Golden Springs to Taupo

I find it hard to write a negative note on New Zealand because ever since we arrived we have been enjoying kiwi hospitality and everyone we meet has been so kind and helpful. It doesn´t seem very fair to criticize but being on the road today has been the worst experience of my cycling life thus far and I don´t want to go through this again. Vanessa does not share my opinion so this piece is how I feel about cycling in New Zealand.

We started off on the highway today and traffic was absolutely horrible. A lot of trucks and cars all seemed to be in a hurry and they passed me so close that at times I felt their rear view mirror was going to clip me. We decided to get on a back road called Broadlands which goes all the way into Taupo but it was worse. There was no shoulder and traffic couldn´t care less if we were there or not. A lot of the car and truck drivers here don´t even slow down when they come near us. It is an extremely dangerous and nerve-racking situation and I started to get very concerned about Vanessa and Ella´s safety. Maybe it is my inability to block out bad thoughts about what might happen but I had enough. I am not enjoying this and I am getting more and more agressive. I found myself much of the day screaming at drivers that didn´t respect neither distance nor speed. There is absolutely no regard for cyclists in this country and I decided even before getting into Taupo that I was not going to cycle on the highway again. I wouldn´t cycle on the Route Nationale in France either but there at least you have cycle paths, considerate drivers and back roads without heavy trucking traffic. I am not taking Ella on these roads anymore.

I know we are cycling for Forest and Bird and the challenge is to reach Bluff cycling but at this point I can only think of the safety of my child, everything else comes in second place.

I suggested to Vanessa to skip the North and go to the South Island where hopefully the roads are less busy and traffic is kinder to us. We will work our way to Wellington on public transport.

In my opinion, a single cycle path from North to South will not solve the issue for cyclists. What this country needs is a cycle path infrastructure that allows for people to cycle from the suburbs into the town centre without having to share the road with all these maniacs. You need cycle paths all over the country so as to create a cycle culture. Once you have the infrastructure, more and more people will start cycling and a new generation will grow up learning to drive a car with loads of cyclists about. People will become more conscience about sharing the road and life will be a lot less aggressive for everyone. What happens to the Kiwi when they get into their car, I will never understand it. So friendly, patient and understanding when not behind the wheel, and so aggressive, impatient and suicidal when given a car.