‘So, how was your trip to New Zealand!?’
This simple question is always going to be difficult to answer, especially when this trip contained everything from spine tingling terror to ecstatic joy and everything else in between. Two months on the road living life by holding onto a shoestring, or more accurately by holding the handlebars on a bicycle with the freedom to chose where to steer, moment by moment, hour to hour, day to day; it’s impossible to wrap it all up in a single sentence. So I won’t even try.
But I will share some of my most memorable moments and experiences from my cycle touring trip this year, from Queenstown to Auckland on two wheels, by the least direct route possible allowed by two months.
The following photo essay is an attempt to wrap up the story of my bike touring trip to New Zealand. For me, this is a story that will remain open, for I would like to return to the land of the long white cloud one day. The wilderness of New Zealand holds deep allure for the adventurer; promises many wonders and many dangers.
Please saviour the following highlights reel from my New Zealand photographs, all of which were shot over six rolls of 35mm colour negative film on an all-mechanical- Pentax MX camera equipped with a 50mm prime lens.
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Thanks for reading. :)
-A.S. 3/8/2024
My first view of the Southern Alps, Kā Tiritiri o te Moana, South Island,Te Waipounamu. These mountains were in the cloud the entire time I rode my bike up the West Coast. I guess I may have to go back…?
Pentax MX, Kodak Image Pro 100, April 2024.
The view from the historic steamship, built the same year as the Titanic, the Earnslaw, Lake Wakatipu. Pentax MX, Kodak Image Pro 100, April 2024.
The tourer in Fiordland. This was after a day trip to Milford Sound, so panniers were not loaded on bike. What a place! Pentax MX, Kodak Pro Image 100, April 2024.
Mitre Peak, Milford Sound. The sound of engines of buses, boats, helicopters, planes and cars dominated the otherwise peaceful little bay. Milford Sound has power and beauty, and it draws people to it. I just wish people went about it in a more quiet manner. Pentax MX, Kodak Image Pro 100, April 2024.
I met this Japanese cycle tourer in Haast, and he had been on the road for three years. He had an enormous amount of gear on his bike. When I asked him how he was going, he said to me : “ So tired, every day.”. But then the next morning, despite clearly having some mechanical difficulties, he was full of stoke to keep going. What a legend! Pentax MX, Cinmax BW, April 2024.
The west coast of the South Island, land of waterfalls. Pentax MX, Cinmax BW, April 2024.
Cabbage Tree. Pentax MX, Cinmax BW, April 2024.
Rimu Tree, one of New Zealands many ancient endemic conifers. Pentax MX, Cinmax BW, April 2024.
The retreating Fox Glacier. It used to be visible from the road about 20 years ago. Now, it requires a 45 min walk (or 15 min bike ride) to get a view of it. It was a little bit underwhelming, but I was still happy to have seen it at all. Pentax MX, Cinmax BW, April 2024.
Punakaiki, aka Pancake Rocks. Halfway between Greymouth and Westport. Amazing coastal rock formations and weathering. Pentax MX, Cinestill 50, April 2024.
The view from near Cape Foulwind. Pentax MX, Cinestill 50, April 2024.
The big wide open road. Waiting. Pentax MX, Cinestill 50, April 2024.
Molesworth Station. It’s one of New Zealand’s biggest cattle farms, and driest inland areas. There is a frost nearly 250 nights of the year. Pentax MX, Ektar 100, April 2024.
Taranaki, the frozen volcano. This mountain humbled me. Pentax MX, Ektar 100, April 2024.
Pastured hills, Forgotten World Highway. This road leads to the Republic of Whongamomona, a quirky little town where the locals declared independence a few years ago. Pentax MX, Cinestill 400, May 2024.
Sheep and grass. North Island, Te Ika-a-maui. Pentax MX, Ektar 100, April 2024.
New Zealand, the land of cattle and sheep. Pentax MX, Cinestill 400, May 2024.
A magical cloud forest on the Timber Trail from Ongarue to Pureora. Pentax MX, Cinestill 400, May 2024.
Poukani, the oldest known Totara Tree. Pentax MX, Cinestill 400, May 2024.
Rain brewing, Coromandel Peninsula. Pentax MX, Portra 800, May 2024.
Hot Water Beach, Coromandel Peninsula. Take your own shovel, dig a hole in the sand on the beach at low tide and the water may fill up with hot water. The trick is knowing where to dig. Luckily I didn’t have to dig as I didn’t have a shovel. I was given a hole already dug by someone else that had filled up with thermal water. I sat in my own little hot pool right there on the beach for hours and watched the tide come in, surrounded by people doing the same thing. I hadn’t had so much fun since I was about 5 years old! Pentax MX, Portra 800, May 2024.
Port Jackson, my favourite campsite in all of Aotearoa. Land of the long white cloud. Pentax MX, Portra 800, May 2024.
Tairua. Mount Paku. The grass really is a bit greener in New Zealand. Pentax MX, Kodak Portra 800, May 2024.