While there had been quite heavy rain overnight, it dawned fine and clear, be it a bit cool and I was on the road shortly after 7am, but it was only a few hundred metres before the first stop for breakfast..

Heading north I intended to go via Rakaia Gorge and then Hororata, but made a navigational error and ended up in Peel Forest which is a dead end heading to the Rangitata Gorge.. While it was a buggar and probably cost me 30ks, on the positive side I had never been to Peel Forest before.. and unlikely to go back!!

After gettng back on track through Arundel and then Mayfield, it was basically a long gentle climb. While it was cool as there had been a fresh light dusting of snow on the mountains, I was in the sun and looking over toward Ashburton it was under a massive black cloud, so being cool was preferable to being wet!

Decending into the Rakaia Gorge the temperature suddenly plumeted and then very cold rain showers started which made it a bit unpleasant climbing out of the Gorge and the decent on the Hororata turn off. Getting down on the flat the rain stopped and the road was dry, so it had missed any rain.

Rode past the new irrigation canal under construction and when at the Cafe at Hororata a lot of the construction guys were there so must be a boom for their cafe business.

The forecast was for a sou westerly and I thought that it would have been more helpful and it was not really until on Russley Road that the wind was finally in the right place!

Total for the day was 185ks, with a climbing elevation of 850m.

Total ks travelled 5,627 (Tour de France is typically approximately 3,200), being an average of 137 over the 41 days.

Well that brings this Odyssey to an end and was over 40 days, but going to Milford was an “extra” that effectively took 2 days.

Over the last few days I have been thinking of what is next, as have really enjoyed the adventure. It might be Tasmania, or something a bit more challenging, but in the meantime I will just go and lube the chain and get ready for lap 2!

Thank you to everyone for your support and encouragement, it has been appreciated.

On the bragging note, I entered a challenge on Strava to ride 130ks or more in a day from 1st December and on logging in to Strava today, after today’s ride I am ranked number 1 from 21,555 entered! It won’t last long as is based on each countries time zone, but at this stage I will take it!

During the night I looked outside and the sky was clear and the stars were just fantastic, a free light show! Something that you just do not get to see living in a city with all the artifical light.

This was going to be a reasonably big day with total number of ks, so was on the road at 7.15am and while it was cool, it was not as bad as what I thought it would be and while there were some clouds, there was also sunshine and already just a bit of wind..

There were some long straights where the wind was not helpful, but then on some of the straights closer to Twizel it was better and the speed was up although the declining gradient was also a factor. It was interesting to note the extensive pivot irrigations working on uneven ground and while water has made the land fertile, you have to wonder at what cost and the economic benefits with cost of power and obtaining water etc..

I nodded to Max Smith the Engineer when I went past the rowing lake (cannot spell it!) and then it was in to the cafe at Twizel for breakfast, again ordered the works!!

While at the cafe I had a text response from Dave Enright to my enquiry as to how he had gone in the round Taupo yesterday and he had done well and had bettered his projected time and was walking today, so all good!

Heading out of Twizel the road surface was frankly bloody rough with a lot of big chip seal and not enjoyable to ride on. I stayed on the main road rather than the road along the canels, although this seemed to be closed anyway. I was counting the ks down to Tekapo as on occasions the wind was somewhat helpful and at other times definately not..

Lake Pukaki was low and the spillway was not working and Lake Tekapo was low as well.

Tekapo was a welcome stop for a bit of food and when after climbing out of the town onto the plateau the wind was definately helpful and it was a bit of a blast to and through Burkes Pass and most of the way to Fairlie. It is certainly easier heading north on this section of road (as it is a continual climb heading south) and my mind went back to an earlier tour with Al when we were doing this section in reverse and out of Fairlie I was sick and had a sleep on the side of the road in the long grass for a couple of hours.. I think that we got to Tekapo on that day at around 3pm and our destination was Omarama which we finally reached after 9pm..

At a cafe at Fairlie I met a German touring cyclist, Matt, who was off to Pleasant Point and was not impressed with our nor westerly winds..

After the climb out of Fairlie, it was then a real hoot in the decent section and there was a surprising amount of traffic, although had noted that there was a motorcross event south of Fairlie and a number of vehicles had trailers with motorcross bikes.. The road went on for a while and was a bit more lumpy than I remembered and somewhere along the line the number of ks increased from what the Maps application stated and the road signs, unfortunately the road signs won by about 8ks!

