Day 31 - Gore to Bluff
Distance - 95.9km
Elevation gain - 303m
Total distance - 2,511km
I DID IT!
Coldest start to date and super foggy. Ended up being a perfect sunny day.
Arrived at Bluff to unexpected cheers from the onlookers. Very emotional.
Cracked open the champagne to celebrate 🥂🍾
Hi Jude,
Congratulations on making it to Bluff, awesome effort, very inspiring. I hope you enjoyed the bubbles.
Cheers Glen
Day 30 - Millers Flat to Gore
Distance - 91.32km
Elevation gain - 721m
Total distance - 2415.12km
Very foggy start to the day🌫
I road on the wrong road to start with, adding 6km to my ride.
Stopped in Tapanui for smoko & then on to Gore.
1 DAY TO GO!!! 🚴♀️
Can’t believe my Cape Reinga to Bluff ride will be completed tomorrow 🥳🍾
Day 29 - Cromwell to Millers Flat
Distance - 99.89km
Elevation gain - 1,314m
Total distance - 2,323.8km
Fun day riding with my niece Caroline from Cromwell to Clyde on the Dunstan Trail. Attempted wrangling some goats🐐🐐🐐
Stopped in Clyde for smoko. We both biked on the road to Alexandra.
A challenging ride from Alexandra to Roxburgh on hilly roads.
Loved riding the Clutha Gold trail to Millers Flat.
2 DAYS TO GO!!! 🚴♀️🚴♀️
Day 28 - Lake Hawea to Cromwell
Distance - 72.22km
Elevation gain - 412m
Total distance - 2223.92km
Worst day on the road with lot of cars & trucks. There was no verge to ride on a lot of the way.
Glad to ride the bike trail from Lowburn into Cromwell.
Excited to be biking with my niece Caroline on the Dunstan Trail tomorrow.
3 DAYS TO GO!!! 🚴♀️🚴♀️🚴♀️
Day 27 - Makarora to Lake Hawea
Distance - 50.07km
Elevation gain - 625m
Total distance - 2151.7km
Late start, waiting for the rain to clear. Then an easy, picturesque ride to Lake Hawea.
Had time for some retail therapy in Wanaka this afternoon.
4 DAYS TO GO!!! 🚴♀️🚴♀️🚴♀️🚴♀️
Day 26 - Haast to Makarora
Distance - 86.1km
Elevation gain - 1,035m
Total distance - 2,101.6km
Stunning scenery all through the Haast. Saw some amazing snow-topped mountains, waterfalls and blue glacial rivers.
Not sure where the forecast of rain went as the day has been sunny.
Update: Rain has finally arrived at 4pm.
Day 25 - Franz Josef to Haast
Distance - 148.8km
Elevation gain - 1,520m
Total distance - 2,015.5km
Haast!!!! That wasn't planned! I thought yesterday was big, but today was BIGGER!
The rain is coming, so decided to get to Haast to try and beat some of the rain. Tough riding as I had to save the battery for the hills.
Amazing scenery, all day.
Day 24 - Ross to Franz Josef
Distance - 113.57km
Elevation gain - 1,003m
Total distance - 1,866.6km
Longest day so far. Thankfully the weather was on my side.
Stopped at Lake Ianthe. Lovely bush and lake scenery all day.
Day 23 - Greymouth - Ross
Distance - 82.58km
Elevation gain - 240m
Total distance - 1753.06km
Biked on the Wilderness Trail from Greymouth to Kumara Junction.
Stopped at Hokitika to have a sandwich from The Hokitika Sandwich Company. The yummiest sandwich😋
Carried on to Ross on the Wilderness Trail through beautiful bush.
Fine weather all the way☀️
Hi Jude,
Sunny weather on the West Coast sounds great, it looks like you are enjoying your adventure.
Happy travels.
Cheers Glen
Day 22 - Greymouth
Distance - 0km
Elevation gain - 0m
Total Distance - 1670.48km
Rest day - massage, haircut, bike service & replaced the tyres.
Have looked at the white mountains all day knowing that is the way I’m heading🥶
Weather looks good for the next few days🤞
Day 21 - Reefton to Greytown
Distance - 80.58km
Elevation Gain - 383m
Total Distance - 1670.48km
Someone said I was an endurance rider, I said ‘yeah right’ & laughed.
Today it poured with rain most of the way & I had a head wind, that was endurance!!!
Excited to be In Greymouth, 1/3 of the South Island completed.
Rest day tomorrow to have bike serviced, new tyres & a much needed massage.
Day 20 - Murchison to Reefton
Distance - 88.02km
Elevation Gain - 912m
Total Distance - 1590.0km
Easy ride through the scenic Buller Gorge, and into Reefton. Missed the rain again!
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Day 19 - Wakefield to Murchison
Distance - 101.28km
Elevation Gain - 2,583m
Total Distance - 1,502.0km
Long steep climb up to the Hope Saddle. Then downhill all the way to Murchison through the Kahurangi National Park.
Day 18 - Rai Valley to Wakefield
Distance - 77.65km
Elevation Gain - 1,816m
Total Distance - 1,400.7km
Steep, pretty climb into Nelson.
Took time out for some retail therapy at the Nelson Market.
Biked on the Great Taste trail from Nelson to Wakefield. Fun ride.
Great to have Helen and Baz greet me in Wakefield.
