Lake Tekapo to Mount Cook

10/04/08: 45km, Lake Tekapo - bottom of Lake Pukaki
11/04/08: 62km, bottom of Lake Pukaki to Mount Cook
12/04/08: 20km around Mount Cook

We had a late start from Tekapo. It was a beautiful morning and it was so nice by the lake we were in no hurry to get moving. We had a look at the little church and ate some pies, not very good ones if I remember correctly. We left around midday and made it a short day on the bikes. We followed a canal going from Lake Tekapo all the way to Lake Pukaki. The landscape was very barren but nice. There were hardly any cars on the road, only four passed us in the first hour. We soon had stunning views of Mount Cook and then to top it all we passed the worlds highest salmon farm. How exciting!

In the afternoon we decided to call it a day to squeeze in a swim while it was still hot, so we camped on a rocky secluded beach at the end of Lake Pukaki, where we had a view straight across the lake and valley to Mount Cook in the distance. It was a clear night and the stars were amazing. How romantic. We saw lots of shooting stars, although after a while you tire of them and just watch the stars that don't move. It was freezing.

The next day we cycled on to Mount Cook Village, following the other side of lake Pukaki most of the way. It was a bit cloudy in the morning so apart from at sunrise we were denied views of the mountains. Apparently we passed the site of Middle Earth's greatest battle. There is not much to Mount Cook Village (not even a shop) but it is surrounded by snow caped mountains with glaciers reaching far down. We spent the afternoon having a shower at the public shelter then going to the campsite and soaking up the mountain atmosphere.

We started fairly early the next day which was very tough. There was frost on our tent, it was literally freezing. We packed up our tent as we had been told that there where Keas (some sort of rubber, foam and nylon loving parrot) around that would eat our tent and destroy our bikes if we left them standing around. We left our belongings in the public shelter and went for a walk up the Hooker Valley to the Hooker Glacier. It was a very nice walk and by the time we got to the lake in front of the glacier we were on our own. As it was nice and sunny and warm now we went for a quick dip.

In the afternoon we went for a wee cycle and walk up the Tasman Valley to get a view of the Tasman glacier (the biggest glacier in New Zealand). The glacier itself was not very pretty but the lake was nice with huge chunks of ice floating in it and the mountains in the background. We went to the pub in the evening to meet up with another cyclist, so later on we had to put up our tent in the dark, having trouble navigating our way through the pitch black camp site. At least the pints we had meant we did not notice how cold it was. During the night we woke up a few times to the sound of avalanches and crackling ice from the mountains.

Lake Tekapo

cycling along the canal





going for a bath...

... and a shave in Lake Pukaki








Hooker Valley




at the campsite

valley of the battle of middle earth

Tasman Glacier Lake

Christchurch to Tekapo

06/4/08: 90km, Christchurch - Rakaia Gorge
07/4/08: 71km, Rakaia Gorge - Arundel picnic area
08/4/08: 43km, Arundel Picnic Area - Skipton Bridge, Opuha River (between Geraldine and Fairley)
09/4/08: 65km, climb 820m, Skipton Bridge - Tekapo

Due to our wild night out in Christchurch we did not leave until around 11am and we were then delayed and weighed down by a trip to the supermarket, so it was more like 1pm when we actually got out of the thriving metropolis. The road was fairly boring, straight and flat (slight uphill) through farmland. It was pretty tough to cycle with the extra weight and having had a two week break. We were wanted to get to Rakaia Gorge before it got dark as we did not fancy putting the tent up for the first time in the dark inside out and upside down. Just before 6pm and just before we got there and just before it got dark it started raining. So after a quick break to put on our waterproofs and plastic bags we arrived. We put up our tent in the campsite in the rain just as it was getting dark. Our tent is beautiful and luckily dead easy to put up. We cooked, showered, slept not in that order.