You would think that you would not have trouble finding your motel in Geraldine, but I did and had to resort to getting the tablet out. The Spark (Telecom) free wifi zones within range of their phone boxes are an asset at times like this.. The motel was further out that I intended being north of the town round the bend past the park on the right.. When I finally found it, they did not have the AA booking done last night, but got me in anyway..

I am in a 2 bedroom unit so Mr Scott has their own room tonight! The motel is older but tidy and fully equipped with a kitchen. I could write a book on my motels experiences and get peeved with those where you have to fill the jug in the vanity and then even more peeved when the jug won’t fit under the taps and invariably in these motels there is no dish washing liquid so how clean was your cup from the previous occupant..??

Anyway, total ks for the day was 182, with a climbing elevation of 1,316m. Average speed was 26ks which despite the road generally decending, I was very happy with given the wind.

As I am writing this at the Monteiths bar, a shower has just gone through and forecast for tomorrow is for sou westerly which could be just what I need to get a push home..

It seems a bit strange that tonight (all going well) is my last night on the road and that tomorrow I will have to cook my own dinner and while a little disappointed that this Odyssey is just about over, I am also looking forward to getting home and reliving the experiences from the comfort of home..

Yeah, there was finally a fine day, reasonably clear sky and sunshine when I rolled out of the Motel shortly after 8am.

It was a nice, although cool ride to Clyde and then as soon as passing the Clyde Dam, it was a like a switch had been flicked and the wind kicked in coming right down the lake. No worries, I knew that the lake created different wind patterns, so was hopeful that when I turned at Cromwell, that it might be favourable.. how wrong that thought proved to be!

With an undulating road and big chip seal and a head wind, it was a bit of a slog to Cromwell and to rub salt in when I got to the cafe it was packed and I had to sit (with others) outside, so skull cap, double arm warmers and gloves remained on! Corn fritters with poached eggs on top were the order of the day as I was not going to risk asking for this at the cafe at Tarras as there is a bit of a history with this, ask Al.

While I was at the cafe, 3 other roadies arrived and as luck would have it by the time they arrived they got a seat inside and the newspaper..! Soft c…s!

Befriended a tabby cat while there which I suspect was attached to the cafe as did not look like they had missed any dinners..

While at the cafe there was a text from Emma who was with the BP Group and at the The Store in Tai Tapu, good to keep in touch and next week I will be back in the fold.

On getting back on the bike, it shows how much food was needed as felt a lot better, although getting off the bridge and Cromwell and turning left, although there was the first road sign seen since leaving home that has “Christchurch” listed which at least felt I was heading to home, the wind was fair on the nose.. and the big chip seal continued, buggar..

Caught up to an oldie on a road bike who was also heading north who stuck on my wheel for a while but apparently it was his first ride out for a while and I dropped him!! Unlike GK, this was done unintentionally!

It was a bit of a battle to Tarras and although it was only 30ks down the road, it was another cafe stop as after this there was nothing until Omarama which was still a further 80ks down the road.

Unfortunately after a couple of coffees the wind had still not abated, so it was a grunt down the road, often in the small front chain ring with head down just battling into the wind and muttering as to what I had done to deserve this.. The wind was coming from a totally different direction to yesterday..

There is a bit of an awful climb just out of Tarras, although thankfully today it was one of those climbs where it is worse going the other way, south…

It was getting quite warm as after Tarras I had been able to remove the double arm warmers and gloves and I was keen to dip my feet in the river, but although the river was tantalising close, there was always a barbed wire fence and access was not that easy.. I did not stop at our normal on the nice mown grass in front of a station driveway at the foot of the Lindis, but continued on and did find a spot where I could easily jump the fence and stand in the river…. that is soothing.. Filled up my water bottle and hoped that there were no dead sheep upstream!

Part way up the Lindis climb, the wind abated and it became quite an enjoyable climb even though there were sections at 14%, but mostly in the 8 – 10% range, until reaching the summit when the wind was again blowing at full force, so it was a quick photo in front of the sign, jacket on and then get going..

The decent was spoilt by the wind, but on reaching the plains out of the valley, the wind while not directly behind was fairly helpful and there were sections at 50ks+, but generally it was over 40ks all the way to Omarama.

The lupins on the side of the road and in the river banks were very pretty as were in full flower.

Found the Motel which is on the road to Benmore and got the washing done and out of the line which will dry in no time in this wind..!

