Day 4 - Hyde to Middlemarch and then to Dunedin

It was another nice sunny day for our fourth day on the Trail.  It was to be our shortest day in both distance and time for riding.  After our breakfast we loaded up.  We had decided to backtrack to Price’s Tunnel as it was late in the day and we had not had the opportunity to have a look at the other tunnel that had been constructed during the gold mining era.  Also we wanted to keep our exercise hours up, given we were going to be in a train for a little while at the end of the day.  There was a lot of wind from the north when we headed back up the trail so it was a bit of hard work 

As we were leaving Hyde the tour guide that I had encountered at Ophir arrived with the van and trailer.  She said hello and said that she was meeting her group at the tunnel so would be faster than us and would warn them that we were coming.  We were unconcerned and enjoyed the work of biking back up the trail.  The first of her group were coming through the tunnel just as we arrived.  We walked the bikes through the tunnel. After we got through the tunnel and were considering the route down the hill to the water tunnel we heard the stentorian voice of the guide telling them to “beware of two riders coming through the tunnel”.  I said loudly enough to be heard that we were through. 

Overlooking the upper Taieri River near diversion

Then we both heard her giving instructions to this woman about our age on how to put on her helmet and treating her as if she was an incompetent teenager (she was middle aged like us).  Poor woman!  One of the reasons why I could not do a tour!  After we watched the performance of detailed instructions on how to go through a tunnel we smiled to each other thanking someone we did not go on a tour and clambered down the hill to see the other bit of engineering.  This other tunnel had been constructed to divert the Taieri River so that gold could be mined.  It was interesting to see that the diversion was still there working as well as it did a century or so ago.  It did not divert all the river but I guess when the flow was low most of the water would have gone through the tunnel.  The force of the water coming through the other end was considerable.  Out of the wind it was very nice in the sun. 

The wind blew us back down to Hyde where we called back into the hotel and got a coffee from the café and sat in the sun enjoying it.  Before we left we picked up a very nice sandwich on my part and a wrap for Bev.  We then went back to have a look at the school where we had had dinner the previous evening.  It is a listed building and they have done a wonderful job of converting it to a function centre while keeping its essence as a former school intact.  Even the pool had been converted to a conversation area for outside functions. 

Hyde Station

Hyde Station was about 2 kilometres south of Hyde.  The station was up for sale, not sure what anyone would use it for; perhaps a bach.  There were still bits of the railway line there and a couple of rail trucks which was nice.  The trail goes down a wide valley to Middlemarch with the Rock and Pillar range on the western side.  It was blowing very strongly and a couple of gusts almost had me off the bike.  Biking into it would have been hard work.   About 4 kilometres south of Hyde Station there was a memorial to the Hyde railway crash when a train going twice as fast as it should have been (70mph instead of 35mph) derailed on a corner.  Twenty-one  people were killed. There was a memorial to the event a kilometre or so from the crash site and it was a sober reminder that even on trains there can be disasters due to human error. It appears the driver was trying to make up time!

Lunchtime

Around lunchtime we found a nice place to stop for lunch; a bridge over a small stream.  It was idyllic.  The wind had blown itself out so it was still, and the only sounds were the buzz of an insect, water running below us and our voices.  We were due at Middlemarch at 3pm so that we could be transported to the train further down the track at Pukerangi.  The trail was quite straight and easy to ride for the last few kilometres and all too soon we were at the end of the trail.  We took a photo and then a very kind person came along and offered to take one in which both Bev and I starred.  The final bit of the ride was through Middlemarch visiting Middlemarch Station before taking our very grubby bikes to the Middlemarch depot of Trail Journeys. 

End of the trail

For a small fee we were able to get a shower and change into clean clothing for the trip on the train to Dunedin. 

About to board the train Pukerangi

There was quite a crowd waiting at Pukerangi for the train, we suspect most were cyclists on their way back to Dunedin having done what we had.  A number of people disembarked and then we were away but only after the train had been decoupled, moved forward and then back to the new front of the train, if that makes sense.  We found that the people across the aisle from us in the carriage had been with the tour party led by the bossy woman.  They were circumspect in their comments but largely confirmed that it had been over organised and the woman was rather bossy.

