May 3
Picton harbor

My camp and night at Ngakuta Bay was truly awesome. Perfect weather, no mosquitoes and lovley bath. Started early in the morning , skipped breakfast but not my morfning coffee.

I arrive Picton few minutes after 10 am. First thing I did was to inform me about  the ferry schedule. The ferry terminal was almost empty, only my self an a copuple

I arrived so early it felt like I’d accidentally booked a private ferry

The lady cashier at the desk informed me that the departure time was 2:15 p.m. and the trip cost 65 NZD or $42.

She also mentioned that the sea was expected to be calm. From her, I received a code granting access through the gate to the vehicle deck, allowing me to park the bike at the front of the bow.

While waiting for the ferry I took a local bus up to a pointing view

Then I walked down and back to the Inislander ferry terminal. Before steering my bike onboard, I visited the terminal cafe. There wasn’t much available, just coffee and a bun. At 13:30, I passed through the gate and guided my fully loaded bike to the bow. Here was even a bike rack here and a rope to tie the bike down

Picton, very north of the South Islands and from where the fewrro over ot North Island and Wedllington depart

Parked and tied up at the bow for at least four hours

The Interislander ferry has ten decks, two dining rooms for passengers, and extra facilities for professional drivers and those who paid for premium access. We depart at almost 2:15 sharp, and the first hour is at a slow speed through the amazing Queen Charlotte Sound archipelago.

Charlotte sound It was truly breathtaking.

I entered the dining room for fish and chips and a cold beer, and sat by the window to admire the magnificent view. One thing is certain: the captain must remain focused due to the numerous islands and peninsulas.

Just before 5.30 pm. Wellington silhouette in my sight. In background Mount Victoria

Twenty minutes later I roll my bike out into a dusk-lit Wellington.  The sun has just drop down behind Mount Victoria for to night. Into city center not more than 2 km cycling, trying to search for an beckpackers hostel.
A young women with an racer bicycle helped me to find Backpackers Global Trek, lies close to city center and a near beautiful chatolic cvhurch, St. Mary of the Angels.
The hostel seems popular but I’ve seen better standards than this. But the price was low so I checked in. Room on the second floor, room with four beds.

When I opened the door and stepped inside I could have sworn a minor earthquake had just happened. Everything was scattered across the floor, and nothing seemed to remember where it belonged.

My bed was the top bunk, neatly made and fresh. I unpacked my things and then went down to the kitchen to cook my late dinner.

The kitchen on my floor was in the same state as my room, maybe worse – total chaos. And it was almost completely occupied.

Sauages dinner

While I was eating I heard someone in the kitchen speaking in a cheerful tone…
– hello again

I looked up and saw a couple I had met in Franz Josef Glacier and along the way from Murchison…

– Aha, nice to see you again!

We had a nice chat about our routes and future planned routes ad some other things

Always nice to be remembered and to talk to like-minded nerds

Today, May 2nd, I’m cycling up to Picton and the ferry that will take me to the North Island and Wellington. My schedule is tight, if that fails I’ll hop into a hotel in Picton.

Starts early in the morning, totaly alone in kitchen and it seems to be a nice cycling trip today, no rain and wind. Only one way out of Nelson. First 20 km easy cycling, then a climbing for 6-7 km. The road following the mountain and it’s winding, rolling to hilly rather than mountainous.

First part of ther road flat

The scenerys is overwhelming, my goodness what a road to cycle, hard to describe

The road was quite narrow and winding in places, so I had to stay alert for campervans and drivers cutting corners.

Rainforest-like vegetation on the left and a steep cliff on the right.

After lunch I decided to camp for the afternoon instead of cycling all the way to Picton. Underestimated how tough some of the road was, and exploring the amazing views from the road took more time than I anticipated. Some km from Havelock most of the slopes was gone and I could speed up a bit.

I had already decided on my campsite and a sign before Havelock pointed me to a scenic route, the Queen Charlotte Route.

