I have made it, I am back in New Zealand after a great time cycling in California. Even after only being here for two days I am much more relaxed, New Zealand has something magical, the vibe down here is really special. I will mostly follow the route of the Tour Aotearoa here with the odd detour, but I am already impressed how much has changed for the better in terms of cycling here. 

But back to the last weeks, ‘unseasonably cold’, that’s what I have heard a lot since I landed in Gallup to continue my adventure around the world after my dad passed away. You can watch my ride in Arizona here, it was very tough riding, and so it continued in California. Desert, headwinds, emptiness, at times I was close to sticking my thumb out to get a lift, but I didn’t. You can imagine the relief when I reached Santa Monica Pier, the end of Route 66, in the night, and how glad I was to cycle up a lush green Pacific Coast after the bizarre beauty of the desert. 

Big Sur was one of the best places I have cycled so far, and San Francisco hasn’t lost any of its beauty since I worked there in 2000. Although I had crisp mornings, I could enjoy the majestic coast in sunshine. I will write a bit more about my travels in Arizona and California soon, but for the moment I have managed to complete another episode of my YouTube diary, and you can watch yourself here. 

For now I will enjoy my first day riding on the Tour Aotearoa route, if you are interested pleased check out my Flickr page for many many photographic memories from my time in New Zealand from 2006 – 2009.