31 Mar

HAYWAY Episode 38 – Rakiura, (Stewart Island) NZ

We’ve made it to New Zealand and without trying to sound deliberately cheesy, it’s blowing our minds.

Our journey so far has seen us arriving in Queenstown in the South Island (Te Waipounamu) and riding out into the Central Otago wilderness.

We visited the magic of Fiordland and pedalled into the land of good buggers in Southland.

This was recorded this a few days ago on Rakiura or Stewart Island – a beautiful blip of land at the southern tip of Aotearoa.

Life in New Zealand is expensive but we’ve been loving tucking into the Jaffa Thins and meat pies and covering our eyes when it comes to doing the budget.

Being tourists in our own country is a weird experience, especially when it comes to taking local advice from a French guy sleeping in the back of an old van.

Arriving into Queenstown

Cycle touring in New Zealand

Clockwise from top: Baden goes walking in the back country; was great to see Mum Brenda again; Glenorchy train station; the views over Lake Wakatipu; ready to ride again.

Cycling Walter Peak to Mavora Lakes

Cycle touring in New Zealand

From top left: Dinner time somewhere up the Von River, taking the TSS Earnslaw over to Walter Peak Station; Shell's shoes are off for a river crossing; Shell navigates another cattle stop; one of the best campsites of the trip.

Milford Sound and Western Southland

Cycle touring in New Zealand

Clockwise from top left: where the road ends at Stirling Point Bluff; Stefan, the legendary Bulgarian psychiatrist; Clifden suspension bridge; Manapouri cheese rolls; Milford Sound or Piopiotahi.

Tour de Rakiura

Cycle touring in New Zealand

Clockwise from top: Baden and Fausto explored all the roads in Rakiura; bird man Matt; Baden tucks into a dozen oysters and a beer; Paterson Inlet in Rakiura; don't run over the kiwis.

The Riding Has Been Superb

14 Mar

Mobile library

EmpireThe Necessity of Empire – Slavery, Freedom and Deception in the New World
Greg Grandin

I started reading this because Baden insisted I read something relevant to the countries we were travelling through. I grudgingly selected Greg Grandin’s book and found it pretty enlightening.

Read More

12 Mar

HAYWAY Podcast 37 – Valizas, Uruguay

Apologies in advance for a navel gazing episode of the How Are You? Where Are You? podcast.

We’re finding it difficult to make sense of our trip and what we have learned. It’s also not easy to try and explain why we have decided to cut our journey short but we give it all a crack for you here.

It’s strange to think that we are about to start cycle touring in our own country. After eight years away there’s a whole lot of reacquainting to get done but they reckon the South Island is stunning so we’ll probably be alright.

We do all this while grilling meat and drinking red wine on a remote beach in Uruguay. It’s been paradise but travelling here without our precious bikes…well that’s been super strange.

If you are up for a read from someone who has written about the realities of cycle touring much better than we have been able to articulate, check out this blog. We felt oddly emotional about our whole experience after reading this.

Colonia, Uruguay

Cycle touring in Uruguay

Clockwise from top left: ruins of church and lighthouse in Colonia; lots of old cars in the streets; street sign for main square; street scene.

Valizas, Uruguay

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Clockwise from bottom left: On the beach; big, empty beach; giant ice cream; our little beach bach; we built a raging fire a BBQ, or asado as they call it.

Buenos Aires

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Clockwise from top left: statue on Avenida de Liberator; Juan and Evita Peron at the Evita Museum; interior shot at the Museum of Latin American Art; this is for cigarette butts at the bus station – a vote between Messi and Ronaldo for best footballer.

01 Mar

HAYWAY Podcast 36, Lima, Peru

We have found the end of our road in Latin America.

This trip will be London to Lima.

After an agonising decision, we have come to the conclusion that a year is enough and in this week’s How Are You? Where Are You? podcast we discuss why our bikes will travel in a plane home from Peru’s capital.

The cycling journey isn’t over however. We still plan to reintegrate into life in New Zealand by exploring New Zealand’s South Island by bike starting on March 13.

Every day is still an adventurous day in the world of cycling touring and the road to Lima was no exception. We were breathless at the top of the Cordillera Blanca. It even snowed on us!

Baden has been looking forward to arriving in Lima to find out if the food lives up to its reputation. Listen in to make sure it doesn’t disappoint.

Arriving in Lima

Clockwise from top: arriving on the beachfront; view on the way to Cerro San Cristobal; street art in Rimac; lots of religious symbolism here; Lima's cathedral; Peru's branding.

Clockwise from top: arriving on the beachfront; view on the way to Cerro San Cristobal; street art in Rimac; lots of religious symbolism here; Lima's cathedral; Peru's branding.

Peru above 4,000m

Clockwise from top left: happy campers admire the sunset; Pastoruri glacier; dwarfed on the way down; Puya plant; the road down the mountain; campsite in the National Park.

Clockwise from top left: happy campers admire the sunset; Pastoruri glacier; dwarfed on the way down; Puya plant; the road down the mountain; campsite in the National Park.

Peru's Politics

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Clockwise from top left: our host Andres; campaigning from Keiko; Alan Garcia; Julio Guzmán; Richard Acuña; PPK.

Lima Street Food

Left to right from top: breakfast cart with health tonics in bottles; scraping the aloe; an emoliente drink a day keeps the doctor away; Baden's plate of anticuchos (heart, stomach, intestine); the lady responsible for grilling those offcuts; picarones; pisco sour at Juanito's.

Left to right from top: breakfast cart with health tonics in bottles; scraping the aloe; an emoliente drink a day keeps the doctor away; Baden's plate of anticuchos (heart, stomach, intestine); the lady responsible for grilling those offcuts; picarones; pisco sour at Juanito's.

Our End of the Road

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