The trip through the lower Taieri Gorge is spectacular.  The engineering to put it through there is something to behold given that it was all done by pick, shovel and dynamite.  They were certainly tough men. 

Lower Taieri Gorge from train

At Dunedin my friend Iain picked us up and took us back to his place.  He lives on the edge of what I think is Roslyn looking over Caversham suburb.  He has a large property that  gives of a sense of  one being in the country rather than a couple kilometres from the city centre.  

The next day Iain took us out to the airport.  Our little holiday was almost at an end.  For me it was easy, but Bev found that she couldn’t check in.  It turned out that her plane was grounded along with the rest of the fleet of ATR 72s due to a crack around the windshield that had been discovered.  Fortunately her plane was not due to leave until late that afternoon from Christchurch.  However, a planned reunion with her sister-in-law was not going to happen. 

My plane was full with rebooked passengers to other parts so there was no room for Bev to get a trip to Christchurch via Wellington.  A text to me after I got Wellington told me that she had taken a bus to Christchurch. 

It was a superb little break from writing Position Descriptions, and something I would do again.  


Central Otago is scenically stunning.  Whichever way one looked there were stunning sights.  The land is dry, although it was unusually green for this time of the year.  The air was clear and on the days when there were no clouds the visibility was almost unlimited, with the surrounding mountains and hills etched into the sky.  

We found the people along the trail generally very friendly and willing to have conversations about themselves and the area.  Similarly when we encountered people on the trail they were all ready to talk.  I guess a case of everyone having something in common.  Security was not a problem, we did not have bicycle locks and it was apparent that the locals generally did not lock up their houses or cars.  As one person said if something was stolen everyone would know who did it and they would be made to pay for it in some way.  It reminded me of my childhood where Mum and Dad did not lock the house and the keys were left in the car. 

Day 3 - Wedderburn to Hyde

Bev and I had a continental breakfast with Roger and his wife who were staying in the Lodge with us.  He told us a little about himself; he had sold a business a few years back and had retired.  I guess he was in his fifties.  They were travelling in a Travel Home and this had been it seemed an almost last minute decision.  He had clearly built up a substantial business  and I guess it was enough let him retire and do things.

The day had begun bright and clear then all of sudden there was fog.  We took our time to pack, and make our way to the track.  It was beginning to clear as we headed off on the downleg part of the track.  The first picture opportunity was the Wedderburn railway shed that was made famous by Graeme Sydney’s painting.  I was about to take a photo of it and van with a bike trailer decided to park right in front it ruining my picture.  I grumply smiled and asked him to move which he did, phew. 

About halfway between Wedderburn and Ranfurly we called in at a little information shed where I rehydrated.  The mist and fog had cleared away and we had clear azure sky contrasting with golden brown hills and the plain which was tinged with green. Just as we were about to leave we noticed a Ute following some sheep and was then surprised to see it was on the track.  I was so taken with it I took a photograph of it as vehicles are prohibited trail.  The farmer pulled in and leaned out the window, while one of his dogs circled me curiously, and asked, “Are you going to report me?”  I replied, “No, I just wanted to record an interesting event”. “Ahh” he grunted in reply.  A brief conversation followed. He asked us where we were from and then commented that there were a few riders on the track and made a comment about the lovely weather.  Then he said, “ I better catch up with my sheep” and proceeded slowly along the track for another hundred metres before turning off.  At Ranfurly we explored a small museum and souvenir shop which detailed the history of the Rail Trail.  We then cycled slowly around the little town which took five minutes.  We had a nice coffee at a little café and spoke to a couple of the locals.  Bev took photos of the cakes that were lined up in the cabinet – apparently nostalgic memories for an ex-pat who hasn’t seen or tasted those what she described as "yummy" slices for a long time.  Despite the lovely clear sunny day there was a distinct nip in the air.  Despite it being the middle of the week it was very quiet that was so different to the noise and bustle of a bigger place. 