This route follows Queen Charlotte Sound in the Marlborough Sounds and has many beautiful campsites along the sound. The route is also half the length of the main road following Highway 6.

Momorangi or Ngakuta Bay is my destination for the day and I am enjoying the huge beautiful views and weather. An hour or so later the bays were one after the other and almost begging me to stop for the night.

Ngakuta Bay lies below, and finding a beautiful spot on the cape should be easy.

Ngakuta bay and my campplace for today

I pitched my tent a few hundred meters outside the campsite, as joining the campsite was quite expensive. After pitching my tent, I skipped down to the beach with giddy delight for a much-needed and gloriously splashy bath and some should call my behavior  like a labradors delight in water.

Tomorrov only 20 km easy cycling to Picton and the ferry boat over to North Island and Wellington, the capital of NZ.

April 30 – May 2

I wake up 6 am, the night has been cold and I ‘ve slipet restlessly, outside it’s still dark. Actually, I just want to turn over and go back to sleep, but I’m packing up pretty quickly  and heading for Murchison. It’s not further than 11 km. The air is chilly but theweather forecast has promised risning temperature around noon.

This morning, the road lay flat and winding, with the Buller River flowing gracefully to my left and dense forest stretching endlessly to my right. As I got closer to Murchison the landscape opened up. Large fenced pastures and the sun has woken up.

In New Zealand, road authorities often show great consideration for us cyclists, and signs like this are a common sight 🫶🥰

Few km before Murchison I see the sign about a public recycling plant. I have to inspect it and at the same time leave some of my waste that I have collected since last night.

Few km before Murchison I see the sign about a public recycling plant. I have to inspect it and at the same time leave some of my waste that I have collected since last night

Just few minutes after 8.30 I entering Murchison, a small village, approximate 550 inhabitants. It is a rural service town for the surrounding
mixed farming district. I stoped when I saw a FourSquare supermarket for some provisioning.

I continued down the small street, a charming cafe in Riverside, came into view. I had skipped breakfast that morning, having decided to enjoy my
first meal of the day in Murchison.
The café was warmly decorated and furnished, with soft sofas piled with cushions and a wood-burning stove in the middle of the room, filling the place with warmth, a pleasant scent, and a wonderfully cozy atmosphere.

Riverside Café warmly decorated 

There was a wide selection of food, and I ordered a traditional English breakfast. I also spotted the perfect opportunity to bring my damp sleeping bag inside and drape it over a wheelbarrow full of firewood standing next to the stove.

When my English breakfast arrived, I realized just how hungry I was. Just looking at it made me smile, and the aroma was enough to make my mouth water. Even the coffee I had afterwards tasted exceptionally good.

Now *this* is what I call a breakfast masterpiece.

I could stay here for hours, with the café’s cozy décor enhanced by the wood stove and wheelbarrow—well, aside from breakfast, of course.

The weather outside has brightened up, and a gentleman at the café told me it’s going to be great all day. Just after ten, I hop back on my bike, eager to continue the journey. I’ve planned to spend two nights along the way before arriving at the Interislander ferry in Picton.
Marvelous

The road and surroundings is marvelous, first part follows Buller River with dramtics gorges and native beech forest. Cows, sheeps grazing close to each others  and deers on the other side of  highway 6. Mostly gentle climbing and descending. No major mountain passes,  exept up to Hope Saddle Lockout and Belgrove.

The road from Murchison one of the nicest rides on New Zealand’s South Island

The weather is perfect for cycling, sunny but not too hot, easy to breathe. Scenic surroundings and Sheep everywhere you look, like a woolly invasion taking over the horizon.

Sheep, sheep and more sheeps

My first challenge was a few kilometres up to Hope Saddle, part of it quite tough. Upon reaching the peak, I arrived at the viewpoint by taking a gravel road to the left.
I have covered 235 meters of altitude when I lean the bike against a wooden railing. At the viewpoint, there’s a parking lot, a few benches, a roofed patio, and a long drop toilet—known in Swedish as a latrine—made of green lacquered composite material. Of course, there are also green bins for garbage, never ever toss your waste into nature

Hope Saddle lookout, 634 m.a.s.l

Then quite easy cycling, first 6-7 km downwards and then flat cycling. It’s just past 6 p.m., the sun about to set, and outside Kohatu I’ve found a
lovely green spot with a huge oak tree. Perfect for pitching my tent, and only 45 km from Nelson.