Total for the day was 143ks and a climbing elevation of 1,438m.

A hard day in the saddle due primarily because of the wind, but also because of the big chip road surface.

Home is that much closer, although it is a big day tomorrow at over 170ks to get to Geraldine.

I am writing this blog at the Hotel on the junction and for the Ami followers I am looking directly at GlenCraig’s Clothing store, Craig Dawson being ex Ami.

It was rather cool this morning and it took a bit to get moving, finally rolling out of the Motel at 8.15am. There was no Willie Nelson today as there is competition in the country singing capital of New Zealand, Gore..!

It had been raining during the night and the road was wet and it must have been all of 20 minutes before it started raining again and that set the pattern for the first half of the day. With the rain and the cool temperature, it was double arm warmers and double gloves as well as a jacket and I was still cold.

The road was undulating through some well cared for farming country and there were some good decents before reaching Tapanui.

Found a Cafe and had several of the Southland speciality of toasted cheese rolls and when I was about to leave another strong southerly squal came through, so it was a good reason to stay for another coffee (and piece of banana cake) and wait for it to go through.. While waiting I noticed a number of people coming out of the Dairy opposite with icecreams.. Hardy lot these Southlanders..

When it was time to go, got out of there without the flu, get it, Tapanui Flu.. anyway the rain continued to Raes Junction.. I don’t know why, but I had this impression in my mind that there would at least be a cafe at Raes Junction, but all that was there, was a road sign..!

There was a great decent though just prior to the Junction which dropped a lot of altitude.

Raes Junction seemed to be the turning point in the weather as at this stage the rain stopped and the sun even came out, but then so did the wind, although it was generally of assistance, but I was struggling a bit today so could not seem to take full advantage of it.

Crusied through Millers Flat (or at least the turn off to it), then Ettrick and I was surprised at the level of infastructure with packing sheds etc that was there for the various fruit crops, when there did not seem to be extensive orchards.

Got to Roxburgh and it was time for another coffee and some more of those cheese rolls which I have got quite a liking for.. From Roxburgh the cycle trail again runs parallel to the road and at the dam I did a bit of a detour to the lookout over the dam, before continuing on.

David McCormick had warned me about the road from Roxburgh to Alexandra that it was undulating with some reasonable climbs and he was not wrong and it had you wondering as to when you are actually going to get there.. although this might have had something to do with having already done 100ks by this point and not quite feeling right on the bike today.

I love the landscape in Central as it is so distintive with the shape of the rocks and the barren hills and unmistakenly is Central.

It was a good decent the last few ks into Alexandra and found the booked Motel on Centennial Avenue which is on the way out tomorrow to Cromwell.

Total for the day was 140ks with a climbing elevation of 1,776m.

Destination tomorrow is Omarama.

Shortly after I returned to the Hotel from dinner last night, it started pouring, there already being a gale fair blowing.. During the night while I was snug in my nice room, it sounded like clothes in a dryer with a metal dome with the banging that was going on with objects hitting the building..

This morning, at least the constant rain had ceased, but it was still fair blowing and it was coming straight down the main street in Bluff, just the direction I wanted to go.. The harbour had quite a chop and white caps and the Stewart Island ferry had been cancelled yesterday after the Skipper on the way over said that he was not returning and apparently the crossings were likely to be cancelled today. I take it that it was in fact from the weather and that the Skipper did not have a Heidi in Oban!!

After a leisurely breakfast which included discussions with an international guest list, I could not put it off any longer and hit the road at 9.15am. The first 10ks were frankly bloody awful as I was being buffeted around in the wind and to cap it off the odd shower would come driving through that actually hurt when it hit your face. After the first 10ks, the road direction changed which put the wind coming less full on and a bit more bearable, but it was a struggle as even the road section going past the Open Country factory when the wind was favourable, it was not that comfortable going too quick with the amount of buffeting from the wind. Luckily there was a wide shoulder giving a bit of “wobble room”.

There were heaps of motorcyclists heading to Bluff and they were struggling with the wind as well and it was only later when I was in the Cafe at Invercargill that I read that there was a hill climb time trial up Bluff Hill today as part of the Burt Munro events, so lucky that I went up there yesterday as the road would be closed today.

Although there had been breakfast at the Hotel, by the time I got to Invercargill I felt that I deserved another, so it was another “big brekkie” with all the trimings.

