New Zealand 2020

New Zealand

After resting and playing around Easter Europe, we spent the fall getting ready for our 2020 New Zealand & Australia trip!

Our plan as to go all over New Zealand (pretty much doing a figure 8 across both islands), and then ride clockwise around Australia (plus doing that strange loop thing here we would go inland from the south, to Uluru and then back to the coast); and while we did a lot and it was an epic adventure, this was the insane year of 2020, which had other plans with the humanity... Anyways, here is our report:

Gidday from New Zealand!

We made it to Auckland after the longest flight, and everything was ok, but it was really weird to be so far from home, the thought almost made us dizzy... On the other hand, you realize that our planet is actually quite small, we spent one day on the plane and then we were "down under", literally on the other side!

The 12-hour jet lag is also weird: we would wake up and, though our bodies had no clue what space or time they were inhabiting, it was in fact morning here - but Europe and USA were still living in yesterday, full speed; and as we went on Facebook in the evening (while the sun was of course still shining, it was summer down here), people back home were just starting to post pictures of their early-morning hikes!

Also, we learned two useless things on our first morning in Auckland: the water in toilets definitely flushes in the same direction as in the northern hemisphere, and the grocery stores sell many different sausages they call "kransky". Stina couldn't leave it alone of course, it reminded her too much of the famous (and trademarked) Slovenian sausage called "Kranjska klobasa", and, long story short, Wikipedia says that "In the late 1940s and the 1950s post-war immigrants from Croatia and Slovenia introduced kranjska klobasa into Australia, where it became known as Kransky. Cheese Kransky is very popular in Australia and in New Zealand."

We spent two days at our well-travelled hosts' house in Auckland, the country's biggest city (thanks again, John and Jane!), getting ourselves, our trip and our bikes together. Our preparations went smoothly, even the motorcycle part: after John graciously decided to lend Kyle his bike (a 1980s BMW) for the month, Kyle flew to a nearby town and bought a bike for Stina (a DR 650, which the owner agreed to buy back for a little less at the end of our trip).

We briefly checked out Auckland - nothing mind-blowing, and it was a "city of cones" (as our host called it) and construction at the moment because they were building underground railway, but it does have a pleasant downtown, and a laid-back harbor front, plus lots of beaches where people chill and enjoy their brightly sunny summer days (which are interrupted by dark cold clouds, winds, and showers seventeen times a day), and then we started heading south toward Wellington.

We wanted to see the South Island first, so we went straight down the North Island on the east side which is not super interesting, but it was still a very nice ride through the green lush countryside: little farms, everything in bloom, endless hills and sheep (!) and forests, and there was lots of unfamiliar flora (like ferns the size and shape of palm trees), and the warm sun was mixed (of course) with occasional dark clouds that brought the cold and strong gusts of winds. Oh yes, and we already saw a few volcanoes, among them Mount Ngauruhoe - Mt Doom of LOTR (which does look a little dark and intimidating, but not enough to be tempted to stop)!

It takes 9 hours to get to Wellington (the capital) where the ferry to South Island departs, but it was getting late so we stopped 3 hours before in a small town where we were invited to stay with Adam, a local biker, another traveler who was incredibly hospitable and a wealth of knowledge about the sites and his country in general.

We were writing all this on the ferry, and it was a three-hour sail, so Stina used the time to tell you a little bit about what we learned of New Zealand and its people so far:

(this intro is a bit long - if you are not interested, skip it!):

NEW ZEALAND is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean; it's pretty big (the size of Colorado or Norway) and has two main, the North Island and the South Island, plus hundreds of smaller islands. It's quite remote: Australia is about 2,000km/ 1,200mi away, and the only slightly closer places are the Pacific island areas like Fiji; this is why it developed a distinct biodiversity (kiwi is probably the most famous animal, and we were looking forward to seeing some of those fearless kea parrots that like to steal rubber from vehicles; the giant and ancient kauri trees sounded awesome as well) and was one of the last lands to be settled by humans.

Its topography is far-out as well: from sharp mountain peaks, such as the Southern Alps, to volcanoes and geysers and rainforests, to fjords and lakes and beaches, and while the north is subtropical, the bitter cold Antartic winds tend to visit the south. There is a lot of volcanic activity: ten years ago, they had two massive earthquakes in the Christchurch area that demolished the city, and we all remember the recent eruption on the White Island.

