20^th September 2011

Arrived in New Zealand all in one piece.    The luggage which consisted of 2 bike boxes from a bike shops we passed on the way to LA, the BOB trailer box and a rucksack in a travel bag.   We had to pay excess as one box weighed 32kg and all of the others were close enough to 23kg to scrape by.  Have we got too much gear, well probably but time will tell!

The inventory consists of:

Kona Sutra bikes                                                                               x2

Sunlite Waterproof panniers front and rear                                x2

Bob Yak trailer and dry bag                                                            x1

Big Agnes Lynx Pass 2 tent & foot print                                       x1

Travel tarps light weight                                                                x2

Self inflating roll mats                                                                   x2

Sleeping bags                                                                                 x2

Pillows                                                                                             x2

Bike tools and tubes, first aid kit etc                                         x1

Electricals phone, note book etc                                               x1

Clothes civi and cycling                                                               x2

That still leaves stoves, pans (which we need to buy tomorrow), food and water to add to the list!

The plan for each of us to carry all of our personal gear with the exception of shoes in the panniers.  Most of this fits in the 2 back bags with a dry bag on top leaving the fronts only lightly loaded.  The tent, shoes, food and water will go on the trailer.

Well that’s the gear how prepared are we?  Well we have both put on a couple of kgs in the last 2 or 3 weeks which might not be a bad thing.  We are quite well rested as Vegas and LA kept our exercising down to an hour or so a day.  We’ve put about 1000 miles on the konas since we have had them and about 700+ off road miles on our mountain bikes since May so hopefully we have a good base to work from.

We are staying at Canterbury House Hostel in Christchurch (03 377 8108) which consists of several extra rooms built onto a private house.  Well priced $70 for a double room and has a good backyard to build the bikes up, the guys are also going to store our bike boxes and the luggage we don’t need until we return.

A good tip is to use Steve’s Airport Shuttle (0800 101021) to get from the airport.  Nice guy, took all our gear and us for $15 where the airport taxis wanted $40.  You need to meet him at the Antarctic Centre which takes about 5 minutes to walk from the terminal.

22^nd September 2011                         

Well not a good start to writing everyday but my excuse is we haven’t hit the road yet.  We have spent the last 2 days visiting every outdoor shop in the area (and there are loads) searching out the gear we need and no doubt some we don’t.  It is now the night before we leave and the pile of gear to fit on the bikes and in the trailer is ridiculous!  I have 1 cycle computer to fit in the morning before we load up and head off.  The plan is a 66km start to the trip tomorrow maybe a more interesting post!

The big thing I would like to say is how bad Christchurch has be devastated by the earthquakes.  The city is mainly under construction with the centre closed off and many buildings still being demolished.  My heart goes out to the guys in this area.  Although the attitude of those I have met is just knuckle down and get on with the rebuild it seems many have left and unemployment has risen greatly. That said I have not yet spoken to somebody who hasn’t been helpful and friendly.  Let’s hope there is a much brighter future on the way.