6 months after a weeks riding in the North Island of New Zealand my bike and I were ready for another adventure. This time, I would explore some of the trails of the majestic, rugged South Island. The first trip was quite an experience — but there were some things I could have done better. In New Zealand 2.0, I made the following changes:

1. Took a friend: while I myself am great company, it’s fantastic to share the trails with a mate. So this time, Paul and his Trance 29er enlisted. (He was so enthusiastic he even created a custom bike box to ensure his trusty steed made the trip safely.)
2. Left the camera behind: what? Am I mad? Yes, well, maybe … but the Nikon SLR is just too big and bulky on the rides so I packed a small Panasonic Lumix, making a mental note to buy a pocketable mirrorless camera when I find the right model.
   

   The Panasonic Lumix still took good enough photos to remember the rides by.

3. Bulked up: now that’s a stretch. No amount of eating will bulk up this lean mean greyhound machine, but I did work on bulking up the leg muscles. This time round, I had a better idea of just how much riding my body could take in a week. NZ 1.0 had taught me that while “the spirit is willing, the body…” We had a more appropriate number of miles under our belts before we headed off this time, determined to enjoy every kilometre of trail.
4. Never went thirsty: ah, water, the source of life. We made sure we always carried enough water as well as electrolyte tablets to keep everything fine tuned. (If you want to know more about the physiology of why electrolyte tablets are important, please ask Paul sometime).
   

   No shortage of water on the Old Ghost Road Trail!

5. Planned a realistic itinerary: with so many fantastic wilderness trails calling out to my soul, the tendency is to squeeze in as many as you can in the short time you have. Danger, Will Robinson, Danger! While we still did four to five hundred solid trail kilometres in a little over a week, we spaced it spaced it out carefully so as not to burn ourselves out.
   

   The rides: A. St James Cycle Trail B. Queen Charlotte Track c. The Heaphy Track D. The Old Ghost Trail

6. Carefully chosen trails: the North Island rides confirmed that wilderness trails are much more fun and adventurous than rail trails. We did our homework – bought a book, and web searched – and planned the trip round the best trails. St James, Queen Charolotte Sound, Heaphy Track, and the Old Ghost Trail (nouthern and southern ends). We would spent a day riding one of the trails, then have a day between travelling to the next trail and doing a short, lactic acid relieving recovery ride.
   

   Recovery ride in Hamner Springs forests, day after the St James Cycle Trail

7. Flexible accommodation: aka the campervan, affectionately known as The Mighty Van. We went for a four berth camper which fitted two men, their food and, with some serious juggling at days end, their two bikes. The Mighty allowed us to transport our bikes and adjust our accommodation on the fly. One of the advantages of this was that we could change our itinerary to suit the weather if need be and still be guaranteed of somewhere to sleep. (Turned out we slept in the van every night except at the end of the Heaphy track where we lived it up in a motel.)
   

   “The Mighty Van” – cosy with bikes but very practical

All these elements, plus trouble free bikes, amazing New Zealand wilderness and unseasonably favourable weather added up to a fantastic unforgetable mountain biking holiday. Can’t wait for NZ 3.0!!