Waipiata Hotel

Eight kilometres down the track we called in at Waipiata for lunch at the pub.  I had a lovely BLT and Bev and steak sandwich which was enough to feed an army, like every meal we seemed to have had on the trail.   We basked in the glorious sun for a while, resting my ever so slightly tender bum before looking around the one small street its ten houses and old church that made up the main and only street before heading on back down the trail.  There were more people on the trail than we had seen in previous days coming toward us from the Middlemarch end.  We passed an area which had been Lake Taieri.  At Kokonga I made a discovery that I had left my helmet at Waipiata.  I had a discussion with Bev about whether we go back and retrieve it or whether I call Trail Journeys and let them know that it is at Waipiata and get it transferred to Hyde.  Bev had commented that it had been an easy day so far and that perhaps we had not had enough exercise, so the decision was made to go back.  It was 10 kilometres and because it was relatively flat we were reasonably quick and were back in Waipiata 40 minutes later.

Animal life near Ranfurly

We stopped for a drink before getting on bikes and heading back from whence we came.  It was getting late in the afternoon and we saw more people on the trail than we had on the previous two days.  We got back to Kokonga about 30 minutes after leaving Waipiata.  It must have been slightly downhill!  My bum was beginning to get a bit sore by this time, although I found that by moving on seat I was able to relieve the pressure a bit although I think that it was the stinging from the chafing that was the real problem.  The part of the trail after Kokonga was rather nice with us beginning to enter the Upper Taieri Gorge.  As it was early evening the rabbits had decided to come out and play.  They were on the trail as well as on the bare hillsides.  It must be a real problem for the farmers in that area as it is quite a dry area.  In fact we found out later that this was the area where the rabbit calcivirus was introduced.  The same person said that the way they introduced it meant that it was not very potent so the rabbits developed resistance to the virus relatively quickly.

Upper Taieri Gorge

The low sun made for some very pretty sights.  As the autumn colours were beginning to show, there were hues of yellow along with the lighter golden browns of the hillsides, with a hint of green here and there.

The trail took us alongside the hillside or gorge above the Taieri River, it was all downhill.  We came to a very pretty bridge and then about a kilometre on there was the Prices Tunnel.  The tunnel entrance was in shadow so we stopped briefly to read the information before walking through it.  Hyde was beckoning so we headed at some speed for Hyde.  A few kilometres later we saw it come into view.  As we rode up to the hotel a woman called out asking if it was Murray.

“Yes” I replied.

“I left a message on your phone that your meal would be ready at 6pm.  If you go up the road to the schoolhouse they have kept some aside for you.  Your bags are here and when you get back we can put you in your room”

“Thanks” we replied together.

This was not what I had imagined I would do when we arrived.  I had thought a shower, a quiet drink of wine and then leisurely going to the dining room to have yet another well cooked and, of course farmer sized meal.

What was more my bum was sore and the last thing I wanted to do was ride another metre.  It turned out that it was another half kilometre and uphill.  However, when we got there, in reasonable cheer, we were welcomed and offered a nice selection of Central Otago pinot noir.  We chose a bottle of Rock and Pillar pinot noir grabbed our plates which had been kept warm and added a bit of salad.  The plates were as expected very large.  There was ham off the bone, some salmon and a chicken along with the usual frozen vegetables (cooked of course).  We sat communally and we chatted with the people;   a Dutchman living in Sydney and traveling solo and doing the trail on the recommendation of his Kiwi flatmate and a couple of farmers from Gisborne.   I was too busy eating and drinking and trying to wind down from the long day to feel particularly sociable. 

At half time this woman who is probably in her 70s came through and said she was going to tell us about the history of Hyde, and particularly the hotel, which turned out to be her history.  It was very nice to hear her talk about how she decided to make the hotel a stop on the rail trail.  She provided chapter and verse about the trials and tribulations.  She was clearly one determined woman who lived her dream and brought to life a little community that was rapidly fading with the loss of the railway.  She bought the school the historic Hyde School, in which we were eating, and gave it another use.  It does weddings as well as the meals for people like us who were on the trail.  Not only that the whole enterprise has provided work opportunities for some of the women in the region. 

