The Map

Here’s an overview of the ride I’m going to attempt. 1,864 miles all told, plus whatever back-and-forth there is to Lord of the Rings locations.

So far the trickiest bit has been figuring out how to get from Auckland all the way up to the Cape Reinga Lighthouse, way up on the northernmost tip of the Aupouri Peninsula. All the outfitters that used to run bikers up there seem to have closed up shop, or at least gotten out of the habit of returning emails and phone calls. Still not quite sure how I’m going to get up there, but something will come together. It always does.

The first leg of the ride is called Ninety Mile Beach. I bet you can guess how far it is and what the terrain will be like. But there are more profound questions, the ones my sister Kris keeps asking me whenever anyone else is in earshot: “How often have you ridden ninety miles before, Steve?”

“Never.”

“What’s the farthest you’ve ever ridden before, Steve?”

“About thirty miles.”

“How many days have you done that in a row, Steve?”

“One.”