Distance: 72.43 km
Ridetime: 3:37:48
Average: 19.8 km/h
Max speed: 48.7 km/h
Total distance: 18136 km
As I said goodbye to Linda, Phil, Luca and Eli in the morning and thanked for the great welcome to New Zealand, I was looking forward to hit the road again. I followed the beautiful winding road along the Lyttelton Bay. When the first few kilometers you cycle in a country look like this, you know you are up for something special.
After just 3 kilometers I reached the first climb. The road climbed with an average of 8% up the Dyers Pass which put me right into the red zone. I guess you will have to work for the beauty in New Zealand.
Back on the other side of the hill I went to the library to spend some hours updating the blog and doing some work. I then went to a cheap supermarket to buy my food for the next days before heading south.
The second part of today’s cycling could not really compete with the first. I was now cycling on the flat highway A1, one of the busiest on the South Island. The trucks were passing by fast and close, but as I knew I would only be on the road for a day I didn’t care much.
I found my first wild camp in New Zealand next to the Rakaia River.
I fell asleep to the sound of flowing water, happy to have begun the NZ ride!