After half time we were told that dessert was available and it was plentiful; a fruit crumble, custard, trifle and a pavlova (with lots of cream if one did not worry about ones arteries.  And then we had a bit more history.  In the meantime Bev and I had drunk a good proportion of the wine. 

On returning to the hotel, with our half finished bottle of wine, we could not find anyone to tell us which was our room.  After looking in each room to see if we could find our bags a nice woman appeared and took us to our room, which was without an ensuite but the showers and toilet were next door although it did mean venturing outside in the cold to get there.  The showers were a very nice way to relax prior to finishing off our wine and transferring our photos off the camera.

We cycled 72 kilometres that day and apart from the sore bum we felt pretty good so must have been getting a bit fitter.

Day 2 - Ophir to Wedderburn

It was a relatively warm night in Ophir (the place where records have been set for the hottest and coldest days).  It was forecast to rain but apart from ominous clouds there was no rain when I got up.  Bev was still sleeping so I got into some clothes and took the laptop to write up the previous days activities.  There was another group in the dining room who were clearly part of an organised trip.  The previous evening I had noticed the group but this time there was an organiser.  I am quietly writing and next thing this woman issuing instructions loudly.  Telling them that there is a long day ahead and they should have read their itinerary and that they would be leaving in 10 minutes and to get moving.  This outburst to a middle aged group like me.  One of the reasons I would hate doing such a trip.  After a leisurely breakfast we packed, left our bags to be picked up and loaded up the panniers with the things we thought we would need for the trip ahead.  It was going to be mostly uphill.

Ophir Bridge

Our first stop was to look at the historic Ophir Bridge a kilometre or so outside Ophir.  It was steady drizzle as rode to it.  It really is a very beautiful bridge.  I clambered up some rocks to get a nice picture of it.

Drying off at Stationside Cafe

It had begun to rain as we left for our first stop at Lauder a mere 7 kilometres away.  First we went via the historic Ophir Bridge, which is beautiful and I even managed to take pictures of it despite the falling rain.  It became steadily heavier as we proceeded through Omakau and onto the rail trail but the contrast in weather conditions added to the experience .  Fortunately the rain came down from slightly behind us.  Soon my feet were drenched from the water kicked up by the front wheel.  Fortunately it was did not feel too cold probably because I had a couple of thermals on to ensure that I was warm enough.  The base of the track has this golden sandy gravel which was soon coating shoes, the panniers, the bikes and even our backs.  At Lauder we found a nice little café called, of course, the Stationside Café where we could escape the rain.  We were welcomed in and offered towels to help dry us off.  We had a nice a cup of coffee and we sat there waiting for what were meant to be showers to ease off.  There were two other couples waiting for the rain to ease off, one couple who had arrived just before us.  While we waited we talked with the owner who we found out was from Northland and had come tripping around the South Island four years ago and had never gone back.  She had the nicest date scones I have had in a while. After an hour or so it did not look like it was letting up, despite the lovely owner suggesting that it was, so we decided to head on up the trail as we still had quite a way to go.

Heading up the gorge

It began easing off soon after we left.  We continued up the trail, literally, with our next big stop to be Oturehua about 23 kilometres away.  It was a steady climb up to the Pool Burn gorge section.  Several kilometres before getting to the gorge we traversed one of the longer bridges on the route which looks much more like a modern bridge as opposed to the pictures of bridges further along the trail.  The engineering is very obvious and it is interesting to imagine what it must have been like for the men built it with only their picks, shovels and wheelbarrows and some explosives.  The climb up through the Pool Burn gorge was spectacular.  There are sheer drops on one side  but it is 1:50 gradient that was noticeable.  At the first of two tunnels we stopped.  Bev had got there first and headed off to see the remnants of the camp where the builders of the tunnels and this part of the track lived while they constructed it.  There was a man there sitting at the entrance of the tunnel keeping out of the rain.  He was not like any of the middle class middle aged cyclists like ourselves and had a bike with trailer which looked like it had his life’s possessions on it . It turned out that he was a bit itinerant and travelled the trail regularly.  I headed for the camp site assuming that Bev had already been there but once I got there and it had taken me 5 minutes I realised that Bev not gone that far.  I took a few photos and then climbed back up the trail.  By this time the rain had eased off to light showers.  I got back and another crowd of cyclists had arrived in the meantime this man had given Bev some little known facts about the area, some I assume were pure fantasy.  It turned out that Bev had been worried he might nick our stuff while we were away whereas I was much more relaxed about it as it became apparent  that locking things were not the usual on the trail, for instance there were no bike padlocks. Bev (who lives in Sydney) later confessed  to having a vivid imagination (given the backdrop and isolation and prior to the arrival of the other cyclists) which had transported her to a “Wolf Creek” type scenario with all sorts of evil outcomes.   