A quick word on HISTORY: sometime around 1300, Polynesians settled in the islands and developed a distinctive Māori culture; in 1642, Dutch explorer Abel Tasman became the first European to sight New Zealand. In 1840, representatives of the United Kingdom and Māori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi, which declared British sovereignty over the islands. It then became a colony within the British Empire, and gained full independence in 1947 (while the British monarch remained the head of state). The money was made by wool exports (especially to London) and gold rush, and though they remained a pretty conservative, even puritan society (so many things were immoral, from trading on Sundays to edgy movies) with tight connections to Britain, the liberal government gave women the right to vote already in 1893 - the first country to do so! With years, society became more liberal and urbanized (even Maori), and lately the country started profiting from booming tourism as well.

Today, the majority of New Zealand's population of 4.9 million is of European descent; the indigenous Māori are the largest minority, followed by Asians and Pacific Islanders, and the culture reflects that. It's a developed, well-off country, especially when it comes to quality of life, health, education, protection of civil liberties, and economic freedom.

As for the PEOPLE, we find them to be very nice, chill, shirts and jeans, unpretentious and content, curious but polite (they will approach you with a smile and ask questions, but not bug you), and mostly really willing to help. They actually like their prime minister AND Brexit (EU has been limiting their formerly huge wool and food exports to GB), but are indifferent about their queen; we were also glad to notice that Maori seem just as confident and proud of their country (and curious about us), and their traditional tattoos most of them seem to have are a beautiful sight. We were told that reparations are healing their culture, which is nurtured and present (they have their tv channels, you can study their language and culture etc), and that they are very much equal members of New Zealand's society.

P.S.

New Zealand's s national game & main preoccupation is rugby and their team, All Blacks, are pretty much worshiped.

Also, there are absolutely no snakes & kiwi is either their nationality or a bird, whereas the fruit is called "kiwifruit"!

...So, back to us: we were on our way to the wild, less developed and more interesting South Island, and then, with the time we have left, we planned to return and explore the North Island (and visit the LOTR village for sure!).

We were really looking forward to this adventure - because this time, the challenge would not involve the borders, people, greed and bureaucracy, but the real stuff - simply making it through our long list of monumental places to visit, and surviving the mountain roads, winds, cold and rain!

We rode to our first destination on the South Island, Abel Tasman National Park - "nature at its most seductive: lush green hills fringed with golden sandy coves, slipping gently into warm shallows before meeting crystal-clear blue sea - a quintessential postcard paradise".

And it is a lovely coastal area, with crazy 6m tides and all kinds of birds, and lots of possibilities of "tracking" (as hiking is called around here) along the shore, and we decided to ride up to the end of the peninsula instead. The landscape still amazed us, so green and different to what we knew, but the area didn't seem too wild, lots of tourist places and farmland, and when it got cold and started to rain as well, we decided to turn around and head south, along the west coast.

The lovely twisty road took us over the mountains, which were beautiful (and very windy, and there was lots of deforestation - or maybe it's not that terrible, maybe it's just the fact that those barren empty hills stick out like a sore thumb in the middle of lush forests, rain forests, and marshes), and then we spent the night at another camp.

It seems like all their camps are nice, but they are also a bit challenging: the days may be hot and sunny (with regular bitter cold gusts of wind, of course...we were never able to figure out how much to wear!), but the nights are incredibly cold; and even though the camps are well-equipped and clean, and people are really nice, for some reason the internet connections are often terrible in this developed country!

So yes, people are great to talk to, and their experience is so different from ours - they live on an island far removed from anything and anybody else; and if we all didn't try to speak slowly and properly, we found it hard to understand each other, and after an hour, everybody's ears bled from intent listening (did they just say "place" or "please"?!). Also, they are obviously no party animals - we were not great fans of their early check-outs: when we travel, we usually arrive late and don't feel like preparing for the next day (we barely manage to set up the tent and make dinner, and if we do have extra time, Stina works out or does yoga, or we prepare a post for our Facebook page), so it was not fun to have to pack up and leave by 10am.

