We sat down with legend, Nick Loubser this month to tell us about his recent 3000km trip, what you need, how much it costs, goals, bike details, gear details, lessons learnt, and much more. Get some inspiration and some good advice to bring into your next trip away no matter if its your first trip or a seasoned pro! Check it out below:
Tell us a bit about yourself and how you decided to take on a 3000km trip?
I’m Nick Loubser, 30 years old and am a freelance designer. I’ve always been an active person and cycled in some capacity. My riding has mostly been on road but I picked up mountain biking seriously back in March 2021.
My motivation to do the Tour Aotearoa was to simply get out of my comfort zone by challenging myself mentally and physically, experiencing a different side of New Zealand and hopefully meeting a bunch of like-minded people.
For some context, prior to the first Covid lockdown in 2020, I had just spent 10 months travelling Southeast Asia with my girlfriend and had aspirations of heading over to Europe for an extended OE. A snap decision to come back to New Zealand to see family and friends before heading to Europe ended up being the best decision at the time as we accidentally got back to New Zealand two weeks before the lockdowns started, perfect timing.
Who knew that first lockdown would lead to a two-year ordeal!
I slipped back into my old routine and after about a year, I found myself craving a big challenge, something new to sink my teeth into. After discussing this urge with a few friends, one of them mentioned that he was feeling similar and had stumbled across this bike-packing trip called Tour Aotearoa and that I should do it.
After reading about it, I was inspired. The ride started in 6 months’ time and I figured that would be enough time for me to sort things out based on what I had read. So I signed up that night.
Some goals I set for myself:
- Be fully immersed in the experience (limited phone/screen time)
- No music, be open to conversations and sitting with my own thoughts
- Have no expectations, take each day as it comes
- Talk to everyone
- Raise a minimum of $1 per km cycled for homeless women
- When things get tough or overwhelming, ‘just start’
Tell us a bit about the Tour Aotearoa
The brainchild of Jonathan Kennett, the Tour Aotearoa Brevet is an annual bike-packing tour that covers the length of the country and links up 3000 kilometres of the best cycle trails and backcountry routes New Zealand has to offer. Starting in Cape Reinga and finishing in Bluff, the most northern point to the most southern point of New Zealand.
Because it’s a brevet, it’s not a race but it is expected that you complete the challenge within 30 days, check in at 30 photo-checkpoint locations (evidence you were there) and carry all of your own gear with no support from external sources.
What were the highlights of the trip?
I think the main highlight of the trip for me was meeting so many great people from so many different walks of life. It’s not often you find a group you have so much in common with and I know for sure that the ride would have been 100 times harder if I didn’t meet the awesome group I ended up riding with.
Obviously, achieving a huge challenge like the TA will be something I remember forever, it’s opened a door in my mind in regard to what is possible. I’m also very lucky to have access to an event like this, not many people have the means or opportunity to participate in something like it.
Seeing a different side of New Zealand was also a surprise; it’s incredible experiencing the landscapes change as you move down the country. A lot of the small towns are ones you wouldn’t normally go out of your way to visit, but I’m glad to have cycled through them because that’s where I learned the most about the different layers of New Zealand’s culture and history, and the people I met were great.
A simplified lifestyle was an eye opener for me. I think a lot of people get caught up in their busy lives but there is something quite beautiful about solely focusing on the basics – food, sleep, the people around you, bike maintenance and planning the next destination. It definitely put a few things into perspective for me.
Lastly, having the opportunity to educate people on what our homeless women go through on a daily basis, and being able to collect enough donations to have a positive impact was a huge highlight. I’m very grateful to be able to help a charity like Wellington Homeless Women’s Trust.
What were the main challenges and any low lights?
- Getting to the start line was a bit of an ordeal. I organised my transport up to the Cape quite late in the piece (not recommended). Thankfully I found a ride through the Tour Aotearoa Facebook group with a lovely lady who was renting out her time and personal car to drive myself and one other cyclist who we would pick up later.
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After missing my first flight due to weight issues with my bike box, I flew to Auckland from Wellington, getting there just in time to be picked up in a very old-looking 4x4. We then drove to her house to unpack my bike box and then re-pack the bike into her Honda hatchback, which would drive us 8 hours north to Cape Reinga. We picked up the other cyclist halfway up the coast and stopped at the iconic spots along the way. It was a tight squeeze but very enjoyable!
- Failing bike gear and equipment – I only went through 3 chains, 3 tyres and a loose cassette. Others I cycled with experienced cracked rims, broken seats, 1 or 2 brake issues, and 3 people needed derailleur replacements.
- The first 3 days from Cape Reinga to Auckland were chaos. These first 3 days are arguably the hardest; your body is shocked into a new reality, you’re getting used to your gear and you have to get to the first ferry within a certain time period which means huge days in the saddle. There also isn’t much in the way of food supplies that far north, so you’re carrying 3 days’ worth of food, making your bike the heaviest it’ll be.
- Five days on the whole trip where I questioned my choice of bike:
- 90 Mile Beach (Cape Reinga to Ahipara)
- Bridge to Nowhere (Taumarunui to Pipiriki)
- Maungatapu Saddle (Pelorus Bridge to Nelson)
- Big River Gold Fields (Reefton to Blackball)
- Mount Nicholas Station (Queenstown to Mossburn)
- Long days on straight roads: not often but there were definitely days where it felt like the kilometres were never ending and the group’s mood was way down. I don’t know if it was because most of us had mountain biking backgrounds and enjoyed trails/being in the bush more, but the long 120+ km days on straight roads were mentally gruelling.
Lowlights:
Unfortunately, there were a couple of deaths on the TA this year. I didn’t know the people personally but I did ride alongside one of the guys for one of the first few days. I learnt a little bit about his life but we only crossed paths a few times. As far as I know, the deaths were both heart-related.
What were the lesson learnt / expectations v reality?
I did my best to have no expectations for this trip. I knew it was going to be hard and I made sure I was open-minded. I trusted my physical preparation and ability to problem solve when needed.
I’m quite an ambitious person, but I think a major takeaway was that despite the enormity of the challenge, I surprised myself with how I handled it. I did the TA because I thought it would push me to my limits, but I’m much more capable of achieving big things than I thought. The experience was quite enlightening for me.
To anyone looking to do the TA, I would suggest setting aside more money than you think you might need. Yes, you can do this trip on a budget, but unexpected trips to bike repair shops, eating out due to limited grocery shops and the volume of food you need to get through each day adds up big time. I think the whole trip cost $12–15k with bike and gear included.
You can’t really control bodily cravings when It’s 6pm, you’ve been on the road since 6am, and you still have another 30km to go before you get to your next destination. A pie and a Powerade is all you want in that moment.
I expected to be tenting 90% of the time – yes, you can do this and on a budget, but on some nights, spending an extra $10–20 for a night in a clean bed and a hot shower is well worth it. By the end it was about a 60/40 split between a bunkroom/shared accommodation and tenting.
However, the biggest thing I didn’t expect was the comedown post-ride. After achieving such a huge goal that you’ve prepared for over 6 months and sharing that experience of ups/downs with a group of amazing people, re-integrating back into ‘normal’ life was very challenging because only you and the people you’ve shared that experience with know what it was truly like.
What advice would you give to someone looking at a trip of this length, doing the TA or getting into bike packing?
Although not 100% required, training is important. Nothing other than putting in kilometres can really prepare your body for 30 days of riding for 7 hours per day. At least know what a 150+ km day feels like fully loaded.
Trust the process. The prospect of riding 100+ km every day for a month is daunting but everyone around you is in the same position, you just have to start, attack one day at a time and commit to the goal.
Do everything you can to be open-minded, kind and mostly present. You never know who you may share the road with or when you might need help – everyone has at least one bad day on the bike.
