The return trip went smoothly until my flight reached Brisbane, where a thunderstorm was raging over the airport forcing the flight into a holding pattern while it cleared. Once on the ground, I passed through the immigration and quarantine controls very quickly. Nothing was inspected, despite declaring my camping equipment and touring activities. After a quick taxi ride on quiet Sunday evening streets I was home.

Looking back on the tour I can't help but feel that New Zealand does not always live up to the clean green image that it projects through its tourism promotions. On the first day at Middlemarch, I met a group of Southlanders who were in town for a ploughing competition. Our conversation led to a discussion about  the huge growth in the NZ dairy industry, and problems of effluent runoff and water pollution were mentioned. I took this as typical farmers grumbles and didn't think any more of it.

There is not much dairying in Central Otago or Fiordland, but when I reached Tuatapere at the entry to the Southland I met a forester who told me he was flat out planting trees along the watercourses to reduce effluent runoff. And as I cycled through the Southland the air was no longer the fresh clean air of Fiordland, but more and more the pong of the effluent from thousands of cows. New Zealand, you have a problem.

The weather gods were not so kind to me this trip. I experienced repeated cycles of low temperatures and high winds followed by rain and even snow. The snow storms caused some anxious moments for me while travelling alone on infrequently trafficked back roads, even though I was well equipped for them. But I also had some glorious sunny days in the high country, and a clear view of Mt Cook for the first time in three visits. The weather is what it is, it's all part of the experience that makes touring by bicycle sometimes challenging but so rewarding.

Despite some alarming contradictions, New Zealand is a place of outstanding natural beauty. The scenery - mountain, lake, river, forest, coast, it uplifts my spirit. I will be back...

On the practical side

From reading other tour journals it is easy to gain the impression that cycling in New Zealand is a dangerous activity, with frequent complaints about the road conditions and aggressive driving. Perhaps it's the time of year I visited, but with the exception of the short section of SH1 I travelled most of the roads carried only light traffic, and there were very few instances where my awareness was even penetrated, let alone cause me any alarm. Perhaps (living in Brisbane) I have developed a higher threshold of tolerance for traffic, but really it hardly bothered me at all. And generally I found the road conditions good. True, the shoulders are narrow in places, but surely it is unrealistic to expect much more on the rural roads I travelled.

Since NZ is geared to tourism and caters for all classes from backpackers to luxury tourists, accommodation is easy to find and there is something suit most budgets. There are plenty of camping opportunities, but it is also possible to tour without camping if you prefer. The food is good, especially (as you would expect) the seafood, the beer is excellent and the wines are improving.

The Otago Rail Trail

I've long been aware of this ride, but at only 150kms I have always discounted it as too short to be worth the journey to New Zealand. But after spending a couple of days on the trail and seeing how popular it is, and how well it is serviced by the towns along the way, my thinking has changed, and I've realised it offers an excellent opportunity for a short break. When discounted flights are available, it would be great to use one of the many trail outfitters to rent a bike and have your luggage transported, then take a week to ride the trail, finishing with a ride on the Taieri Gorge Railway to Dunedin.