Across New Zealand: Running in the Roar of the Wind

Following a 1,200-kilometer ride along the Sounds to Sounds route on New Zealand’s spectacular South Island, Dan Stork penned this reflection on the countless gifts bikepacking has given him, even on rides that might be considered “failures.” Find Dan’s story, brief thoughts on the route, and a colorful photo gallery here…

As a youth, I didn’t always fit in, and I struggled with my emotions. Cycling was my escape, my way of running from life and exploring the world. At the time, I didn’t understand the relationships between exercise, endorphins, and major depressive disorders; I just knew it gave me control, independence, and the feeling of the wind on my face. It also allowed me to see places I couldn’t otherwise see, and doesn’t every child want to be an explorer?

  • Across New Zealand, Sounds2Sounds
  • Across New Zealand, Sounds2Sounds

Over the years, my relationship with cycling has ebbed and flowed. However, after I got sober in 2019, I was looking for positive outlets to focus my energy into, and I found cycling again. A few years later, in 2023, my life changed dramatically again with international relocation, the breakdown of a major relationship, and work stressors. Cycling took an even larger presence in my life as I focused on the things that bring me joy and add value to my life. Cycling became a form of meditation and therapy. It gave me that same control, independence (mostly from work and phone notifications this time), and those positive endorphins I craved as a child. I started prioritising cycling trips and regular rides, even if just a coffee shop spin. Around this same time, I also discovered a song called “Running in the Roar of the Wind” and have somewhat adopted it as a life mantra. It became the mantra of this trip, too.

Across New Zealand, Sounds2Sounds

Across New Zealand

Crossing New Zealand’s South Island from top to bottom, I spent just under two weeks tasting the flesh of fresh, crisp apples, tiny pears, and plump cherries from trees in the wild, riding alongside running wild cattle at sunset, and battling gale-force headwinds, rain, and hail. I froze, and I burned. I saw bulls lock horns and battle for dominance while herds of cows, sheep, and goats cared for their offspring. Waking in vacant fields to watch the sunrise gave me purpose, freedom, and an appreciation for what I was experiencing. Using my body to transport me across the country provided me with pride and strength.

  • Across New Zealand, Sounds2Sounds
  • Across New Zealand, Sounds2Sounds

With time, I’ve learned that bikepacking (in New Zealand in particular) requires balanced emotions, controlled responses, determination, and resilience. You need to approach each day as its own, with its unique set of puzzles and problems. But, at its core, your day is simple: you just pedal and let the world spin. If you lean in, you learn about the terrain and local biosphere in a unique way. You spend hours embedded in the landscape, embracing it and adapting to it. Bikepacking will give you everything back that you give to it and so much more.

Pushing uphill for hours over rutted roads takes grit. Giving yourself grace when you can’t push anymore takes kindness. Running in the Roar of the Wind takes persistence. Knowing when to stop is also crucial, and at 1,200 kilometres, my journey prematurely came to an end with a knee injury after slipping in a fjord. I wanted to continue on and use this as an example of resilience and persistence, but that would risk further injury and time off the bike; it would risk time away from my therapy.

Across New Zealand, Sounds2Sounds
  • Across New Zealand, Sounds2Sounds
  • Across New Zealand, Sounds2Sounds
  • Across New Zealand, Sounds2Sounds

I tossed and turned between pushing on or taking what I’d learned and moving on. Letting go. As someone diagnosed with clinical OCD, non-completion of designated tasks can be a huge challenge to me, but in the spirit of the trip, I let this go. At first, I was disappointed. This wasn’t Running in the Roar of the Wind; it was giving up. I purchased a knee brace, took ibuprofen, and tried to push on another day. It was easier terrain than the previous day, after all. With every pedal stroke, I felt the irritation rise in my knee, and I felt the disquiet in my brain as it received signals that something was wrong. It became abundantly clear I needed to listen to my body. To stop and recalculate.

In the end, I turned and headed home, grateful for everything I had learned and all the bicycle had given me. This means I didn’t officially “tick” the route off and would make my ride a “failure” in some eyes. I’ll never view it this way, though. This choice prevented further injury, allowing me to keep cycling another day.

