I set off much later today to avoid rush hour traffic into Auckland.  After feeding and hydrating myself last night, I was feeling a lot better. 
For the first time, I was enjoying the ride. The day was much cooler with a light breeze and cloud. 
A few people knew who I was as I went past, so had obviously been watching the maprogress tracker. 

As I arrived into Auckland, I saw something that looked vaguely familiar coming toward me. It looks like a unicycle. Lo and behold, it was Tony Melton coming out for ride. We met Bryan Page further up the road, so I had two unicyclists escorting me into Auckland. How cool is that! 
I was joined shortly after by Cam, the TA rider who helped me out the first day. He had stopped his TA ride at his home in Auckland due to work commitments. 

They took me to Benny’s cycles along the way.  A guy with a cool mustache came out, looking very much like his bike shop logo…guess that must be Benny!
Benny fixed a bottle cage to my unicycle, which meant I could carry more water on long stretches, or avoid having to carry it in my backpack. Speaking of which…I dumped another 1/2 kg of unnecessary junk, so now my pack felt almost race worthy!
My legs felt good enough today that I rode all the way up Mt Eden…the difference a few kg and good hydration makes. 

The next photo checkpoint was the Mt Eden trig, and there taking in the view was the Ashburton TA team again. They’d been riding just slightly ahead of me for most of TA, and yo yo-ing back and forth at each rest stop.

I couldn’t get my GPS to follow through tracking file. Cam, Bryan and Tony led me across Auckland and out the South, then a local cyclist named Blair joined us and made sure I made it safely out onto the backroads to Clevedon. 

I had 100km to do to get to the 3pm ferry, so I was up by 4.45 and out the door by 5.30. 
It was a very pleasant ride at night, along the quiet road, and beautiful as the sun rose, over the mist. 

I met my first trail TA trail angels- a few kids handing out watermelons at the top of a climb. Delicious! Just what I needed. 

It was a much faster day, the first section was relatively flat. I got to Dargaville and had another meat pie before starting out toward Poutu. 69km to go! 

There was only one more shop before the ferry with 55km to go, so I filled up with another meat pie, ready to tackle the last section.  Despite stocking up, it got hotter and hotter and I’d run out of water. Luckily some of the other TA riders spared me some of theirs.  

There were a few tough climbs near the end, so I changed my crank length from my 100s to 125. It wasn’t a great idea- this immediately shaved 2-3km/hr off my cruising speed on the flat and downhills, and just made it more uncomfortable on the bum. My legs were struggling with heat and dehydration so I still ended up walking a lot of climbs. 

It was a race to get to the once-a-day charter boat at Poutu Point, but I made it just in time at 2.40, with 20min to spare. It took 3 1/2hrs to get across to Parakai, where I spent the night recovering from the first three days of pain. This was a ferry I did not want to miss!

I started the day with a much lighter pack, thanks to Mike and Leanne who were going to mail my stuff back to me. They literally saved my ride- I don’t know how I could ride another day with the full load. 

Cam rode with me for the first 30 km or so into Broadwood. It was great having company, along with a few other TA riders that were constantly going past.  

Leanne saved my ride again, this time driving up the road with my bivvy bag which I’d left behind at Mike’s place.

After two meat pies and a coke at general store, I headed up the first gravel section to Rawene. It was great fun on the Mezcal- the tyre was grippy and I was flying along. 

It got progressively hotter so I was very glad to arrive at the coast to catch the ferry at Rawene, but missed it by 5min! Argh…it was a good 40min wait for it to return, which is not great if you have 130km to ride. My average speed kept dropping and I knew I was pushing to get there before dark.

My intention was to get to the Kauri Coast Top10 holiday park, but in my tiredness I thought it was at Donnelys Crossing- it would be another 8km further. 

Another 2 meat pies (that’s four for the day!) at Opononi, and I was ready to tackle the big climb up to Waipoua forest. Today was hilly. I finally got to photo point 3, Tane Mahuta, one of NZs oldest and largest trees. 