On leaving Invercargill, I took the Woodlands/Invercargill highway and the wind while not directly behind, was off the shoulder and quite helpful so I was happy to take it and cruise between 35 and 40ks. At Edendale where there is a massive Fontera factory, the road direction changed and the wind was not quite as helpful, but certainly better than being on the nose..

The rumble strips are back, but at least there was a wide shoulder to the left of them so they were not really as much of an issue as they had been in the north.

Riding through Mataura (Justin Marshall’s home town), there were a few house “do uppers” available on the main street right opposite the Freezing works or massive factory that was there which is now being demolished with about 6 diggers that I could see on site, some of them on level 1. Looked like the CBD in Christchurch post earthquake.

Cruised the rest of the way to Gore and checked into the booked motel and a bit of extra room tonight as have a 1 bedroom unit. It was good to check in early at just on 2pm to get the domestics done and then wander into town for a few groceries and a coffee. By late afternoon it was pouring and basically has not stopped since… There was an article in the local Gore newspaper that Monday of this week had been the coldest on record and farmers are complaining about the “big wet”.

Total ks for the day was only 93 with an average of 26.8 which I was happy with given the struggle of the first 28ks to get to Invercargill. Somewhat surprisingly on what seems a “flat” road, there was a climbing elevation of 525m.

Certainly feels good to be heading home so nearly time to get the jug on for a cuppa!!

Knowing that it was an easier day total ks wise, it was a later start rolling out of the motel just before 9am and it was an overcast day with a reasonably strong westerly wind which was generally helpful, so it was quite an easy 30ks to Invercargill city.

There were a noticeable number of motorcycles on the road so it was not quite like Bormio, Italy, when on the 2 occasions we have been there, a motorcycle meet has been on with literally thousands of motorcycles..

It was nice to have a lesiurely breakfast (“the works” was I thought deserved) when I arrived and phoned Garry Smith of Ami but he was unfortunately in Christchurch, so cruised down to H & J Sport and there was David McCormick unloading a bike case from a van. I went into the shop with David which is all pretty flash and nice set up. Got out of there without buying a new “Mr Scott” and noted that David was looking very slim and fit following his Tour of Southland training..

It was a good ride out of Invercargill, until the Tiwai turn off, then the road direction changed and the full force of the wind was experienced. This would have been okay, but the trucks, particularly those passing when approaching, created quite a buffeting. The last 5 odd ks the road direction changed again and the wind was favourable for the final run in to Bluff. Found the Hotel without any difficulty and booking was confirmed, so that was all good. Owner is an American lady who previously had a B & B in Auckland and it is a very nice private hotel with a grand piano in the bar. The owner is a music teacher in a former life and was previously something to do with Catholic Church in Auckland, very personable lady.

The Hotel is in an art deco style and very elegantly renovated and furnished in a classic style.

Getting rid of excess items out of the backpack, it was then the mandatory ride to the signpost for the photos and then the climb up Bluff Hill to the lookout.. All the pine trees have been cut down so it was all open and the ramp that is visible as you approach Bluff was longer than I remembered and was regurlarly in the 18% range, but then the final corner the Garmin ticked to 24% and it was a grunt to get to the top, really insane that the Tour of Southland has a stage that finishes at the summit. Rode up the spiral to the lookout at the top and braced myself to take photos as although probably just a breeze for Southland, it was fair blowing.. and there was also the odd shower coming through. When I was riding down the spiral, past Dean Lonnegan who was there with someone from Stadium Southland so that was my celebrity spotting for the day!

Total ks for the day was a pultry 76, with a climbing elevation of 648m.

As I have reached the end of the road when heading south, I can now turn for the final time heading north for home via the Linda’s Pass.

I have got accommodation booked for tomorrow at Gore to be on the safe side in case there is overflow from the Burt Munro event, in fact a number of motels were already full and while it is a relatively short ride, there is nothing really further on and Alexander is a bit far, particularly when I understand the last section from Roxborugh is quite tough.

I guess I could have ridden to Gore today, but good to finish early and just chill out..

Unless I do an “all nighter”, all going well I plan to be home on Monday from Geraldine. On the TV weather this morning, it looks like I could well be wet for most of the trip home..

Perhaps not surprisingly after yesterday, I was a bit slow to get going this morning after not having a very good sleep and started the day with doing the domestics of the washing of the riding gear before heading into town for a big breakfast as too late for any real dinner last night!

