There was a hailstorm that sent him scrambling for shelter under a tree somewhere near Kaikoura and a tumble into loose gravel that took a chunk out of his knee.
Other than that there were no mishaps, very few headwinds and not even one puncture in the 11 days' hard slog it took Parua Bay man Colin Edwards, aged 75, to cycle 1480km to visit family in Canterbury.
Not many people would consider biking such a distance - especially only two months after they'd broken a leg.
"Part of it was to celebrate turning three quarters of a century, part was to fill in the boring bits between pension payments," Mr Edwards said.
He hopes his feat will encourage other older people to stay active and "get out and do these things".
Mr Edwards, who turned 75 in June, broke his leg striding around the mountainous Marquesas Islands near Tahiti in August. He knew at the time he'd given his leg quite a wrench: "It hurt a bit but I didn't think much more about it."
When he and his wife Marjorie returned to Whangarei from their cruise he went to the doctor about his still sore leg and learned he'd broken it near his ankle. He was disappointed the injury would stop him making the cycle trip he'd planned to visit his daughter.
But a month later, with a plate and screws in, he was able to start strengthening up on an exercycle, then for another month on his road bike.
Then one morning his wife dropped him and his bike off at Cape Reinga and went home again, and Mr Edwards began his fast and furious solo pedal to Oxford, near Christchurch.
He averaged 135km a day, cycling between eight and 10 hours each day. He had a comfie seat - not one of those hard, damaging little racing seats, so there were no problems in that area. He stayed in motels at night, and travelled light, with little more than a change of clothes, tyre and tube in his pannier.
"It was fantastic trip, I just focussed on cycling, eating and sleeping. I wouldn't take a rest day."
The toughest uphill slog was climbing from Turangi up to the Central Plateau's Desert Rd. Our own Brynderwyns are no picnic either, apparently.
"The best bit I remember was leaving Kaikoura early one morning, the sun coming up over the sparkling sea and the snow on the Inland Kaikouras."
Other traffic was considerate along the busy state highway and there were no real incidents - apart from the time his road courtesy, pulling over on a shoulder to let a logging truck pass, led him to take a dive on loose metal (he has scars to show it). Oh, and the bridge outside Bulls where staying on the road instead of taking the cycle path resulted in police attention (adding to his tally of being stopped more often while on his bike than driving a car).
He's not one for just tootling around the neighbourhood on his bike, he says. "I only like doing long rides."
This long road south was the eighth mammoth trip he's made in 30 years, and there may not be another one.
"Apparently when you're 75 you're supposed to start taking things easy."
But he's retiring from the saddle a satisfied man.
This (reputed) last long ride was one of the best, he says, made even more special by arriving in Oxford to a relieved daughter, three happy grandkids and a huge sign saying "Welcome, Popples".