It was a fast descent from there, but by the time I arrived at the turnoff to Donnelys crossing it was almost dark. Another 12km! Easy. I turned on the lights, but the gravel just looked white under LED, which made it hard to see uneven surfaces. What should have taken less than an hour took almost two.  On top of that I missed the accommodation and went past it 2.5km,  adding 5km to my ride, a total of 145km. 

I rolled into the holiday park at 10.30pm, a full 15 hour day!  That was hard- just a different sort of hard to day 1, when everything hurt. 

I had very little sleep last night in the bivvy. It was comfortable enough, but there’s plenty of nerves keeping me up. It rained but luckily stopped by the time I was up (4.45am). 

The TA was to start at 7am. After lugging myself and a very heavy pack up the the hill from campground, I was already feeling pretty exhausted. Not good! I had 3L of water and plenty of food for 90 Mile Beach, as there is limited water and nowhere for food. That added at least 4kg to my pack- so suddenly I’m carting over 12kg on my back. 

Shane from maprogress was at the start with our spot trackers. Keep it pointed at the sky at all times! I slipped it into the top compartment of my pack, hoping the other bits and pieces don’t accidentally trigger the SOS button. A quick event briefing then we’re off!   Bluff here we come…

The first few km was mainly down and up, but I was in trouble already. Hills I would normally fly up had me grinding or walking due to the heavy pack, which brought my average speed down to 11km/hr. 

The turnoff to 90 mile Beach is along the shallow Te Paki stream, which is really fun to ride, but my average speed was still low. 

I was looking forward to the beach, thinking that I’d make good time on the flat. How wrong was I?  The sand is hard…but it’s sand nonetheless. The rolling resistance was not helped by the fact we were riding into a stiff headwind. There were a few other riders, but no one seemed interested in forming a drafting group, so we were fighting the wind all the way. 

90 Mile Beach is actually 80km, but was named by the approximate distance a horse and cart would traverse its length. They didn’t account for the extra resistance of the sand. It’s a very pretty place, for about 5min. After that it turned into mile after mile of mind-numbing beach. My average speed kept dropping. With rest breaks to relieve the legs and crotch, it was now below 10km/hr.  I was expending a lot of energy just to keep cruising speed at 11-12km/hr.  At this rate, I would either run put of water or get caught by the tide and have to camp out in the dunes. 
Luckily, the sand started to harden up after 20km, and my cruising speed picked up to 15-17km/hr, but everything was hurting now. I stopped every 2-3km to relieve the pressure on my shoulders and crotch. 

By the time I reached Ahipara, the tide was starting to push me onto soft sand, and my legs were done. I bonked about 2km out, so lay on the beach. The locals driving past thought I was nuts. ‘Want a beer bro?’ (I’ll never ride the final 2km). ‘How ’bout a cone?’ (I might just lay on beach till the morning). I don’t do beer or marijuana, but it was nice gesture. 

When I arrived I headed straight for the local fish and chip shop and started stuffing my face…salt, grease, carbs…perfect! What more could a man want. 

One of the wonderful things about TA is the friends you make.  Cam (one of the other TA riders) and his friend Mike, who lives in Ahipara, pulled up and offered me bed for the night. YEESSS!  Thank you so much. Nothing like a hot shower and comfortable bed to make one feel whole again. Mike and his housemate Leanne may have saved my tour, offering to send some of my stuff back to Wellington. The pack will be much lighter tomorrow. I will update my packing list later to show what I ended up with- half the stuff was redundant.

It’s a long way to the top of the country. After two flights we’re not even there yet! I’ve arrived in the Bay of Islands town of Kerikeri.  There is a shuttle service that will take a group of us to Cape Reinga tomorrow.

I met another TA cyclist, Chris, on the same flight, so we assembled our wheel(s) together. Needless to say, I was ready to ride in 5min but it took somewhat longer to assemble his bike.  My unicycle packing needs work though- I’m not sure if it’s one too many wines at the Air NZ Koru Lounge or my top heavy pack, but it was a rather wobbly ride to our accommodation. 