Luckily I read the days issue of the Southland paper and there were big articles on the Burt Munro weekend with activities commencing from Wednesday and comment that accommodation is going to be at a premium… Buggar, had not picked up on this earlier, but at least I had warning as against just winging it and trying to find accomodation which I had thought at Invercargill would not be an issue.

I wanted to go to Manapouri and checking out of the motel at 10am it was a nice ride for the 20 odd ks and when at the Cafe there I got the tablet out to check on the internet accommodation sites and although there were no vacancies in Invercargill, I was able to secure accommodation at Winton for tonight and at a hotel in Bluff for Wednesday through the AA accommodation site. This changed my plans a bit as I was intending to go through Riverton, but the accommodation options were somewhat limited there anyway, with most being at the beach, as against in the town which was a couple of ks away so not that convenient for an evening meal etc.

To get to Winton, Manapouri was then a bit of a detour, but I had wanted to go there for a look even though there is not really a lot to see other than the lake. There were options to get to Winton, but as the day was overcast and it was going to be a reasonable length ride decided to take the shortest route which after a further 20 odd ks would put me back on the road that I had ridden in on, this time heading back to Mossburn and then Lumsden.

The magpies were back, but they were less in attack mode, more just in close flyovers, but still a pest.. Shortly after Manapouri, the day which had been overcast then started to drizzle/rain and it was like that for the rest of the day although it was not cold.

Some food at Mossburn helped with what was to come as there were some really long straights but the gradient was slightly declining so this helped. I had been wondering what the gravel road was to the left of the left verge, thinking it might be to shift cattle on the Souths “moving day”, but then it clicked it was part of the cycle way.. A lot of money has been spent putting down base course, but why it runs parallel to the road seems a bit of a waste of time and money to me.

I saw a sign to Dipton and it was only later on joining the main road that I realised that this intersected, so how much extra I might have ridden was unknown, but I should have checked the map application.

Got to Lumsden and I remembered this town from my first tour with Al and also remembered that it was a drag that day to Winton. As it turned out it was easier today and if there was any wind it would be assisting, with a couple of sharpish rises shortly after Lumsden.

I was counting down the k’s to Winton and my mental calculations were out by 10ks on the low side when I saw a road sign, buggar.. Still good progress was being made at 30+.

Arrived at Winton and had forgotten the name of the motel and without checking the tablet chanced it by checking at the first motel which turned out to be the right one, expect that the Motelier said that they had to cancel the reservation, but were able to offer me a room due to a cancellation!.. When I logged in on the table there was a cancellation advice from AA confirming reversal of my credit card debit, so it was good that I had not logged on as if I had I may not have then called at the motel.. I would have thought though that it is “live time” on the booking with AA, but apparently it is still up to the Motelier to confirm availability..

This then made me a bit nervous as to whether I actually had a booking for Wednesday night..

Anyway it was all good in the end and the Motelier was very good and wanted to ensure that I had been credited from the AA and in looking after me and able to use the washing machine and washing powder at no charge.. Unfortunately I was in the end unit and the wifi did not extend that far.. I did an update at the Hotel over dinner, but power on the tablet ran down, buggar.

Total for the day 150ks, with a climbing elevation of 586m. The average speed was 27.2 which although there was a down hill gradient, I had to work for it so was pleased with the day.

After a lesiurely breakfast where I had loaded up as knowing that there were not going to be Cafes on the road today, I rolled out of Te Anau at about 8.45am with the view at that time that I would ride to the Te Anau side of the Homer Tunnel, which was 100ks down the road so with the return would make a 200k day. However, somewhere down the road I started thinking that if Milford Sound was only 120ks, then perhaps I should just continue and worry about how I would get home again when I got there..

On that basis I should have then started the ride a lot earlier, but too late now.. I had not been down the Milford Sound before so it was all new ground and it was a lovely ride initially alongside the lake, before going inland and then when entering the Fiordland National Park, it was a totally different world of firstly a wide valley, then it closed up and the road going at times through lovely natural forested areas that provided a canopy over the road surface. In fact there was so much of a canopy that the tar seal had significant areas of moss growing other than in the wheel tracks which made riding a bit tricky as it looked slippery.

I was surprised that there was not as much traffic as I expected and it might have been because of my later start that most of the traffic had already gone.. There were though a number of tourist buses that I kept leap frogging as they would stop at various viewing points on the way.

The scenery got more dramatic the further I got into the Park and while I took a few photos on the way, as it was a bit of a hassle to continually get the tablet out of the backpack, I just had to keep going as was conscious of time and you cannot photograph everything..