By the way, the stores are great (though it's funny how they seem to love chicken, it's everywhere and in everything, plus they seem to also love to make their own yogurt, the stores have shelves of premade mixtures in every flavor), and the fruit tastes amazing; and while restaurants and lodging are usually expensive, the stores are not, plus they take good care of travelers: there are free clean toilets, showers, and rest stops everywhere, and signs all along the road informing you that you should move to the side and let others pass if you're slow. Oh, and they love to walk around barefoot - even at gas stations and public toilets!

Anyways, we then rode down to Greymouth, and took a day off at a nice hostel, because Kyle's cold and relentless coughing were ordering us to rest, and then we moved on.

First, we went for an hour-long ride north along the coast and back (we somehow missed a turn on the way to Greymouth, but still wanted to see it) and it was cold and lovely: we went past weird tough-looking forests that were changing into lush rainforests and back, clear rivers with giant ferns on the sides, and the foaming sea, turning its cliffs evermore rugged, and then we stopped at Pancake Rocks (pretty rock formations that are layered like pancakes, nobody knows why) - unfortunately, the tide was low so we never got to see their "blowholes" fill up and shoot the water high into the sky; we did get to see funny, kiwi/chicken-like birds by the side of the road, and we later found out that they were "wekas", which are, like kiwis, a kind of funky endemic New Zealand flightless bird!

Our destination for the day were the glaciers, and we had a bit of time left, so we stopped at National Kiwi Centre Hokitika - we didn't want to leave the country without seeing those creatures up close!

And yes, kiwis are awesome! The size of a big rooster, round and cute, with no wings and a long narrow yellow beak, and with feathers that look like fur (the feathers are fluffy and soft at the root, but sleek and coarse at the end), kiwis move quickly as they run around, looking for food in the ground while huffing and puffing, and they call each other with loud shrill squeaks....we could watch them forever, so glad we went!

There were other animals at the Centre too, Kyle especially liked the eels (they were all female and 80-100 years old, which apparently means that they were finally grown up and ready to breed, except for the particularly big and slow "grandma" who is 120 years old!), but kiwis were the best - do go see them if you get a chance!

Next, we went to Tai Putini National Park, to check out the highly recommended Franz Josef and Fox glaciers.

The views from the road were already spectacular, with all the hills and snowcapped mountains rising above the rainforest - but it was clear really soon that this won't be a serene experience: endless helicopters rumble all over the sky, ruining the atmosphere for everybody except for the people taking the flying tour and enjoying the views...

We woke up into a cold foggy drizzly day, and the mountains were now so shrouded in mist that we couldn't even see them anymore; we waited for a few hours, and then had to give up our plans of hiking to both glaciers, and moved on.

After half a day of riding through foggy rainforests and along grey coasts (where we saw dolphins!), we entered Haast River Valley, and it suddenly got hot and sunny, and everything was beautiful: we went up and down multiple times, following the turquoise mountain river, and after we went really high up and back down the Crown Range, we reached Queenstown area, and the landscape became even prettier: green rugged mountains, with high snowy peaks, and with green meadows and turquoise lakes below....

The city itself is a touristy place, but our fellow traveler Fern connected us to our hosts, and we got to stay at their house on top of the hill which has the most incredible views (oh, and the hill on the left was used in LOTR!), and enjoy their warm hospitality and entertaining company: they are not only educated, interesting and kind, but also incredibly well-traveled, they have literally ridden to almost everywhere in the world! Thanks again, Diane and Dick!

The next day, we rode around for a bit (to Glenorchy and back) to enjoy the local views some more - and what we saw simply blew us away! Finally, after a week, we felt like we'd arrived, this was it! We got it now: New Zealand is a very special place indeed, a breathtaking, precious jewel - we were in awe, and looking forward to move adventures!

Before moving further down the west coast of South Island, we rode to Milford Sound fjord.

We didn't intend to take a cruise (they're packed this time of year, and they take time, so we decided to pass on that), but we'd heard that the road to there was great, and it was: it took us through a river valley, past mountain ranges, with snow melting down the steep slopes then turning into waterfalls, and turquoise streams, meadows, untouched forests... and then we reached a dark mountain tunnel and arrived at the fjord, where we saw less than we expected (mostly parking lots for cars and boats), but we did get to admire the tall rocky cliffs rising up from the still water, hinting of what is around the corner.

