Right round the NZ coast, on her bike
It was ‘‘blimmin’ hard work’’ cycling around New Zealand but Victoria Taylor is now off her bike and planning her next adventure.
The 23-year-old started her ambitious adventure in Picton on January 13 this year to raise money for charity.
She biked around the island, keeping mostly to coastal roads, before moving onto the North Island.
She spent a total of 74 days on one road bike, finishing up on May 25 with the final leg from Masterton to Mount Victoria.
‘‘The whole South Island was challenging.’’
‘‘I did the North Island faster, which is crazy, because it’s an extra 1500km.’’
Taylor had been sick with laryngitis when she first started biking around the South Island.
‘‘The North Island has got a lot more hills in it and is a lot bigger, with a lot more traffic.’’
The Hutt-born cyclist kept on coastal roads mostly but had to go inland at some points. The roads around Kaikoura, still damaged after the November quake, forced her to take a detour.
She undertook the challenge to raise money for five different cancer charities: Child Cancer Foundation, Cancer Society, NZ Breast Cancer Foundation, Starship Foundation and Dream Chaser Foundation.
She has run the length of New Zealand before when she was 19, raising more than $17,000.
She hadn’t raised as much as she would have liked to with her most recent venture and said it had become more of a personal journey.
‘‘Overcoming every obstacle was blimmin’ hard work.’’
She also had to shift her plans when the original support crew dropped out while Taylor was in the South Island.
She biked the North Island solo and found it worked in her favour as she was able to push herself and finished it much faster than anticipated.
‘‘A lot of people are amazed I got through it.’’
Throughout the more than 6000 kilometre journey, she racked up one puncture and four blown tyres.
She learnt to carry a spare tyre quickly even though it added to the 50 kilograms of gear she kept with her.
You can still donate to Taylor on her Givealittle page