It was after the Olympics finished in Sydney in September 2000 that we started shopping around for a vehicle that would take us not quite the length and breadth of Australia, but at least some of the way around this vast country. Our mission was to drive the west coast, from Darwin to Perth, in time to spend Christmas with friends.
Shopping around for second hand vehicles in those days meant hot-footing it around all the hostel notice boards searching the “for sale” ads, and then finding phone boxes to call the sellers and arrange viewings. No mobile phones for trawling the internet back then!
In early October we found “Spot”, a 17 year old (1983) Nissan Urvan pop-top camper van. Spot had already done a few miles around the clock, and he came complete with pretty much everything we needed for an Aussie road trip. There was a lounge area which doubled up as a bed, a fully equipped kitchen with gas stove, a 3-way fridge, and a microwave. He even had a tiny TV, and a CB radio! He had a 40 litre water tank, and the shower was a portable solar shower bag. The toilet was a shovel for digging a hole! There was a great big lockable box secured on the back of the van to store the awning, the camping table and chairs, and other miscellaneous stuff.
Spot the pop top camper van
We paid a whopping AU$7,000 in hard cash (the equivalent of about £3,000 back then) to a couple of backpackers who’d already had their time in the van touring around Australia.
We christened the van Spot because we picked him up in a place called The Spot in Randwick, an eastern suburb of Sydney, and plus what 17 year old doesn’t know about spots!
We hit the road on the 10th October, and by the 13th the van was in the garage for major repairs having lost the gearbox! Not a great start to our tour down under, but considering that was our only major mechanical issue in an adventure that took us almost 18,000kms (11,250 miles) wasn’t too bad in our opinion. We did get one puncture, and after an incident with a kamikaze kangaroo we suffered a bit of damage to our water tank, but those are stories in their own right!
Replacing the gearbox early doors!
After five months of adventure on some of the most remarkable roads we said goodbye to Spot in Perth in February 2001 when we sold him for around AU$5,000 to a couple from Dublin starting their Aussie road trip.
Spot next to a mining truck in Western Australia
Van Life Lessons
We learned a lot about van life and van travel in those five months in Australia:
A fixed bed is an essential for us. Despite taking only 5 minutes twice a day to put the bed up and take it down, it becomes the most detested chore! Not only do you have to find space for the bedding, but if one of you wants to go to bed and the other doesn’t then you have a stand-off!
Even with a pop-up top it is difficult for anyone 6ft or more to stand up straight.
Having the ability to survive off-grid and be self-sufficient opens up so many more places to you. It takes a bit of planning though especially when there are no services for miles and miles.
Water is the most precious natural resource. Always carry more than you think you’ll need.
Digging your daily toilet hole wears thin! Much easier to have a waterless or chemical free loo on-board that doesn’t need emptying daily.
Air conditioning is pointless as once you switch it off it is a lot harder to acclimatise. Keep the windows down and feel the wind in your hair!
A 3-way fridge will not work in very hot climates no matter what the power source!
There is no such thing as mosquito nets that work – there will always be at least one that finds its way through.
It is the end of our first ever bicycling tour, and the last days of our summer in New Zealand.
Arriving in Auckland last night felt far from summer with the wind howling and gusting as we rode the short distance from the Strand station to our friends, Tracy & Paul in Grey Lynn, where we were spoiled with a delicious meal out in a Russian/Kiwi fusion restaurant.
Tracy & Paul
We had a last quick catch up with Candice on the North Shore, this time getting to meet little Lucas as well as seeing Emilia again, and meeting her parents who very kindly invited us for lunch.
A quick train trip and a final short bike ride and we are back at Debbie’s place in Pukekohe, from whence we started way back in November! Its time to pack the bicycles away, but not before enjoying one more glass of wine until we meet again.
The last leg to PukekoheBack where we started!One more glass of wine with Debbie
Thank you New Zealand, and one and all of our old, and new friends, for making this a fantastic trip. We’re hoping this will be the first of many bicycle tours.
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Reflections on board Dora, the Northern Explorer Train: Wellington – Auckland
Today we hopped aboard Dora, the Northern Explorer Train, for one of the great train journeys of New Zealand from Wellington to Auckland. It was a day to sit back, relax, enjoy the scenery, and watch the world go by as the train wound its way north, stopping just occasionally to let passengers on or off.
Time to board Dora the Northern Explorer TrainWindswept on board Dora the Northern Explorer TrainPassing through Tongariro National Park on board Dora the Northern Explorer TrainViews of rural New Zealand from on board Dora the Northern Explorer Train
To do this route by bicycle would have been a lot, lot longer than the 11 hours today’s train trip took, especially considering the pace we keep! The rail journey was 648km, and it cost us NZ$385. The bicycle route would be around 700-800kms which would have taken us at least 10-20 days of riding.
Reflecting on our first ever bicycle tour
With our first ever bicycle tour practically complete now (bar a few kilometres in Auckland this evening to Tracy’s house, and a few tomorrow to Debbie’s house in Pukekohe) we can reflect on what a fantastic adventure this has been.
