Haast to Franz Josef

25/04/08: 69km, climb: 529m, Haast - Paringa Lake DOC

26/04/08: 37km, Paringa Lake - Jacobs River

27/04/08: 35km, Jacobs River - Fox Glacier
28/04/08: 25km (+20km), climb: 668m, Fox Glacier - Franz Josef



We set off around 2pm from Haast after waiting for the shop to open. It turned out to be a much better shop than the "supermarket" we had looked at the day before. We even found a led lamp that will revolutionise our camping lifestyle. We had previously only had one inadequate head torch and a bike light to provide illumination in the evenings, which meant we ended up sleeping from 6:30pm when it gets dark until 8am when it gets light and warm again, life has been tough.

We arrived at Lake Paringa just as it was getting dark. It was a nice cycle up the coast, not always by the sea but through jungly forest when not. In the morning it was beautiful waking up by the shore of the jungle clad lake. We could even pretend we were on our own if we did not look behind us at the sea of campervans. We had a late start and only made it as far as Jacobs River 37km further. We passed a deserted motel type complex with a camp site, the sun was shining, we felt like stopping, so we did. It turned out a great spot to spend the night because we had the place to ourselves, including the nice amenities. We sat in the cosy kitchen enjoying the heater and TV and after watching the New Zealand news we did not feel so bad about not much stuff happening in our lifes as not much seems to happen here countrywide.

We set the alarm for 7:00am determined to get on the road by 9:00am for a change. The next morning, 9:04am, we had just finished our cup of coffee/tea, and were outside loading the bags onto the bikes when it started raining. Then it took us 20 minutes to fish out our waterproofs and make ourselves watertight and mentally prepared. It was a drizzly morning cycling to Fox Glacier (the town not actually the Glacier, these people are stupid) and we checked into a backpackers. Nice to have a roof over our head, especially as it did not look like the weather was getting any better.

In the morning it was still raining but luckily we had gained sponsorship from the local supermarket to provide us with the latest in waterproof footware. "On the spot" we love them, cheap prices, good quality and ok pies, and it is only because of them that we still set off to go to visit Fox Glacier (the Glacier). It was a short 5km cycle to get there and thankfully it had stopped raining by the time we did. The Glacier was very nice (I do not know if nice is the right word to actually describe a glacier, but it was definitely impressive). Apparently you get good views to Mount Cook, we did not as it was cloudy. It was worth the trip anyway as it cleared up a little by the time we left and we headed out of there just as all the big tourist buses arrived.

We picked up our luggage from the backpackers and cycled the 23 hilly kilometers to Franz Josef. It was a nice cycle over three hills. The weather was much better and we checked into a campsite, which is located at the edge of the jungle and the tent sites are set in the jungle. We put up the tent and then went to visit our second Glacier for the day, Franz Josef. Named after the great Austrian Emperor, or the Austrian Emperor, Franz Josef. It started raining again that evening and during the night it was pouring. We managed to squeeze a dip in the spa and a wee sweat in the sauna too that day. By morning there was thunder and lighning and we decided not to move and did not for the whole day apart from a trip to the supermarket so we could have some cookies to eat while lying in the tent listening to it bravely fighting back buckets of water.




Lake Paringa


kiki going native

jungle shortcut

"On the Spot" official sponsoring shot

Eventually a Danger warning has been brought out against Bea. Do you think that can stop her?

Fox



The road between Fox and Franz




Franz and Bea

Queenstown to Haast

20/04/08: 82km, climb: 1131m, Queenstown - Wananka, Crown Range
21/04/08: 50km, climb: 762m, Wanaka - Boundary Creek DOC
22/04/08: 25km, Boundary Creek DOC - Cameron Flat DOC
23/04/08: 24km, Cameron Flat - Pleasant Flat DOC
24/04/08: 47km, Pleasant Flat DOC - Haast

We had had a nice days rest in Queenstown and spent the evening with our Ginger Tom relaxing to the sound of The Flaming Assholes. After our two nights in a bed we were looking forward to get back on the road and to our tent. In the end we did not sleep in our tent but it was still nice to get moving again.

We left Queenstown and cycled to Arrowtown where we were delayed by a fine pie. We were headed in the direction of Wanaka over the Crown Range (the highest highway in NZ apparently). We had decided to take it very easy and split the 80km into two days and camp along the way somewhere, but when we got to the top just after lunchtime we decided to just go the rest of the way (40km downhill) to Wanaka. It was a very nice road to cycle, pretty steep at parts but it did not last for too long so we survived. The views were stunning and the weather was good. There were a few small patches of snow at the top but luckily none on the road. Cycling downhill was freezing as the sun was behind the hills by then and the wind was very chilly. We stopped a few times to put on more clothes. By the time we reached Wanaka we were so cold we decided to get a room in a hostel.

It was another beautiful morning so we were in no hurry to get moving. We went for a hot chocolate and nipped into Puzzle World where we ran around the maze and ate a pie. When we eventually got on our way around 1pm there was a very strong head wind, which made cycling extremelly difficult. Any downhill was turned into an uphill and the uphill into.. well you can imagine. That day's 50km was probably the hardest cycling we have done so far and there were not even any big hills. It was still very pretty and in hindsight we should have just stopped and camped somewhere earlier. We kept going and passed through some beautiful windswept landscape. At last we did arrive at a very nice camping spot on the shore of lake Wanaka which was nicely sheltered from the wind.

We took it very easy the next three days too Hast, bumbling from campsite to campsite, not wanting to miss out on the beautiful weather and nature. We bumped into a couple of cyclist who we had met in Laos and spent a while chatting by the side of the road slagging off the big white monsters (mobile homes) and disscussing techniques against condensation and sandflies.

We arrived in Haast keen for a hot shower and very low on fuel and supplies. Now Haast is a town that would benefit from a wider gene pool. We spent half a day looking for gas canisters for our cooker and wondering how people survive on the food the shop sell. At least it gave us time to explore Haast Beach, which made the delay worthwhile.

view from the top of the Crown Saddle

spot Bea

lunching on the top

yippie

moonrise

every town should have one

fully loaded

doing like the Romans do

Lake Hawea

Cameron Flat DOC campsite

condensation, the force of evil

bumping into some cyclists we met in Laos

farmer ploughing field

early morning at Pleasant Flat DOC campsite

sleepingbagtree, native of NZ

waterfall 'Roaring Billy'

the first breakdown in 6500km

Haast Beach

Cromwell to Glenorchy to Queenstown

16/04/08: 73km, climb: 825m, Cromwell to Twelve Mile Delta DOC camp
17/04/08: 47km, climb: 719m, Twelve Mile Delta to Glenorchy and back to a beach on Wakatipu
18/04/08: 38km, climb: will be updated next time, that beach to Queenstown

We were keen to leave the Holiday Park in Cromwell, but we got stuck on the internet so did not get away until after 11am. We decided it would be the last time we would stay in a Holiday Park, not that it was so terribe just rather strange.

The days cycling started with a few stops at some orchard shops where we stocked up on fruit and vegetables and of course we could not turn down the real fruit ice cream either. Then we continued up the lovely Kawarau Gorge lined with gold digging places along the thundering river down below. The sun was shining and it was pretty hot, we were feeling tired and the road kept going up and down. We considered just stopping there and spending the rest of the day swimming or dodging jet boats but we resisted and continued on our way. We picked some apples from a tree by the side of the road, which we made a lovely compot with a few days later.

We stopped at Kawarau Bridge to fill up our water bottles and and watched some people bungy jump. Then we passed through hills lined with vinyards, though it was safer admire them from a distance as we might not have made it much further otherwise. In Queenstown we stopped for a 5 minute supermarket challenge and then continued through town in the direction of Glenorchy at dusk. We arrived at the Twelve Mile Delta campsite 10km out of Queenstown just as it was getting dark but the moon was almost full so we had enough light to put up the tent, make dinner and sample another New Zealand bottle of Pinot Noir.

A DOC official woke us up in the morning because we had not paid our camp fees in the Honesty Box (we thought). But he seemed to be less concerned with the camp fees than with the fact that we were 'a far way from the toilet', checking we had not made a mess on the beach. The only mess he found was some pumpkin seeds that Bea had left out for the birds to eat, which he was not too happy about. So we packed up our pumpkin seeds and set off towards Glenorchy.

A bit weird it being called Glenorchy. There does not even appear to be a Glen called Orchy there. The morning started cloudy and we thought it might rain, but by midday the sun had come out again. We were aiming to get to Kinloch 26km past Glenorchy but had not covered much distance by lunchtime as the road was very hilly. It was following the shore of the Wakatipu Lake but unfortuanatly the road was not as level as the water. Before we arrived in Glenorchy we passed lots of nice spots to camp by the lake so we decided we would just turn round in Glenorchy and come back to camp early and have a swim rather than continue onwards until dark again.

There were some impressive looking mountains behind the town, Mount Chaos being our favourite. Lots of unwashed trampers walked around the place looking for a bus out of there. We used the fine public toilets, bought an overpriced lemon and then went back to our camping spot to have a swim. It was another lovely spot on the Wakatipu. During the night it became a bit stormy and in the morning there was snow on the hills all around us. We decided not to get out of the tent until it stopped raining, unfortuanatly it stopped pretty early so we got up and cycled back to Queenstown where we checked into a hostel for a change. First night after twelve that we will not be sleeping in our tent.

soup eating is serious business

Lake Wakatipu

a random bungy jumper

New Zealand, a country of dangerous criminal vandals

Lake Wakatipu

Have we mentioned roadkill yet? There is so much of it here, at least every 100 meters, must be a hobby around here. And it really smells bad when it starts raining...

still Lake Wakatipu



hello

hello hello

hello

the hilly lakeside road