tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64932318721949361672011-04-21T14:58:19.597-07:00New Zealand is a fantastic country for cycling, it has a temperate climate, a small population (3.8M people) and everything you need for a fun time cycling! The best months for touring are January to April.Carl, Sandy and Abby Penwardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715991344112723574noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6493231872194936167.post-71023716876636868772008-03-29T20:54:00.000-07:002008-03-29T21:18:47.509-07:00

This is our 5th South Island Tour, it was short, the passes and West Coast scenery were spectacular. We also had exceptionally good weather with only one night of rain and very light winds. The route is pictured below. For more photos click here (Check out the map view in Picasa)>>Day 1: Rangiora to Springfield, 65kmDay 2: Springfield to Bealey, 77kmDay 3: Bealey to Moana(Brunner), 80kmDay 4:

Carl, Sandy and Abby Penwardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715991344112723574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6493231872194936167.post-7502807079653482022007-01-23T21:59:00.000-08:002008-03-29T22:11:36.350-07:00

This is our 4th South Island Tour, which started and ended in Christchurch and took in the Central Otago Rail Trail. The Rail Trail is great fun and highly recommended! The route is pictured below. For more photos click here (Check out the map view in Picasa)>>Day 1: Christchurch to Ashburton, 93kmDay 2: Ashburton to Timaru, 77kmDay 3: Timaru to Oamaru, 87kmDay 4: Oamaru to Palmerston

Carl, Sandy and Abby Penwardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715991344112723574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6493231872194936167.post-52887500749846526662004-02-28T08:00:00.000-08:002008-03-30T02:34:00.362-07:00

This is our second North Island Tour, and it was beautiful with spectacular scenery. We also had exceptionally good weather - while we were enjoying the sun and swimming there were huge floods in the lower 1/3 of the North Island! Click for Pictures>Day 1: Hamilton to Paeroa, 70kmDay 2: Paeroa to Waiomu, 53kmDay 3: Waiomu to Coromandel, 40kmDay 4: Coromandel to Kuaotunu 37kmDay 5: Kuaotunu

Carl, Sandy and Abby Penwardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715991344112723574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6493231872194936167.post-50868715027038542042003-01-30T02:57:00.000-08:002008-03-30T03:12:30.006-07:00

This is our first North Island Tour, in many respects it exceeded our expectations - the roads were less busy, the scenery more astounding and places more interesting than we expected. We also had exceptionally good weather!Day 1: Okaiawa to Opunake, 35kmDay 2: Opunake to New Plymouth, 70kmDay 3: New Plymouth to Stratford, 43kmDay 4: Stratford to Whangamomona, 63kmDay 5: Whangamomona to

Carl, Sandy and Abby Penwardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715991344112723574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6493231872194936167.post-22919330984005435192000-01-30T02:49:00.000-08:002008-03-30T03:12:53.870-07:00

This loop ride around the centre of the Otago Province of the South Island offers lots of variety. It is a fairly gentle 524km ride which offers plenty of places to explore and a some fantastic scenery. We split the trip into 7 days, but you will want to spend a few days in Queenstown at least. Queenstown is New Zealand's number one visitor destination and it has lots to offer everyone. We used

Carl, Sandy and Abby Penwardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715991344112723574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6493231872194936167.post-83653441445049552141999-01-30T02:44:00.000-08:002008-03-30T03:13:19.285-07:00

The route from Queenstown to Picton, via the South Island West Coast is beautiful! The lakes, passes, mountains and coastline are almost second to none. The subtropical rainforest in the south is lush and then the Nikau Palms further north are almost tropical. The Haast Pass is best experienced with some rain - which is likely! The Fox and Franz Joseph Glaciers are an absolute must see. Take

Carl, Sandy and Abby Penwardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715991344112723574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6493231872194936167.post-54403340716127707831998-01-30T02:36:00.000-08:002008-03-30T03:13:50.229-07:00

Wellington to Nelson was our first cycle touring trip with our Tandem in the South Island. It is a fairly gentle 450km ride which offers plenty of places to explore and a bit of wilderness touring. We split the trip into 6 days, but the stretch over the Rainbow Station between St Arnaud, 80km, could be done in one day. This means you would not need to camp out and could use cabins, hostels,

Carl, Sandy and Abby Penwardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04715991344112723574noreply@blogger.com