Travelled: 203 kms

Riding along Lake Wanaka was another spectacular day. The lake was perfectly calm and the reflections of the mountains made it picture perfect.

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Over The Neck and now riding down the side of Lake Hawea the stunning views continued.

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The terrain was mixed but it definitely had some hard climbs and after doing Haast Pass yesterday I was very tired arriving at The Camp at Lake Hawea. The campground reminded me of North American wooded areas around Yosemite. Greg braved the cold water to have a refreshing dip in the lake.

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Taking the Hawea River Trail we had a lovely off-road ride most of the way to Wanaka the next day, which ended with a suspension bridge ride – not my favourite thing.

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We saw a guy surfing in the river which was pretty amazing.

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Coming back onto the road at Albert Town we we suddenly back in Auckland traffic with lots and lots of cars travelling faster than we have been used to on the West Coast.

Wanaka felt reminiscent of St Heliers just bigger. Lots of lovely shops with bars and restaurants galore, with a glorious views out to the lake and surrounding mountains. We stayed a couple nights and rested up after our big couple of days. I was starting to feel niggly about the world.

Our biggest day on the bike was ahead of us as we left Wanaka for Cromwell, and I was already struggling to stay present.

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Joining the Cromwell Coastal Trail around Pisa, made it an easier and more scenic routes long Lake Dunstan and around to the Historic Cromwell Area. Some of the old shops here had been moved higher up the riverbank when the lake was created.

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It was late as we finished a 66km day, which had ended with crossing the river and up a very steep hill into Bannockburn.

I was very tired and grumpy by the time we stopped for the day, even managing to throw my helmet on the ground as I took it off. Not my finest hour or three!

We had arranged a stop at Gibbston on the Sunday and were able to have 2 nights at the Bannockburn Domain. The next day we took the bike trail back into Cromwell to have a look around and get some groceries.

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And lucky for us, Gypsy Jazz duo Fiona Pears and Connor Hartley- Hall were giving a concert in Bannockburn that night. It was a full house at the Coronation Hall and a beautiful mix of electric acoustic guitar and electric violin, although we were probably some of the youngest attendees.

Onto Gibbston we rode through the Kawarau Gorge and the stunning scenery continued.

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Our Gibbston stopover was a contact through Ines – Anne-Thea and Derrick, and getting to their place was a mission. The road turned to gravel and then rose skywards. I jokingly said “it’ll be the one at the very top” which it indeed was – 800m of up! The first time we had to resort to walking our bikes. Greg walked his all the way, whereas I abandoned mine close but not quite at the top.

And the reward was the view. The Nevis behind us and looking out to the Crown Range with the Kawarau River at its base, we really were in heaven!

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Anne-Thea and Derrick haven’t been there long and are living in a largish caravan complete with log burner while they finalise their building plans. Derrick was finishing off weed-eating a flat spot for our tent.

We couldn’t resist all this spot had to offer and decided to stay put the next day as well.

We dined at one of the many wineries in the area, Kinross and then down to the Kawarau River where at little known tent camping site there were some laden heritage fruit trees – pears, apples, apricots. Their dogs, Tinker and Casper, thoroughly enjoyed their evening out too.

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The glorious weather continued the next day and it was truly a rest day – reading, chatting and eating. It was the reset that I needed as I felt myself return to the present. I also wondered if I had been eating enough, which I have become more conscious of.

In the afternoon, we drove to another lovely spot on the Kawarau River for a walk, having had a look at Peregrine Winery on the way. There was a delightfully strong thyme scent underfoot on the steep walk down and the story goes that this had all started from a plant brought into the area by a French chef many years ago. We ended the evening with a drink and dinner in Arrowtown. Very high luxurious living in the last few days!!

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Anne-Thea and Derrick were fantastic hosts and we were sorry to be leaving but we will be back.

Taking the Queenstown Trail, we rode through to Arrowtown. The trail followed the Kawarau and Arrow Rivers and although not technical, it was “undulating” – the 25km ride was a big day at the office for us on loaded bikes.

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Anne-Thea had ignited our foraging instinct and we found plums and apricots on our way.

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We were also amazed at the number of rabbits in the area. They seemed to be all over the roads and hillsides. It was a common sight to see rabbit holes where they were trying to get under fences.

Arrowtown is a gorgeous town, with lots of little shops and eateries to explore amongst olde worlde buildings.

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With rain forecasted for the following day we stayed on another day and hunkered down at our favourite place – the library.

And now the Around the Mountain Trail can begin…