Month: March 2018

We said goodbye to our hosts at Burnside Homestead and headed off for the last time this trip through the picturesque rolling countryside.

It was only 19km to the finish of the Alps 2 Ocean trail in Oamaru and we all had photos taken in the commemorative frame. We had covered 292km in the 6 days and seen a lot of the NZ south island countryside.

We had plenty of time for a good look around the Victorian Precinct of Oamaru before lunch at a cafe overlooking the water.

It was then onto the bus for the long drive back to Christchurch and our flight home in the morning. We spent our time swapping photos and picking our favourite rides, accommodation and meals. Our guides Sue and Wayne and Adventure South did a great job and we hope to return to NZ and try some of the other trails in the future.

This morning we cycled along the banks of the Waitaki River and over some rocky creek beds. We are starting to get used to this type of cycling which is very different to our rides at home. 

We then visited the Takiroa Rock Art Site and the interesting historic town of Duntroon.

After a look around town we cycled 6km up the road to the unique rock formations known as Elephant Rocks for lunch.

The next stretch was mostly off road on gravel tracks through farms.

We then followed an old railway line through the Raki tunnel.

Our accommodation for the night was the historic Victorian Burnside Homestead.  Built in the 1890’s, it was purchased by our hosts Bruce and Alison in 1974. They opened a B&B in 1995 and it was certainly a memorable place to spend our last night together.

Our room was the original master bedroom with attached bathroom. Unfortunately someone had turned off the hot water system so it was cold showers for most before our dinner served by Alison and Bruce in period costume.

With the hills supposedly behind us we headed out of Omarama looking forward to an easier day in the saddle. The first 13 kms were off road and around Lake Benmore to Sailors Cutting.

We had a quick break here and saw a beautifully maintained steamboat being readied for a trip on the lake. The next section of the A2O was on road and included a 3km hill (or undulation as the guides prefer to call them). The downhill was welcome before we turned off the road to head for the Benmore Dam Wall. Warren was one of only a couple who didn’t have to push their bikes some of the way up this steep pinch.

From here it was another lovely ride beside Lake Aviemore where we stopped for a picnic lunch.

Another 6km to the Aviemore Dam wall which unfortunately was closed for 2 days for maintenance (a once in 50 year event!)

This meant we had to board the bus and retrace our tracks back to the main road at Otematata and then onto Kurow. Our tour does not allow cycling on this stretch of road as it is very busy with many blind corners. I don’t think anyone was disappointed at only riding 53 kms today.

Our accommodation for tonight was the recently restored Waitaki Braids. Made of local stone, this was voted the best accomodation and the best meal, venison, for the entire trip. Our host, Kate told us 18,000 cyclists pass through Kurow every year.

After dinner we went to the pub next door to watch the Crusaders play the Highlanders in the Super Rugby (the NZ South Island equivalent of Broncos v Cowboys). Our American friends tried to make sense of the rules while tasting the local brew.

We started today in Twizel with a short ride on road out to the canal for what we thought would be an easy section of the trail. Unfortunately 30knot cross winds made for hard going, with the added worry of being blown into the canal!

Morning tea was a welcome break as was the trail around Lake Ohau which was somewhat protected from the wind.

We stopped for a very tasty lunch at Lake Ohau Lodge where we finally were able to see Mt Cook on a beautiful clear day. After lunch, 8 of us started the climb to the Tarnbrae Highpoint (one of the toughest parts of the trail).

It was hard, hot and dusty riding on rough shingle.

I took an hour and a half to cover the 11km to the high point – it was hard going, not just the hill but the roughness of the track.

We were all looking forward to the downhill and arriving at our motel in Omarama. We took it slow going down and had to cross a few places with water over the road. Some were deep enough that our shoes were underwater.

The final 23 kms were meant to have a tailwind but the wind had followed us around so was in our yet face again. Altogether we rode 82 kms today in what was one of our toughest days on a bike.

We started today with a bus trip to the point where we started yesterday’s ride – heading west instead of east this time. The A2O Trail is 301km and we will cover most of it.

Sadly the wind had changed and we had strong head and cross winds for the 29 km ride to Lake Pukaki. We rode beside the canal at the start passing a large salmon farm.