It was a nice warm day and it was qreat to have sweat dripping off me instead of rain as it had been for the last few days and this was the first day since leaving home for the start of part 2 of the Odyssey where I was able to not wear arm warmers for at least part of the ride.

After Lake Gunn and then The Divide which is the start of the Routeburn and Caples and Greenstone tracks, the scenery became more spectacular as the road decended quite dramatically and the thought went through my mind more than once that I have to climb back out of here… Still, it was too good to stop now and would worry about that later..

It was quite a climb up to the entrance of the Homer Tunnel and you have to admire the Surveyors and Contractors to put a tunnel through a mountain at this altitude, especially when it was done in the early 1930’s.

There was a helicopter flying low in the valley that landed close to the road and off loaded a group of tourists.

The tunnel is controlled between daylight hours by traffic lights and there is a digital display showing how long it will be before the lights change and typically is seemed about 4.5 minutes.

The lights changed and to be safe I followed the last vehicle hoping that I would have something to follow. A brochure that I had read said that the tunnel was “dimly lit” and it was not wrong! It was as dark as I imagine the black hole of Calcutta to be and not having a light did not help either.. The brochure also said that the gradient was 1 in 10 and this felt a bit right and as well it was “raining” inside. Again the thought that I have to ride out of here crossed my mind several times but it was too late now. There was a road works sign mid way in the tunnel that I did see and just hoped that the road surface was okay as I could not see..

Finally coming out the other end was like being in another world and made it all worthwhile, absolutely stunning.. Very similar to the Alpes in France and immediately out of the tunnel you are then into some switch backs as you exit the tunnel at quite a high altitude. Then there were some sharp ramps (10 to 14%) still decending and again the thought that I have to climb out of here went through my mind, but too late now.. The decent just kept on going and going and it was a lot of fun although some of the surfaces in the joints on the one way bridges were very rough.

Just before arriving at Milford Sound, past the airport and then got to sea level and cruised around to the Ferry Terminal, the car park, or rather bus park, being full with buses.. Time for coffee and something to eat so cruised back to Blue Duck cafe to stock up.

While there I got a bit of a shock when I looked at the clock as it was 3.15pm, I did not realise that it was so late and knew then I would be in a bit of trouble even after I got out of the tunnel on the Te Anau side as still a 100ks to get home. The gears had been making a bit of chatter so thought that I would give them a lube before starting the return ride and then I saw the reason as one side of a chain link was broken..

If I was in trouble before, now I was like Roger Sutton and in “serious trouble”, but hopefully (unlike Roger) I could get myself out of it.. For a “pen pusher” like me, a mechanical like this is worst case scenario so I was grateful for the lessons that Al and GK had given me and thankful that at least it happened at Milford as against being on the side of the road half way up the mountain.. It is amazing what adrenaline can do as I was focused and did not need my special high defination specs bought just for this situation..

I took a bit of fiddling, but got it sorted which was a bit of a relief and quite satisfying for a pen pusher like me, but the issue was that it had taken a bit of time and was now 4pm with a 120ks to get back to Te Anau with a couple of big climbs..

It was a pleasant ride out of Milford as the sun was shining, there was no wind and minimal traffic. The climb was quite a grunt, but the good news was that you climbed quickly and the views kept your mind busy.. On the bottom of the switch backs you could see the building for the entrance to the tunnel so that was comforting although I was a bit concerned about the return trip through the tunnel based on the gradient, lack of light and whether I could complete it within the same traffic light sequence. A guy at the cafe at Milford had said to just wait in the tunnel if the light sequence changes and to keep to the side of the tunnel..

While waiting for the lights to change, a Kea very obligingly waited on a road sign while I took photos and would say that it enjoyed me talking to it that I would make it a star!! Beautiful birds.

Thankfully there was only 1 car in line and no buses, so when the lights changed off we went and the climb was not too bad although it was a strange feeling in the dark as the lighting was basically non existent and you were relying on taillights way in the distance and then finally a show of light.

Getting out of the tunnel on the Te Anau side on the same sequence of lights was a relief, even though I was not out of trouble yet, as still had 100ks to get home and it was already after 5.30pm. Still it was worth a celebration with a stop for food and to take in the sights before heading off on one of the great decents.

All the buses must have left Milford while I was sorting the mechanical, as traffic was very light and it was a funny feeling to be in basically the “wop wops” on my own..

