It was in mid 2020, during the pandemic, when Brian Alder, creator of Tour Te Waipounamu first brought the concept of this unique race to my attention. Brian was seeking…
July 24–26, 2022. Mt Brewster (2516m) is situated high above the Haast Highway and stands prominently between the upper Makarora and Hunter Valleys. A survey of the map shows this…
Traditionally, Easter is a time when we go tramping in the West Coast mountains, but this year the appeal of autumn colours, settled weather and good company in Central Otago…
During February and March I spent two weeks down in Fiordland, climbing and scrambling in the Darran Mountains. My last post covered the first part of that trip, which was…
Tour Te Waipounamu: Round Two For the 2022 edition of Tour Te Waipounamu, 44 keen racers and a few onlookers and supporters gathered at the stunning cliff edge start line,…
This excellent little overnighter is the second of a trio of bikepacking trips we made in quick succession back in autumn; that time of the year when the days start…
Now that the spring equinox is about to roll around, it seems like a good time to start posting bikepacking routes again. Back in the clear days and cold mornings…
| Crossing the Central Darran Mountains | In mid March of this year I had a window of opportunity for a week-long trip to one of my favourite regions on…
Thanks for visiting the blog of Mark Watson & Highlux Photography. Here, you can find the full account of our Alaska to Patagonia (2016–2020, 2022–2023) bikepacking journey, as well as our New Zealand adventures.