We then hopped on the bus and headed towards Mt Cook and Tasman Glacier. The weather was inclement and the summit of Mt Cook was covered in clouds but we climbed the 250 steps up to view Tasman Glacier which is receding at an alarming rate (450 to 900 m per year).

We then enjoyed a nice lunch at the cafe in Mt Cook village and visited the Dept of Conservation visitors centre which told some of the history of the early climbers including Freda du Faur, a Tasmanian who was the first woman to climb Mt Cook (skirt and all).

In the afternoon we went back to Pukaki to rejoin the cycle route, leaving the clouds and rain behind and enjoying the blue sky and waters. We biked 11 km to Twizel, a small town built to house the hydro electric workers.

Wednesday morning we are picked up in Christchurch by our cycle guides, Sue and Wayne and taken to Adventure South’s depot for a bike fitting and briefing. We then drove to Geraldine for a short stop before heading to the start of today’s ride – 20km into the small town of Fairlie for lunch. With the start of the ride on the top of a hill it was an easy start to the tour.

We then drove to and through the town of Tekapo to ride the first 14 km of the alternate start to the A2O. Sue suggested we ride back to town to avoid the wind that had increased. Good plan but still a windy ride.

Our accomodation for the night was in a holiday house we shared with new American friends Grosvenor and Wendy from Maine.

A pretty town by Lake Tekapo that is experiencing a building boom.

We had 4 days free before our next cycle trip so decided to send the time in Queenstown. We had booked a car (a Corolla) before we left, so made our way to the nearby Thrifty to pick it up on Saturday morning. We were a little concerned when we were advised that they had to change our car to a mini – we did have a bit of gear.

It is nearly 500 km to Queenstown but we enjoyed the drive over the Canterbury Plains and then over the mountains. The Mini Cooper Countryman was fun to drive and we arrived in Queenstown about 5 pm.

We went up the gondola the first day and enjoyed the view and played like kids on the luge rides.

On the ride back on the gondola we met a local who had been up in the forest trying to keep the wilding pines at bay. He told us that he and other locals had been given plots of land to look after. It sounded like a good program but there are a LOT of pines. We wish them well on the task.

In the afternoon we drove out to Arrowtown, an old mining town about 20kms from Queenstown where we wandered the quaint streets, spent some time in the local museum and visited the old Chinese settlement.

On Monday we boarded the steamship Earnslaw for a trip across Lake Wakatipu to Walter Peak Station for a demonstration of shearing and sheep dog herding and a great BBQ lunch. Warren was a bit concerned by the list the boat had but the Captain assured us this was normal.

On our trip back to Christchurch we went via Wanaka, a beautiful town on a lake about 70 km from Queenstown. Below is the famous Wanaka tree, apparently the most photographed tree in NZ.

We started today with a short drive to Kikiwar for our ride for today which included a tough 3km climb.

We stopped for morning tea at the bus at the top of the climb before an exhilarating 20 km descent to Kohatu.

This was our final day on the bike – we had ridden 140km in total on the 4 riding days.

After a nice lunch in a cafe at Kohatu, we drove to our final nights accomodation in St Arnaud. Our guides took us for a walk down to Lake Rotoiti to see the eels.

This is a beautiful region with lots of walking trails.

Overlooking the lake is a church with an amazing view – no doubt very popular for weddings.

At dinner our American friends Pat and John told us it was their wedding anniversary. Champagne all around to celebrate.

Today we drove to Abel Tasman National Park for a 4 hour hike to Anchorage Bay. We headed off under overcast skies dodging parts of the path destroyed by the recent cyclone.

We soon had our first showers of the trip, however the paths were good and the scenery spectacular.

The overnight rain meant all the streams and waterfalls were running and made for an enjoyable, if wet, morning.

Lunch was followed by a 3 hour sail back to Kaiteriteri in a 10m catamaran.

Our skipper Tim, took us into Falls Creek as the tide was high enough to cross the narrow bar.

We then went out to see some seals on a nearby rock.

With a 15 knot SE, it was cool and wet at times but everyone enjoyed the experience.

We finished the day with a wine tasting at Riweka River Wines before heading back to the Nautilus Motel in Motueka.