We then proceeded through the first tunnel, which I believe is the longest on the trail.  While going through something peculiar happened with my vision and I was almost blinded.  I was riding my bike and almost banged into the wall.  I think it was an effect of my damaged eye. 

Ida Burn where curling takes place in winter

The trail continued around and above the gorge, crossed the Manurehikua River via a lovely looking bridge before descending down to the Ida Valley.  We stopped in what are gangers huts which have interesting information about the area and are dotted along route.  There we came across a couple who we had met in café at Lauder and who had taken off a bit before us.  We talked and then after an apple we proceeded toward Oturehua crossing the Ida Valley, taking a picture of the Ida Burn dam where they do the curling in the winter. It must be seriously cold to get ice on that dam!!

We arrived at Oturehua at about 2:30pm where we had a nice pub lunch.  We had an interesting  conversation with the pub owner who was from Christchurch and had come to Oturehua where he bought the pub which was very rundown.  He said that the previous owner discourage cyclists and was only interested in the locals.  It was a pub from the fifties and sixties in terms of design (although probably a lot older) and he has spent the past three years trying to change its reputation while at the same time improving its design   He seemed to enjoy what he was doing, was entrepreneurial and very welcoming.  Over the road from the pub was this country store from the past.  It was very cute and we wandered around and I paid a premium for a post card to send to Sophie.

The final part of the day was the ride to Wedderburn.  However, before doing that we went and looked at an old gold mine a kilometre or so out of the Oturehua.  It was nice to walk around a bit and look at the old structures that were still there including a poppet head, which is a system of hauling up the material from the mine for crushing to get the gold.  There were lots of tailing around but because it was all underground the disturbance to the landscape was  relatively minimal. It was interesting to see how the land over time reclaims the disturbance.

The highest point

It was steady climb from there to the highest point (610m) on the trail a couple of kilometres from Wedderburn.  We had our pictures taken and then it was downhill to our accommodation at the Wedderburn Cottages which are right beside the trail.  We arrived a bit after 5pm.  There was no one to tell us where to go and then I discovered a note in the which said where we were staying. No key!  We were in The Lodge (which was probably the old homestead for the station), and we had shared facilities making it bit like living at home.  It was a bit cool when we arrived but there was  a couple Roger and his wife from Tauranga  who were already there and seemed overjoyed to see someone else  and welcomed us inside. They had a fire going and also the  heat pump so the place was very warm and provided an opportunity to dry out our sodden shoes.  They immediately invited us to join them for dinner, but we wanted to shower first and generally clean up so we declined.   Roger said that it was recommended that we book a table, at first I did not think it was needed and said I would take our chances. 

After thinking about it I thought that eating was very necessary so I shot down to the pub to make a booking.  It was getting quite cool a sure sign of autumn.  The shower was wonderful.  It was over an old cast iron bath which would have been nice to soak in.  My bum was a bit sore, well actually quite sore, with some chaffing I think.

Ready for food at Wedderburn

The pub was 500 metres or so down the road so we walked down there and had nice meal and a reasonable bottle of Central Otago pinot noir aptly called Trail Rider.  The meal was huge; roast hogget for me which was superb but there was too much.  Bev had the pork which consisted of three pork cutlets which she struggled to eat.  It was getting dark when we got back.  Roger and his wife were watching TV and so we spent some time talking with them; finding out that he had sold a business a few years ago and they had been travelling in a van around the south for a few weeks.

Again when my head hit the pillow I was asleep, not surprising as we had cycled 55 kilometres that day and much of it uphill.  

