Between times, they have snaked their hired bikes, complete with trailers, down the east coast of the South Island.
Adam Butterworth and Ross Dummett, both of Bristol in England, arrived with their BMXs in tow in Christchurch on November 17.
After procuring touring bikes and trailers in Christchurch, they began their journey which has taken them inland through the Rakaia Gorge, past Mnt Summers, through Geraldine, Temuka and Timaru before arriving in Oamaru on Wednesday.
The pair, who met through their BMXs 10 years ago, said riding side by side along the scenic route inland from Christchurch had so far been the highlight of their trip.
"We've loved the scenery and the mountains," Mr Dummett said.
"The deer and stags were amazing. We don't get those like that back home."
That natural beauty was in stark contrast to the devastation they witnessed in the Garden City.
The pair admitted to struggling to comprehend the juxtaposition between untouched settings among otherwise ruined shopfronts.
One store especially stuck in their memories.
"We saw a perfect bookcase, with the books still stacked, but the place had just fallen all around it," Mr Dummett said.
"It was really weird.""We didn't realise how bad it was," Mr Butterworth added. "It's all gone, isn't it?"
The pair left for Dunedin on Thursday afternoon complete with head-mounted cameras after searching for a skate ramp on the roof of an Oamaru skate shop.
They were unsure whether they would continue south to Invercargill or cycle inland to Queenstown and Wanaka.
Mr Dummett, who has been travelling for three years, cycling around the Himalayas, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, before exploring Australia in a four-wheel-drive and the United States in an RV, is in New Zealand for five weeks.
Mr Butterworth has a one-year travel visa and intends to see more of the country after meeting his girlfriend in Queenstown.
The pair plan to return to Christchurch by December 22.
