New Zealand from North to
South
2011.02.21 – 2011.04.06
MAPS:
the planned route "googleearth"
the real route "googleearth" ; "googlemaps" /under
construction/
General overview
Day 1. Transfer by bus from Auckland to Cape Reinga
450 km. Maori welcome and group meal.
Days 2 to 7. Cycle back to Auckland along beautiful
beaches and harbors. Walk in to see New Zealand’s largest Kauri tree. Rawene
ferry. Will try to arrange boat from Dargaville to South Head or Helensville.
Then back to Auckland for 1.5 days. Visit the Wild West Coast, Waitakere Forest,
Auckland Volcanoes, Auckland Museum.
Days 9 to 20. Cycle through the Hauraki Plains (hot
pools) over the Mamakus to Rotorua, thermal town and Maori culture, onto Huka
Falls and Taupo and Tokaanu (Hot Pools), wild pig on a spit group meal. New
Zealand’s world famous one day Tongariro Crossing, (opportunity for those who
wish to do this) past the active volcano Ruapehu onto the famous Wanganui river
and cycle alongside to Wanganui, then across the plains to Wellington.
Unfortunately this last part is on the main highway but with reasonable cycle
clearance. Visit the modern interactive Museum of New Zealand and
Parliament.
Days 20 to 45. Across the Cook Strait to Picton up
to Nelson Lakes National Park, then across small range to the West Coast South
Island. Down through the coastal plains to the Fox and Franz Joseph Glaciers.
These glaciers come down nearly to the sea. Onto Haast (New Zealand’s last
wilderness region). Over the Haast Pass to Lake Wanaka over the Crown Range to
Queenstown. Free Day to enjoy Queenstown activity. Then across Lake Wakatipu by
ferry onto Mavora Lakes via the Von river very scenic. From there to Lake Te
Anau. A special boat and bus trip to Milford Sound. Evening meal barbeque on
Milford Sound. Cycling on past lake Manapouri down to the Southern Coast
(Antarctic in the distance sometimes you can feel it in the wind) through
Invercargill and onto Bluff. Try the Oysters they all work. Cycle from there
around the Catlin coast (windswept trees ancient forest, Hector’s dolphins,
seals, Hooker’s sea lions, elephant seals, penguins, sooty shearwaters etc).
From there up to Dunedin (Edinburgh of the South) from there up to Christchurch.
And journeys end. It would be possible to visit Kaikoura (Whales) from
Christchurch.
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routes