Day 1 Queenstown to Ophir

We were woken up, properly, by a bus deciding to start up outside our bedroom at 6am.  In the quiet of the Queenstown morning it was a bit of a shock.   However, it did get us moving, packed and breakfasted.  Our transport to Clyde arrived just as we were taking the bags to the front of the hotel.  I had to drop off the car at the Airport so he was happy to pick me up from there as he was picking up others from there too. 

Ready to leave Clyde

The journey to Clyde took a little while as he did a bit of a tour of the place so it was around 11am before we got to Clyde.  We then had the mandatory DVD to tell us how to ride a bike, and finally they fitted the bike to us.  That all took time!  Bev had to change her bike as the seat was too low, however it was very well organised and the staff were very friendly and helpful.  Finally we were loaded up.  Two panniers on my bike (why do I always take the weight) and we headed for the river, first to get some dried apricots from a producer on the south side of the Clutha, then to ride the river trail (12 kilometres), which was a bit of an extra,  to Alexandra.  We found the dried apricot people OK and got a couple of bags them.  We thought we could join the trail from one of the side roads but that was not possible.  It meant returning to the bridge where the trail began.  The trail was really neat. Narrow but quite fast enabling us to quickly get used to the bikes.  It was a bit up and down but that added to the fun.  About halfway down the trail if climbed a bit  at the Earnscleugh and  we could see all these tailings from the dredging of the river.  They are almost like mountains.  They did this until the early 1960s.  There is a substantial part of the river bottom on the side of the river now, which is completely unproductive unless they use it as gravel or the like.  Near the end of the trail , across the river from Alexandra town centre we came across this very cute seat set in an old bath tub, of which we took photos of ourselves in it.

Relaxing in the bath

It was about 3:00pm when we got to Alexandra, a little hungry. We had lunch, refilled water bottles and looked at how far we had to go; it was around 29kms.  A quick calculation suggested it was going to be around 6:30pm before we got to Ophir.  No problem as there was plenty of light in which to cycle.  It was very nice and warm sitting at the café so we were in no real hurry. 

About to go on the rail trail proper

After cycling through Alexandra we found the trail well marked at Alexandra Station.  There is no station there now but it was where it stood about twenty years ago.  We made a bit of false start as we saw a sign to a “shaky bridge” but it turned out to be a stiff hill climb to a café and it was here that Bev learnt how easy it was for a chain to come off her and how useful it was to have a male nearby to fix it. 

The trail is gravel which was quite easy to ride on, but you still have to work.  The bikes are really good; new and easy to ride.  The tyres are a cross between a road tyre and a mountain bike tyre which were really suitable for the track.  The first part of the track was straight and fairly level.  In fact, apart from the beauty surrounding us it was quite boring.  The first stop was Galloway, a trip of about 7km.  Then it was another 10km to Chatto Creek.  I thought it was 3km and could not understand why it had not appeared.  Finally we arrived there.  The track had begun to climb so I was starting to feel it in my legs, and in my bum. High cloud had come over and there was a stiff northerly blowing making it somewhat harder work than earlier. 

Local art work on the trail

At Chatto Creek we filled our bottles and took a picture.  The next stage was Chatto Creek to Ophir.  The woman the hotel where we filled the bottles said she would phone ahead to let the people at Blacks Hotel know that we were on our way and that we  would be rather late. 

Out of Chatto Creek we began a climb up Tiger Hill.  It was in the form of sweeping S bend and the gradient was 1:50 as opposed to 1:70.  We were having to work a bit particularly as the wind had got up and was in our face.  The landscape is the Central schist which is part of the landscape.  Some of the land looks very poor, other parts were surprisingly green.  Apparently they had had a third of their annual rainfall already. We felt like we chugged up Tiger Hill and I could almost imagine a steam engine really having to work hard to get up the hill, puffing a blowing smoke, steam and sparks and the poor fireman working hard to shovel coal into the furnace.  About two thirds of the way up we came across several old apple trees which were the result of passengers tossing there apple cores from the train.  The apples were ready to eat so we picked a few before continuing on our way.  Finally we reached the top and then it was this wonderful fast ride down the other side to Omakau.  I got up to around 26km/h. At Omakau we followed the signs to Ophir, It was very speedy on nice smooth tar seal to Ophir where we found the hotel and relief for my bum which was letting me know that I had been sitting on it for most of the day.  The joy of a shower after 50kms of riding was something to behold.  

