Vancouver Island Rambler in New Zealand 🇨🇦 - Jane Jacek

Jane Jacek, a retired teacher and mother of two, has spent all 64 years of her life on Canada's west coast, living mostly on southern Vancouver Island and previously in Vancouver and Surrey. Dedicated to physical fitness and the power of friendship, she embraces daily outdoor activity as a key to maintaining mental health.

It all started with the opportunity to participate in the bi-annual KASK Kayakfest, held this year in Nelson on the South Island of New Zealand. My husband chose not to attend, so I was travelling solo.

New Zealand is my winter getaway—or as I like to say, it gives me two summers in one year. This would be my third trip since retiring five years ago.
I contacted a few Kiwi friends and ended up connecting with a woman I had met at the 2023 KASK Kayakfest.

Fast-forward to January 26, 2025: two women in our 60s set off from Auckland in a Kona EV (electric vehicle), with two bikes and our camping and kayaking gear in tow. We planned to attend the NZMCA Music in the Mountains Festival, the KASK Kayakfest, and International Kayak Week—plus cycle as much as we could.

To get to the South Island by car, you need to take a ferry from Wellington, located at the southern tip of the North Island. You can book either the Bluebridge Ferry or the Interislander Ferry, but reservations must be made well in advance. Another option would have been to fly from Auckland to Nelson and rent a car.

NZMCA stands for the New Zealand Motor Caravan Association. As our original plan had been to travel in my friend’s campervan, we signed up to attend the Music in the Mountains Festival, held annually in Tapawera in the Nelson/Tasman region. Unfortunately, her van wasn’t able to make the trip. Thankfully, we stayed with friends in their caravans.

Picture 1,000 caravans and RVs lined up in neat rows, all equidistant from each other—a remarkable sight. Music and dancing were the highlights each evening, while hiking and biking filled our days.

The KASK Kayakfest was a three-day event held at Tahunanui Beach in the Tasman/Nelson region. You could camp in a tent, like we did, or stay in a trailer or RV.
New Zealanders are incredibly kind and generous; my friend and I were able to borrow kayaks and all the required safety gear for the event.
We both joined the women-only group, Wahine on the Water (WoW). Interest was high, so there were two WoW groups—around 20 women out of just over 100 participants. We spent three days developing our on-water skills. One of the best parts of kayaking in New Zealand is the water temperature: you can be in and out of the water for hours because it's so warm.

We did some cycling before and during these events, but the majority came afterward.
Wondering where I got my bike? I bought “Kiwi” (a bike needs a name!) gently used in NZ a couple of years ago, and my friend kindly stores it for me.

The South Island of New Zealand is known for its cycling trails. For this part of the trip, we stayed in Airbnbs and Holiday Parks and did some tenting as well.

The trails we cycled included: 

• The Tasman Great Taste Trail
• A section of the West Coast Wilderness Trail
• A portion of the Alps to Ocean Trail
• The Lake Dunstan Trail
• The Roxburgh Gorge Trail
• A section of the Clutha Gold Trail
• The Dunedin Loop, including Port Chalmers and Portobello

Most of these were gravel trails, with occasional on-road portions. The Dunedin Loop was the only fully paved route.

In total, we cycled over 1,000 km—both on human-powered bikes. I rode a Meridian front suspension bike, and my friend rode a fold-up Brompton.

 We opted to have a home base for each region, cycling out and back or driving to a starting point. We began cycling 25 km a day, and by the end, we were doing over 60 km a day. I enjoyed every minute—and we were blessed with great weather.

Then came the task of getting my bike from Dunedin back to Auckland, by plane. It seemed daunting, but turned out to be quite simple. 

1. Call around to bike shops and get a cardboard bike box

2. Learn how to dismantle the bike for air travel and do a dry run.

3. Load the bike into the box at the airport.

4. Say goodbye to the packed bike at the oversized luggage area, and hello again at the Auckland Airport.

All told, I was away for seven weeks. Of those 49 days, only five weren’t spent biking, hiking, or kayaking. Needless to say, I came home the fittest I’ve ever been—especially in terms of bike fitness.

Would I do the trip in an EV again? Absolutely! We planned our routes and stops based on charging station locations. And hey, who wouldn’t want a coffee break at the top of Arthur’s Pass?

Would I do another cycling trip like this? Without question! I had been dreaming of a bike trip for years, and it was everything I had hoped for.

As for next year’s plans? If you guessed another trip to New Zealand, you’re right. I’m looking forward to sharing some of my fabulous biking adventures with my husband.

READ MORE > Ramble Logs, Rambler Cafe Blog