It was still raining in the morning so we packed up our soggy beautiful tent and set off. The scenery reminded us of Scotland and the drizzle all morning was definitely Scottish. Thankfully it had stopped by lunchtime but the sunshine did not make it out for the rest of the day. We were headed for somewhere around Geraldine that day, and had thought to go to one of the DOC campsites around Peel Forest. 16km before Geraldine and the turn off for Peel Forest we came across a very nice picnic area with toilet, a big tree and picnic benches next to the Rangitata river, where we decided to camp. It was as good as a campsite but much cheaper and it was getting dark already anyway.

We had planned to cycle about 90km the next day, but we were delayed by a supermarket in Geraldine, and the big lunch we bought from there. So by 1.30pm we had only cycled 16km. From Geraldine the landscape became much more interesting (hilly) and pretty, and the sun had made its way through the clouds at last. Despite the good conditions the cycling was hard going as we had stocked up on extra rations in the supermarket and were feeling pretty lazy after a big lunch. At around 3.30pm we came to the Opuha river and a gravel road following the river down stream. We had enough for the day, stopped and camped in that beautiful spot. The sun was shining so it was warm enough to go for a wash in the river. We hope not to have shocked any distant passing cars.


It was a beautiful morning the next day, and there was steam rising from the river, Bea was so happy she danced clockwise round the tent. We were aiming for Lake Tekapo and we actually made it there as planned for a change. The scenery was gorgeous, and we had a few wee hills to get over. We stopped at a cafe on the top of a hill with beautiful views over the Scottish landscape. The owner used to live in Scotland, she said she had spent a few years in London but had got homesick so moved to Scotland where it was much better, then i guess she moved here where it was much better still. In Fairley we were delayed by a cafe offering free internet, so we spent two hours there. Straight after the town the road went up hill to until about 700m over the Burke's Pass, the landscape was very dramatic. It levelled out at the top and it was a nice ride on to Lake Tekapo. It was just about to get dark, catching glimpses of the setting sun over the lake. We wanted to go and use the hot pools so we decided to camp at the youth hostel. Nice location next to the lake, it would have been nice camping wild but the thought of a hot shower in the morning won us over. The hot pools were a perfect relaxing end to the day, soaking our tired limbs in different temperature pools while looking at the stars and listening to the underwater aliens.


good morning kiki, liking the tent?

the only other roadusers apart from farmers seem to be campervans

sheep sheep sheep sheep sheep sheep sheep

looking for camping spots

clockwise it is

tartaniamania

roadside lunch after Burke's Pass

Lake Tekapo

YHA campsite Lake Tekapo

NEW ZEALAND starts here! Christchurch

We arrived in Christchurch and found it was slightly colder than Singapore. We were staying with a very kind local who taught us how to behave in the strange land. We spent most of our time getting organised (shopping for full merino bodies - pants, socks, hats and stripy propolys), cycling out to Sumner admiring the surfing and kite surfing and being taken on a big day out to the Banks Penninsula. We witnessed just one Saturday night out in the wild town, sampling pies, local ales and the best margeritas ever. We set off on Sunday (6th April) totally overloaded with all our camping equipment and kilos of merino excited about the future.

Mike's house, reassembling the bikes

on the way to Sumner

but where is Mat's old house?

where papa was conceived

Okaines Bay, Banks Penninsula

Akaroa

whaleblubber

riding the corgies in town

ready to go? last minute directions

Melbourne

We had a quick stopover in Melbourne over the weekend where we visited friends. It was jolly good fun.



Bea winning a drinking bottle from Boost






what's he saying to you, Trent?

Singapore

We had a lovely time in Singapore although we were not too taken with the place, being a clinically clean ordered place centred around business and shopping, but we guess it is not really fair to say that as we did not see very much of the city, staying with a family friend of Bea's instead, enjoying much sitting around reading on the sofa, eating lovely home cooked meals, playing with a very naughty dog and occasionally taking a dip in the pool with the children.