New Zealand Is Beautiful

‘I really didn’t want New Zealand to be the most beautiful country because it’s quite cliche,’ said Stew, ‘It is true though.’

New Zealand is the most beautiful country. You just can’t deny it.

The mountainous landscapes, bright blue skies, the clear and the clear blue waters are something to marvel. This is what true, natural beauty is.

Aside from the above, there are so many colours in the nature, from deep greens to cherry blossom pink and splashes of yellow and light green.

The country has a low population so much of the land is unspoiled and it does look pristine. It’s just gorgeous. For much of the day I feel like I am on another planet, a place so well looked after, litter free and just perfect.

We started planning our route and realised that on the south island we wouldn’t be going anywhere fast. We predicted nine days cycling from Queenstown to Christchurch, along the west coast. Locals tell us our route is beautiful.

The nine days to Christchurch start to look more like twelve as we realised there are ~35 miles between places or 70. With the hills, 70 will be too much, so we take it easy.

It’s a good job we did.

Five miles into our ride Stew’s chain gets trapped. He set the high screw too high and with a push of the pedal the chain is truly stuck between the frame and the cogs. Shit.

We tried to get it out on the side of the road but couldn’t get it. We were half way up a bank and at the top there was a garage and shops etc. We unloaded Stew’s heavy panniers and put them onto my bike so we could wheel those then carried one of my panniers each; they’re a lot lighter compared to Stews. I pushed my bike and Stew carried his to the top of the bank. There we tried again to wriggle the chain free, but nothing.

Stew decided to carry his bike for one full mile to the nearest shop where they managed to free the chain and we got back on the road.

That night we stayed in an Airbnb, the first of this trip so far. I dunno what it is with Airbnb but the prices in most places are just extortionate. In Asia it was eye-wateringly expensive. In New Zealand, it’s been alright and nice to stay with people again. 🙂