Three weeks, three destinations, two helicopter flights, many articles, stunning images and lots and lots of riding.
I travelled to New Zealand five times between 2015 and 2016, mostly for work, sometimes for holidays. It’s beginning to feel like a second home. The most recent trip took in one of my favourite places, Rotorua on the North Island, and two I’d never been to before, Queenstown and Wanaka, on the South Island.
I pitched a series of articles to the SBS Cycling Central website and to Australian Mountain Bike magazine. Tourism New Zealand partially supported the costs of producing these articles. Local riders, and their business, in the communities I visited is what really brought them to life. Have a read by clicking on the links below.
In addition to writing, I’ve been enjoying learning more about photography over the past year. There’s a joke among photographers that in New Zealand all you need to do is wave your camera around in the air. The landscape is so stunning, it’s hard to go wrong. I like to think there’s a little more to it than that. I was really pleased with how the images from this trip turned out.
Articles for SBS Cycling Central
When in Rotorua: 11 mountain biking must-dos
When in Rotorua: 10 must-dos off the bike
Sharing the stoke in Queenstown
Feature articles for Australian Mountain Bike magazine
The Unexplored Rotorua: riding the Western Okataina Walkway, issue 154
Wanna-Wanna-Wanaka: max vert with Wanaka Bike Tours, issue 155
Other
Adidas Evil Eye Evo with Vario (transition) lenses for Australian Mountain Bike magazine, issue 155.
CamelBak Women’s Solstice 10LR review for Australian Mountain Bike magazine, online.
Photography for Nzo mountain bike clothing.
Photography for Wanaka Bike Tours.
In addition to shooting photos for Nzo and Wanaka Bike Tours, I ended up standing on the other side of the lens, watching and learning as other talented photographers worked a magic of their own.
Kath Bicknell 