We turned around and rode for hours through uneventful farmland, all the way to the bottom of the island, where the weather was cold and grey.

We spent the night in Invercargill, a big town that has the Classic Motorcycle Mecca museum, which Kyle really wanted to visit. It didn't disappoint: they have a huge immaculate collection of mainly British and European bikes, most of them from the 1960's or older, among them many that Kyle had never seen or even heard of - so yes, if you're into that, the ticket isn't cheap (not much is in this country), but is worth it.

Next, we explored the cold, windy and grey southern coast, known as the Catlins, which is full of fun roads, winding through hills full of sheep and of misty forests that are framing the sandy coastline.

We stopped at Slope Point, the southernmost point of New Zealand (nothing special, but of course we had to);

at Curio Bay where we saw dolphins fish in the cold shallows, not minding a few brave human fellow swimmers;

at Lost Gypsy Gallery which contains a cool, strange and highly entertaining collection of art objects from old recycled items that you can play with (mostly you press buttons and wind the handles to see what happens; we posted a video below);

and finally, before spending the night in a shitty hostel in Dunedin (lodging is not cheap, what can you do), we went to Surat Bay where we took a walk on the beach - sharing the sand with an occasional napping sea lion.

Dunedin lies at the beginning of Otago Peninsula which is full of rugged sandy beaches and approachable wildlife: penguins (we didn't see any though, the days are long now and they don't come ashore until very late), seals, sea lions, many kinds of seabirds,...and sandflies (man are they thorough and annoying, they almost make you miss the mosquitos!!!).

We had another fun day of exploring, nice little roads, little towns, pretty beaches with sleeping seals and fishing birds and no or only a few quiet people; but what we really came for is to see the majestic albatross.

The Royal Albatross Centre has the world's only mainland royal albatross colony - and since Stina (who was super excited) read that December to February is the best time to visit, because this is when "one parent is constantly guarding the young while the other delivers food all day", we sort of assumed that we'd see many of them, up close, and be blown away. Well, it wasn't exactly like that...

The one-hour tour (you have to take a tour, of course, the colony is well-guarded) consisted of a short lecture and a video (where we learned that albatross are over 1m tall, with an incredible 3m wingspan, that they mate for life and are very affectionate, that they only have one chick every two years which means the couple don't see each other for a whole year before deciding to have another baby, that they spend 80% of their life at sea, that they can fly 120km/h, etc.) and then a hike up the steep rocky peninsula to the glassed-in viewing point, where we observed the birds for a while:

there were only four, didn't look that big because they were too far away, and not much was happening, they were merely peacefully sitting on their eggs in the tall grass.

Finally and luckily, two teenage birds decided to glide around, not too far from us, apparently looking for potential mates, and so we finally got to enjoy their beauty... they look spectacular as they quietly glide, gracefully riding those strong winds with their huge wings!

We're glad we came, and the center takes really good care of the colony so we were happy to contribute, but we definitely wouldn't count this among our top experiences of all time. We're also happy to report that on our way out, we found our bikes intact - there is a lot of wildlife around the Centre, not only cormorants on the cliffs and seals in the waters below, but also a huge colony of the aggressive and loud (and endangered) red-billed gulls, who fight and poop and nest everywhere in and around the parking lot - lots of fun, but most cars were painted white with bird poop!

We were returning north now, along the west coast, adding first a little loop into the mainland, to see the lakes and Mount Cook - and we're glad about that, because while the coast is pretty, it's also grey and cold, and we were both half sick and very tired at this point, so it was good to be back in the warmer, sunny climate!

Our next goal was to see Mt Cook (or Aoraki, 3.724m/ 12,218ft), New Zealand's highest mountain.

The fun road took us through the usual beautiful landscape, happily blooming under the summer sun, and then we arrived to the most turquoise lake we've ever seen, above which rose the rugged, snowcapped mountain tops of the Southern Alps; their crown, Mt Cook, is impossible to either miss or take your eyes off of - it's a mighty, perfectly glorious sight!

