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Monday 16th September

By admin on Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Today we drove over takaka hill. A big climb that proved challenging for poor juicy, she was threatening to over heat on the way up, making funny gurgling sounds. Poor thing we’ve traveled over 4 thousand kms over mountains and she’s not missed a beat. We pulled over at a look out spot to let her cool off and have a spot of lunch.

At the top of the pass we did a short walk looking over wainui bay. Local legend has it that a lizard like creature who devoured men and snaring women. He captured a local woman who was too cleaver for him, she lulled him to sleep and escaped from his cave. The people of the town set a trap and set him on fire at the top of takaka hill. He tried frantically to dig his way home but was consumed by flames. He’s charred scales turned to stone,and was strewn around the hills.

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Sunday 15th September

By admin on Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Hurrah we wake up to sunshine. Not great overcast and threatening to rain later but we will take what we can.

Having breakfast in the camp kitchen we were joined by a young married couple, she was from New Zealand and he was French so I had to ask since they’re both big wine producing countries what wine was the best. He gave us a bottle of his favourite wine. It’s from Australia!. Have to say it was quite nice when we had it with our meal that night.

We drove to Shenandonah waterfalls a lovely little spot in the mountains where we camped out the night.

I love wilderness camping you get the best views and a quiet nights sleep. For our dinner of curry and rice we were joined by a family of weka a native flightless bird it’s number is in decline and is currently classified as vulnerable species. Your not supposed to feed the wild life but they asked so nicely and joined us again for our breakfast of cornflakes.

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Saturday 14th September

By admin on Saturday, September 14, 2019

The weather is still not great today rain rain and more rain. We drove the Arthur’s pass road,the highest highway across the southern Alps. It climbs steeply rising over 3000 ft through dramatic scenery, forests, mountain passes. The tiny village of Arthur’s pass lays in a valley 3 miles from the summit, originally a campers site for the contractors mainly tunnel workers for the 5 mile rail tunnel. It took 10 years for the 2 ends to meet and another 5 years before the first train to travel through it.

Highlights of the day today was stopping for a cup of tea in a old stage coach a quirky old place voted New Zealand’s most interesting hotel. It’s been serving the Wild West 1865.

The natural highlight today was a large limestone rock formation at castle hill. Eerie and impressive almost spiritual.

We are now camped out in a mountain pass that closes over night so should be a very quiet night.

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Friday 13th September

By admin on Friday, September 13, 2019

Friday the 13th and a full moon! What could go wrong? Torrential rain all day. No sightseeing as we couldn’t see our noses in front of our faces. We didn’t venture out of the camper to take photos, photos of what? We couldn’t see any thing! The road was twisting around the mountain following the west coast.and we decided to stay in a campsite as the wind was blowing the sea right up. Better safe than sorry.

We are in a sea side town called graymouth not much here, so a brief look round then check in. We are the only tourists here so made the most of the facilities. Hot tub followed by cooking in the kitchen and lounging around in the tv room. I’ve had worst days.

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Thursday 12th September

By admin on Thursday, September 12, 2019

Today didn’t start to well. We only stay on commercial campsites when we need to. Catching up with washing, using showers and wi fi. Wi fi over here is a luxury, normally we can use McDonald’s or libraries even shops but here it’s rare. We prefer to as they call it here wilderness camp. Yesterday was a day that we stayed in a site. Did the laundry and connected to wi fi.

Good job we did. In the middle of our night some scumbag in the USA decided to wipe out our bank account. It’s a good job we only keep a couple of hundred pounds in it at a time. As I was connected to wi fi the app informed me of the transactions and I could freeze the account straight away. The bank was brilliant and a new card has been issued. I can pick it up from a friend in Australia. And after a brief chat to the investigation team hopefully I should be reimbursed lost funds. Nightmare.

Apart from that we are both healthy and living the dream. Small set backs. we spent the day driving along the west coast.the west coast climate is wet and we experienced heavy rain for the first time in months. We both said that today we are glad we’re not cycling.

The landscape around us is dramatic. Rugged mountains, lush rainforest, waterfalls and rushing rivers.

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Wednesday 11th September

By admin on Wednesday, September 11, 2019

We are in Wanaka.