We have racked up a little more than 1,000 kilometres of cycling during the past seven weeks. Our average distance was around 45kms per day on the days we did ride. We were mere novices enjoying the slow pace of bicycle touring by riding one day, stopping for two days, or maybe more. This was compared to a couple of hard core riders we met who rode every single day, and who, in our humble opinion, experienced next to nothing of a local place or its people. Slow travel is definitely our preferred way to go.
We’ve taken buses and boats, tied the bikes on trailers and trains, gotten the occasional lift from friends, slept the odd night in beds and bunks, were flat out in Olive the tent for 40 nights, and now we can safely say it has been, without doubt, one of the best holidays we’ve ever taken.
It has been exhilarating, and at times hard work, particularly with a heavy load on those uphill climbs when you just wish you could find another gear, but oh so rewarding. The slow pace of travel, despite the time and distance apparently passing so quickly, made us notice and appreciate everything around us, and provided the perfect opportunity to stop and meet the local people.
The sense of accomplishment we felt each day as we would look back and see how far we’d come is both real and humbling. The views and vistas from the saddle, not to mention the heightened awareness of our senses, are incomparable to that of speeding along in a car. From noticing every hedgerow, hearing every birdsong, smelling every rose (and roadkill!), to tasting the salt as we sweated it out on the uphill slogs, and feeling the tar seal blistering and popping like bubble wrap on the road beneath us – every aspect made us feel a new and real connection with the land around us.
We have made more special memories in this beautiful country that we will always hold dear to our hearts.
We missed them on our last visit to Wellington so this time it was all about catching up with the Coyles. Bob is an old school friend of mine from Omagh, and now lives in Wellington with his wife Liz, son AJ, and daughter Maddy.
We couldn’t have wished for better Wellington weather this time around. Wall to wall sunshine and barely a breath of wind – so rare for this city! Added to that, having our very own local tour guides and super hosts (the Coyle family now trading as “WBWT – Wee Bobby’s Wellington Tours”!), meant we had the makings of a great couple of days sightseeing, singing, eating and drinking.
360 degree views from Mt Victoria, swimming at Scorching Bay, and a dip in Days Bay just a few of the must-do’s.
Wellington from Mt VictoriaScorching Bay WellingtonDays Bay Wellington
We had time too for a quick catch up with Joanne, another friend from our VSA volunteer days in South Africa. Sadly just not enough time to catch up with more of our Kiwi friends. Hopefully there’ll be a next time.
We’re reaching the tail end of the trip. With little more than a week remaining, and very little riding left to do, I should think there won’t be too many more tales to tell!
We’ve spent the last couple of days in and around Blenheim with more time than ever in Olive the tent, partly due to dodging the persistent showers, and partly due to the absolute need to catch up with lost sleep. The quiet pitch by the river in the Blenheim Top 10 campsite was perfect (NZ$40 per night).
Olive pitched up in Blenheim
In a remarkable 9+ weeks these past couple of days have been the only consecutive dreary ones in the entire trip, ironic since Blenheim prides itself as “the city where the sun always shines”!
Wine tasting and more
Wine tasting in Marlborough
Not wanting to dampen our spirits further by the rain and lack of sunshine, we opted for a guided wine tasting tour with Hop n Grape (NZ$260), which for good measure included a brewery, and a chocolate factory. It was a win win for all on board. Marlborough has more than just wine! And a small world story on the day – turns out one of the other guests on the tour used to swim and play sport with Dave’s cousin Ruth in Liphook!
Catching the mail boat
This morning we packed up early, thankfully during a dry spell, and got picked up from the campsite by the postie! We joined her on the Pelorus Mail Boat delivering mail and packages to the locals that live in the beautiful bays of Pelorus Sound, the most remote Sound in the Marlborough Region. (Cost was NZ$200).
Delivering the mailTreats for the pigs & dogs!
It was a damp, but short 28km ride this evening to Picton where we’ll spend another day pitched up at the Top 10 campsite (NZ$44) before setting sail back to Wellington on Sunday morning.
Pitched up at Picton Top 10Views from Picton foreshore
Time to get back in the saddle again! It was more bleary eyed and less bushy tailed this morning with the prospect of the 105km ride to Blenheim after a very late night of shenanigans and giggling girlie craic, culminating at 3am in declaring Candice the new arm wrestling champion when she took the prestigious title from a devastated Gilly who had proudly held the honour for the past five years.
Gilly & Candice arm wrestling!
Candice put her new found strength down to carrying two small tots around the farm and delivering 300 calves in a season! Gilly has vowed not to let wedding preparations get in the way of her training for the next bout. Whenever, and wherever, that will be remains to be seen, but I hope I can be there to adjudicate.
And so it was that we said our goodbyes to our friends, and got back in the saddle again for the first time in more than a week, and for what was going to be our longest ride of the trip. How thankful I was that it was easy riding and downhill all the way to the campsite in Blenheim! Dave even managed a snooze on our lunch stop!
Hi, we're Sharon & Dave an active and adventurous Irish & English couple who've been travelling together for more than 20 years. These posts are our travel stories and personal journeys. Follow our adventures to see where we've been and where we're going next!
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