Shortly after 8 p.m., I settled into my Marmot sleeping bag, immersing myself in a downloaded radio program exploring conflicts in the USA, followed by several engrossing chapters from Jo Nesbo.

I slept like a log when the mobile alarm shoots out 6 am but my morning zombie mode was on, as always, and I was a little frozen.

It’s pitch black outside and the temperature is below zero, at least -3 degrees because the green grass has turned white.

First a simple breakfast and coffee, then packing the tent and camping gear. When everything was done, it was almost light outside.

I’ve checked the Maps. Me apps to know what’s coming next. A 6 km hill, the first 3-3.5km pretty moderate but the rest not a single metre below 7%.

Everything, even this hill has an end. When I reached the top, which is called Spooners Range, 408 m.a.s.l  the sun smiles right into my face, the view below was truly extraordinary.

A wonderful scenic view unfolds, with the sea shimmering far away on the horizon, and reaching Nelson becomes my goal for today.

Tough climbing from Kohatu to the peak of Spooners Range

From the peak of Spooners range it was possible to vie the Tasman bay and Nelson

After this short but much-needed break, I cycled downhill and then flat cycling through an insanely beautiful landscape.

First stop at a local grape juice farm, bought a bottle of dark red juice. Next stop at a pasture where two Ardennes horses are eating something from a feed bucket and a bulldog-like dog is barking at me.

The dog, who then barks attentively at his mistress, arrives and is insanely cuddly, a woman in shorts and boots also arrives and we start chatting.

After telling me about my goal for the day, she kindly gives detailed directions to a scenic cycle path from Wakefield to Nelson which I noted with excitement. Small country roads are almost more friendly and scenic to cycle on.

In Wakefield, a small cozy rural village, I notice two early risers coming out of a bakery with freshly baked bread. A sign above the door says that it is also a café. Order an Americano coffee and a stuffed meat pie.
Sat down outside in the sunshine and enjoyed the beautiful morning, the coffee and the pie.

At the village grocery store I turn right as the woman with the Ardennes horses told me.

The road winds between pastures and small green hills, fantastically beautiful.

A rural road when it’s as best

I pass small farms, grazing cows and sheep and almost no traffic…

Abandoned house – The House on the Prairie, My thoughts go to Little House on the Prairie (1974 TV series)

…10 km of perfect cycle path before I’m back on Highway 6 again.

In Richmond, a larger community very close to Tasman Bay, I made a short break in an antique shop, just wanted to look.

Morris Minor 1000 from 1958 ouside the antique shop

I followed a cycle path into Nelson City, tracing the coast and passing the harbour.

Nice and car-free cycle path into Nelson and car traffic free

Now, as the clock nears twelve, the tide is low, revealing several hundred metres of wet sand, scattered shells, and small marine creatures searching for food.

Tasman bay had low tide

Rumor has it that Nelson is New Zealand’s sunniest city, with 2,400 hours of sunshine per year, averaging about six hours per day. On a day like this, it’s easy to believe, and residents are unlikely to suffer from any lack of vitamin D.

Before reaching the city center, I passed some memorials, and the first thing I did upon arrival was to provision some food.

Arraving the sunniest town i New Zealand – Nelson

Then I wandered into a bicycle shop, just to browse, when a cute Wislaw with a toy in his mouth greeted me, clearly saying in dog language, “I want to be cuddled.” Do you think I could possibly say no to that?

I’ve already booked a night at a backpackers hostel, Paradiso Hostel and from Nelson city center it was only 10 minutes cycling.

It lies in a residental area. The hostel is surrounded by a white picket fence and large shrub-like plants. I’m alllowed to park by bicycle in the backyard and under a roof.