Chris entered TA at the last minute, and had issues with his brake line. Luckily a local cyclist came past and contacted a mobile bike mechanic, who came over to fix the hydraulics. Pretty awesome thing to sort at 7pm in a small town!

I went for a quick ride to the river to look around- the last time I was here must have been when I was 10yrs old. Kerikeri is rather quaint, with plenty of old buildings from early European settlement. I found NZ’s oldest surviving pear tree (actually NZ’s oldest exotic tree), planted over 200yrs ago by a missionary. I wish I has another day or two to explore!  

Side note: now that I’m officially away, I am blogging via mobile phone, which is a PITA. I can’t get the embed code off mobile Flickr, so there won’t be photos on this blog until I get home. I will keep adding photos on Flickr though. You can view the Tour Aotearoa Flickr album here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzD19G

Arghh! I had left packing to the last minute, but thought there was plenty of time….until I realised as I printed off my flight details that Air NZ had changed my flight to an hour earlier!

I hurriedly took the unicycle apart and packed it into a wheelbox (thanks Ben from Johnsonville Cycles), which fit perfectly although needed a bit of taping to get the wheel in with tyre inflated. 

Next up was the 35L pack. I had miscalculated the space, because it was pretty tight, and needed room for food/water. Out came the first aid dressings, the Covid rapid antigen tests, the bike lock, the camping utensils and bowl.  That’s better! There is a reason  I went for 35L to stop me bringing too much junk. 

Mum came over and gave me a hand, while Anna went to pick Gryffin up early from Kindergarten. Crisis averted- I made it to airport with 45min to spare.  

I’ll miss my family a lot over the next month, but luckily Wellington is half way. I should be back in 2 weeks. 

Here is my TA packing list

• 29″ Triton unicycle
• Lowe Alpine Aeon 35L pack
• 3L hydration bladder
• Unicycle.com carabiner
• Macpac raincover
• Giro Radix MIPS helmet
• Ergodyne sun brim
• Dry bag and spare bags
• Packable grocery bag
• 2x N95 and 2 surgical masks
• 6 clothes pegs
• 2 tent pegs
• Duct tape
• Rag and oil soaked rag
• Leatherman Wave multitool
• Gerber Cool Tool
• Ground Effect tool wallet
• Lezyne pump
• Toiletries- Colgate bamboo toothbrush, Gilette Fusion razor, 1/3 sensodyne tube, 3/4 Palmolive shave foam, bar of soap
• Cocoa butter, sunscreen and insect repellent (Picaridin based)
• spare tube and puncture kit
• spare 4x AAA Energiser Lithium batteries for spot tracker
• North and South Island Tour Aotearoa guide books
• Selfie stick
• Oakley Chamfer prescription sunglasses, Oakley Crosslink glasses, spare pair of old glasses
• Lumia 500L bike light, Lumia helmet front/rear light, Knog Cobber back light
• Cables for charging
• Cygnett 20,000mAmph/hr powerbank
• Forty2 gloves
• DHB Arm warmers, unknown pair arm sun guard sleeves
• DHB Leg warmers
• Route 7 ear warmers
• North Face zip off cargo pants
• Thermatech top
• Adventure Unicyclist, Triple-0 and Louis Garneau cycling tops
• Tour Aotearoa T-shirt
• Fox ranger cycling shorts
• Arsuxeo cycling shorts
• 2x bike short inners
• Polyprop thermals
• Kathmandu merino socks, Kathmandu Coolmax socks, Thorlo thin calf length ski socks
• Moutain Warehouse Curlew shoes
• Mac In a Sac Neon jacket (10,000mm/8000gsm)
• Outdoor Research Helium Bivvy
• Black Wolf Hiker 200 down sleeping bag (+8C comfort, 3C lower limit, -11c extreme)
• Silk Sak sleeping bag liner
• Macpac large pack towel
• Wallet
• Samsung A52 phone

Total unicycle weight: 5.1kg

Total pack weight (without food/water): 8.6kg

I’ve been collecting gear for the TA over the last few months, and with less than a week to go, I think I’m almost there! There are two approaches to riding the length of New Zealand- carry everything including the kitchen sink, or travel light with a credit card. The hardened unipackers lug an incredible assortment of racks/bags/stuff, but to push 100km+ a day, it doubles the physical effort, so I am going for a minimalist strategy.