Day 17 - Picton to Rai Valley
Distance - 95.94km
Elevation Gain - 427m
Total Distance - 1,323.1km
A 50km ride turned into a 95km ride 🥵 due to Queen Charlotte Drive being closed because of slips. Had to bike the long way to Havelock via Blenheim. Then decided to bike on to Rai Valley ready for the big hill tomorrow.
Day 15 - Levin to Wellington
Distance -100.74km
Elevation Gain - 574m
Total Distance - 1,227.1km
Yippee! North Island done and dusted!!! South Island, here we come!
A wet start to the morning in Levin, which didn't match the forecast. 😡 Crazy traffic. 😲 Fun bike tracks from Peka Peka to Wellington Bluebridge Terminal.
Loved having my niece Rebecca join me at Paekakariki for the last leg of the North Island. Super special!!!
Amazing to have Diabetes NZ meet us at the Bluebridge Terminal with Pita Pit New Zealand for a late lunch.
Day 14 - Whanganui to Levin
Distance -112.00km
Elevation Gain - 461m
Total Distance - 1,126.4km
Cold day with snow on the ranges, and a head wind from Sanson to Levin. Busiest day on the road from Whanganui to Sanson with loads of traffic, especially trucks. Very challenging.
Great to spend time with two of my sisters (Stella and Robyn). Loved the greeting in Foxton. 😂
Big thank you to Viv and Kevin at Viv's Kitchen for their donation. Great to catch up with childhood schoolmates.
Also a big thank you to Levin Kiwi Holiday Park for their generous discount on our accommodation. Much appreciated. 😘
Day 13 - Raetihi to Whanganui
Distance - 83.5km
Elevation Gain - 2,164m
Total Distance - 1,014.4km
Huge Day! Huge! Big milestones 🚴♀️
I hit the 1,000km mark!
I had my biggest climbing day!
Donations have hit $5k!
And, another sister has arrived. Yippee!
A big shoutout to the friendly Road Workers around this area. Massive slips everywhere, so much work has been done to clear the roads.
Day 12 - Taumarunui to Raetihi
Distance - 81.07km
Elevation Gain - 1,002m
Total Distance - 930.9km
Coldest ride so far, definitely feels like snow country. Unfortunately, the mountains were hiding behind clouds. Delicious cheese scones at the Blue Hill Cafe, Owhango. 😋
Day 11 - Te Kuiti to Taumarunui
Distance - 84.08km
Elevation Gain - 674m
Total Distance - 849.8km
Made it to Taumarunui before the rain started. Quiet roads today. The hills didn't live up to their bad reputation. Feeling great!
Hi Jude,
Great effort you have come so far already. I hope you have a good day tomorrow.
Cheers Glen
Thanks Glen
Day 10 - Hamilton to Te Kuiti
Distance - 83.02km
Elevation Gain - 580m
Total Distance - 765.7km
There is nothing better than having a surprise visit from your sister at the end of your ride. There were tears💕
Also had lunch with my niece Deborah in Otorohanga.
Great family day.
Day 9 - Tuakau Bridge to Hamilton
Distance - 92.87km
Elevation Gain - 563m
Total Distance - 682.7km
Great to be back on quiet country roads. Stunning ride along the Waikato River especially the new Te Awa River Trail from Ngaruawahia to Hamilton. Visted the Hamilton Gardens.
Day 8 - Auckland to Tuakau Bridge
Distance - 81.61km
Elevation Gain - 612m
Back on the road. Twisted and turned on cycle paths through Auckland. Google can be challenging to follow, but in Google we trust! 😀 Nice to be back in the countryside. 🐑🐎🐄🐓
Day 7 - Rest day in Auckland
Distance - 0km
Elevation Gain - 0m
A stunning day in Auckland to just chill
Day 6 - Wellsford to Auckland
Distance - 97.23km
Elevation Gain - 1,324m
Lots and lots and lots of hills!!! Great views including riding past Gibbs Sculpture Farm.
Day 5 - Dargaville to Wellsford
Distance - 100.58km
Elevation Gain - 995m
Rest Day... I don't think so! Decided to get SH1 out of the way before Monday. Good decision as the road was busy even without trucks. Feeling energised, heading to Auckland tomorrow.
Day 4 - Omapere to Dargaville
Distance - 86.56km
Elevation Gain - 1,050m
First 20 kms uphill to Tana Mahuta. A NEVERENDING HILL!!! Worth the ride with amazing kauri forests. We saw New Zealand's tallest kauri tree, and New Zealand's widest kauri tree.
Day 3 - Ahipara to Omapere
Distance - 93.09km
Elevation Gain - 1,204m
Change of plan today. Arrived at Rawene, felt great so decided to keep biking. Stopped for lunch and hit the road again.
Lots of hills and super windy which tested the bike battery. Ran out of battery 9km before Omapere. With no battery, it is not quite as easy as a mountain bike!
Locals are amazing. A friendly roadworker threw me a donation, and met a lovely lady on the ferry raising funds for Daffodil Day.
Day 2 - Pukenui to Ahipara
Distance - 58.81km
Elevation Gain - 342m
Today was a short ride😊not sure if it was good luck or good management🤔 Rain & wind all the way🌧💨
Total km - 71.96
Elevation - 636m
Lots of hills & no traffic.
So many friendly people, waves & donations.
#bike2beatdiabetes #pitapitnewzealand #diabetesnz #diabetes
Diabetes NZ
Thank you all for your donations, amazing!
13 days to go until I start day one in Cape Reinga....excited!!!
I am excited to share my indicative plan, let's hope the weather is on my side! Countdown is on, 21 days to go!
Jude 🌸
