Lake Tekapo to Omarama
The latter part of our night in Lake Tekapo was one of uncertainty. It was still blowing really hard - hard enough to shake the building we were in, so gale force for sure. And it was raining too.
The forecast called for the weather to clear and for gale force winds to continue tomorrow. So we were not sure whether or not we would actually be able to head out tomorrow. We did not want a repeat of the battering we got today for sure.
As the night played out, it did clear up and the stars came out. There was an amazing half moon and the stars, as I knew would be the case, didn't match anything I have ever seen north of the equator. No big or little dipper, no north star. Even though it makes perfect sense, it was still neat to see.
The wind carried on into the middle of the night and then just stopped. So when we arose the next day, it was picture perfect.
We decided to take an alternate route which took us along a sealed road beside the canal the connects the water from Lake Tekapo to the water of Lake Pukaki. Upon entering the second lake all that is required from the Lake Tekapo water is that it generate a whole bunch of electrictity. And also to house a few salmon farms along the way. It seems not to mind these requirements and carries them out nicely.
The ride was great. The road was closed to traffic, so we just walked our bikes around a couple of gates and away we went. We had the road practically to ourselves, the scenery was stunning with snow capped mountains in the distance, and since we were following the canal and the water was flowing WITH us we were on a slight downhill.
Now the wind was still our foe. It was blowing hard against us, but it was steady and predictable so it wasn't dangerous, just difficult.
Once we came to the end of the canal road, we joined the regular highway into Omarama. We had tail winds and downhills for a very fast end to our ride. Again, great views along the way. Overall, a wonderful day in the saddle.
STATS:
Distance: 89.5 km
Time: 4:25
Average: 20.23 kph
Max: 67.5 kph
Temp: 10-29C
Weather: Sunny and Windy
