Thank goodness for the rails

'Dunedin 55 km' was written on the green and white signpost in the center of Milton. Despite the fact that Dunedin was our destination, we ignored the sign and, following the advice of our friendly campground manager, headed in the opposite direction, following the inconspicuous, gold-brown signs that led us away from State Highway 1 to the start of the Clutha Gold Trail.

This was the beginning of an inland route that would take us 400 kilometers to Dunedin, the second-largest city on the South Island. We chose this route because it allowed us to take advantage of two of the 23 Great Rides that New Zealand offers for cyclists. Both Great Rides, the Clutha Gold Trail and the Otago Central Rail Trail, follow the routes of former railway lines and were therefore perfectly suited for our fully loaded bikes.

Along with many other cyclists, most of them on e-bikes and carrying light luggage, we wound our way along well-maintained gravel roads through the fantastic landscape of the Otago region, stopping in small towns, visiting the local restaurants along the way, and enjoying the long "detour" from beginning to end. (Dunedin, New Zealand)

A lost (cycling) paradise?

For us cyclists, there's nothing better than touring from one place to another on good roads that wind through spectacular landscapes, stopping for breaks at cozy cafes, eavesdropping on conversations at local tables, sharing our experiences of where we're from and where we're going, and thus getting to know the country and its people. And if we also manage to find a campsite nestled in nature at regular intervals, we feel like we're in cycling paradise.

New Zealand could be such a paradise for cycling tourists, if it weren't for the many motorized vehicles. The narrow roads and reckless drivers who overtake at high speed, leaving so little space that their rearview mirrors touch, can easily ruin our day.

However, upon closer inspection, such situations aren't a problem of sheer numbers, but rather a problem of behavior. If drivers treated cyclists as equals, we could share the road, and everyone would be happy.

Therefore, I (as an optimist and dreamer ;-)) believe we need as many bicycle tourists as possible so that everyone gets used to the fact that it's not just four- and multi-wheeled vehicles on the road, but also bicycles that are part of the streetscape. In that spirit: "Keep on touring!", paradise is not yet lost :). (Alexandra, New Zealand)

See ya Oz - Kia ora Aotearoa

It wasn't easy for us to say goodbye. After ten months and ten days in Australia, we had become so accustomed to the country and its people that we were already feeling a bit like locals.
There was still much to see and experience, especially in the north and inland. However, it was already too hot there, so it made sense to head for the somewhat cooler New Zealand.
Since no cruise ship was sailing from Cairns to Auckland at the time ;-), we chose the air route and flew to the North Island via Brisbane. After immigration was completed in a few minutes with a passport scan and facial recognition, and we shortly thereafter had our luggage together, we faced questions from a biosecurity officer. He also wanted to see our clean shoe soles, after which we had to hand over our tent – ​​fortunately freshly laundered – to a whole team of friendly officers for laboratory testing.
It didn't take long until we got the tent back with the confirmation "all good." So we had made it: "Kia ora Aotearoa!" (Auckland, New Zealand)