Jan 18 to Feb 7, 2010Distance: 1 527 km
Total distance: 4001 km
Lyell to Motupiko (Feb 7) 107 km
Pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/QNA9CUpjpoqaB7M46
We were on the road by 7:15 am to beat the heat. Our motivation was Emma and Brian, our incentive was the sand flies and the catalyst was the bloody rooster that woke us up at 6:00 am! We continue to follow the Buller River with gentle rolling up and downs – very scenic. We had a cool morning ride of 35 km before stopping at Murchison for a late breakfast. We are now on a mission to get to Nelson – so close and yet so far. After a 100+ km day, tired, and hot, we stop 50 km short of Nelson at the best campground ever (that's what the sign reads), called Quinney's Bush Camp. It was the river swimming that sold Patti on the place. It was so refreshing and heaps of fun on the waterslide and rope swing.
Westport to Lyell (Feb 6) 90 km
Pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/2nJ6shWDiqASqb4h7
Another super hot day...is it suppose to rain on the West Coast ? This is a rarity, 3 weeks in a row without rain...wow ! We had a relaxing start to the day - I replaced a spoke on my back wheel, while Patti went for a swim. The beach is ideal for horse and cart training, which is really big in NZ. After shopping for groceries at New World, Patti spotted a back country road that leads to the highway. We took that road, it was supposed to save us time and distance and cycling away from any cars is always nice. So here we are on 9 Miles Road, an 8 km road that took us all the way to the highway – almost. The only divider between us and the highway was the river. There is no bridge, and we are stuck in a dead end. After looking very closely at the map, there was no bridge and the dot is on this side of the river....darn! We had to track all the way back to Westport to get to the highway, where we were first supposed to go...a detour of only 16 km...or 1 hour of riding. We now know why this road is called 9 Miles Road, it is because the 10th mile is missing...! 2:00 pm, we leave Westport for a second time and cycle to Berlins, a one tavern town who was hosting a Country Music Festival. We had dinner while enjoying performances of various country Artists from NZ, chatting with the locals, a very unique experience. It is now 7:00 pm, and we decided to cycle another 30 km to a DOC campground in Lyell. After the sand flies settled down after dusk, we chatted with two cyclists, Ema and Brian from Australia. Who knows, we may see them again in Victoria in July!
Punakaika to Westport (Feb 5) 72 km
Pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/yXXhKCSU1HUhKGks8
Another super hot day. We visited Punakaika (Pancakes rocks, Blowhole, Cavern) and got going around 1:30 pm. This was the kind of day where we did not expect long and steep hills, easy riding all the way to Westport ... but guess what...? it was a tougher ride with long and steep hills throughout the day...! It was overcast but humid, we are sweating and getting tired out on the hills. We finally made it to Cape Foulwind, stopped at the tavern...we kind of enjoy the tavern feel...had a big burger and cycled to Foulwind Lighthouse. We spent the night just outside of Westport at Carters Beach, at the Top10 campground across from a beautiful long sandy beach. Patti is in heaven!
Ross to Punakaika (Feb 4) 123 km
Pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/TReGd7ZsoFEQ1t6b8
Once again, another hot and sunny day. We had an easy 25 km cycle to Hokitaka where we were delayed by the beauty of this little seaside town. After Patti fell into a wild rosebush, she had to go for a swim in the ocean to clean herself up. Then we decided to have lunch overlooking the beach. We kept saying how we wished we had our kayaks with us – great surfing waves and beautiful sandy beaches. We decided to ride into the evening, less traffic and better riding temperature, we did another long day to Punakaika, arriving at 9:00 pm.
Lake Mapourika to Ross (Feb 3) 105 km
Pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/cGyFCNkqPv3yTRhV6
Another hot and sunny day, over 30 degrees. We cycled in the morning and stopped several times to soak ourselves in creeks, it is very very hot. We stopped for lunch at Whataroa, Patti remembered that she stayed with a family there 27 years ago, she asked the cashier at the general store if she knew them...fair enough, she told us exactly where they lived so we biked to their house and met with them. We chatted for an hour and got on the road late afternoon Pretty much flat, tale wind, we hammered the rest of the day and made it to Ross late in the evening. We stopped at the local tavern. Patti had a beer that knocked her down and decided to pitched the tent in the tavern backyard for $10.00.
