Travelled: 251 kms (Total 2,867 kms)

Leaving Tekapo we had a steady climb up and over Burkes Pass and into the delightful settlement of the same name.

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An eclectic collection of historic buildings with a mix of motor themed memorabilia.

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A lovely downhill ride though Kimbell and a stop at the Garage Gallery, where artworks by Nathaniel Provis and Brian McCracken were on display.

A short ride on into Fairlie, for the must-do stop at the Fairlie Bakery for their famous pies. Not only was the pie amazing but they also had a great gluten free selection. I chose a chocolate lamington with cream. I can’t remember the last time I had one of those and it was superb!

Fairlie’s main street had a wonderful photographic display of the local area taken by the local photography club.

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The statue of James MacKenzie and dog is a tribute to the man for whom the area has been named.

Scottish James gained notoriety in 1855 by stealing 1000 sheep from one of the wealthiest settler families in Canterbury. Convicted to 5 years of hard labour, James continued to be troublesome, escaping numerous times but obtaining a pardon and leaving our shores on 1856.

The pioneers of 1855 referred to the land over the mountains as “MacKenzie’s Country” after his sheep stealing.

Our Fairlie stop was to be with Brian and Allison, close friends of Roger and Laura, and keen cyclists themselves.

Their property on the edge of town, next to the cemetery, was being planted for self sufficiency, although the dry conditions were making the tree growth slow.

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Contrasted with a variety of small green houses and garden patches that were bountiful, providing ample stores of bottled, dried and frozen produce.

We had a fantastic evening with them. Chatting around a huge island bench while Brian cooked a delicious dinner.

A high luxurious night in a comfy bed and we were off again, taking the direct route to Geraldine, after much discussion the night before.

We said goodbye to Alison and Brian and headed straight into a headwind.

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Not far out of town and over our first hill of the day, the wind became our friends as rode expansive rural countryside.

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And with the downward elevation we made good time into Geraldine only stopping at the Valley Brewery for a taster of their Porter, only to find it wasn’t currently available. Oh well, coffee and sticky date cake and a few takeaway beers instead.

Settled in at Geraldine for next couple of nights, we explored the town.

Greg was particularly taken with the Hammer Hardware store, the contrast of its colour scheme with the sky and by their wonderful display of olden tools.

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A great array of quality shops from toys and quilting to the eco friendly Cottage Pantry with paper packed food supplies, English lollies and gifts for everyone in one of the oldest buildings in Geraldine.

There were a couple stunning art galleries, with the Susan Badcock Studio showing artworks from 3 generations of the Badcock family – Douglas, John and Susan. We were particularly taken with John’s oil paintings.

It was a glorious day for the mostly flat Inland Scenic Route, SH77, ride through to Mount Somers, stopping to do another pannier repair.

The panniers have been great but we have lost a couple of screws after trail riding. Note to self to regularly tighten them.

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A quiet settlement with local walking tracks and famous to Lord of the Rings followers, Mt Somers gave us a magnificent sunset to end our day.

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Mt Somers and the Mt Hutt provided a stunning backdrop for our ride with a cafe stop at Staveley.

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With a steep descent into Rakaia Gorge, our destination tonight.

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The Rakaia River is one of the largest rivers in Canterbury with its source over 90 miles away in the Southern Alps. It is fed by snowmelt from the Lyell and Ramsay glaciers.

It flows as a braided river in the high country in to narrow for 7km through the gorge before braiding again through the Canterbury plains.

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In Maori legend a taniwha lives at Rakaia Gorge and it is a result of his efforts to block the nor’ wester wind that led to the narrowing of the river.

Two very different bridges cross the gorge. The iron bridge was built in 1885, and the original wooden bridge built in 1884 was replaced by the concrete structure in 1945.

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The bridges replaced the punt operated by John Ferry which transported passengers and freight across the river.

With another stunning sunset to end our day. How lucky are we!

It was short easy ride to Glentunnel the next day, with Greg stopping to peruse a dead hawk. We had seen more of these on the roadside in the last few days than during all our riding to date.

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Glentunnel is home to the cutest library we have seen.

The small brick octagonal building was built in 1883 using every type of brick and terra cotta tile then produced by the the local Homebush Brick Tile and Pottery Works.

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In 1984, a post office agency was added to the library, which continues to run today by volunteers.

Happily setup at our campsite, we walked back out for our usual about town walkabout.

Glentunnel has a lovely array of older homes with the street berms generously planted with fruit trees. Why more councils don’t have more fruiting planting is a mystery to us.

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Finishing with a walk back to camp beside the Selwyn River, and another red sky.

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With Christchurch the destination today, the 56 km ride was to be a big day, but no!

With some work to do, we took the bus into town the next morning to the library.

Google’s “most flat” description of our route was actually very accurate today (not always so) and coupled with a delightful tail wind, our ride was over before we knew it – 2:37 for the 54km, 20.4 km/hr! (Our best ever stats!)

And what an outstanding library it is. A feeling of welcome pervades the space as we entered it. The floors are spacious with lots of meeting rooms, quiet rooms and computers for use.

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It shows with great planning, we can provide fantastic social infrastructure.

Literally, we didn’t leave it for 2 days as I worked/blogged while Greg read a captivating woodwork book, sustained by the cafes on site.

The cathedral is still a work in progress and there are many sites still empty.

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The new convention centre is nearly done and there is lots of public art on display around town.

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We treated ourselves to the movies on our last night in town, The Father. Anthony Hopkins was brilliant. Disturbing and enthralling at the same time.

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After 3 nights of sleeping in what seemed a 24 hour truck meet, we’re heading inland for some quieter times….

What we are reading Greg – Fools Rush In by Bill Carter and Jeanette – The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, The Astronauts Wives Club by Lily Koppel (couldn’t finish), and Castle Ugly by Mary Ellin Barrett