Day 1 - Rolling out of Christchurch

Right. Let’s ride.

Bikes rebuilt, bags strapped on, and a quick test roll confirmed two important things.

1. Everything seemed to work.

2. These bikes were now a lot heavier than I remember.

Leaving Christchurch was always going to be the easy part. Actually leaving on time proved a little harder.

We finally rolled out of Ashley a bit after 1pm, much later than planned, after dealing with some IT issues that needed sorting before we headed into the sticks. Not even one day in and the itinerary has already been thrown out the window.


Originally we had planned to head toward Geraldine, but given the late start we decided to ride inland and aim for Sheffield before dark.

The riding started with some gentle ups and downs on well maintained gravel roads before settling into a long gradual climb toward the foothills. By the end of the day we had covered about 60kms with 325 metres of climbing.

Overall it was a great day for cycling — warm and sunny, with a moderate south-west wind.

Local traffic is considerate of cyclists. Not a single impatient moment or bit of agro all day on skinny roads.

Temperatures were about 35°C on the road, which isn’t particularly hot by Australian standards, but the bitumen was actually starting to bubble in places. Cycling has one particular advantage — you experience a place with all your senses. The Canterbury Plains appear to be prime agricultural country with a large dairy industry.

And yes… you get the smells as well as the scenery.

We stopped in Oxford around 4 pm for food — shark and tatties — assuming there might not be much available later in Sheffield.

Weather changes quickly. By late afternoon I was convinced it was about to rain, so we pulled up at a roadside camping spot just short of Sheffield. It never rained of course.

A highlight of the evening turned out to be the jet boats running up and down the river nearby. We had a good chat with one of the lads who explained the setup — a hand-built combination of a Suzuki Vitara four-cylinder turbo engine mated to a jet-ski pump and nozzle. A passion project for these boys.

When we arrived at camp, we also had a very welcome moment of hospitality. Two German tourists travelling in a campervan stopped for a chat and kindly shared a couple of their beers with us.

Good beer too - a cold Stella Artois is hard to beat after an afternoon on the treadly.

Speaking of hospitality, we should also thank Craig and Grady and their cracking good kids, who put us up in their beautiful home just north of Christchurch before the ride began. It was a fantastic way to start the trip and we’re very grateful for their generosity.

The legs are still adjusting to the loaded bikes, but they’re waking up. Even with today’s relatively short distance, I suspect we’ll sleep well tonight.

According to the original itinerary we’re supposed to be at Rakaia Gorge tonight, which is a fair way from where we’re camping.

We’ll see how the next few days unfold and try to make up a little ground.

Day Summary

Route: Ashley → Waimakariri Gorge Bridge area
Distance: 59 km
Riding Time: 3 hr 10 min
Climbing: 325 m
Weather: Warm, sunny, moderate SW wind

Ride Links

Part 1
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/22098279088

Part 2
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/22098812039


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