Fox Glacier to Lake Mapourika (Feb 2) 40 km
Pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/3iHoubD9j8cyksku8
We decided to splurge and spend BIG money on...a helicopter ride. Since Patti had never flown in a helicopter, we thought that it would be a great way to visit the area and view the Fox and Franz Joseph Glaciers and Mount Cook . So here we are flying around, taking pictures and playing the role of rich tourists. We got on our bikes in the early afternoon and had to battle a few steep and long hills to make it to Franz Joseph. After stopping for lunch we cycled to Lake Mapourika, a DOC campground. This was the first water we have been in water where you can actually stay in longer than 2 minutes. It is a pretty little lake, with a mountain view. Other than the wildlife (possums) that kept us up all night, it was a perfect spot!
Nights Point to Fox Glacier (Feb 1st) 97 km
Pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/peMJqDF4mUszjtL78
Another hot day, the sun is burning, we had a tale wind all the way. It was surprisingly flat for the west coast. It was basically a riding day, where our main objective was to get from A to B without suffering from heat stroke. We stopped to cool off in creeks and rivers along the way, as well as wetting our t-shirts when ever we could.
Boundary Creek to Knights Point (Jan 31) 125 km
Pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/GJZYCAnZFD4fHgQ17
It is the day where we have to cross over to the west coast. Haast Pass is 564 m but the climb is gentle to get to the top. The fun began on the other side where the down hill is steep with sharp curves, another bike rush for speed lovers! The rest of the ride to Haast follows the river and it is fairly flat. Since we had the wind with us, lets make it to Haast and get a campsite there. SUPRISE, all the tent sites are taken, no room for us at the campsite, What to do? The evening is great, nice and sunny, a lot of day light left, we decided to keep on going and play it by ear. We made it to Knight Point where we stayed for the night at the DOC camp.
Wanaka to Boundary Creek (Jan 30) 54 km
Pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZYrYi31qduPmGCrcA
Patti's bike will not be ready before noon so we took the time to get groceries and wandered around town. It is now time to get on the road, it is 3 :00 pm, it is a nice and sunny day, lets see how far we can go. We made it to Boundary Creek around 8:00 pm. We had a great evening ride, not so hot and the traffic was not so bad, big buses were parked for the day. We set up the tent at the DOC campsite for the night.
Te Anau to Wanaka (Jan 29) 0 km
Pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/cxDAVPqYTSeuxizh9
We decided to take the bus back to Wanaka since we've already biked a section of that road. We hopped on the Topline bus company to Queenstown and on the Wanaka Connexion to Wanaka which saved us at least 3 to 4 days of riding. Patti took her bike to the shop, it needed a little bit of TLC (Repacked rear hub, new bearing and cones) We stayed at the campsite in town so it was easy for us to go to town by foot. We had supper with Charlotte and John, a Canadian couple we met at the Auckland Airport when we first arrived. It was a great relaxing “Made in Canada” evening.
Milford Sound to Te Anau (Jan 28) 0 km
Pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/XouS3P41TTSQhvo3A
It is time to ride back. We though about getting on a helicopter to Queenstown, at the price of $600.00 per person. The owner of the company told us to come back at 2:00 pm to see if there were seats available. We decided to ride “in town” and see if there was any people going back to Te Anau. I (Yves) spotted a pickup truck and asked if there was room to take us and our bikes with them. Lucky enough, we had a ride back to Te Anau. A great way to get back quick as we did not want to spend another 2 days, as well as ride up the hill to the tunnel. We meet Lucie and Richard Demers and decided to stay at the same campsite for the night, We had a ride in town with them and watched the semi-final of the Australia Tennis Open in the local bar.
Mackay Creek to Milford Sound (Jan 27) 70 km
Pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/DyCAX7UE4vyY7gD67
We got up early since we wanted to cycle before the hot sun for the hills. It turned out that it was kinda cold and overcast with a face wind. Despite the elements, we had a great ride and looked forward to the big climb before the tunnel. The tunnel, at an altitude of 900 meters, is a 2 km downhill that took us to another spectacular downhill on the other side toward Milford Sound. 14 km more of downhill, switch backs, stunning views of the mountains, so far, one of the best rides of the entire trip. We took a campsite at the Milford Sound Lodge and decided to take a 2 hours boat tour of the Milford Sound at 4:30 pm. The boat ride was so great, exploring the Sound, it is very impressive.
