking forward to that aspect. Instead, I think I’ve been extremely lucky. Ok, yes it has rained and it has been cold but never snow and the cold was always bearable. What’s more I avoided the floods in Dunedin by about 2 days so I’m counting myself lucky for that. To be perfectly honest I couldn’t have asked for much better considering the time of year, and after an abnormally cold Europe and Australia, it was nice to have luck swing in my favour for once.

The food (generally speaking) has been good – especially on the two evenings I’ve had in Auckland. If anyone is coming here, I recommend both O’Connell Street Bistro and Elliott Stables.

Reaching Auckland brings my Southern hemisphere section to an end. I had grown my beard for all of it and having now shaved it off, I feel significantly more human again… I did however get asked for ID last night which is only the second time on this trip. (The first also being in New Zealand)

Photos of New Zealand are now up and I can’t take all the credit for them this time – many of them were taken by my Dad. I’m excited to be heading on to Sunny California but sad to leave New Zealand and my Dad. The people here for the most part have been extremely friendly and I think it is definitely somewhere to visit again (maybe in Summer next time)