Life on the Broken Road Part 1

Life on the broken road unfolds in a series of adventures, where every twist and turn reveals new horizons.

You have arrived at your destination. NEW ZEALAND. For a man that can't sit still, 35 hours of flying and airports was an effort. Now to see what NZ has to offer.

The joy off setting off with all you need. Leaving the stuff you think you needed behind. Within 5 minutes of hitting Nelson a guy pulls up and asks if I've got everything I need. A bikepackers code I was totally unaware of until now.

The Dun Mountain Trail. One of the most perfect single tracks I've experienced. Does that show how naive I am? Or can I recognise awesomeness when I see it? It started with a solid 800m unrelenting climb through dense forest but when you climb higher the forest gives way to a stunning vista over Nelson, the flora changes to prickly shrubs and feels baron. Once at the Coppermines saddle the hours of hard slog gives way to the most divine single track that never seems to quit. Dropping altitude cutting through pyracantha (fire bush) woodlands at every switchback you think this has to end but it continues. I had to stop several times just to take a breath and stop the vibration from my shoulders to my fingers. It was only as we approached the Maitai Dam, the home stretch on tarmac road did the heavens open and fully drenched us. I urge anyone travelling to this area to get on it and soak it right up.