Manapouri to Mackay Creek (Jan 26) 80 km
Pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/zP7Gxb66ud7FLmKDA
We talked about renting kayaks, doing an overnight cruise, but everything was booked solid, no possibilities at this time. We decided to cycle to Te Anau, only 24 km and play it by ear once at Te Anau. We checked out few options, nothing really appealing, we had a bite to eat and at 5:00 pm we decided to keep on cycling toward Milford Sound. We cycled 54 km until 8 :00, a great evening ride, where we stopped at Mackay Creek and set the tent up for the night.
Riverton to Manapouri (Jan 25) 132 km
Pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/hdWmS2ErRxEKqNUt5
We left Riverton at 10:00 am, having in mind that we would make it to Tuatapere, a distance of 50 km. The day is fantastic, the wind is with us, here we are rolling to Tuatapere, stopping here and there along the way, playing tourist. It is 2:00 pm, we are entering Tuatapere. We stopped and had a bite (pizza and ice cream cone). The day is still great and Patti can't wait to get to Manapouri which is still and extra 82 km to go. We had a thought, lets check out the price to be transported to Manapouri instead of riding. The shuttle bus charges $40.00 per person, no way we said, lets ride it. So at 2:45 pm, after already riding 50 km, we are now going for an extra 82 km. The day is still fantastic, the wind is still with us and we know that there is only one big hill to climb, the rest being relatively flat...lets go for it!. The first 40 km was very fast since we draft each other every 10 km, we are going a good pace. My back is bugging me since yesterday so I am not in a perfect riding shape but I am keeping up with Patti...ouf! We stopped and had a water break after 40 km, Patti went and rinsed her shirt in the creek while I laid down and tried to stretch my back as good as I can. The next 40 km is a bit harder since we climb and climb gently, no way to get a good pace and hit that big hill that took us from 31 meter to 409 metres, it is hot, my back hurts and I am tired but I manage to keep a good pace and kept up with Patti. For the rest, it was a cake walk from then in since it was mostly down hill to Manapouri. Arriving at Manapouri, I got myself a good 1.5 L of Pepsi and Patti had a beer. We had supper (bread, peperoni, red pepper and cheese) outside on the picnic table and got a cabin at the Possum Holiday park ($50.00) and relaxed for the rest of the evening.
Invercargill to Riverton (Jan 24) 56 km
Pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/c9keYA5Swk8qNecq5
Very windy day, overcast and sunny, on the cold side. We basically rode head down to Riverton and stopped at the campsite after 40 km. The road is flat, not much to see. We arrived at Riverton around 2:00 pm. We stopped and had lunch at the café and decided to stay, the wind is too strong, it actually picked up after lunch time. We rode to the campsite and wanted to stay in a cabin for the night but the price was too high. The owner showed us around and she told Patti that when the weather is bad, people with tents sometimes sleep in the community room. Patti asked if we could stay there for the night and she accepted. We took our gear off the bikes, put then in the community hall and headed out for a ride to discover more Riverton.We rode along the ocean up to the cul-de-sac and then took a trail up the hills. Cross over a fence and ride for a while without knowing where we were going to head out. The trail took us down hill and we were actually riding in horse field. Found and exit, hop over the fence and rode toward the beach. The sand is hard pack so we got off the road and rode the beach up to the bridge. Went to the store, bought some food and head back to the campsite. We had a great day at Riverton, the “panier free' ride was great and we are hoping that the wind will die off for tomorrow.
Curio Bay to Bluff to Invercargill (Jan 23) 135 km
Pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/yN57rCD6iLurSHem6
We rode with Alex who happened to find my Velcro strap on the road and was fast enough to catch up with us on the road and gave it back. We started the day on back gravel road, up and down and by a lake. Once on the paved road, Alex took the initiative to lead the pack and draft us a long way, long enough to cover more than 60km before 1:00 pm. We stopped at a restaurant for a meat pie and took different roads at the Invercargill intersection. We kept on going to Bluff, Alex to Invercargill. We arrived at Bluff pretty tired, late afternoon and went at the end of the road of the south island. Took a few picture and went for fish and chips. Bluff is not a pretty, friendly, touristy place to stay. After eating and re-energized, we decided not to stay at Bluff and cycled an extra 30 km to Invercargill, it is a nice evening, tale wind, lets go to Invercargill. We arrived in Invercargill at 6:30 pm, went for an ice cream, got a campsite. It was our longest day and we were pretty much tired.
