All the tour plus one
Day 1 – Braemar Rd
Date: 30 Nov 22
Grade: 2
An alternative to the official alternative Tekapo starting day. Stunning weather after torrential rain the day before. This route comes out on Lake Pukaki so were able to see at least some of the route that the Mt Cook starting point would follow, and coming down onto the lake with the mountains behind was magnificent.
70km, 55% of battery used
Max elevation: 900 m
Min elevation: 458 m
Total climbing: 924 m
Total descent: -1224 m
Total time: 06:45:47
Day 2 – Tekapo to Twizel
Date: 1 Dec 22
Grade: 2
The regular alternative starting point. Nasty SW in our face all day broken by Horace’s funeral on a stretch of the canal.
59km 65% of the battery used
Max elevation: 757 m
Min elevation: 464 m
Total climbing: 721 m
Total descent: -967 m
Total time: 06:03:19
Day 3 – Twizel to Ohau
Date: 2 Dec 22
Grade: 2
A flat easy ride mostly along canals or around the edge of Lake Ohau. We stayed at the Ohau Lodge with about a thousand other cyclists, fabulous framing of Mt Cook from our bedroom windows, salmon for dinner and an impromptu lesson about our native mistletoe by a dinner companion, a recently retired Botany professor. Apparently this week has been the best display of mistletoe he had seen in 25+ years of studying them
40km 25% battery use
https://www.relive.cc/view/vevW85rmoyO
Max elevation: 559 m
Min elevation: 463 m
Total climbing: 484 m
Total descent: -407 m
Total time: 03:50:03
Day 4 – Ohau to Omarama
Date: 3 Dec 22
Grade: 2
13km/400m climb to start with, and a very social gathering at the top with the other riders cheering on the arrivals. It would have been an easy 53km day but we diverted 14km to view the completely forgettable Omarama Clay Cliffs (Hint: Don’t bother)
67km 75% battery used
https://www.relive.cc/view/vPOp3kW9mEv
Max elevation: 906 m
Min elevation: 411 m
Total climbing: 1080 m
Total descent: -1199 m
Total time: 09:51:00
Day 5 – Omarama to Kurow
Date: 4 Dec 22
Grade: 2,3
Awesome and beautiful ride along Lake Benmore, luckily with the very recently closed and damaged Sailor’s Corner section having been repaired. Tail winds all the way, then a not so beautiful
ride around Lake Aviemore into a sudden complete shift of wind as a very cold front came up to meet us. Not many photos taken of this section, and I read later that the wind blows down the valley every morning, and up every afternoon which is a bit hard to manage on a leisurely trip.
We stayed at a done-up woodshed with a great fire waiting for us, had dinner at the Kurow pub with the landlord picking us up and delivering us back after a proper pub meal, highly entertained by the local Young Farmers doing their monthly social thing. You could feel the pain in the young lads souls as they desperately tried to attract the eyes of the gals who I’m sure found their speechless blushing endearing.
77km 87% battery used
https://www.relive.cc/view/vXvLPEoEp1v
Max elevation: 488 m
Min elevation: 198 m
Total climbing: 1150 m
Total descent: -1372 m
Total time: 06:59:02
Day 6 – Kurow to Duntroon
Date: 5 Dec 22
Grade: 2
No photos today except of the Highland Cattle to start the video, because it’s not the most exciting biking, even (sorry Ngai Tahu) the rock art was a bit blah, more graffiti whenua than art to my unforgiving eye. Finding good fossils at Duntroon museum was a highlight, although the Thai food at the pub was excellent, and for me anyway, the best meal of the trip.
25km, 23% battery use
Video included for completeness only.
https://www.relive.cc/view/vLqeJjddoRv
Max elevation: 227 m
Min elevation: 134 m
Total climbing: 337 m
Total descent: