Saturday , February 4th - Franz Josef to Lake Moeraki

Rain, RIDE! Ride in the rain! Two and 1/4 Sisters ridden. NEW! Photos added!

 

Today we awoke to rain and by the time breakfast was over it pretty much was raining even harder. The ride started with the "three sisters," a series of three challenging mountains. Because of the rain we decided to catch a lift to the first rest stop at Fox Glacier and ride from there. 

However, three quarters of the way up the first "sister" the rain had lessened and so Margaret and I decided to give the rest of the sisters a go. There were lots of turns and challenging climbs  - 11-15% and up and up the second climb we went and then it began to rain and continued all the way down and up the third mountain. 

So on went the rain jacket but the higher we went the warmer I got. So off came the jacket and then, before I even expected it came the downhill and MORE rain! I did stop to put back on my jacket, but by then it was counterproductive. ALL the way to the town of Fox Glacier it rained. Pretty much I was soaked through, except for my feet and my backside..Yes, the shoe covers and waterproof shorts worked even though Margaret said I looked like a dweeb. But my butt was dry!

 

Leaving Fox Glacier we were treated to sunshine and lovely gently rolling hills. Soon the honeymoon was over and it began to sprinkle again and from then for the next 50k on it just dripped, rained and was just generally wet. So on we rode, forget the rain clothes, it just didn't matter any more. Now I get why this is called the rainforest- duh!

  

We stopped for a quick photo opportunity at Bruce Bay and continued on to the Salmon farm for lunch. At that point I decided that 75k of riding in the rain was enough for me and so I took a lift to our lovely Wilderness Lodge at Lake Moeraki. Margaret continued the ride and by the time she had arrived, I had offloaded our luggage, showered and was ready to start the laundry. 

The owner of the lodge took us on a tour of the surrounding area, when we met for the beginning of the tour, we spotted a Tui bird and I snapped this photo.

 

OUR TOUR GUIDE 

 

And then the tour...OMG - I know elves must live here. There are thousand year old trees and woods full of ferns. 

 

 

 

We also went down to the river to see the eels that live in the fresh water. They only grow and inch or two a year and some we saw are reported to be close to 90 years old. Kinda creepy, but cool. 

 

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Friday, February 3rd - Franz Josef Glacier & Rest Day

Today is our rest day and this morning we first did our laundry - how does one arm warmer disappear?

We then took a tour of Franz Josef Glacier. This sits in the panhandle of both Tasman Mountains and Mt. Cook. We are having lunch at a cafe with excellent Interet service so I'm posting early today. We may not have Internet service for the next few days. We plan on going to the hot springs in a bit and then perhaps a short nap. A well deserved rest day!

Now I'm just going to let the photos tell the story. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christopher and Ranger Rick, which one is the cardboard figure?

 

Where's Gail? Look in the lower right corner. 

 

 

AHHHH! Hot Springs!!!

 

Tuesday, January 31st - WINDY Slog to Arthur's Pass

UPDATED WITH PHOTOS!

We started our day in Springfield (home of the big pink donut). And the northwest winds were  were gusting at estimated speeds of 45-60 mph. They were primarily headwinds but also coming at us in many other directions as well. It was hard to anticipate when we would be hit with a side wind. A couple of times I was blown sideways and had to step off the bike onto the shoulder. It took a lot of concentration and upper body strength to stay on the road. I am grateful for all my core/ball class workouts. 

Margaret and I stopped at the first rest stop on the tour, about 12 hard fought km. Probably the toughest ride I had ever done - made Palm Springs look like a picnic!

 We already decided days earlier on our visit to Castle Hill not to attempt the full ride up the pass - very narrow and no shoulder. I did have a graceful dismount off my bike as a gust of wind blew me down as i swung my leg over. Lovely sprawl with my ego being the only thing bruised 

Four of our group continued on up Porter's Pass into the howling winds. Henry and Andrea made it 3/4 of the way before being picked and the other two, Joe and Toby impressed us all and made it all the way to the top. It was just too windy, too steep and way too narrow for me to feel like I could safely ride. 

 

Joe was the first one up!

 

Our guides, David and Uzi decided to load up the blkes and drive towards Arthur's pass and have us ride back to our picnic stop with the wind at our backs. Great idea and never mind those little 19% grades. 

Were were provided a beautiful picnic lunch in a sheltered hut and called it a day. Even though the distance ridden was short, we worked very hard collecting each mile and we were all proud of our efforts. 

 

 

The best news of the day was that we had sun and blue skies and dodged the rain. 