Nice, friendly and cheap hostel

19 NZD for the room,  fri WiFi, shower and breakfast is included. Laundry machine and dryer in the backyard.

I unpack my gear I make up my bed, lower bunk. After a shower and change of cloths , I enjoy free coffee in the kitchen. Then I gather up my laundry and settle down in the dinner room overlooking the swimmingpool which is bathed in sunshine.

Kitchen and dinning room

Befor prepering my dinner, which tonight consist of rise, smoked salmon I’m treated a vegetarian soup by , I belive a young french guy with a beard.

His beard may have been untidy, but there was nothing untidy about the soup he had made. It was absolutely delicious.

April 27

Yesterday’s nice, cycling-friendly weather is gone. I’ve woken up several times to the rain whipping against the tent and the wind gripping it.

I stay in the tent until eight in the hope that it will subside, but it doesn’t, it almost gets worse. I decide to fight the weather and pack my things and head north along the coast.

Headwind, then after the next bend crosswind, and soon the rain is pouring down – topped with a series of tough hills to fight against.

After four km at I stopped at a memorial. The place is called “Strongman Mine Memorial”. A huge stone statue with a sign that names and pays tribute to the nineteen who died in a mining accident on January 19, 1967 just close to this place.

Strongman Mine Memorial – pays tribute to the coal miners who lost their lives in a mine explosion 1967

Despite the bad weather, slopes and the diabolic winds I can take in the stunning beauty of New Zealand’s coastline
and feel the incredible power of the ocean.

By noon I arrive in Barrytown, soaked from the outside in to the inside.A hotel and a bar with an “open” sign caught my eye.
First I needed to dry some clothes and I also was thirsty for a beer.

The bar lounge was nearly empty, with only the bar owner and a Rottweiler resting comfortably by the open fireplace.

Naturally, I couldn’t resist greeting him, and he seemed to enjoy it.

Barlounge rottweiler

I draped my soggy clothes the radiator by the lounge entrance, praying they’d dry out instead of slow-cooking into a warm, damp disaster.

I ordered coffee and a pint and the bar owner said that this weather would continue all day and get worse! Just to accept this. Fore some seconds I had in my thoughts to ask a room for the night – but I jumped that.

After a much-needed break, I hopped back on my bike. At times, the wind—especially the crosswind—was so strong I had to steer carefully just to keep from tipping over.

Everything is wet. Today the risk of grass fires is low. However I enyoyed what I saw.

The wind is so very gusty that at one point I was a hair’s breadth away from the wind sending me down a slope towards the sea. On another occasion I blew across the wall when the wind grabbed the bike, luckily no traffic came!

My speed is anything but fast, average 11 km/h. Some part barely steering speed, 7-8 km/h

Even though the weather is not at its best, I can‘t help but be fascinated by the views around me. I‘m in the middle of Paparoa National Park and where I am right now. 

Punakaiki is famous for the Pancakes Rocks and Blowhole Costline which is a heavily eroded limestone area that resembles pancakes laid on top of.

Hole day with rain, cross and headwind I was ready for hotel

Blowholes and pancake rocks

The first hotel sign I see is on a hill above Punakaiki beach and the village. The hotel is unmanned, but in the reception, which is a small building next *
to the hotel, is open and on the counter there is a computer where you can see if there are available rooms and the cost.

To book, I will select a room from a map showing the rooms and select the check-in and check-out dates. Then complete the booking by providing my personal information, credit card type and number.

After checking the prices I decide to try to find something cheaper further ahead and jump on the bike again and continue down the hill down towards the village.

Punakaiki which is just a beach resort and not much more. But there are two hotels here, both are down by the beach. The one I like is called Punakaiki resort hotel and has the sign Vaccancy at the entrance.

Punakaiki resort hotel from beach

The hotel has both a main building with a large panoramic window facing the sea and a number of annexes with rooms all with views of the beach.

