Free wheelin'

When Iris Chim Shuk-fong planned a solo tour of New Zealand in 2004, the avid cyclist was apprehensive about where to stay. But the blogs of fellow riders alerted her to the Warm Showers List, an international network of bike enthusiasts who open their homes to touring cyclists.

'I wasn't sure it would work,' recalls the 40-year-old teacher. 'But when I contacted a few people, they were very encouraging.'

One woman gave her a welcome boost: 'When I wrote to her about my hesitations, she reassured me that I would be fine,' says Chim. 'She really motivated me.' Another Warm Showers member from Christchurch offered Chim a place to stay and helped plan her route to Wellington.

The Warm Showers website (warmshowers.org) was launched in 1993. Run by Quebec-based Roger Gravel for the past 12 years, it lists enthusiasts who can provide hospitality ranging from campsites to meals, shower and a bed.

Such shelter is greatly appreciated, especially at the end of a long ride. Chim arrived at her host's farm near Nelson, on the northern coast of New Zealand's South Island, drenched after cycling through hills in the rain. Touched by the warmth of her hosts, she signed up with Warm Showers to reciprocate. 'I wanted to do my bit to make cyclists feel comfortable when they're so far from home,' says Chim, who has cycled through 39 countries.

Three years ago, she received her first cycling guests - a French couple on a tandem who were referred by one of her New Zealand hosts. Chim was living in a highrise at the time and her guests only just managed to squeeze into the lift with their bike (she's kept a photo of their feat as a memento). 'I also had the pleasure of riding through the city on the tandem; all I did was wave and take photos,' she says, laughing.