When retracing my route it was a surprise to me for the amount of decine, which was obviously an incline going in, but did not notice it so much, but it certainly helped by now some tired legs. I was working on the theory that it always seems to take less time going out than what it does going in, on an out and back ride, but it still took a while despite travelling at a good speed assisted by the declining gradient.

For some reason at about 160ks, the Garmin started to go “hay wire” and I was doing according to it 200ks per hour.. The fact that the Garmin started to go hay wire was a real pain, as with the absence of road signs, it was just guess work as how far to go.. Some of the rivers were named 13 mile etc and I noted these white markers on the side of the road and worked out that they must be in miles so this gave me some indication but those last 50 or so ks were hard going..

In the forested areas it was quite dark and despite rear light, I did not want to get “Liberarged” so it was good to get out in the open, but despite the long evenings in the south, the light was going. I hoped that I would not get in trouble with Mr Plod as the last 30ks were in the dark and finally I got back to the motel at 9.50pm. Long gone were thoughts of dinner and a few beers and I was content with a hot shower and several coffees.. I had carried a mouse trap and piece of lolly cake all the way and ended up having them for dinner!

Despite the showing on the Garmin of over 300ks, actual distance was 240ks with a climbing elevation of 3,282m. A satisfing, if somewhat unplanned ride length with a bit of adventure on the side and pleased that I did it!!

I don’t know what went wrong with the Garmin as on the map it has shown a deviation into the bush and back again where there is no road..

Yeah, it is not raining and while there is a wind, it looks like it will be assisting me for once.

Slept in a bit today, but on the road at 7.45am and there was immediately a bit of a climb out of Kingston which warmed you up, but then there were some ups and downs on basically long straights that the momentum from the down hill tended to get you up the other side.

With the wind being favourable and generally it being a declining gradient, it was a lazy 40ks as Les would say, although it was more often 45 or 50 so after the last few days I was enjoying this..

Nearing I think Garston the new cycle way became apparent but why it runs parallel to the road seems a bit of a shame to me I would have thought that the purpose was to get you away from the road.. Perhaps it has to do with land access issues.

Closer to Athol there has been some $ spent on the cycle way as there are some fancy new wooden suspension bridges.

I obviously misread the Maps application as was intending to have breakfast at Five Rivers and thought that it was about 25k and was gearing myself mentally for this, but ended up being closer to 45ks so was hanging out for food by then. Just before Five Rivers there is a bit of a climb that is tough for the fact that it just seems to go on and on, but over the summit there were the straights with the ups and downs on basically a decending gradient so great fun.

The Five Rivers Cafe was a welcome site and thought that I deserved the full brekkie, which included poached eggs on toast, bacon, tomatoes, hashbrowns, mushrooms, sausages and of course tomato or a home made sauce and a large piece of banana cake with coffee… yum..

Leaving Five Rivers the wind was still generally favourable which was great as there were some long straights, but it all came to an end at the junction at Mossburn, as a change of direction resulted in the wind being right on the nose, great, with 60 odd ks to go over undulating terrain.

It was just a case of putting your head down but when you are battling the wind using the small front chain ring, you know that it is a hard ride and those ks on the Garmin just don’t tick over fast enough.

I was counting down the k’s to Te Anau but it was like riding to Takaka down the valley in that I never feel that I am getting any closer and there were no road signs and the road just kept on turning corners and then yet another long straight.. Some fowl words might have been said to anyone who was listening…

Finally there was a little reprieve with a bit of a decline and it is surprising what energy you get when you see those welcoming signs that you have arrived at your destination..!

Found the booked motel without any trouble which is set in lovely grounds and as it was now quite warm out of the wind, it was time for Mr Scott to get a bit of a spruce up while waiting for the laundry to complete its washing cycle. It was good to be able to put my clothes out on a clothes line rather than having them try and dry in the room overnight and finally, my shoes will dry out! yeah!

Town was only a 300 metre walk across a park and it is nice and tidy with a lot of resturants and seemingly a lot of Italian resturants, another yeah!

I did some research and there is basically only 1 accommodation outfit at Milford Sound unless you are intending to stay on a boat overnight and as there were no vacancies in either, this ended thoughts of staying at Milford. I would like to visit, but am not one to be sitting on a bus on a tour, so have decided to stay a second night at Te Anau and will take a “look” on the Milford Road tomorrow.

