New Zealand South island 8 days???

Barn

Hi there looking at going to the South Island FOR 8 days touring in Febuary any suggestions?.Well i am going for 3 weeks but i am going over 1 week early then meeting me wife and son and spending 2 weeks in a campervan with them.

I am looking at doing C/hurch-Qtown Dunedin with them in the van,so a route out of Christchurch in the North of the south island??any suggestions?

cruisin

Have you checked out crazyguyonabike web site.
There are quite a lot of journals for New Zealand which may give you some ideas.

geoffs

This is a rough guide to the route we did. http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/NZ-sth-tour-2003
We rode as far as Dunedin and hired a car from there.
If you had a van for support, I would skip the Otago rail trail and head for the west coast.
Akaroa is a place not to be missed as well.

Cheers

Geoff

davef

I'd suggest Christchurch to Picton, back along the Queen Charlotte Drive to Havelock, then to Nelson. South to Springs Junction and back over Lewis Pass or head down to Greymouth and came back to Chch via Arthur's Pass, if you are making good time.

What sort of loaded mileage are you comfortable with? The above is up around 120kMs per day (rough guess).

Good luck

Barn

Mate how many back to back days of 120? I could do it but i dont know weather i would enjoy it after 3 days I have a Touring bike 2 rear panniers staying in hotels/cabins.I have only been on 1 tour and averaged around 70/80 per day,but that was in France there was heaps to see and a lot of towns in that 70/80.

davef

Probably all 8! A bit different to France in that there are not as many small towns and if you plan things carefully you stop, for the night, where there are things to look at.

!st day, Kaikoura would be worth a few hours of sightseeing, then on to Picton, day 2. (Or cut across to Nelson from Blenheim, probably save a day).

An evening in Picton should give you the favour for the town. Nice scenery to Havelock and if you stayed there the night it would be an easy day. Then off to Nelson, now you could spend some time looking around Nelson. Say a 1/2 day biking (approx 100 kMs) and 1/2 day looking around. Then back on that bike for another long stretch to Murchison. Not much to do there. Next day Springs Junction, nothing to do there except recover. Now over Lewis Pass, say stop at Hamner Springs or Culverden (lots to do in Hamner Springs), then the next day get back to Chch. That is 8 days.

Hamner Springs to Christchurch is 135 kMs.

The trip is about 95% scenery!

If you can't get distances somewhere I work out some more details for you.

Barn

Mate thanx heaps for that sounds like a plan to me.I still have a few months to go so heaps of time,but that is a good route.If i was to cycle down to Greymouth does the transalpine train bring loaded touring bikes and passengers back to Christchurch?

davef

The Transapline is a tourist train and I am 99% certain that bikes would be no problem.

The ride from Springs Junction to Greymouth is mostly downhill and the wind will either be at your back or the rain in yer face! Actually Feb should be pretty dry. The train will cut out a nice lil climb over Arthur's Pass, but considering the time constraints it sounds the best plan so far.

It should be a fun trip. I am still trying to do a 3 week loop around Tasmania.

Cheers,
Dave

Barn

Mate cheers for the reply, what do you think about something like this.

Day 1-Christchuch-Kaikora Day 2-Kaikora-Blenham Day 3-Blenham-Nelson(via Picton-Havelock) Day 4-Nelson-Murchison Day 5-Murchison-Charleston
Day 6-Charleston-Greymouth Day 7 Greymouth-Christchurch(transalpine express) I think that sounds good to me.

Yeah Tassie would be a blast,i was originally going to do that insted of this trip but getting out of Australia was more important.

islandboy

We took 4 weeks to do a circuit from ChCh to Haast, to Picton fully loaded and averaged 100 km daily http://www.aye1.com/NZ2006/NZ2006.html As our trip was cut short (www.aye1.com) I want to go back and do both Islands but would want 3 months to do it justice

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Steve

Cycletouring through Victoria, BC, Canada?

davef

Blenheim to Nelson via Picton would be a pretty long day. You also have the option of going straight to Nelson from Blenheim if you are feeling the pressure.

Have you found the distances and profiles for your proposed route?