Dinner was quite late and we both had beer battered blue cod and chips; the chips were perfection, crisp and fluffy inside.  They had obviously got the temperature perfect.  The blue cod was pretty good too.  It was a great way to end the day. 

Day one ended with me putting  my head on the pillow and going to sleep immediately, with a delicious feeling of fatigue and knowing that after 50kms I could do the next without feeling too bad.  My bum was feeling OK although there were some tender bits.  It was going to be interesting to see if it repaired itself overnight or whether I should have bought some of the anti-chaffing cream at Trail Journeys. 

The Beginning - Queenstown

For some time I wanted to do the Otago Central Rail Trail and when my friend Bev from Sydney said she would like to do it I jumped at the chance.  A few months later after a little bit of planning, some advice on clothing from Garry such as; get the bike pants and a comfort seat to make it easier on your, and gloves so that when you come off your hands have some protection.  I took his advice even though I thought that my shape was not quite up to spandex.  


We booked with Trail Journeys, who arranged accomodation, provided bikes and took our 10kg bags from place to place.  With all that in place I was ready to go on the 13th of March.

So it was on Tuesday morning the 13th that I was up at 6am to get ready for the trip south.  Bev was staying with a friend around the corner and they picked me  up and took me to the airport.  It was a bit wet and windy but as we were heading south that did not matter.  After breakfast in the Koru Club we flew to Christchurch.  There was no view as there was lots of cloud obscuring the views with only the high peaks of the Kaikouras visible above the cloud.  We had an hour and a half stopover in Christchurch. 

It is a couple of years since I flew through Christchurch and the new terminal is still not completed clearly a victim of the earthquake.  To get from the Koru Lounge to our plane involved a long hike and as a result of our tardiness we were the last people on it. 

As we flew toward Queenstown the skies cleared and we had a stunning view of Mt Cook/Aorangi, the Mackenzie Basin then it was Lakes Hawea and Wanaka before we descended into Queenstown. 

Queenstown - the beginning

The landscapes are stunning and the mountains seemed almost etched into the sky so clear was the air.  On an impulse we decided to rent a car.  We tried the really cheap places, but  they were not very helpful, in fact their service was cheap like their cars.  Avis offered a car for $160 for the day which was too much, so we went  next door to Europcar and the guy there was most helpful and had found us a car for $85.  It was a Hyundai i30.  After 5 minutes of driving I decided that while it was quite a nice car to drive but was not as good as the Golf. 

Lunchtime at Gibbston

The car was to enable us to go to a few wineries and to have a quick look around the Queenstown area.  We headed down the Gibbston Valley first stopping at the Bungy jump over the Kawarau River.  After watching brave thrill seekers bungy jump, we had a late lunch at Gibbston Valley Wines before heading to Cromwell and a visit to Carrick Wines where a friend’s nephew works. 

Francis was a very nice host and took Bev and I for a walk through the vineyard telling us where the various wines came from, their organic conversion and where they were pulling out the vines to replace with other grape varieties.  They had recently become Biogrow certified.  Francis explained the virtues of being organic and how good it was from a workers point of view as they were not covered in various chemicals.  The wines were rather nice especially the Pinot Noir. 

Our next stop was Felton Road wines where I got to taste some of the wines I had bought.  My favourite was the Riesling.  The woman who was providing the tasting was really passionate abut the wines and had even been doing some wine education classes so was really informative about the wines. 

A visit to Arrowtown capped off a rather busy day.  After checking into the hotel we wandered down to the town centre where we got a table at the Botswana Butchery.  It is a very nice restaurant that has its focus on meat.  I think the owner was from Botswana.  I had hare which was very good although it arrived  at only a warm temperature.  The hare was done two ways, one as a loin and the other as part of a pie.  It was very nice.  We finished off by sharing one of the better crème brulee's that I have had.