Hello
I have just booked a flight to New Zealand and I am about to do a loop around the south island from mid January to mid February. Before I go, I have one open question. I am used to touring light. I travel with a road bike and a saddle bag, and I don't plan much ahead. When I feel that it's about enough cycling for the day, I pull out my phone and look for available accommodation online. That's not a problem in Europe, but in New Zealand the roaming charges would be quite high. Now I'm worried that I might not be able to find available accommodation by just turning up at a place. Maybe I could book a day ahead, but from my experience not every place has wifi.
Should I pack a sleeping bag and a tent? I imagine that I should always be able to find a camp ground with space for a small tent and a bicycle.
Thanks
I did South Island and specifically the Alps to Ocean Trail only (Tekapo to Oamaru) in April 2018, so take my info with a dose of salt since I had limited exposure.
Internet connection can be a problem depending on where you are.
I did not have much connectivity when doing the trails and my country service provider partner did not have a network in some towns/areas (though there was a connection for other providers)
So it might be a good idea to check what data tie ins your country provider has with NZ ones and/or try to see if you can buy a local data card.
There can be some areas where population is low and you may not find a place to buy food/drinks, so make sure you carry enough and best to have an idea of the next top up point.
I did not have trouble booking into an accomodation just by going from hostel to hostel or just asking the tourist information counter to help me call ahead to check.
The CamperMate App will also help indicate which are the nearby camping sites.
I did pack a tent and of course that gives flexibility in exchange for the load.