The Plan: Riding New Zealand From Christchurch to Picton

Now that the bikes have arrived in one piece and the airport fun is behind us, it’s time to explain the plan.

Over the next few weeks we’ll be riding roughly 1,600 kilometres across New Zealand’s South Island, starting in Christchurch and finishing in Picton.

From there we’ll catch the ferry across Cook Strait to Wellington before heading home.

The route takes us south through Canterbury farmland before gradually climbing into the Mackenzie Basin and the high-country lakes around Tekapo and Twizel. From there we cross the Lindis Pass and roll into Queenstown and Wanaka.

After that the ride turns north along the wild West Coast, following some of the most remote and beautiful roads in the country. I’m thinking rainforest, glaciers, empty highways, and probably a fair amount of unattractive weather.

From Greymouth we head inland through the Buller region and Nelson Lakes before finishing with the spectacular ride through the Marlborough Sounds to Picton.

In total the itinerary covers about 1,600 km and 12,000 metres of climbing, with distances designed to be manageable for old blokes, while carrying everything we need for several weeks on the road.

And that’s the key part of the plan — we’re riding self-supported and intend to camp wherever we can. Everything for the trip is on the bikes: clothes, tools, spares, tents, sleeping gear and just enough of everything else to keep life simple.

Of course, any bike tour itinerary is really just a suggestion. Weather, wind, legs, and good pubs and cafés all have a habit of influencing the daily plan. 

The mileage seems pretty conservative. If conditions are good, we’ll push on further.

The Bikes

The bikes themselves are a bit old school, like their owners!!

Both are around 20-year-old 26-inch mountain bikes, which means there’s a reasonable chance we won’t see another cyclist on anything like them for the entire trip.

One is a handmade Cannondale Lefty, which is still a beautiful piece of engineering even after all these years. The other is a similar vintage Avanti, equally well travelled and perfectly suited to the job.

Both bikes run the wonderfully simple and reliable 3 × 9 drivetrains. Younger riders may never have seen one, but for touring they’re hard to beat — plenty of gears, and almost impossible to break.

The Setup

Readers will probably notice the luggage setup in the photos.

The bikes carry a mix of Tailfin, Aeroe, and Ortlieb pannier systems. None of it is particularly cheap, but reliable gear is worth every dollar when you’re a long way from home.

Everything we need for the next month is on those bikes.

We roll out of Christchurch later today.

Let’s see how we go.