Joshua, 23, and George Kohler, 57, are cycling around the world. They say NZ has had the most beautiful scenery, but the angriest drivers. Photo / Instagram, @joshpkohler
By Samantha Mythen of RNZ
A British father and son cycling around the globe to achieve a double world record say drivers in New Zealand are the worst they have encountered across 24 countries.
Joshua, 23, and George Kohler, 57, have cycled thousands of kilometres along Europe’s cycleways, through the mountain corridors of the ancient Silk Road, and dodged scooters in Southeast Asia. But on their 308th day, they had a near-miss with a caravan along the Buller Gorge road near Murchison.
The Norfolk pair were cycling downhill around a tight, blind bend when a car towing a caravan overtook Joshua, forcing an oncoming vehicle to pull over and stop to allow the caravan through.
“There wasn’t enough room for all three of us,” filmmaker Joshua said. “We’re quite vulnerable on bikes, and if you come off at that speed, it wouldn’t be nice.”
Joshua caught up to the car at traffic lights and asked the occupants to be more careful. The passenger replied, “Okay, I thought we were,” before doing up her window. As the car drove off, stickered as members of the New Zealand Motor Caravan Association, she opened it again and shouted: “Get off the road”.
It’s not an isolated experience. Over the 17 days and 1591km the pair spent cycling in New Zealand, they said they received abuse daily, including drivers giving them the finger.
“It’s a shame, because it’s an incredible country and the people we’ve met face to face have been super friendly,” said George, a chimney sweep.
In Southeast Asia, he said, road users were more aware of each other despite hectic conditions.
“Lots is happening, but people tend to be more forgiving. Here, it’s almost a regular occurrence – not just close passes, but the general attitude. It’s been a very aggressive approach by drivers here, which stands out from any country we’ve been in so far.”
Joshua said that despite narrow roads and limited shoulders, cyclists are common and signage regularly reminds drivers to “share the road”.
“You’d think people would be more aware of us, but they’re not. They’re not as courteous and don’t give us as much room as in other countries,” he shared in a social media reel of the incident.
Members of the Tour Aotearoa Facebook group had shared similar fears for years. Police Inspector Peter McKennie said many rural roads were narrow and not designed with cyclists in mind, urging motorists to only pass when it’s safe.
NZTA had widened shoulders and created shared paths over the past two decades, but attitudes remained harder to change. The Ministry of Transport would soon seek public consultation on introducing a minimum overtaking gap for vehicles passing cyclists.
Joshua’s reel drew hundreds of supportive comments, including apologies from New Zealanders. Several NZMCA members said they sent the video to management, though CEO Bruce Lochore declined to comment.
“I’ve had New Zealand cyclists say they no longer ride on the roads because of driver behaviour,” Joshua said.
Nine cyclists were killed on New Zealand roads in 2024, with 146 seriously injured, according to the most recent Ministry of Transport data.
“Everyone’s aware that the drivers here aren’t as courteous to cyclists as they have been in other countries,” he continued.
It’s an attitude trend the family have seen predominantly in Western countries, including Australia and their British Isles home.
“As a Western society, it’s so go go go that as soon as something crops up delaying them by even 30 seconds, they get annoyed,” Joshua said.
“The instant reaction is to get angry instead of being patient and chill.
“Whereas in Asia and Turkey, the culture seems to be more laid-back. When a cyclist is in their way, they don’t really care. They just sit behind and overtake when they can.”
George added that, with the stunning scenery here, he expected people would take more time while they’re travelling, to enjoy it. He said the views always lifted their mood.
By the end of their journey in May, the pair would have cycled more than 30,000km across 29 countries – a world-first for a father and son – raising almost $60,000 for Unicef UK.
They carried everything needed to survive on Trek 920 bikes, with a total weight of each loaded bike around 45kg.
The pair were inspired by a high school presentation on cycling by Liam Garner, who cycled from Alaska to Argentina at just 17 years old in 2021. As complete novices, they biked from more than 6000km across the USA. Wanting to see more of the world and continue adventuring together, they set off to circumnavigate the world in March last year.
“I think we were tired of cycling after the first day,” George laughed.
Despite the hairy overtake, and pesky sandflies, Joshua and George said New Zealand showcased some of “the most spectacular views of the trip”.
Biking between 90 and 125km a day, the duo reached Auckland on February 12 for their flight to Argentina – their next leg.
“Our bodies are a little achy, especially after the climbing through the Andes but they are still holding up and we only have 5000km more to go,” Joshua said.
- RNZ