A large beach is right in front. Surely a very popular place in five or six months when it is summer here in the southern hemisphere but right now completely empty of people!! I get a double room in one of the low annex

buildings to the right of the hotel with a view of a stormy sea whose waves are now five or six meters high.

I unpack most of my things and bring clothes and tents into the room. I put on the radiator that is after one of the long walls and hang up wet clothes and shoes

In the closet that is by the toilet. I resort to a “non-environmentally friendly measure”. In a drawer I find a hair dryer and hang it in one of the two-part cabinets and hang up more clothes and the sleeping bag and then I start the hair dryer with full effect and close the door.

Also rearrange the furniture in the room so that I can bring the tent in and pitch it up. The tent also needs to be dried up.

Then into the shower and thereafter TV and rugby. After a while of much–needed rest with my legs stretched out on the bed, I walk up to the hotel building for a late dinner.

The restaurant has a beautiful view of the sea through the large windows that run along. Apparently, it a popular hotel, with nearly every table taken, but I manage to snag one off to the side close to the panorama windows.

After dinner, I returned to my room to make sure everything had dried up, like a detective solving the great mystery of the
missing moisture.

Outside the sea was storming up…

Tasmanien sea is storming up

Then more TV and news from Sky News, a few cups of coffee and then some googling about tomorrow‘s route. Checking also the weather forcasts and it seems that the weather will apparently be quite decent at least until well into the afternoon but I don‘t have to worry about the slopes.

My plan is to get to Westport which is about 60 km north after the coastroad, but first I need some sleep. As usual I fall asleep to a downloaded
SR program.

22-24 April

I woke up early to the sound of rain pouring down on the canvas, and when I looked out I realized that most of it was coming from the leafy crown of the oak.

Maybe my choice of location wasn’t that smart of me.

I grab the bare essentials and head to the kitchen. I sit down in the same spot I was in last night and prepare my breakfast, I’ll make coffee later.

Google’s weather forecast isn’t a pleasant read for today, drizzle and cold. The sun is far away. But tomorrow and the days after will be better.

Fox Glacier in morning outside camping

I don’t leave Franz Josef and the campsite until around 11 am. The clouds hang low and it’s a five-kilometer climb up the hill, 250 meters.

My first 5 km uphill was done and I was warmed up

If I felt cold when I started, it was something else now. At a parking lot at the top, I stopped to take off my jacket and cycle in just my CK-Örnen orange cycling jersey.

Now I have a steep ride down. Many hairpin bends and the road is still wet so I try to take it easy. The surroundings are green, bushes, trees and vegetation. The ferns are huge, some of them meters high. Looks like a rainforest.

From the top of the last hairpin bend down towards the single-lane bridge I release the brakes and feel how the wind cools down considerably and it feels refreshing.

Fast switchback down the hill

About a hundred meters from the bridge that goes over the Waikukupa River and in a left turn I hear a bang, at first I think it is from a gunshot but I realize when I feel the bike wobble that the rear tire tube has exploded.

It was just lucky that I didn’t end up off the road and the deep slope down towards the river, at least 40-50 meters.

No spare tubes and more than 15 km to the nearest village, Frans Josef.

I don’t have to steer the bike very far before a couple with a small bus stops and asks if I need help…

Nice and helpulful couple who helped me to Frans Josef when my rear tyre explode

– Do you need help? asks the guy driving?
– Yes, that would be incredibly kind of you, flat tire and I’m out of my last spare tubes.
– No problem.

He and the girl in the front seat are from Poland and they plan to vacation all over New Zealand. They bought the bus cheaply in Christchurch and plan to sell it in Auckland if they succeed, the guy says and laughs.

Franz Josef is much bigger than Fox Glacier but no bike shop or bikeworks shop either

Frans Josef Glacier mainstreet

– There is a bike repair shop in Hokitika, they told me but…
– You have to wait until after Easter.

Why didn’t I bought more tubes in Christchurch… Being wise in hindsight doesn’t help anything right now.