Owaka to Curio Bay (Jan 21-22) 80 km
Pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/28cuYwxsN3GuViVC6
What a great riding day! We were able to ride on back roads with very little traffic for the first part of the day. The skies cleared up by late morning and we had glorious blue sky for the better part of the day. We cycled with Alex, a 20 year old racer from Melbourne. Both Patti and I worked a little harder than our usual. I call it a “losing weight day”. As we climbed Florence Hill, the coastal beaches came into view through the clouds – very cool! Followed by a fabulous downhill, we were now on paved road. Our timing was perfect to make a stop at Cathedral Caves at low tide where Patti was in heaven walking barefoot in the sand and playing in the waves. The last hour, the weather turned ugly as we made our way to Curio Bay. We were greeted by another impressive beach view with Hector Dolphins surfing the waves. The evening was spent watching a few yellow-eyed penguins return from the ocean to their nests. There were only 7 pairs on the beach, and we were able to see 3 of them. We decided to stay another day to just hang out on the beach, and take in the wild life and the surf. Patti got up early to wander the beach while I had a well needed rest.
Kaitangata to Owaka (Jan 20) 52 km
Pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/1EazFsKc6HEGnpVU9
We are still tired of yesterday's ride, the sky is grey, the wind is picking up, not too sure where we are going to ride today. Looking at the map, we decided to go to Kaka Point (We learned later on that Kaka means “shit”...what a name for a place!) We stopped at the local restaurant and check out the map. Nugget Point would be great place to visit but the wind is against us and it is a 14 km there and back before getting back on the main road, lots of steep hills, not too sure if we want to do it. The rain and the wind are now picking up...should I stay or should I go...! We started to think about hitching a ride to go to Nugget point instead of biking. Lyn, who works at the restaurant is informing us about what's there to see and do so on...! We than talked about not going to Nugget Point but because of the wind. She told us “...My shift finishes at 14:00 pm, I can drive you up there if you want...” This is an offer that we can not refuse so we waited until the end of her shift, hopped in her car and off we went to Nugget Point. On the way back, we had a tour of Kaka Point, Lyn drove us around and talked about her little living place. Back to the restaurant, it was a short peddle to Owaka where we found a nice room at the Catlins Coast YHA Hostel.
Brighton to Kaitangata (Jan 19) 81 km
Pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/iNdbY6WmnCNJJCeM9
A great gravel road (good conditions) that follows the ocean. Lots of hills, steep hills but great view along the coast. The road goes inland on Gully Road to get around the river (big down hill just before the bridge) and flattens out all the way back to the coast. The last 4 km before Kaitangata is paved and it is down hill...a great way to finish the day.
Dunedin to Brighton (Jan 18) 28 km
Pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/BKPBm8M126KrzUFo6
Sunny but a lot of wind...tale wind...yeah! Before leaving Dunedin, we had one more stop to do, we visited the Cadbury Chocolate Factory. 10:00 am, we are inline to do the factory tour. Since the factory re-opened after being closed for a month, there was not lot of live action in there. We did see the “making of” the Easter Bunny though! We tasted different chocolate bars and candies, etc. Over all, an OK tour...not much to say about it. After being full of sugar and chocolate, we had to go to the food market after and got ourselves a big jug of milk. We are now on the road...almost since Patti spotted a homemade meat pie restaurant, we stopped and had lunch. We are now on he road...almost...I spotted a yard sale sign and stopped at a community centre to check out the items, nothing we needed but it was fun to check if there was a good deal, we also chatted with the locals. It is now 2:00 pm, I think we are ready to roll...not yet. We stopped at St-Clair beach and enjoyed the view. Are we there yet? Now we are ready to go...really? Not before climbing a huge hill because the road detour off a cliff to get around and plunges back to the seashore, maximum speed, 81,5 km/h...what a ride. We made it to Brighton, a short 28 km where we stopped at the caravan park. The tent sites “sucks” so we decided to take a cabin for $60.00. Patti went and roamed the beach for the rest of the day, I stayed at the cabin for a rest.
