Te Anau couple Stef and Adrian Braaksma and their three young children Jazz (12), Mahe (10) and Charlie (7) have completed the cycle adventure of a lifetime that took them from the southern to the northern tip of Aotearoa over a period of one year.

Their trip started on 20 December 2020 in Bluff and finished on 30 December 2021 at Cape Reinga.

Riding the length of New Zealand they covered the distance of 4,300 kilometres on their bikes. It was done in two stages (South Island and North Island), each about 3.5 months long. 

Prior to the commencement of the trip Adrian worked for the Department of Conservation as an avalanche control ranger, and Stef ran her massage therapy business in Te Anau.

Both keen adventurers, they decided to take the year out and introduce their children to the joys of long-distance cycling.

This wasn’t the children’s first adventure. Five years ago, the family did a month- long trip down the Yukon River in Alaska and Canada. But their tour of New Zealand was a much bigger undertaking.

The Braaksma family (L-R) Steph, Adrian, Charlie, Jazz and Mahe, stop for a break on the Waikato River Trail. Photo: Supplied

One dilemma they had was taking the children out of school for such a long period of time. So, they were enrolled in correspondence school while their parents put their work commitments on hold for a year.

The Braaksmas decided that rather than taking the shortest path north, they’d do the trip the long way, zigzagging to visit places of interest.

“We made our own route down back roads to avoid busy state highways, taking advantage of as many of New Zealand’s cycle trails as possible,” Stef says.

Their South Island route took them from Bluff to Kaka Point, then followed the Clutha Gold Trail, the Otago Central Rail Trail, and over the Omarama Saddle. They rode along part of the Alps to Ocean Trail between Omarama and Tekapo with a slight (100km) detour to Mt Cook, where the family decided to take a rest from cycling and climb up to Muller Hut! 

Continuing north via the centre of the country, they took another break from cycling to climb Mount Tapuae-o-Uenuku in the Inland Kaikoura ranges. 

When they reached Picton after three and a half months, they returned to Te Anau to take on another challenge – managing the Kisbee Lodge for three winter months in Preservation Inlet, one of the most remote and inaccessible locations on mainland New Zealand. 

“Three months went really fast and as we weren’t quite ready for return to civilisation, we decided to walk out on the South Coast Track over six days,” Stef remembers. 

They drove to Picton in early August 2021 and boated to Wellington with the intention to continue with the North Island leg of their trip, but Covid interfered with their plans.

They spent the August lockdown in Masterton with Adrian’s parents. When the lockdown finished in mid-September, they resumed their trip North. 

The adventurers cycled through the Timber Trail and the Hauraki Rail Trail, before spending three weeks exploring Coromandel Peninsula while pondering how to get around Auckland’s lockdown caused by the outbreak of the Delta variant of Covid-19.

The solution presented itself in the shape of an old wooden fishing boat run by Stef’s family friend, that took them from Coromandel town to Leigh, north of Auckland.

The Braaksmas financed the trip themselves, although had some food sponsors, including Back Country Meals, Annie’s Bars and the Four Square supermarket.

They camped most of the time, occasionally staying in cabins or with friends. They also did house swaps in Tekapo and Hamner Springs. Everywhere they went they were met with kindness.

“Some people we met along the way offered us to stay with them, so we could use their showers and laundry. People gave us food and money.” Stef says.

“Both sets of parents joined in for bits of the trip and helped with difficult moments,” she says.

Her parents joined them for the last three weeks of the journey. 

The Braaksma's cycling adventure officially ends as they reach Cape Reinga. Photo: Supplied

On the 90 Mile Beach they faced a few challenges, including sand storms, high tides, head winds, cracked bike frame, and heat stroke, but still consider it one of the highlights of the trip.

What they feel very grateful for is the privilege of being able to take the whole year off with their family. While this journey was a huge achievement for Stef and Adrian, they are immensely proud of their children lasting the distance.

“It is absolutely incredible on just how much kids are capable of if they have the opportunity. The determination and dedication from these three has been amazing throughout our adventure. There were days that were so tough that they could have thrown in the towel but there was no way they were giving up on their goal,” they wrote in their Braaksma Adventures blog.

The Braaksma family drove from Auckland to Invercargill and returned to their home in Te Anau on 14 January 2022.