After checking in at the Arthur's Pass Wilderness lodge we did a bit of laundry and then went to tour the local sheep farm. Our guide was quite a character and his two dogs gathered up the sheep and herded them to us. 

 

Watch the video!

https://youtu.be/dxtV9ggdSIY

 

He explained how the Merino wool sheep are recognizable by their pink noses and provide the finest wool. 

 

He took us into the wool shed and explained the different grades of wool. They are also a preferred provider for Icebreaker clothing. 

Then he sheared a sheep with scissors - not a skill practiced much anymore. He did it quickly and efficiently and the sheep certainly did not seem to mind. Great tour!

 

 

 

Thursday, February 2nd - The BIG Ride! Hokitika to Franz Josef

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!

Thursday - February 2nd, BIG RIDE!

We had cloudy and cool weather today. Rode 134 km (83 miles) with 3,766 feet of climbing. Going to have a glass of wine. Will write tomorrow. Very poor Internet. 

Wednesday, February 1st - Wet and Wild!

Today began with rain and a promise of more throughput the day. This resulted in a van ride to the top of and down the other side of Arthur's Pass. This road was way to steep and dangerous to ride in the pouring rain. ☔️ According to our guide it is unusual to have rain at this time of year as the rainy season  normally ends in December. Lucky us. 🙁

At the bottom of the downhill part of the road washed out and was closed down to one lane. There was quite a queue to get through this area. However we were treated to views of numerous waterfalls

  

 

 

The decision was made to go north once we hit the coast, visit the village of Punakaiki and Pancake Rock blowholes and have a bit of lunch. We never would have seen these if not for the detour due to the rain. 

 

 

 

 

After lunch we rode the coastal route towards Hokitika and the rain stopped and we had sunny blue skies. - hooray!  For many miles it weather was pretty nice, but then the winds picked up again. It was not as bad as yesterday and we clocked about 57 km (about 35 miles). 

We arrived at 6:30 pm, rushed to get our bags, shower and get to dinner by 7:15. We had yet another delicious meal.

 

 It's now 10:30 and time to hit the rack, we have a pretty weak internet, but I will try to post a few pictures. If not stay tuned for later as I have an awesome video of the sheepdogs in action.

We should have good riding weather tomorrow on our way to Franze Joseph. The Internet might not be that great there either. 😕

Tuesday, January 31st - WINDY Slog to Arthur's Pass

Very slow Internet- will post photos tomorrow. 

We started our day in Springfield (home of the big pink donut). And the northwest winds were  were gusting at estimated speeds of 45-60 mph. They were primarily headwinds but also coming at us in many other directions as well. It was hard to anticipate when we would be hit with a side wind. A couple of times I was blown sideways and had to step off the bike onto the shoulder. It took a lot of concentration and upper body strength to stay on the road. I am grateful for all my core/ball class workouts. 

Margaret and I stopped at the first rest stop on the tour, about 12 hard fought km. Probably the toughest ride i had ever done - made Palm Springs look like a picnic!

 We already decided days earlier on our visit to Castle Hill not to attempt the full ride up the pass - very narrow and no shoulder. I did have a graceful dismount off my bike as a gust of wind blew me down as i swung my leg over. Lovely sprawl with my ego being the only thing bruised 

Four of our group continued on up Porter's Pass into the howling winds. Henry and Andrea made it 3/4 of the way before being picked and the other two, Joe and Toby impressed us all and made it all the way to the top. It was just too windy, too steep and way too narrow for me to feel like I could safely ride. 

Our guides, David and Uzi decided to load up the blkes and drive towards Arthur's pass and have us ride back to our picnic stop with the wind at our backs. Great idea and never mind those little 19% grades. 

Were were provided a beautiful picnic lunch in a sheltered hut and called it a day. Even though the distance ridden was short, we worked very hard collecting each mile and we were all proud of our efforts. 

The best news of the day was that we had sun and blue skies and dodged the rain. 

After checking in at the Arthur's Pass Wilderness lodge we did a bit of laundry and then went to tour the local sheep farm. Our guide was quite a character and his two dogs gathered up the sheep and herded them to us. 

He explained how the Merino wool sheep are recognizable by their pink noses and provide the finest wool. 

He took us into the wool shed and explained the different grades of wool. They are also a preferred provider for Icebreaker clothing. 

Then he sheared a sheep with scissors - not a skill practiced much anymore. He did it quickly and efficiently and the sheep certainly did not seem to mind. Great tour!

Check in later for photos.