It was amazing

It's nice to actually go touring instead of sitting at work reading and obsessing about it. We biked 1100 km of the South Island, spending 20 out of 28 days on the bike (and running one half-marathon!). Here's a few things I learned (probably all listed in the tips sticky, but there's nothing like learning first hand):

- Taking five minutes to adjust your seat makes all the difference
- Always carry a day's rations of emergency food - you never know if the only shop in 150 km might be closed
- A spare tube AND a patch kit are both necessary, but duct tape can last a surprisingly long time
- If there's two people, don't assume the other person has the pump
- There's no shame in taking a bus
- Rain gear is worth the weight
- If you have a chance to take a quiet, mountainous, windy road instead of a flat busy one, do it
- Bike touring counts as training for a half marathon, if you don't care about your time

All in all, it was a great experience. I'm looking forward to the next one already!
(Shameless plug) I'm in the middle of blogging about it too: http://charlottefern.blogspot.ca/sea.../New%20Zealand