Motor cycle touring in New Zealand before 1915
This article attempts to explain why the riders of motor-assisted bicycles before 1915 only wrote the briefest details of their long-distance journeys around New Zealand. Road, rail and telegraph infrastructure only started in New Zealand after 1870. This was 30 years after the first formal colonial settlements. The first motor vehicles imported into New Zealand were using these roads by 1897. The major problem of using personal transport was that of using primitive engined vehicles on crude and poorly made road surfaces. Motor cars could only be used on the streets of the main settlements whereas the bicycle could be used for out of town rides providing the cyclist had the physical strength to overcome the many obstacles. The motor attachment to a bicycle allowed riders to travel further while still using the riding techniques developed for cycling. The constant soaking of riders from rain and raging river crossings made the taking of writing materials difficult.