The Backpackers hostel had to be the solution for three days and two nights. Although now the weather has become sunnier so I can enjoy this instead.

Backpackers hostel, two nights with spa pool bath and waffles for breakfast

I had to spend an extra day in Franz Josef Glacier Township because the Tuesday bus to Hokitika was fully booked for Easter.

On my second day in Franz Josef Glacier Township, I joined a group and took a bus up to one of the glaciers for a few hours of hiking.

There are more spectacular ways to get there, but they come with a hefty price tag, a helicopter flight!

The cheapest option costs 270 NZD and includes a ten-minute helicopter ride up to the glaciers, about five minutes of hiking, and then a helicopter ride back. You don’t get to see much in that short time.

There was another option that allowed a longer stay at the glaciers, two hours, but it cost at least twice as much.

It had to be the third option, and it cost 12.50 NZD. A bus and you could agree with the bus driver which return bus you wanted to take.

But before the glacier hike begins, a proper breakfast is a must.
Breakfast is provided by the hostel: muesli, cereal, bread, butter, jam, milk, and you can make your own pancakes or waffles.

The queue for the waffle iron is fifteen minutes long. How the waffles are cooked varies a lot – some like them light and thin, others more well-done and thick.

A good start to the morning, although a “full English” is far from it – but you can’t have everything.

The bus ride took just over an hour, and I promise it was very steep at times – but we made it.

The guide told us that unfortunately global warming has almost halved the size of the glacier since 2009, which could mean that it will almost be gone by 2050 – a terrible thought.

Franz Josef Glacier is melting at an alarming rate

WE SHOULD SERIOUSLY THINK ABOUT HOW WE LIVE

more melting glaciers… and the humans are responsibe

What has taken nature and our planet tens of thousands of years to create, we are destroying in less than a century. In any case, the glacier is an incredible experience to see. The next generation may only see pictures of them – another scary thought.

When we left F.J.G. the sun was shining, but up here it is unpredictable. One minute it is sunny, the next the fog and clouds roll in. The cold is also more noticeable up here, and there are none of the annoying black mosquitoes that I encountered along the coast.

Some of the photo spots, including a glacier crevasse, we were not allowed to get closer than 25 meters due to the risk of falling in. Global warming was the reason here too.

One of several glacier cracks the guides warned us to go near. This one was about 50 meter deep

To get the most out of the hike, it would have been ideal to rent special boots with proper ice studs, but I didn’t know they were available to rent.

After two hours of hiking through the incredible icy landscape of the glacier in slippery shoes, I took the next bus back down to F.G. and enjoyed a much-needed coffee, beer and sandwich.

There is not a single regular shop in F.J.G. – everything revolves around glaciers, helicopters and related activities. The closest thing to a regular shop is the gas station, but even there they sell camping equipment.

When I got back to the hostel I asked:

– I saw a sign outside the reception about a spa pool – is it available?

–  Yes, near your dorm,

The spa is a round building with a metal roof and the pool is a rather large hot tub for three or four people.

I lift off a large folding lid and see that the water is hot, steaming and a digital display shows 41.5 degrees. I went  back and get my colorful shorts, shower and walk with yoga-like steps the few meters over the gravel path to the pool building.

I slide into the warm water and immediately feel a pleasant warmth spread through my body. I stay in the hot pool for 45 minutes and just enjoy life,
I also notice two girls waiting outside to take over the pool.

Hot spa pool bath. perfect for an tired body and stiff legs, I enjoyed every minute of it.

In the evening I meet the others at the hostel to cook dinner. It’s a chaotic mix of disorder and harmony, so everything works out well in the end.

What annoys me – although it’s really pointless – is that some people always use pots and pans and then leave them unwashed on the counter while they eat.

Since there’s not an endless supply of everything, you often have to wash up after others. I must be getting old!

Later in the evening, I took a walk to the center, the gas station and grocery store are closed, but the pubs are open and buzzing with people. Apparently, hiking among the glaciers works up quite a thirst

See Yeah Later
P-G
// The Global Cyclist