Joel thanks for that mention of the bike shop guys. I’ll do an edit of the journal.

Joel now you’ve mentioned it, there’s an idea brewing for an autumn tour in Oz. Possibly starting 2 April. Heading north to a state capital.
Nothing epic. Flat, smooth roads all the way. Tailwinds. No rain. Excellent restaurants every 50km. Low cost 5-star accommodation in every hamlet.

Some of that’s true.

Special mention of Chris and Wayne of Bay Motorcycles Waipukurau. Taking great sympathy on my dud ankle they took Tony's and my bike, boxed them up and sent them on to Wellington with a maximum of service and a minimum of fuss. The manager of Waipukurau Holiday Park also went out of her way to provide ice and advice. The kindness to cycle tourists was crtainly a feature of the ride.

"Luxury, and very welcome"

"Did we mention rain?, sorry, New Zealand mist?"

"If you zoom in you can see Tony climbing out of the valley" 🚴‍♂️

"I swear", said Neil, "That brown trout was as long as from my finger to the ground".

Thank you Graham (Cycle Tour Leader Extraordinaire). The planning, the doing and the support made for a superb adventure. The Ohakune to Hawke's Bay (Gentle Annie) ride was challenging and exciting. Napier on, picturesque. I'm looking forward to the next one.

Thanks Robyn. Picton is one of my favourite towns. The view from its waterfront is outstanding.
Yes I noticed the widespread damage from February’s cyclone in the Hawke’s Bay region, and heard some stories about sheer volume of water.

Lovely pics, Graham. We live in Picton and drive and cycle the Queen Charlotte Drive route a bit. As you would've seen, two massive weather events in the past two years have taken their toll on the road. Looking forward to following your journey north.

There’s a slight irony in this sign because this section of road was almost traffic free when I cycled it. There were only a couple of very polite cars per hour, and no big trucks. I almost had the road to myself for a couple days.

Nevertheless it is good to see such signs. They help remind motorists that cyclists are also bona fide road users.

I like the wide space on the sign between motor vehicle and cyclist. Similar “share the road” signs here in Canada show the vehicle almost touching the cyclists’ elbow.

Thanks George. New Zealand is a wonderful country. Well worth a visit. I’m a bit biased of course.

Seems as though you had a good adventure, I enjoyed following along. Thanks for the journal and for whetting my appetite to maybe someday tour in New Zealand.

Thanks Greg. New Zealand’s landscapes and climate are total contrasts to mainland Australia. I’m lucky to be able to experience it fairly easily by cycle touring. New Zealand has invested a lot of $ in cycle tourism infrastructure over the past decade. It’s fun making use of it.

There seems to be quite a few North Americans here on their bikes. Other than fellow from Minnesota, there was another group (from Montana I think) on the first ferry crossing I made. The currency exchange rate is very favourable for USA travellers here.

I’d highly recommend NZ for cycle touring or other types of touring.