  • Across New Zealand, Sounds2Sounds
  • Across New Zealand, Sounds2Sounds
  • Across New Zealand, Sounds2Sounds
  • Across New Zealand, Sounds2Sounds
  • Across New Zealand, Sounds2Sounds

Mine was an amazing journey of connection with nature and the landscape of the South Island of New Zealand, from desolate alpine passes and stunning glacial lakes to the flat Canterbury Plains with their rich agriculture history and everything in between. I ate local dark chocolate thousands of feet above the ground in a cool breeze and watched the sun as it set over desolate farmlands. It was a journey spent focusing on my breath, on my cadence, and on being present in the moment. This reinforced in me not to be a fair-weather cyclist but to embrace the rain and treasure the warming sun and cooling moon when they offer their guidance. Find joy in all of it. Cycling is a kind of therapy and can save your life. It saved mine. Keep Running in the Roar of the Wind.

Across New Zealand, Sounds2Sounds

Notes on the Route

The route I followed for my trip is called the Sounds to Sounds, and it’s run annually as a brevet, although I rode it solo before the event. The Kennet Brothers, who created the route, are well-known in New Zealand cycling for publishing exciting routes with detailed and thoroughly researched guidebooks, GPX routes, and more. This route runs the length of the South Island, beginning on the northeastern tip in the Bay of Plenty at Ship Cove. It follows the famous Queen Charlotte Track around the bays and sounds before heading southwest through the incredibly beautiful Awatere Valley and into the alpine region of the Molesworth Station, the largest free-roaming farm in New Zealand.

  • Across New Zealand, Sounds2Sounds
  • Across New Zealand, Sounds2Sounds
  • Across New Zealand, Sounds2Sounds
  • Across New Zealand, Sounds2Sounds
  • Across New Zealand, Sounds2Sounds

Sounds to Sounds then drops back down to Hanmer Springs before snaking its way across the Canterbury Plains and past Christchurch. Then it’s up to the Southern Alps and their incredible turquoise glacial lakes surrounded by purple and pink wildflowers. These lakes take on an incredible colour due to silt build-up from the glacial melt. In this part of the route, riders follow small sections of the famous Alps2Ocean route. From there, it’s up and over famous alpine passes to enter Otago and finally Southland, home to the incredible Fiordland National Park and the ride’s finishing place, Milford Sound.

Across New Zealand, Sounds2Sounds
  • Across New Zealand, Sounds2Sounds
  • Across New Zealand, Sounds2Sounds

This route does an incredible job of keeping riders busy and challenged without wearing them too thin. There are incredibly technical sections, with high alpine crossings, 30-plus fjords a day at times, and unpredictable weather. However, these are married to quiet country roads and rail trails. There’s flowing singletrack, flat and easy rail trails, and everything in between.

Re-supply is relatively easy, with most small towns having a convenience store and any larger towns having a bike store, camping store, and other similar outlets you’d expect. In small towns, many convenience stores will also stock freeze-dried camp meals, butane/gas canisters for stoves, and similar products. Thru-hiking (or tramping, as it’s called in New Zealand) and mountain biking are ingrained in the country’s culture, so it’s very easy to find supplies, all trailheads and campsites are well set up, and people are not surprised or shocked to hear about your adventures and will readily offer their own stories of adventure and misadventure with you.

Across New Zealand, Sounds2Sounds
  • Across New Zealand, Sounds2Sounds
  • Across New Zealand, Sounds2Sounds

There’s no shortage of amazing people that you’ll meet along the way, either. When I dropped my GoPro on one section, I posted to a community Facebook page, and within hours, locals were out scouring the track for it. When it was eventually found, someone even offered to drive to where I was camped and return it to me. She refused to accept any sort of reward. This is just how New Zealanders are.

Across New Zealand, Sounds2Sounds
  • Across New Zealand, Sounds2Sounds
  • Across New Zealand, Sounds2Sounds

It’s also worth noting that the flora and fauna of New Zealand are incredibly unique, abundant, and beautiful. Also, unlike their Australian cousins, there is nothing in New Zealand out to get you, such as snakes and spiders. If you’re lucky, you’ll encounter the famous kiwi or weka, just some of the country’s unique flightless birds. You may also encounter the larger and cheekier Kea, which is sure to try and steal something from your bike or table. Should you choose to, you can swim with the world’s smallest dolphin, the Hector’s dolphin, in Akaroa (just a short day trip from Christchurch) or visit penguins in the Antarctic Centre. From alpine flowers to the incredible mountain pineapple tree, breathtaking natural wonders are abundant in the land of the long white cloud.

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