A major holiday spot popular in the summer for water sport as it is located on the southern end of Lake Hawea,1,345ft deep. And in winter good for snow boarding and skiing. As it is located close to the mount aspiring national park.

To get there we took the Lindis pass used by early Maori and then later in 1858 used by the first European John McLean to settle in the area to establish a massive sheep holding station holding up to 1,500 sheep. We got stuck in rush hour.

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Tuesday 10th September

By admin on Wednesday, September 11, 2019

We are headed today to Twizel on the recommendation from Dave the guy we met on Baldwin street. He said the colour of the lakes were turquoise and it would be the best view of mount cook. He wasn’t wrong.

Twizel is a new town built 1969 as a construction town for the upper hydro-electric development scheme. The power from the hydro-electric station provides one third of New Zealand’s electricity. Once the hydro scheme had been completed the town was retained by local people who exploited its proximity to excellent fishing lakes and mount cook only 37 miles away.

We had a lovely campsite one lake ohao popular for swimming but it was way to cold for us to try it out. Instead we went for a evening walk to enjoy the natural beauty.

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Monday 9th September

By admin on Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Traveling further into the mountains we visited the alpine town of Queenstown established in the 1860’s gold rush. It backs onto the remarkables mountain range and has enjoyed a boom in tourism now being a leading international resort for adventure sports. Next stop 13 miles from queenstown was Arrowtown a picturesque preserved gold-mining town.

It’s Main Street still has its old colonial shops and buildings at one end and tiny miners cottages dating to the 1860’s the other.

Our journey continued over Kawarau river next to the suspension bridge where the worlds first bungy jump took place 1988. The bridge was built 1881 provided a permanent means to cross the river replacing the punt.

We camped up tonight at the side of lake dunstan another stunning location and we had the place to ourselves.

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Sunday 8th September

By admin on Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Moving away from the coast and heading into the mountains, spectacular scenery all around us. We stop at a small town in the Garston district, to buy some local hunny. The valley in which Garston lies is flanked by the eyre mountains to the west and the slate range and hector mountains to the east.

The Garston district was established in 1858 made up of two sheep stations-Glenquoich and greendale. Garston is the most inland village in New Zealand.

Next stop for lunch a old train station Kingston, cool place with old trains ripe for restoration just laying around.

We are camping along side lake Wakatipu tonight. A glacier lake, local legend has it that the lake was formed by the imprint of a sleeping demon burnt to death by the lover of a beautiful Maori girl captured by the demon. His heart did not perish and is still beating making the water level rise and fall 7cm every 5 minutes.

We spent the afternoon balancing stones.pebble skimming and watching the sun set whilst drinking tea.

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Saturday 7th September

By admin on Saturday, September 7, 2019

I am a spoiled brat. I am so lucky to be able to do this trip. I wake up in the most fantastic locations with the best scenery in the world to see. Yesterday I was cruising on a luxury boat down Milford sound. So why when my lovely husband asked me if I was ok as I was a bit quiet couldn’t I smile and say I’m fine.

The fact is I’m missing my bike, yes sad I know. But I love cycle touring. You see the world differently and people talk to you actually interested in you and your journey. At the moment we are just another tourist in a camper van nobody’s.

So I told Mike how I was feeling sounding like a ungrateful kid dragged on holiday. Feeling guilty as he was doing all the driving so ungrateful of me.

To my relief he feels the same, so today we stayed put, hired two mountain bikes and went for a cycle. It felt great. The wind whistling past my ears, my heart beating fast to keep up the demand,my body was asking for oxygen to my muscles. I felt alive I think my smile said it all.

The Route we took was a trail between two lakes following a river. It was great listening to the birds and seeing the wild life.

We started at lake Te Anau and followed the river Waiau. the largest river in the Southland region, and doubles as the river anduin in the first film in the lord of the rings trilogy.

And onto lake Manapouri whose shoreline covers 55 square miles. Manapouri power station takes advantage of the difference in height between the mountains here and channels the water into 7 generators in a underground room carved out of solid granite 700 ft under the mountain.

We returned the same way stopping for a picnic lunch

We had a great day and cycled 25 miles on gravel track enjoying all it had to offer. We’ve got juicy Lucy for another two weeks then the cycling begins.