A (wo)Man With(out) a Plan
I think the most common bit of advice given on the topic of bikepacking is ‘don’t plan the details’, which might sound counterintuitive, but when you have time, a tent and two inflated tyres, you can pretty much get away with doing whatever you feel like that day.
On bikepacking trips I have done previously, there was never a plan. Maybe there was a day when the trip needed to be over for University or annual leave purposes, but never a set daily distance or any idea where I’d be sleeping that night. And I think that works best. After all, how do you know how you’re going to feel that day? What if there’s a tear-inducing headwind? Perhaps your tyre has punctured for the fifth time and you’re out of patience. Maybe you’re up at the crack of dawn and your legs feel strong and you’re eating miles for breakfast. I’m aware it’s a very privileged thing to have time, but I would always follow the advice: ‘don’t plan the details’.
FAQs that fit nicely into this post regarding planning, or lack of:
How long are you going for?
ha- noo idea. Maybe I’ll hate the whole thing and want to get around as quickly as possible. Maybe my bike will merely be a way of getting from one place of interest to another, the slower (?) equivalent to buses in Asia*, and exploring those places will be the main event. Most likely, as has been religiously documented by others who have done the same thing, I’ll love cycling in New Zealand and won’t want to stop. Somewhere along the way, probably in the first couple of weeks, I’ll find out.
I do have a flight after about 3.5 months over to Australia. After that, I really have no idea.
Are you following a route?
Sort of! There’s an official route created by the Kennett brothers called Tour Aotearoa that runs from the top of the North Island, Cape Reinga, to the bottom of the South Island, Bluff. I will roughly follow it on the way down, taking detours where I want, and will then freestyle it back north. I’m chasing the good weather in the South Island so will complete the section north of Auckland at the end rather than the start to minimise the soggy kit situation.
Are you camping?
I think I’ll camp most of the time, but also hope to utilise Warm Showers and will definitely be checking into hostels where I can so I remember what it’s like to talk to people. Usefully, there’s an official brevet event running at the same time I’m there so there won’t be a shortage of cyclists to chat about bikes to.
How far is it?
I plotted a rough route on Garmin with the detours I want to do and it’s about 6,500km around New Zealand. If I rode every day, it would be ∼65 km a day, so very manageable. I’ve not yet properly thought about my route through Australia- for someone who has become used to planning an hour into the future, May/June is a long way away.
Are you coming back?
I do know a few who have found themselves in New Zealand and have stayed. Apparently it’s like Scotland (the good bits) on steroids, and they have equally cool accents so I can see the appeal.
I’m pretty sure I’ll be back but you can never really say what will happen
*
Similarities
- Goes from A to B
- Might have to disembark and walk up hills
- Can’t feel your arse after 10 hours
- “Am I there yet?”
- Cars generally don’t like you
- Flat tyres
- Breakdowns after 100 miles
Differences
- Only one keeps you dry when it rains