Tour Aotearoa Part 1

About a year ago we started seeing all of these cyclists rolling through our small town of Featherston and we learned they were doing the Tour Aotearoa (TA) from the top of the North Island all the way down to the bottom of the South Island. All in all, it's a 3,000 km ride following a designated route that includes a mix of sealed roads, gravel roads, single track trails and even some beach riding. The seed was planted and we decided that we'd give the ride a go in 2025. We also reached out to our friends Becca and Shaun and they were also keen to to tour New Zealand by bicycle. 

Just getting to the start in Cape Reinga is a challenge in itself. It took Ginny and me 2.5 days to train, fly and shuttle ourselves and our bikes up to the northernmost point of the North Island. After all of that travel, we pulled into camp at 8:30pm the night before we were due to start riding in the dark to the starting point the next morning. Amidst all the chaos, I managed to leave my cycling shoes on the shuttle which I discovered well after the driver had dropped us off at the campground for the night. After a sleepless night of thinking about what I'd do without my shoes (ride in my Crocs? hitch a ride to a bigger town where I could buy shoes?), I got a cell phone number of the shuttle driver from another rider and I managed to get in touch with him early the next morning. He fortunately had spent the night fairly close to Cape Reinga so was happy to come back up to give me my shoes. 

Reunited with my shoes, I started riding south on my own having missed the mass start at 7am. Within an hour or two, I was able to catch up with Ginny, Becca and Shaun on Ninety Mile Beach, which is actually closer to 90 km, but I suppose it doesn't roll of the tongue as well. We then spent the next 80 km riding down the beach into an increasingly stiff headwind. It was an absolutely brutal day of riding with sand blowing in our face, at a painstakingly snail-like pace, with no water or food resupply and the never-ending sight of the beach which hardly seemed to change as we slowly made our way down to Ahipara. Surviving this first day of the TA seems to be a badge of honor as I've since had many conversations with other TA riders and most people have a similar story of the dreaded Ninety Mile Beach headwind.    

Ginny powering up a hill in Northland

Ginny and me at Tane Mahuta, one of NZ's largest trees

We've passed so many small churches but this one was especially charming

The view from Cape Reinga just before sunset

Ginny and me still smiling on Ninety Mile Beach, oblivious to what awaits us

After all of the drama from the first 24 hours of the TA, it was nice to settle into some more normal riding for the next few days. Due to the mass start of the TA Brevet, the first four or five days are really social as you meet tons of other riders on the course, having lunch along the way or at camp at the end of the day. This year, about 160 riders started over a 2-day period. We've met some great folks from all over the world and it's certainly one of the highlights of riding the TA. Over time, people get spread out along the course as some people want or need to blaze through it while others want to take their time. Each rider is equipped with a GPS beacon which the ride organizers use to track all of the riders that are participating in the Brevet. Our team name is Salmongin and you can view our progress here if you're interested.   

There are no easy days of riding on the TA unless you dial back the daily mileage and do the ride at a much slower pace. Most Brevet riders are riding roughly 100 km/day which results in finishing the ride in 30 days, with no rest days. This pace requires most riders to ride between 6-8 hours a day so it's a little bit like a full time job. Factor in breaks and you're out there for a long time. The first week of riding is especially hard since it takes a while for your body to adapt to all of the riding day in and day out. Most people find that their body gets used to all of the riding after a week or so of doing the TA. It's certainly a good way to get stronger in a short period of time! 

A microwave mailbox in Northland because why not?

There's a lot of Corbetts in NZ!

Selfie with the cows along the Hauraki Rail Trail

Loading the bikes to cross the Kaipara Harbour

Ginny, Shaun, Becca and me with our lovely ponchos courtesy of Camp Epic

The mud (from papa clay, which is especially slippery when wet) on the Kaiwhakauka track was like nothing I've seen before!

Riding the jet boat down the Whanganui River was so fun!

More papa clay mud!

Endless green hills makes for challenging riding but beautiful scenery

Riding on the Manawatu Gorge Road, part of a state highway which has been closed to traffic since 2017 due to constant slips

A herd of sheep on the move 

A windswept tree outside of Masterton

So we've nearly finished the North Island portion of the TA now as we're back home in Featherston. Ginny's plan all along was to stop once we got home and I'm very proud of her for making it this far (roughly 1500 km). She was threatening to drop out in Auckland (day 5) but decided to carry on. Becca and Shaun are also planning to stop riding the official TA route after the North Island as they only have three weeks left in NZ and don't want to spend their entire vacation cranking out 100km days. I, on the other hand, will be carrying on to the South Island on my own. I catch the Cook Strait ferry tomorrow afternoon and plan to finish the TA by March 25th as I have a flight back up to Wellington on March 26th. Feel free to track my progress or stay tuned for a trip summary around the end of the month!