Category: Uncategorized

Stu is looking very colourful with his found foam handle bar grips. They work well apparently

Couldn’t get up to the observatory, which was right opposite Lake Alexandrina, because the observatory only allows cars not even walkers. There are queues of cars going up there paying $8 each.

So we decided to cycle into town and do the ride from there but first do our device charging and blog chores and treat ourselves to a fancy lunch.

After a couple of hours there, we set out on the round the lake bike track the rhyme, but the rain started almost immediately. We got to the pine forest And I went a bit further along a stony rough slippery path that had been described as a bike path. Got completely soaked with squelchy shoes and we talked our way into drying out a little at the fancy hotels couches.

Tekapo itself was madness but the Good Sheppard church was both stunning in its setting and overrun.

An exhausting 70 km uphill hour day, finally we are at the beautiful serene Lake Alexandrina. It’s about 8 km out of the overly busy lake tekapo, and we have a lakeside grassy Spot all to ourselves

got to the top but it’s still going up! Another 200 vertical metres to Tekapo.

The first part of day 5 was gorgeous. Amazing to be cruising into MacKenzie country. The weather cleared and we had the Southern Alps in front of us most of the way. Quiet stunning gravel ride.

Waking early to crazy morning, bird song. We needed an early start because it was uphill all the way to Tekapo.

20ks of slow but nice gravel by-passing Fairlie before we joined the mad rush out of town holiday traffic going heel for leather up Burkes pass to Tekapo.

Just before we reached Pioneer Park (near Fairlie) we noticed this amazing herd of deer watching us warily and taking fright. Drumming of hooves

After the sodden day yesterday we started with a bit of a gloomy flat stretch with some long downhills, then headwinds and rolling country to Pleasant Point which was pleasant but cold.

Funny interaction with a steam train driver wondering whether the cycle path should go across the train lines or around.

Quiet back roads and a short uphill gravel and deer, into Pioneer Park.

Boxing day was a wet day. Misty, wetting drizzle, that wet us on the outside, and clammy sweaty condensation on the inside of our very good coats. We were drenched. Tired and cold. Finally we arrived at the Waihi Gorge DOC campsite. It was still raining. We were huddled under the very small shelter, getting psychologically prepared to put up the tent when a local couple arrived, having sympathetically followed us to invite us home with them for dinner and hosting us in thier sleep out. Thank you to Jo and Jane! Such a fabulous night of sharing adventures and learning about Hereford Farming from Rob and Maryanne (James parents were staying as well), discussing art, existential physics and Buddhism and then A VERY comfortable sleep. Here’s a photo of thier amazing verge garden and Benny the gorgeous red dog

Stu’s interest in dead things is still a thing. Possum.

Our navigation app Komoot took us down a gravel road to an unexpected river crossing which was uncross able… Resulting in a 10 km detour. Very sad. It was raining ALOT.

It became apparent we could not ford the river (Stu insisted on wading knee deep into the fast brown river in 3 places to check if it was possible… But ER… No! thank goodness, Though it did mean an extra 10 km to the proper bridge)

We had a welcome lunch stop on a bridge and made use of the tripod