Use butt butter religiously and invest in a quality shammy … or not … someone I rode with didn’t use a shammy or butt butter at all. You just have to figure out what works for you through trial and error BEFORE you start!
Investing in a bike fitting and the correct seat width for your sit bones is highly recommended. Your body works within the parameters you give it, so if your bike geometry is set up poorly, your body will suffer.
Basic knowledge of bike mechanics goes without saying. I didn’t know a lot but I could hold my own until the next bike shop if I had to. I was very lucky to be around people who had experience with bike packing and backgrounds in bike mechanics.
Pack spare parts … derailleur + hanger, spare chain, tubes and substantial puncture kits. There were at least 3 people I knew of who needed derailleur replacements. Especially useful to have on hand when doing the ‘Bridge to Nowhere’ and ‘Big River’ trails.
Talk to as many people as you can. The TA is a pilgrimage for most and an opportunity to learn from others. Everyone has their own motivations and a unique life story to tell. There is a lot to be learnt from talking and listening to others.
Stop and take it all in. It’s a truly wonderful experience and a huge achievement that will leave you with a different perspective at the end of it.
Most importantly, have fun!
Trust the process. The prospect of riding 100+ km every day for a month is daunting but everyone around you is in the same position, you just have to start, attack one day at a time and commit to the goal.
Do everything you can to be open-minded, kind and mostly present. You never know who you may share the road with or when you might need help – everyone has at least one bad day on the bike.
Use butt butter religiously and invest in a quality shammy … or not … someone I rode with didn’t use a shammy or butt butter at all. You just have to figure out what works for you through trial and error BEFORE you start!
Investing in a bike fitting and the correct seat width for your sit bones is highly recommended. Your body works within the parameters you give it, so if your bike geometry is set up poorly, your body will suffer.
Basic knowledge of bike mechanics goes without saying. I didn’t know a lot but I could hold my own until the next bike shop if I had to. I was very lucky to be around people who had experience with bike packing and backgrounds in bike mechanics.
Pack spare parts … derailleur + hanger, spare chain, tubes and substantial puncture kits. There were at least 3 people I knew of who needed derailleur replacements. Especially useful to have on hand when doing the ‘Bridge to Nowhere’ and ‘Big River’ trails.
Talk to as many people as you can. The TA is a pilgrimage for most and an opportunity to learn from others. Everyone has their own motivations and a unique life story to tell. There is a lot to be learnt from talking and listening to others.
Stop and take it all in. It’s a truly wonderful experience and a huge achievement that will leave you with a different perspective at the end of it.
Most importantly, have fun!
Can you tell us a bit about your bike and gear you took?
Prior to the ride, it was important for me to find a bike that I thought would be the most efficient for the terrain and the distance, while having enough space to carry all of my gear. Having the option of front fork storage was a priority for me as it helped me spread the weight evenly through the frame, which helped my centre of gravity on trails tremendously.
Against the recommendation of the tour guide, I decided to go for a gravel bike instead of a hardtail (front suspension) mountain bike. My thought process was quite simple: as stated in the guide, roughly three-quarters of the ride is on sealed road cycle trail (sealed), cycle trail (gravel) and gravel road. The remaining quarter is beach/sand, single track rock/dirt and river/sea.
I knew there would be a few days where I would suffer and it would be hard going due to having a bike without suspension, but the bike choice served me well as a whole.
Against the recommendation of the tour guide, I decided to go for a gravel bike instead of a hardtail (front suspension) mountain bike. My thought process was quite simple: as stated in the guide, roughly three-quarters of the ride is on sealed road cycle trail (sealed), cycle trail (gravel) and gravel road. The remaining quarter is beach/sand, single track rock/dirt and river/sea.
I knew there would be a few days where I would suffer and it would be hard going due to having a bike without suspension, but the bike choice served me well as a whole.
