My original plan was to circumnavigate Australia. As the planning got underway, it dawned on me that the luxury of taking 12 months leave does not come around every day, so why blow it in your own backyard. I have previously travelled throughout Australia extensively and the remainder of the word started calling, and calling loudly.
Having spent 9 weeks in the UK and Europe in 2008, I was left craving more. This was the perfect opportunity to return, but what would I do between the New Year and spring in Europe? New Zealand had been in the back of my mind for some time but I was fixated on some style of tour in Australia. It wasn't until my good ex-wife raised the idea that I physically locked it in.
So my first port of call is New Zealand's South Island, by all accounts a cycle touring mecca. On the 17th on January 2012 I fly into Christchurch on New Zealand's beautiful South Island. I'm currently booked in to a cabin for three nights for the grand total of $48 AUD per night, bargain! This should give me time to get my gear together, do a little shopping and explore Christchurch before heading off into the unknown.
Leaving Christchurch I plan on cycling south toward Dunedin before joining the acclaimed Otago Rail Trail for three days. The itinerary over the next 8 weeks is rubbery, however I generally plan on exploring the Island in a clockwise direction, visiting as many picturesque villages and towns as time permits.
As the planning for the UK and Europe continues, additional maps will be uploaded. For now, the key locations for the NZ portion of my trip can be found here...
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