So .. new flight booked

Well, as per the last change in flights I was about to leave familiar ground sometime next week, and as my graduation would not be happening before that time, I had to change my flight again. This has been the third time that I moved up my flight to a later date; let's hope that three times is a charm!

As I already said in my last post here, I hope to graduate somewhere at the end of May but I left some room for error in my planning. If indeed graduate at the end of May, I have some more time to prepare and try out equipment.

The flight that I now planned leaves Schiphol in the evening of June 25th, and brings me back there on August 26th (very early in the morning). Which means that I have a full two months to cycle through New Zealands winter scenery.

And a while ago I made an extensive list of camping equipment that I need to take along with me on this winter trip, and a lot of items need to be considered. For example I am not sure which tent to take and if either one can handle a couple inches of snow that well. And because of winter, my bike also needs another set of rubber as the Schwalbe Marathon Supremes do not handle snow that well .. need something like the Schwalbe Marathon XR or the new Schwalbe Marathon Extreme (both 2.25" wide).

But for now my focus is on my thesis and graduation ...

Broken down and New Zealand winter

Photo by Timmy Toucan 

So last week was not particularly good, after hearing for the second time that my thesis was not yet good enough I broke down. During the ride home from the faculty it came sinking in that my trip to New Zealand was fast becoming some plan that never gets executed. Together with some other disappointments I had the weeks before (cars can be expensive pieces of metal), I didn't know what to do anymore with this ... at most I was angry and disappointed at myself. The ride to my parents that evening, and a couple of days rest, helped a lot with putting my thoughts back together again. I'm all fine now, and making efforts to graduate somewhere in May.

The two scenarios now were to postpone the trip again for one or two months, or even for a month or 5 (until September/October). Though as after my trip I would start with a new job, these plans and the delay had to be considered with my employer. During this meeting it became clear that the best option was to make the trip directly after I graduate, as further on I would not be able to take a leave for two consecutive months.

This means that I will be exploring New Zealand in its wintertime :). Depending on the area the weather will be good enough, though it will be a 'little bit' colder requiring some additional clothing. Guess snow and ice make not really suitable roads for two-wheeled vehicles, but make great scenic views and photos. Maybe need to figure out if my current tent is able to hold a couple of inches of snow, and that the rest of the gear is winterproof ... but got some more time for that now.

Will get back to you guys soon with some more updates ...