On reflection, I would say that two-thirds of the trip was suited to a gravel bike and one-third would have been much more comfortable on a hardtail with front suspension because I did suffer on those days. It was an amazing challenge to do the TA on a gravel bike, but if I were to do it again, I would 100% choose to do it on a light hardtail with 100–120mm travel suspension on the front and cross-country tyres.
Bike:
Bike Gear + Bags:
- Aeroe – spider rack + 2x extra cradles
- Aeroe – 1x 12L heavy duty dry bag (top), 2x 8L heavy duty dry bags (sides)
- 2x front fork racks + 2x 5L dry bags
- Top tube bag (tool storage)
- 5L handlebar bag (quick access extras + snacks)
- Handlebar bag (multi-purpose: lolly + extra bottle bag)
- 3x internal dry bags (clean clothes, dirty clothes, floating bits & bobs)
- Aero bars (added in Wellington)
- Frame-mounted bike hand pump
Maintenance:
- Micro gas inflator Co2 pump
- Chain cleaning gear
- Chain lube
- Grease rag
- Tyre levers
- Multi-tool (with chain break)
- Puncture patches
Spares:
- Spare chain
- 2x quick links
- 2x spare brake pads
- 4x tubeless O2 large air canisters
- 2x spare inner tubes
- 4x tubeless liquid
Gear:
- Tent (small 2 person so there’s gear space)
- Spring sleeping bag
- Insulated blow-up camping mattress
- Lights, front & rear (front light doubled up as a torch at night)
- Power bank + cables for all electronics
- Re-usable coffee cup
- Jet boil 1L
- Small first aid kit
- Quick dry camping towel
- 2x frame bottles
- Camelback (used for the North Island, specifically for 90 Mile Beach to Auckland and swapped out in Wellington for 1L drink bottle)
Miscellaneous:
- Sunscreen
- Hand sanitiser
- Baby wipes
- Aqua tabs (water purification)
- PURE Sports nutrition – electrolytes 500g
- Sweet Cheeks Butt Butter
- Basic medication (painkillers + antihistamines)
- A small pot of anti-inflammatory cream
- 2x freeze-dry food packs
Clothing:
- Sunglasses
- 2x long sleeve merino tops
- Short sleeve merino top
- 2x bike bibs
- 3x underwear
- 3x merino socks
- Rain jacket
- Mid-layer down jacket
- Casual board shorts (double up as togs)
- Merino neck scarf
- Cotton tee (charity tee)
- Sandals (EVA Birkenstocks, lightweight & waterproof)
- Cycling shoes
- Gloves
Tech:
- Debit Card (Money)
- Cellphone
- Garmin Edge 530: pre-programmed Tour route – VERY USEFUL!!
About Nick
Nick is a freelance designer based in the Kapiti Coast who started the Tour Aotearoa with the goal of raising $1 per kilometre cycled. The money raised was donated to Wellington Homeless Women’s Trust, a charity that is focused on transitioning homeless women from the streets into independent accommodation.
He is proud to say he raised $3200, which has gone to developing the charity’s W.A.L.K. Programme – a 3 month personal development and well-being programme.
This is not one and done, so keep an eye out for him on the trails!
Go follow Nick Loubser on socials:
Mr. Loubser (Freelance) - @mr.loubser
Photo Credit: Iwan Llŷr, Sooz Sawbridge, Andrew Hunter, Geoff Faithfull, Jayden Wilson, Nick Loubser
He is proud to say he raised $3200, which has gone to developing the charity’s W.A.L.K. Programme – a 3 month personal development and well-being programme.
This is not one and done, so keep an eye out for him on the trails!
Go follow Nick Loubser on socials:
Mr. Loubser (Freelance) - @mr.loubser
Photo Credit: Iwan Llŷr, Sooz Sawbridge, Andrew Hunter, Geoff Faithfull, Jayden Wilson, Nick Loubser
Get the rack that Nick used below
