Customer Reviews

Lonely Planet Cycling New Zealand

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For a 'cycle New Zealand' book like this to be worthwhile it needs to stand alone (so you don't need to bring other books along - less space, less weight). Unfortunately this book is not comprehensive enough and falls well short of that mark.

The book does describe some of the best routes in NZ and provides descriptions of the scenery to motivate you to go in the first place. It also gives some basic lodging/dining options and descriptions of the cities and towns. There aren't, however, many alternative routing options and the lodging/dining options are too sparse and not easily found from the book as there aren't maps showing their location. The in-town descriptions are not thorough enough to be reliable as a stand alone guide and much of the text is just used to dress up very basic information

Much of the routing seems to be taken directly from Google Maps or a something similar. This cam create problems as many of the roads in New Zealand aren't clearly labeled, so trying to follow non-human directions just gets more confusing. I found some of the road descriptions inaccurate and the elevation profiles inaccurate as well. On some occasions it seemed as though the author hadn't truly ridden on some of the roads as descriptions were way off (take the road from Invercargill to Bluff as an example - no shoulder in some locations and significant truck traffic almost the whole way on a weekday morning.) Further, the suggestion of riding into Dunedin on highway 1 from the south is utter bunk. There isn't really any specific information I found regarding where one might store a bicycle, transport a bicycle, etc. beyond what was in the regular Lonely Planet - though locations of bicycle shops are provided.

I found the "Pedaller's Paradise" series (which are slightly thicker than pamphlet sized but packed with rock solid information) + a Lonely Planet or other guide book is the best bet. If you would like better maps, getting either the local topo or road maps along the way are useful - but I made it around the south island without them and never made a major wrong turn. If you can find internet access, using Google maps to route yourself before you go is a great tool. The Pedaller's Paradise authors have also put out a book based on flip-through road maps, but I haven't seen that.

... would ride the public roads in New Zealand. They are narrow, often have no shoulders and, worst of all, car drivers simply don't give a damn.

My advice (as a long-time, long distance worldwide touring bicyclist who has [foolishly] ridden everywhere in New Zealand): kit out your mountain bike for touring and ride some of the thousands of miles of unpaved farm, park and forestry roads. Take public transport (buses) between locations. Of course you won't be able to ride genuine single-track or bushwhack with panniers nevertheless you can have a great trip never having to worry about that car coming from behind.

(I have no comment to make about this Lonely Planet title.)

PS. No complaints about the helmet law, please. It's the price you pay for having *free* accident coverage if you happen to cracka you coconut. Without asking any questions they cart you off to the hospital and give you whatever you require, whether it's a band-aid or brane surgery.

PPS. Bring your lowest cog set. We do hills here; rarely long but always, always steep.

PPPS. There is no safe way to cycle through Auckland, and getting to or from the airport is a nightmare. Even weekends are bad. Nevertheless, it is possible to bypass the worst of the city traffic: do a Google search for "Manukau Harbour water taxi", email/phone the proprietors and arrange the water taxi between Clarks Beach (southwest of the city, nevertheless an impossible ride from the airport) and West Auckland. A road map will then direct you toward State Highway 16 to the north. Vice versa if you are heading south. It ain't cheap but you will still be alive.
Review redux (August 2011): I now see the water taxi has gone down the gurgler (the business, not the boat.) You're on your bloody own, mate, and good luck to you. They're working on a bike corridor through Auckland but it's slow going; from time to time you get pitched into dense traffic; no fun.

This is a very complete bicycle touring book of New Zealand. I would be very confident using this book on a tour. The extras are also helpful.