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TeamEstrogen.com boss Susan had plenty of testosterone as well to tackle the mountainous roads for which NZ is famous ...
Gals who love gear (form-fitting as well as smooth shifting) will be familiar with TEAM ESTROGEN, a site dedicated to getting women cycling in comfort and style. TE President Susan Otcenas recently completed a 16-day expedition in New Zealand on her new AirGlide; husband Jeff chose a New World Tourist.
Her fabulously detailed and illustrated trip report appears on the Team Estrogen website. Here are some highlights, read the full report.
On choosing a Bike Friday for the trip
After months of debating our options, we finally settled on buying Bike Fridays. Renting in New Zealand was not an option we would consider, as fit and function are far too important on a long-distance cycling trip. No, we wanted bikes we were familiar with and comfortable on.
Having traveled with a full-size bike before, I knew what my challenges would be, chief among them the inordinate fees we would pay to the airlines for the oversize bike boxes. Instead, Bike Fridays fold/disassemble into one standard black Samsonite suitcase, thus avoiding excess and/or overweight baggage fees.
Bike Friday is located in Eugene, Oregon, just a two hour drive from our home. We spent the day in Eugene test-riding various models and discussing componentry and gearing with our sales consultant. After 5 hours or so, I finally settled on an Air Glide while Jeff opted for a New World Tourist. The list of options/upgrades/componentry is seemingly endless. If it will work, and the parts are available, Bike Friday will build it for you. We opted for drop bars, a mix of Ultegra/XT componentry, and SRAM 3-speed internal rear hubs in lieu of triple chain rings.
On NZ's fabulous scenery: Lake Te Anau to Milford Sound
The early part of the ride follows the shoreline of the scenic Lake Te Anau. Beyond that is the spectacular Eglington Valley. Due to the cold, wet summer, the lupines are still in bloom, and the entire valley is a riot of pink and purple. We were later told that the lupines are non-native and thus considered a noxious weed that is regularly sprayed. What a shame. They are gorgeous.
The scenery changed with every pedal stoke as we climbed out of the valley. It was like cycling into a postcard fill with jagged snow-capped peaks and rushing, glacier-fed streams. We took oodles of photos.
NZ's famous Milford Sound
We coasted the final 2km to the end of the road at the Milford Sound boat terminal, chained up our bikes, and boarded a Real Journeys boat for a trip along the Sound.
Milford sound AM ...
Once again, the morning started out overcast. We followed the Sound all the way to the Tasman Sea. The ocean was very calm (nothing between us and Antarctica!) yet we could still feel the gentle ocean swells.
As we cruised back in towards Milford, the sun came out, revealing all the high peaks around us. The "Sound" is actually a fjord, carved by glaciers. In their wake, the glaciers left steeply sloped mountains spilling over with waterfalls plunging down their height. The boat captain nudged out boat right up to the base of a 500ft waterfall, delighting us with the spray shower.
Milford sound PM ...
Mitre Peak shone in the sunshine and allowed us some stunning photos. I would highly recommend this boat trip to anyone contemplating a trip to Milford.
How are those bikes going to fit on this crowded bus?
We had pre-arranged our bus transport to Queenstown with Real Journeys. The company was aware we had two bikes, and charged us an extra fee to carry them. A logical person would thus assume a) the driver is expecting the bikes and b) the bus company has sufficient resources for carrying them.
Not so. The driver scratched her head, and then suggested we shoehorn them under the bus into the luggage compartment along with everyone else's baggage. We were incredulous and rather irritated. But once again, the Bike Fridays proved their worth. We folded the bikes in half, I removed my suspension beam, and we managed to wedge them in. There's no way we could have done that with full-size bikes.
On attacking the famous mountains of NZ
When I told a kiwi friend of mine that we would be cycling over the Crown Range Road, she said I was nuts.
20km out of Queenstown the road begins a series of steep switchbacks that climb steadily for 3 km. The road has no center line, nor guardrails, and I consider it to be a lane and a half wide, rather than 2. To avoid having cars moving in opposite directions attempt to pass us at the same time, we asserted our right to the lane - to do otherwise would have been to risk being pushed too close to the edge of the road. Again, no guardrails.
Then the road tilts sharply upwards again for 6km, which tested my ability to keep moving. Let's just say I took lots of "photo breaks"!
So, here I am, crawling my way uphill at about 4kph, and I begin hearing a buzzing noise. It's getting louder, prompting me to check my eyeglass mirror for the source of the noise. Along comes a cyclist from Team Healthnet being motorpaced up the hill by a moped (methinks perhaps Greg Henderson, the only Kiwi on the team). With bulging thighs (oooh la la), great tan, and no sign of breathing hard, he smiled at me, said hi, and continued on up the steep slope. I, of course, refused to stop to catch my breath until he was safely out of sight around a bend.
We finally topped out at almost 1100 meters and took in the views.
Daddy, why is a glacier blue?
Susan had a cold, so this afternoon's activities were separate. I took a ½ day guided trek up Fox Glacier with Alpine Guides. The glacier is just a short, 10 minute bus ride from our lodge. The guide company provided boots, socks, crampons and, for those unfortunate enough not to have their own raingear, heavyweight PVC jackets.
The glacier has retreated about 2km since the 1700s, although it had a brief period of advance in the 1990s. As the glacier retreats, it leaves behind "dead ice" - mounds of ice insulated by a layer of rocks. It can take hundred of years for the abandoned ice mounds to melt - they develop tree cover and look like regular ol' hills.
After a distant glimpse at the "mouth" of the glacier where the river of meltwater exits, we quickly headed up the steep hillside thru thick and surprisingly hot & humid vegetation.
We had fun hiking around on the ice for quite some time and reached a good vantage point where we could see the ice fall where the glacier breaks off, exposing tall fingers of blue ice. The blue ice color is due to the intense pressure squeezing the air out of the ice, which then refracts blue but absorbs the longer wavelengths.
We heard three different "calving events" (deep sounding booms from collapsing ice) while on or near the ice and I caught just a glimpse of the tailend of one of the collapsing ice chunks. I also picked up a few rock samples. The rock is a finely layered metamorphic sedimentary rock with lots of quartz - mostly black and white layers, but also some kind of flaky green stone ...
Interesting Ride Stats
Flats: Jeff 3, Susan 0. Distance: 730.1 km (453.6 miles) Photos taken: approximately 1,200 Sandfly bites: Too many Geocaches found: 4 Headcolds: 2 Priceless memories: COUNTLESS
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Other useful links:
Susan and Jeff did it alone but you don't have to - Friday-friendly tour companies
What Do You Do On a Friday Gallery - spot yourself or someone famous on a Friday
Current BF Catalog - Susan and Jeff ordered an Air Glide and a New World Tourist - this guide will help you choose the best Friday for you!
Folding and Packing Guide - eye-opening movies and clips on how to fold and pack a Bike Friday and accessories.
Referral rewards - no matter where you are, people will stop you to ask about your Friday. Their curiosity can earn you Bike Friday Bucks!
Love Letters - reasons why Susan, Jeff and serious cyclists choose to fly Bike Friday.
More great Bike Friday travel reading - what 13,000+ people do on a Friday.
For more information, follow this link http://www.teamestrogen.com/adventures/nz.asp.