Miles ridden 83 (134 km), elevation 3700. Our ride yesterday was long and lots of fun. It finally stopped raining and for the most part the winds stopped blowing. Let's ride!
Our route was from Hokitika to Franz Josef. The first part of the ride was primarily along the coast. We crossed several one way bridges across tributary rivers. These bridges are only single lanes and so everyone has to take turns, honoring the right of way signs. One of them was very long and had pull outs in a few spots for slower vehicles, like bicycles.
Margaret and I rode with our new German friend Henry for the greater part of the day and the three of us were the only ones out of the group do do the full ride. And we are the three oldest riders on the tour, with me being the senior!
First stop - Ross. A small former gold mining town. Gold was discovered here in this area in 1859 but now the main economy is based primarily on coal, timber and tourism.
Watch out not to get in trouble in Ross, you could lose your head!
We rode through some magnificent forests lined with oceans of ferns - they were so lush and tall. The terrain was challenging, with lots of up and down rolling hills. The scenery was so spectacular the miles just clicked by.
We stopped for lunch in the small town of Hari Hari, and Peddle Tours had a wonderful picnic laid out for us. LOVED the avocados 🥑.
Our day continued with sweeping vistas, snow covered mountain and even back into the forest. Our last stop was Whataroa - mile 67. This was a decision point, take the van in or continue until the end. With a climb over Mt. Hercules looming ahead and encouragement from a few other riders, Margaret and I joined the "A" group and we all rode together into Franz Josef.
What a fun and beautiful ride. I would have really missed out on a grand experience if I decided not to do the full ride. The climb included a few 9-11% grades, but 6 percenters were the norm. What was really fun was the downhill on the other side. 👍 🚴
Today is a rest day and we have plans to do our laundry, go on a walk to the glacier and then sit in the healing hot springs. Perfect!
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