It would be good to at least get to the top of the Homer Tunnel, but that is over 100ks in and going all the way is about 118ks, so it would be a big day to go all the way. Reading a tourist brochure, the tunnel gradient is apparently 1 in 10 and is not that well lit..

I will see how I go but it would be a pity being this close to not get to Milford and it would be another tick of items off the bucket list if I did..

Total ks for the day were 125 with a climbing elevation of 698m.

I was trying to get an early start as wanted to get to Queenstown to support friends competing in the Queenstown marathon, but just as I was about to walk out the door, the question was where was the door key…? Suspected that it would be in the pocket of my shorts which were of course in a dry sack at the bottom of my pack, so grrrrr, it meant taking basically everthing out to get at it, but found the key!.

Finally on the road at around 7.15am and while it was not raining, the road was wet and it did not look encouraging in the direction I was going, as well as there being a wind that was not particularly helpful. On the plus side, it was not as cold as thought it might have been.

As no Cafes at Wanaka opened before 8am, it was going to be a while before a decent breakfast, as even Cardrona Hotel was closed when I went past.

There was a surprising amount of traffic heading towards Queenstown and wondered if it is contestants for the marathon, but if it was they were leaving it a bit late.. but then most of them seemed to be driving Audi’s or Mercedes..

Shortly after Cardrona the rain set in and as I reached the first of the Cardrona bridges (I think that they count down from 11) as you go up the valley, it became very dark and felt like it was about 4pm in winter time.

After getting past Cardrona bridge number 1, this is where the hard yards start and there were a couple more ramps than I remembered from previous climbs. There was a slip on one of the upper ramps that had obviously happened overnight which effectively blocked one lane and made me a bit wary about any rocks that might be coming down.

Unfortunately due to the weather the views at the summit were limited, but it was still worth a photo, but given the temperature and the rain I was not going to hang around. A couple that were driving a camper van that had past me just before the summit and had given a thumbs up sign, came over and offered if I needed anything from their camper van. They were tourists from Quebec and cyclists themselves. I thanked them for their generous offer, but all I wanted to do was get to a lower altitude and hopefully somewhere a bit warmer..

Once again a fantastic decent was buggered because of the wet weather, but I did not want to end up on my backside, or over the side.. The views in decending were still great and this climb especially on the south side is one of the closest to a French Alps type climb in New Zealand.

Managed to stop at the stop sign at the foot of the climb and then it was on to the main road into Queenstown and past Lake Hayes I had timed it well as they were packing up from the marathon and no hold ups..

Going over the bridge in the dip just before 5 Mile at Frankton, there were a lot of people supporting the marathon runners who were on the track underneath the bridge following the river.

Got into Queenstown which is always a bit of a hoot on the road from Frankton and Queenstown was as busy as, due to the marathon course going through the middle of town.

I was as cold as and hanging out for some food and found a hotel in the Mall for breakfast/lunch that enabled me to get back to my position in town to watch Jemima go past (managed to get a photo and she heard me call out) and while I saw Jeremy I was too late with the photo, at least face on and got one of his back disappearing down the street only about 400 metres from the finish.

Congratulations to both of you, great result.

Also spotted the New Zealand TV celebrity Chef, I think his first name is Josh, he is a tall good looking dude and he was being tracked by a motorcycle TV crew.

While it had been basically unpleasant weather wise, it suddenly got worse as a southerly came through which must have been awful for the competitors, but it was worse for the spectactors..

I took the weather change as my cue to leave as it did not look like it was going to abate any time soon and I was cold and could not afford to wait as I was already wearing every bit of riding gear I had. The traffic getting out of town was horrendous as was the weather although after going through Frankton and over the bridge and then behind the hill, there was less rain, but the wind increased and it was coming right down the lake the direction I wanted to go..

It could be a great viewing ride along the lake, although the only other time I have done it, there was a head wind as well.. Good to finally reach Kingston and check into the booked motel and after a 20 minute shower, I was finally thawed out..

Total for the day was 115ks with a climbing elevation of 1,195m.

I have booked accommodation for tomorrow at Te Anau and will make a decision then whether I go to Milford Sound, which was not part of the original plan, or whether I go the roundabout way to Invercargill through Manapouri and Riverton. I am keen to go to Milford as have never been there, but am a bit reluctant if the weather pattern of the past few days remain as on occasions it has had me asking myself “remind me again why I am doing this?”..

Poor old Mr Scott is looking definately second hand…