Journeys in Utopia: New Zealand - Vol. 1

It's been a while! but here goes...
At the beginning of 2017, I took a break from the recording studio and embarked on an adventure of a lifetime. I was joined on this journey by one of my oldest friends, Lewys and we took on the challenge of cycling the length of New Zealand.
In This series of blog posts I'll be taking you through the course of our trip with the photo's I captured and stories that were made along the way.
This is an ideal series for anyone looking to travel in New Zealand, take on their own cycle tour or just wants to get inspired to travel the world.

So, this type of trip was totally alien to both of us. I think the most that either of us had cycled in one day was around 50 Kilometres..To reach our end destination in the time we had would require us cycle at least this much every single day!
To put it lightly, we were being thrown in at the deep end.
Luckily for us, I have family living in Auckland and they were more than happy to put us up for a week whilst we got over the jet lag. That 24 hour flight is killer! But I've got to say that China Southern Airlines made the trip very bearable!

On my second night in the city, myself & lewys went out for a quiet beer at a local bar. As we sat there, I could hear the distant thud of Drum & Bass; No matter where I go, I can't escape it! I got chatting to some guys hanging out where I could hear it. After exchanging pleasantries, I told them who I was in the DnB world and it turned out they were all massive fans! They told me that their personal favourite track of mine was 'The Little Things'. This eventually lead to me playing a radio set on Aukland's 'Base FM', I guess it really is the the little things that lead to great opportunities...

That week we were lucky enough to catch one of my favourite bands 'Fat Freddy's Drop' in the Villa Maria Vineyard.

Their music really epitomises the spirit of New Zealand and it's people. Check them out here!

We were already feeling the blissful energy of New Zealand and we hadn't even left Auckland. We had met some of the most welcoming and hospitable people and I can honestly say I made some true friends for life in that city. But it was time for us to move on and continue our adventure...
Auckland in pictures

Sunset

The Winding streets

Pano from Mt. Eden.
Mt. Eden is 1 of 48 dormant Volcanoes that Auckland is built on!
After a great first week it was time to move on. We packed the bikes and got our first impressions of how much weight we had and struggles we were about to encounter

We decided to take a boat from the dock in Auckland to avoid all of the city riding and get out in to the country. The boat took us across to Beachlands, which was a really exciting way to start the adventure. Although it was a big struggle to get the bikes on without falling off the very narrow gangway! We got on safely though and commenced on our high speed ride out of the city.

Our first day was nice and easy, 65Km to a town called Miranda. But even after this easy day, we were both absolutely shattered! We took our time with plenty of breaks for food and water in spots like this.

After around 7 hours of riding through strong headwinds, we reached out destination and had the challenge of erecting our HUGE tent for the first time. Luckily, Lewys is a very keen camper and we had it up in less that 20 minutes, despite the huge gusts of wind. We had our first dinner of pasta and tuna and a wash in the sink of the public toilets. Hardly glamorous, but we would have to get used to it. This was our lives now.
As darkness fell, we began to get a taste of the sheer natural beauty that was in store for us. A warm sunset followed by a defined blanket of stars.
Sunset in Miranda

Long Exposure capture of the stars.

Our faithful home with the bikes outside.
Our first day had certainly been a bit of a shock to the system, but we were feeling good and excited about what this incredible country had in store for us...
I'll be continuing with 'Journey's in Utopia' regularly, and I'd love your support as I take you on our adventure, step by step.
Please do show some love by giving an upvote and leaving a comment.
Until next time,
Jack