"We had never used clip-in pedals before," Miss Oosterveer said from Mangawhai Heads, south of Whangarei, on Friday.
"Then in Auckland, when I forgot and tried to get off at the traffic lights normally, I just fell off." Despite a missed alarm the next day, the women made it to their bus in time to be whisked up to Cape Reinga, where their journey proper began a week ago.
Since they hit the road, they have never looked back.
"It's been amazing and just so much fun cycling about 55km to 70km every day and we have just been flying on the road," Miss Oosterveer said.
After departing from Cape Reinga, the pair cycled the length of Ninety Mile Beach, stopping to pitch a tent overnight and stopping by in spots like Paihia, before reaching the heads.
Yesterday was the start of a four-day break, before the women continue down to Auckland, joined by a friend and possibly another friendly northern character who gave the girls a place to stay.
She says they are getting used to life on the road with sore muscles easing once the day's riding starts and one or two outfits the norm, but one thing still scaring the girls is the New Zealand highways.
"It's crazy with all these big trucks carrying logs coming past you with no room for cyclists ... so we have been speaking to a lot of the locals on how we can stick to the back roads."
People can follow their progress or give to the cause at www.sunnycyclers.com.
