RobiNZ Personal Blog

Buenos Aires North Cycling | Antarctic Mission Log 15

Another lovely morning, another BA Bikes tour. I could get used to this kind of 'Día de la marmota'*. It was a short, now familiar, walk back to BA Bikes. It was interesting to see city parking lot prices are relative to vehicle size. For comparison Peso $120 ~ 180 was about nz$3-5 at the time. Maybe Auckland should consider this for the behemoth SUVs & Utes clogging the CBD. Back on the bike The North Tour with Diego (guiding solo) was another delight. Scenic gentle riding on bike paths or quiet back streets with short breaks adding historic, current... Read more →

Buenos Aires South Cycling | Antarctic Mission Log 14

One aspect of the Bristol Hotel I never really got used to was conventional hinged lift (elevator) doors. They didn't open when the lift arrived so, several times, I pressed the call button and waited (absent-mindedly) for a lift which was already there. The Hotel had a great international breakfast included with self serve cereals, fruit (fresh & stewed), pastries (sweet & savoury), ham & cold meats and the usual hotel cooked breakfast eggs, bacon, etc faire if that is your thing. I had a bigger breakfast than usual as (thought) had a full day of exercise ahead of me.... Read more →

Cunning use of toe straps to help fitting bike tyres

This video shows fitting the Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres I run on my CX bike. They are heavy, bullet proof, and with stiff sidewalls and strong beads can be a battle to fit. I knew the “wire in the trough” part of this demo but like how he used old toe straps (leather so don’t damage rim) to hold the tyre as you fit it. Found via a Facebook post comment. Read more →

A2O Cycle Road Trip 15–Westport Denniston Cycle

I slept in a bit again, nice after the busy A20 and big drive days. Finally looked out the window about 8am to see blue skies and sun. What a contrast to last night’s overcast and drizzle! I’d come back to Westport as back in 2011 we cycled north of here to Karamea past the turnoff to the Denniston Plateau. It is an area with a unique history. From 1869 to 1967 a perilous rail incline was used to bring coal from the 600m high plateau to sea level. Although only ~25km from Westport, and an easy drive today, it... Read more →

A2O Cycle Road Trip 13–Burnside Homestead to Oamaru farewells

The last day of our Alps To Ocean ride started with breakfast at Burnside Homestead. Most large NZ houses of this era were laid out as rooms along corridors/wings. Burnside is unusual in having a huge octagonal centre parlour with most of the rooms radiating off it. It was cool to see reproductions of the original plans in the house history album. We breakfasted in style this morning, Alison & Bruce hosting in their period apparel. It was an emotional farewell. Alison & Bruce are retiring (well deserved) and the house has been sold. Although it appears the new owner... Read more →

A2O Cycle Road Trip 12–Kurow, Otematata to Burnside Homestead

Signs of more snow arriving on the hills overnight but seeing this sunrise, and blue sky, was a nice start to the day. After breakfast at Waitaki Braids we loaded up and drove back to Otematata to ride the best part of the trail we skipped yesterday. While waiting I sought the sun warmth as it was still quite chilly! (photo by Buzz) Stunning day, what a contrast, for our first ride from Otematata towards Benmore Dam. From there a quiet country road follows the lake shore for about 25km down to Aviemore Dam. Struth, nearly hit an Aussie! Although... Read more →

A2O Cycle Road Trip 11–Omarama to Kurow, via Oamaru?

I had a late night watching F1 on my phone as mobile data was faster than WIFI. Awoke to grim weather, cold and wet, and it didn’t look like it was passing. At breakfast Bas suggested a change from the scheduled ride to Kurow. We jumped in the bus and drove all the way (about 110km) to Oamaru for the day, then back to Kurow (70km) for the night. I had been through Oamaru several times but not had the chance to really see it, so this was a fine alternative to a miserable day on the bike. We were... Read more →

A2O Cycle Road Trip 10–Lake Ohau highlights

Sunday dawned (very) cold and (comparatively) fine. After breakfast in Twizel our destination was Lake Ohau Lodge for lunch. I’d ridden in this area before, on road long before the trail, but was looking forward to revisiting it from a new perspective. Up early after staying up too late watching F1 qualifying on my phone! This was supposed to be a group shot but gloved hands meant I was too slow getting the camera out! The first part is on road, but so quiet we hardly saw any vehicles. Following the hydro canals made for some spectacular views. That’s a... Read more →

A2O Cycle Road Trip 09–Somewhere under the rainbow, to Twizel

The short walk to breakfast and view across Lake Tekapo was sufficient to see the forecast grim weather had arrived. The good thing about riding with people with extensive local knowledge is they know where not to go. Instead of battling head/side winds, and rain, on the first part of the A2O Trail Bas (& John) decided we’d go the wrong way. We drove to a nearby valley and suited up for a wet, probably cold, ride towards Burkes Pass. Instead one of the most stunning scenes I’ve ever cycled into appeared in front of us. A photo captures some... Read more →

A2O Cycle Road Trip 08–Towards Tekapo Cycling

The start of the A2O Cycle Trip proper meant getting rid of AHBART for a week. I’d been offered a free secure park but it was on the opposite side of Christchurch from where I was staying so had an early start. Although Friday, workday for most, there was little traffic between Lincoln and New Brighton at 6:00am! A bonus was watching the dramatic sunrise and, ominous, clouds. It’s a small group, mostly returning clients, former staff/founder and friends using the last advertised A2O trip slot on Adventure South’s calendar. After a couple of rendezvous, at the Adventure South Depot... Read more →