That’s not to say I’m not prepared. There are long stretches of NZ with limited food, water and shelter, so I need to be able to camp out in an emergency. Gear has to functional, light, and above all, compact.

It’s a good excuse to go shopping! Here are the highlights:

Outdoor Research Helium Bivvy. My excuse for a tent without a tent. A bivvy is basically a waterproof sack that allows you to sleep inside with your sleeping bag. At 459g, it’s half the weight of the lightest one person tents, and super compact once packed. There is a a light frame that keeps the front off your face, complete with a insect netting, but expect it to look more like a deflated bag than the puffed up structure you see in promotional material. I tested it on a recent camping trip- it’s very roomy for a shortie like me- enough for my pack, and wriggle space to get changed inside. The pertex material is supposedly waterproof, but if it’s raining you best strip off and get inside quickly.

A bivvy is not complete without a sleeping bag. My old down bag is warm but bulky, so I got myself a Black Wolf Hiker 200, which packs down to nothing (800g)!

Next up is a Low Alpine Aeon 35L pack. I needed a pack somewhere between my trusty Osprey Talon 22, which I use for commuting, and the 45-60L packs I use for tramping. A bigger pack risks overloading with unnecessary equipment, but it had to be sufficiently large to carry food/water/clothes and sleeping bag/bivvy. I haven’t used it yet, but it sits comfortably on my back and seems well designed. I’m a little worried about the mesh material used for the side and front pockets- will have to keep the sharp things in the main compartment. It’s mated to a bright orange Macpac rain cover, which I will keep on for regular riding to keep mud/dirt/sun off and to make myself visible on the road sections.

Shoes are one of the most important considerations for a unicyclist. Rotational weight matters a lot- in order to go fast, you have to spin at high cadence, and heavy shoes just don’t. My race shoes, the Merrell Bare Access 2 (360g/pr) and Adidas Terrex 225 (452g/pr) are great for spinning at 150rpm, but would fall apart after the first river crossing. It’s not a race….so I went for beefy footwear instead- Mountain Warehouse Curlews. With heavy duty tread, material and toebox, it felt comfortable and gave peace of mind despite being 876g/pr. As a bonus, they are also waterproof- I tested by standing in a stream- as long as you don’t submerge past your ankles. For $NZ62.99, they seem pretty good value.

Clothing- my trusty NZO shorts are falling apart, so I decided to try some Fox Rangers, along with a cheap pair of Arsuxeo shorts from Hong Kong to see how they compare. I’m liking the Fox Rangers so far, but it’s too early to tell.

Helmet- my Giro Aeon is getting a little worn, and I wanted a peak for my helmet to keep the sun off my face during TA. After trying a multitude of helmets, I went for another Giro (they always fit me best). This time it’s the Giro Radix MIPS helmet. It uses MIPS technology to protect against rotational forces in a crash. Clever marketing ploy or real improvement on older helmets? I don’t want to find out. There are big vents but it would take quite a helmet to beat the swiss cheesy Aeon. I was pleasantly surprised- it felt very light on my head (as feathery as the Aeon), but also breezier. Could be my imagination or the new haircut, but I like it a lot.

On that subject, I found this cool helmet hat attachment, an Ergodyne hard hat brim, for NZ$18. It slips over your helmet and attaches with velcro at the back to keep the sun off the side of your face and neck.

Raingear- having been disappointed with (loss of) waterproofing on my old bulky Gore Tex gear, I got cheery yellow Macinasac jacket. Another very compact and well priced item NZ$102.

I’ve collected a whole heap of other things which I won’t bore you with. The TA will be a good test of my gear choices.

The most important thing about unitouring is the unicycle. After all, without a unicycle, you’re not unitouring, you’re just touring!

