Back on Bikes - at last

“Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live” was was the advice given by the immortal Mark Twain (d.1910). We took his advice and hired a couple of mountain bikes today to explore the tracks around Wanaka.

Yesterday had been largely taken up with trying to organise our final couple of weeks in NZ. Surprisingly few of the Great Walks end up where they start and it's quite difficult to co-ordinate transport and accommodation.

Anyway, back to today, We had chosen a route that started off skirting Lake Wanaka, before heading eastwards along the bank of one of the rivers flowing out of it. 

Lake Wanaka

The trail, I am sure, was described in the DOC guide as 'family friendly'. I can only assume that the average family in New Zealand is a lot tougher (and braver) than its UK counterpart.

Last night a storm sprang up from nowhere and threatened to blow our tent away. The weather had been so calm since we arrived that we hadn't bothered to peg out the guylines. It was no joke having to do so in the pitch dark and in the teeth of a howling gale and driving rain. During the night the wind died away but, periodically, we would hear a squall approaching, seemingly from miles away, When it reached us, there was about 30 seconds of uproar and thrashing tent fabric, followed by another eerie calm. After a rather disturbed night, we awoke this morning to bright sunshine and a tent that was still standing. It might all have been a dream except for the twigs and small branches scattered around the campsite, and the fresh snow on the surrounding hills. We had been told that it is the Southerlies down here that bring the storms and cold weather. I guess that this must have been one of them.

It was good to be back on bikes today though we both felt a bit rusty. The track we were on can best be described as a Camel Trail with attitude. There were wonderful views of the implausibly blue-but-crystal-clear waters of the River Clutha but these were sometimes 100 feet below us, over the edge of a precipitous and unfenced drop. 

Overlooking the River Clutha

Likewise, the gentle backdrop of North Cornwall had been replaced by jagged snow-capped peaks. It really was quite stunning, though requiring a certain amount of concentration. The track itself was also very varied, at times being very narrow and weaving between trees, elsewhere crossing quite bleak grasslands. Once we had left the immediate environs of Wanaka, we hardly saw another soul, something that we are starting to get used to over here.

Maggie trying not to notice the big drop on her left

We had to return the bikes to the hire shop by 6 pm so, having reached our planned finishing point, we decided to take the main road back to Wanaka to save some time. The cold wind had freshened in anticipation of our return and meant that we needed to pedal hard even when going downhill. To celebrate getting the bikes back on time we treated ourselves to a couple of Danish's and ate them back at the tent, accompanied by steaming mugs of tea. The sun was shining and we were able to sit outside, but not for long as the wind was cold.