We continued on to Christchurch, where we were invited to stay with a German-turned-Kiwi couple, Barbara and Stefan, who then took great care of us and showed us around. (Which reminds us: it's really amazing how there is a special, inexplicable connection between fellow-travelers! Most of the time, we invite each other to our homes and become friends in a mere day or two, and then we usually keep in contact, even meet again, and it's also perfectly ok to recommend each other as hosts to other moto travelers... So yes, thank you for everything, Barbara and Stefan!)

Christchurch is a small vibrant city (400.000) on the South Island's west coast; it was built as a model of class-structured conservative England (farmlands were placed in the hands of the gentry, and they built churches rather than pubs). Wool industry soon made the citizens wealthy, so Christchurch started to loosen up and grow - but was then badly damaged by earthquakes in 2010 and 2011.

Stefan took us to Brooklands, a former suburb that was completely destroyed, and is now replaced by empty grass lots... and it is strange how the impact was localized: a little further, abruptly, all the houses still stand, like nothing ever happened.

We then went around the cute downtown, where, while you walk around and shop, eat hipster ice creams or chat with the nice laidback locals, you are constantly reminded of the recent destruction: many buildings, including the cathedral, are supported by steel beams and shipping containers, patiently waiting for the expensive restoration.

We were told that citizens too were crushed - the catastrophe took many lives, destroyed property, and caused cultural trauma and lots of mental problems, including a higher suicide rate; but while there are still scars, people are now beginning to forget, and lots of newcomers even contemplate building on those tempting-looking risky areas again.

Stefan rode with us out of town for an hour or so, but had to return home just when the landscape started to look pretty again; we won't bore you with awe-inspiring descriptions this time, but it just seems like this island never runs out of beautiful hills, mountains, valleys, meadows, streams and lakes!

Still, we entered the famous Tranzalpine and were soon reminded that, as an old Slovene saying states, "life is not a nut roll": the otherwise gorgeous Arthur's Pass was clogged with heavy construction and frustrated traffic, and despite all insurances, we unfortunately didn't see any keas (those cheeky parrots we'd mentioned before; they are the only parrots that live in the mountains, and there are only 5000 left in the wild)!

We found the middle part of the ride a bit boring (farmland, little towns, Brunner Lake), but the Lewis Pass was lovely again, mountains and hills covered with thick forests, all quiet and untouched, with giant trees extending their branches over the road...

We ended the day in shockingly hot and very dry Henmer Springs, where we were supposed to soak in their hot springs, but chose to end our long day with a cold beer instead.

Our last day on the South Island was a really sad one: we found out that back in the States, our friend and the coolest human you could ever meet, Anya just died in a car crash... Anya's many friends gathered at her local bar to honor her that evening, but we were far away, so we decided to at least dedicate that day's ride to her... and it was not an easy ride! Our hearts were too heavy, it was impossible to appreciate the rolling dry hills and then the pretty coastline, and with no concentration, our riding was all over the place - we're sure Anya was riding her purple DR 650 up above, laughing at us as we struggled to cope with the road. Cheers Anya, we'll miss your crazy laugh!

We loved South Island - we just hope that the ever-expanding farmland (so many cows!), urbanization and population growth are reined in, so that they keep all their amazing, precious, vast wild landscape for generations to come.

Moving on to North Island!

After landing and quickly checking out the nice little capital of Wellington, we rode back to Adam to change Kyle's tire, and then we spent a week exploring the North Island.

(By the way, we decided to skip Hobbiton, one of the major LOTR film sets: after we found out it costs $85 per person, Kyle was out; as for Stina, she was already unsure because apparently, it's a guided one-hour tour, half of which is spent walking outside - you cannot enter any of the Hobbit homes - and the other half is spent at a pub where you get a free drink, and after she asked over twenty Kiwis about the place, she found out that none but the lady from the very town went, and they all agreed it was a touristy place for foreigners. That said, the tours are popular and packed every day, so maybe it is worth it, but we chose to spend the day exploring the island some more instead.)

We rode to Napier, a town that had been mostly destroyed in the 1931 earthquake - but then the whole downtown was rebuilt in 1930s art deco style, so it now looks a little bit like the old Miami (same architecture, color of water, palm trees...);

As we entered the less-visited East Cape Peninsula, it got even hotter, and we shared the road with many, depressingly many logger trucks - if they continue with that pace, they might not have any of the big trees left in the near future (ok, a lot of those trunks were probably pine trees, grown for this purpose - but on the other hand, deforestation seems massive, most hills are bare now, with cattle grazing on them instead)...

