axolotl

There are a bunch of things to address in this thread. I've toured twice in NZ, both trips took place many years ago. My 1st tour was from mid-November to mid-December. The 2nd tour was late December to late January, which is high season. Both tours took me to both islands. I mainly camped on my 1st tour, and I mainly stayed in "backpackers" (hostels) on my 2nd tour. I did bring camping gear on my 2nd tour for the same reason cited by the OP. And in fact, there was one night (on the East Cape region of the North Island) when there were no rooms available. This was in the days before smart phones. I recall on my 1st tour that there were some "motor camps" (campgrounds) which had "bunk rooms", which were sort of like a big dorm room. I also once spent the night in a small "caravan' (RV) in a motor camp. It was the same price as a spot for my tent.

I don't recall having any concern about the drivers in NZ. The only time I felt threatened was when a magpie repeatedly divebombed me in the middle of nowhere on the North Island.

While I found Auckland perfectly OK for getting around on my bike, the city sprawls and I had no desire to bike through the sprawl when heading south. I took a bus to get out of Auckland. When I returned to Auckland at the end of my 2nd tour, I think I took a suburban train to get back into town. I had ended my touring on the Coromandel peninsula, which is quite nice and quite hilly. It's probably the closest area to Auckland that's good for touring. I never went north from Auckland. After looking at maps, I concluded that there were very limited road options.

IUseAllTheSpace

How do I post a thread, or whatever you started?