My big decision is on which wheel size to ride. Looking at the route, most of it appears to be gravel, which will be ideal for a 36″ unicycle. My choices are between a 36″ Schlumpf (too heavy/complicated), my 2003 airfoil Coker (bombproof but also heavy), or my ultralight Alchemist carbon 36. Unfortunately the latter two have rims that are extremely tight- I don’t fancy having to wrestle a tyre off on the side of the road after 80km. Punctures are fact of life, especially on a 3000km trip.

Stepping down to the 29″ wheel makes sense- the tyre is easily removed, it is light and compact, and I have a lot of experience, the majority of my unitours were ridden on a 29. I have a whole stable of 29″ wheels, but my trusty YUni 29er was my initial choice. It is one of the earliest 29 unicycles, and has been with me everywhere over 20yrs, from the deserts of Uzbekistan to the grassland steppe of Mongolia, from crazy traffic in Cambodia to carrying groceries in Dubbo (Australia). Unfortunately, it uses square taper cranks. I didn’t fancy bringing multiple cranksets on the trip, and the tapers are getting rather worn.

That leaves me with my race unicycles. I am a big fan of the Triton, and have four sets of the Russian made titanium frames. The original 2008 version is the one which has seen the most action, and, after almost 15yrs of use, still looks brand new. I am not riding disc brakes (or any brake), so the newer Triton disc 29″ isn’t necessary.

I paired this up with my racing wheelset from the last two Unicons- a Lightbicycle RM29C14 carbon built around a Nimbus Equinox ISIS hub. It is very light, but also strong- getting me around the Karapoti Classic multiple times.

Tyres are next, and is a tricky thing to get right. With lot of helpful information on the TA forum, I went with their recommendation of a gravel tyre- the Vittoria Mezcal 2.2. It is very similar in appearance to one of my favourite 29 tyres, the WTB Nanoraptor, but has bigger volume, and is relatively light (649g). A light tyre is no good if doesn’t go where you point it, but after a test ride, I was very happy. It has a square profile and stiff sidewalls, which means it handles camber very well.

The crankset is a Nimbus VCX triple hole 100/125/150mm, saving a bit of weight over carrying two sets of cranks and a crank extractor. Pedals- am undecided between my Wellgo MG1 or a set of Gusset Slim Jims. I’m leaning toward the latter, which are heavier and more solid than the MG1s.

Seat choice comes next- 3000km is serious potential butt hurt! More choices! I have been riding the Mad4One handle saddle for a while now- I love the simplicity and lightweight design. It is very strong- there are very few welds and no moving parts. However, I decided to use a carbon NNC flatfish paired to a KH T-bar. The extra hand positions will come in handy. There is also a convenient place to attach my Garmin computer.

The total weight comes to 5.1kg, fairly respectable for a touring configuration. I’m happy!

It has been somewhat of a long term goal of mine to ride the length of New Zealand, but life often get in the way- not enough time, bad traffic, too much to organise and so on. I first heard about Tour Aotearoa, known as TA to participants, about 4-5 years ago. It’s a route that takes you from Cape Reinga, at the top of the North Island, to Bluff, at the bottom of the South Island. The great thing about TA is that a lot of logistical information is available and there is plenty of knowledge from people who have completed the tour on the TA website and facebook group. With Covid disrupting my plans for a group unicycle tour, I thought this is an ideal opportunity to see more of NZ before tourists return.

The tour is a brevet, which is a timed, long distance cycling event. There is no support. Riders camp or arrange their own accommodation, carry their own gear, and pass through 30 photo checkpoints. Riders can do TA on their own, or start in official waves from 25th February. You have between 10-30 days to complete the 3000km ride. There are no prizes, just bragging rights!

“Never underestimate a man who overestimates himself“

–Franklin D. Roosevelt

So can I do it? I guess you’ll find out over the next month. I ride the 160km Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge every year- it usually takes 8-10 hours. I have done multiple unicycle tours and unipacking trips around the world. However, to complete TA in under 30 days, I need to ride 100km+ back to back, for 30 days! It will be my longest and most challenging tour to date.

The best way to get started is not to think about it. Once the entry fee (a $100 donation to charity), the carbon offset ticket, and the spot tracker hire is paid, and you tell people about it, there is no backing out!