WANAKA TO QUEENSTOWN
Today's trip, even though it is only 80 km in length is one that we have been mentally preparing for. Today we climb higher than we have ever and will ever on this trip. We are crossing the pass through Crown Range. It is billed as the highest sealed (paved) road in the country and it comes in at 1079 meters above sea level.
We leave the nice tourist town of Wanaka with it's pretty lake and perfect parks and start our ascent at once. Just getting out of town was a bit of work.
The climb is then very gradual. The sky is a bit cloudy but we start later (just after 8am) so the day has a chance to warm up. The scenery doesn't get us off our bikes too often for picture taking and even with a mild head wind we are able to average about 17 kph.
This goes on for about two hours. The last hour is where all the work and the height happens. We've climed over 500 meters hills and then up to 900ish, but this one seemed to go on for ever.
I don't type that like it's a bad thing. We met many local cyclists who were out on a day ride going up and down both sides of this hill. It was exactly the same as seeing a fully laden touring bike cycling to Horseshoe Bay when we are on a day ride back home.
The day turned hot, there was a slight breeze at our back and the scenery kept getting better and better and we climed higher and higher. The road was built on the path that was laid down centuries ago by a small river so we followed it up almost to the top. We would pass over it several times and it's healthy volume and gurgling sounds were refreshing.
Atop the pass, we stopped for picture taking, rest and some food to prepare for the big pay off. The BIG descent. And it was. For 4km we whipped down this hill, not allowing our bikes to go the speed they wanted to. That would surely result in me not being able to type this update - unless you can do that sort of thing while in traction these days - but I suspect not.
Restraint notwithstanding, it was super fun. After that joyride, we rode along a flat road and then another crazy drop with some hairpin turns. I shot a video of Andy doing this one. You can't go very fast at all but it challenges your bike handing skills around turns for sure.
Then an uneventful ride the rest of the way into Queenstown. As I am typing this, Canada is playing in the semi finals of the men's Ice Hockey Semi-Finals in Vancouver. Andy is back in the hotel room watching, but we're going to convene in a pub downtown overlooking the lake and watch it with some brews in hand (like real Canadians) as soon as I finish up here.
Thanks for listening. Tomorrow we head east on a three day journey to Dunedin.
STATS:
Distance: 79.69 km
Time: 5:00
Average: 16.2 kph
Maximun: 66.6 kph
Temp: 9 - 35C
Weather: Cloudy then sunny
