Emma and Debbie stop to admire Eiger in Switzerland.

A pair of Taupō women could best be described as active relaxers when they head overseas on holiday.

Emma McCosh, a physiotherapist at Taupō Hospital and Foundation Physiotherapy and Debbie Chambers, event manager for the Spirited Women Adventure Race have recently returned from an adventure they concede many would consider “crazy”.

The pair are not new to adventure or hardship having competed in adventure races and bike packing events around New Zealand and overseas

Most recently, they spent eight months bike-packing through 13 countries, clocking up more than 20,000 kilometers through Europe.

They took the road less travelled, travelling fast and light, taking only the essentials for camping, cooking, riding, and trekking.

The first three months of the journey was a tough and remote 7600km route from Portugal to Norway called the European Divide trail.

It took them along a tapestry of remote trails linking the far edges of Europe together via off-road 4WD tracks, single tracks, walking tracks, and cycle routes.

Due to visa restrictions Emma and Debbie needed to knock this off in under 90 days which was no mean feat given the technical nature of the trails often featuring hike-a-bike sections and steep gradients.

After completing the European Divide trail in Grense Jakobs Norway in 80 days they still had time to traverse the Norwegian Lofoten islands by bike and ferry, rating it one of the most scenic parts of their trip.

Emma and Debbie reach the end of the European Divide – the most north-eastern part of Europe at the top of Norway, bordering on Russia.

Lofoten is an archipelago in Norway known for its dramatic scenery and friendly people.

They then flew to Edinburgh and spent two months riding the Great Britain Divide from John O Groats to Lands’ End, as well as exploring the length of the Outer Hebrides.

From there they flew back to Switzerland and spent the remaining three months exploring Europe in more detail.

They were blown away by the bikepacking routes such as the Hope 1000 and the trail networks of Switzerland, France, Italy and Spain. Switzerland’s mountains were awe inspiring and mind-blowingly beautiful.

They both agree that Taupō is a stunning place to come back to and they feel very privileged to live here in New Zealand, with its peace and serenity and the ability to find wilderness areas without any sign of human interference.

They have previously travelled around South America on their bikes for six months and have done plenty of adventure races too.

Emma says each country had different standards of living but “the standard of living didn’t determine the happiness of living”.

They stayed in their tents, in campgrounds, hotels and often used a hosting service called Warm Beds, that allows travelers to stay in other member’s homes.

They also host people at home in Taupō and reckon they are about even now, despite the length of their previous journeys.

“You don’t have to give a lot, but it means a lot to the people travelling … learning about a new route with less traffic or a beautiful waterfall around the corner.”

She says they never had any dangerous or scary moments but winter did arrive early, cutting short their time in the French Alps.

Their next trip will be “a nice break” in Australia, which involves a 2000km off-road ride from Brisbane to Sydney.