Twas 5pm before we finally hit the Waikato River Trail on our bikes. It had taken from 5am the day before to travel from Australia to here for our week long riding adventure on the North Island of New Zealand! But now, finally, with darkness nipping at our heals we can ride. Continue reading
About three hours drive south of Auckland, in the Pureora forest is an 85 kilometre cycle trail called the Timber Trail. In December 2014 it was time to treat the Ripley to the pure joy of mountain bike riding in New Zealand. And this was a great trail to start on! Continue reading
After over four thousand kilometres of riding it, I thought it was time to reward my Trusty Ibis Ripley for being a thrilling companion on so many mountain biking adventures in 2014. Sure, I wash it, I take care of it, I shout it visits to the LBS, and I purchase more bike bling than I care to admit …. but what would be a special way to show my appreciation to this “so ridable”, “so stealth” and “so hunky” a 29er? Continue reading
As a result of a riding incident in Taupo, New Zealand recently, I have learnt a valuable lesson about adjusting the rebound settings on the fork of my Ripley. Continue reading
Back in October of 2012, during a week of mountain bike riding in New Zealand, I had a totally exhausting 100k ride on the Waikato River Trail (see earlier post). Let me tell you how I felt the next day! Continue reading
The first of our full day rides in New Zealand was the 84 km St James Cycle Trail. I penned a poem reflecting on some of our finest (and other) moments of this memorable ride…
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: Continue reading
Bitter sweet. Do you have one “special” experience in life that the phrase “bitter sweet” describes perfectly? I do.
The Waikato River Trail. Continue reading
A whole week of riding my bike on the North Island of New Zealand and I couldn’t wait to get started.
I love riding my bike so much, and I love New Zealand so much that the idea of spending a week riding on the other side of the Tasman was too good to ignore.
lifesmorefunona29er 