Then the traffic got thinner, and the coastal roads became just lovely: green hills on one side, cliffs and white sands and beautiful ocean on the other, with surfers braving the cold waves, and as we entered the upper peninsula, the road was cool in the shade of the trees leaning over it, and the sunny beaches along it got wilder and rockier and emptier.

We rode further north, along the edges of Coromandel peninsula, from Bay of Plenty to Coromandel: the ride was great fun yet again, the twisty road took us through more green hills and forests, with an occasional view of the beautiful coastline and rocky islands; then it descended to the pretty, green and windy western coast, taking us past one wonderful bay after another...

We then went back to reality - we had to ride north past Auckland, spending the whole day pushing on through massive traffic, heat and construction, but luckily ended our day chatting and having an awesome dinner on a big shady porch with our lovely host Fiona, a brave lady who decided to go on her first solo moto trip - she was going to ride around Scotland and Ireland in May! (Which, we must now add, did not happen, it was yet another enthusiastic plan, crushed by Covid 19. Hopefully next year, Fiona!)

We were now in Northland area, on the way to the very top of New Zealand, Cape Reinga: yet another beautiful twisty road took us in and out of pretty coves and beaches, and through the town of Russel, and then Waitangi, which both seem like nothing special now, but are in fact full of history:

The small, cute but touristy Russel was the first European settlement (as in, Maori allowed them to settle there): it soon earned the nickname "hellhole", because it was a magnet for fleeing convicts, whalers, and drunken sailors, who then fought and had orgies on the beach (Darwin described it as full of 'the refuse of society' in 1835); in 1830, Russel was the scene of "Girls' War" - two Maori women fought for a whaling captain called Brind, and it escalated into a family feud and even war (in the end, hundreds were killed!).

Nearby, the Treaty of Waitangi was signed on February 6, 1840: this important agreement was signed by representatives of the British Crown and Māori, in order to enable the British settlers and the Māori people to live together in New Zealand under a common set of laws or agreements. Even though both sides have seen the treaty differently ever since it was drafted, it does mark the birth of New Zealand and remains crucial for race relations even today.

We then had to take a short ferry to make it to Mangonui, where we got one of the best fish and chips dinners ever (at Manganui Fish Shop, where you sit right above water, surrounded with breeze and begging seagulls, really nice). In this part, the beaches are hard to see from the road, but when you do, they're perfect: tame turquoise waves, white sand, lush trees and palms... We camped in Doubtless Bay, two hours away from the top, Cape Reinga.

We were told the experience of going to the top would be great, and it was, sort of.

You have to ride 1,5 hours up, and then back down again, which means it involves three hours of boring riding through farm and grassland, with no views of the ocean - but the top is really pretty: little bays way below, on both sides, and a few islands, and the mist/fog rolling overhead, even though it's sunny and hot.

Also, the 90 Mile Beach is special: you can ride along the endless sandy beach, with sand dunes accompanying you on one side and foaming waves on the other... Unfortunately, our timing was bad, so we had to turn around soon: the tide comes in really quickly, and so we suddenly got flooded while posing for a fancy picture, and had to run away!

We then turned around and started returning south to Auckland on the west side (again riding on beautiful and fun roads, taking another ferry across another pretty strait, had another fish and chips dinner, stayed at another camp...), and then it was time for our final stop, the Waipoua State Forest, to see the mighty kaura trees.

This superb forest sanctuary is the largest remnant of the once-extensive kauri forests of northern NZ (it was established in 1950s, after public pressure, because most of the beautiful rainforest had been cut down and turned into farmland by then).

The 18km of forest road passes some huge trees, and near the northern end stands the mighty Tane Mahuta (named for the Māori forest god): at 51.5m hight with a 13.8m girth, he’s the largest kauri alive, and has been growing for between 1200 and 2000 years! The ride was amazing, you can tell what New Zealand used to look like - but it's a bitter-sweet experience, such a shame that the area is so small....and Tane Mahuta is awe-inspiring, majestic, you just stand there all small and silent, and enjoy being in its presence...