Travels Down South: Intro
Once upon a time, not too long ago—February even—I embarked on a month long holiday, part of it to be enjoyed with my friends from the US, Taras and Ellen. We started in Wellington, where Taras was participating in some Linux conference, whilst Ellen and I explored parts of the city. And once conference was done, we all headed on down south to explore the wilderness that is the South Island.
We were on road bikes, loaded up with gear in panniers and backpacks, with no itinerary or plans. Everything was booked the night before, and very spur of the moment. We survived mostly on fish and chips, staying in backpackers everywhere we went.
After Taras and Ellen went their separate ways, I started to make a bit more use of public transport so I could cover more ground. Getting from one side of the South Island to the other, or from top to bottom, just isn’t practical on a bike in the time I had. Eventually, I’d like to go back again for six months, and explore at a slower pace with a much more awesome camera in tow.
Overall, it was an amazing and satisfying journey, although I was thoroughly exhausted towards the end of it all. Climbing on a fully laden road bike up some of those very long and winding hills takes its toll. But I made it, survived it, and took a whole bunch of pictures along the way.