Day 37 of TA - Into the wilderness again?
Monday 17th November
Distance: 108 km
Elevation gain: 822 metres
From Queenstown to Mossburn
About 6.5 hrs elapsed from 10 am to 4:30 pm.
Recap Sunday Rest Day
A lazy start to Sunday. We got motivated around 9am, Leigh was very generous and even made breakfast. We went down to Queenstown and Leigh showed us around. We grabbed a good coffee and a pie from the bakery for a morning snack. Rob went on a jet boat tour while Leigh and I drove out of town and had a small tramp/hike around Bob's Cove Beach and lookout. It was a beautiful blue-sky day, although Leigh thought it was too much like summer. 😀
In the afternoon I went out to the airport to meet Mel, while Rob went to meet the folks. We all met up for dinner downtown at Sunfire restaurant. It was a great evening, and Queenstown was pumping with a party town atmosphere due to the Marathon weekend crowds.
Back to Monday
We were awake early to catch the 9am TSS Earnslaw steamboat ferry from Queenstown to Walter Peak Station. Rob, Mel and I had coffee and breakfast at the bakery that Leigh showed us on Sunday. We also bought lunch and muffins for the day ahead. The 9am ferry meant we didn't start cycling proper until 10am, which was a VERY late start to the day. There was an earlier staff ferry but it was booked out for bikes (bugger!). At least we had a relaxing start to the day and could enjoy breakfast.
Our bikes were now devoid of their regular panniers and gear. We had the luxury of giving our gear to Mel to transport to Mossburn, which meant we only needed basic bike repair gear, first aid kit and food/drinks. Was this cheating, or was it working smarter? You be the judge. But with the bikes stripped of their regular panniers and gear they were light and nimble.
Today was on gravel roads and cycle trails. After so much bitumen it was a reminder that that TA is not over yet. It was also very remote and included the last big climb on the TA route. I felt a bit sad…this journey is coming to an end.
The first leg was the ferry trip from Queenstown on Lake Wakatipu. I felt great on the ferry, and once again the countryside was so picturesque. There was also the pleasant smell of the coal fired boilers and steam engine on the ferry. Pleasant to me anyway! But after only 45 minutes we were dropped at the Walter Peak Station and it was time to start cycling.
The second leg was a 35km cycle to the final summit of the TA at Von Hill. As seems to be the way, the first 20 km was a gradual climb before the final 15 km became very steep. And because this was gravel there didn't seem to be any limits to how steep the road could be. For example on the Haast Pass (a recognised highway) there would be limits to the gradient so that heavy vehicles could make the trip. None of those limits applied today. It was just steep and loose gravel.
As there were also no shops to purchase supplies we carried everything we ate today. Water purification tablets were used when we refilled our water bottles. Rob used tank water from one of the shelters and I filled up on one of the cold mountain streams we crossed.
The final leg was 70km "downhill" to the town of Mossburn. The trail notes indicate it as downhill but we knew enough to check our expectations. What could happen on a long, exposed, flat(ish) ride to Mossburn on gravel? Well, we were extremely lucky, because what happened was a huge tail wind! We were flying along and the gravel road was in great condition. Often we were cruising above 30km/hr and just chatting away. It would have been nice to think it was due to the fitness but as soon as we stopped it was clear there was a massive tailwind giving us a boost.
Side note - As we were pulling into Mossburn at the end of the day there was some random guy yelling out to me, like he knew me. When he got out of his car I didn't recognise him, but he was so excited, like a long lost buddy. Turns out he works for Surly, the company that made my purple Karate Monkey bike. He was excited because here was someone riding one of his bikes. He wanted a photo to show the team back in the USA, and once we were done he drove off. Maybe I'll be famous?
Rob and I arrived in the campground outside Mossburn around 3:30pm. Due to the tailwind this was earlier than our predicted ETA but Mel had already checked into the cabins and got dinner underway. We got cleaned up and enjoyed a feast - cheese and crackers, Spag bog and then mini pavlovas with strawberries, cream and flake chocolate. I was stuffed. But I still have a day or 2 of riding so I need to keep the carbs up!!
Today's theme song is by Midnight Oil - King of the Mountain
Don't call me king of the mountain, but I certainly could be in the royal court for a visit. Today we completed the last significant climb on the TA - and I've climbed SO MANY mountains over the past 2 months. Tomorrow we push on along the plains of Southland to Invercargill. We are hoping for another tailwind…
Offloaded at Walter Peak Station with the TSS Earnslaw in the background. Time to start cycling
Rob, Leigh and me on the lake shore at Queenstown on our Sunday rest day. Coffee in hand. It was a beautiful day to be cruising around Queenstown.
Rob taking a break on the climb up to Von Hill. The weather today was cold, windy and rainy. This is a good shot of the climb up from the valley. The road kept going up.
At the top of Von Hill. This is the last summit of the TA, and I was full of emotions. Extremely happy to be here but sad knowing it's coming to an end.
Distance: 108 km
Elevation gain: 822 metres
From Queenstown to Mossburn
About 6.5 hrs elapsed from 10 am to 4:30 pm.
Recap Sunday Rest Day
A lazy start to Sunday. We got motivated around 9am, Leigh was very generous and even made breakfast. We went down to Queenstown and Leigh showed us around. We grabbed a good coffee and a pie from the bakery for a morning snack. Rob went on a jet boat tour while Leigh and I drove out of town and had a small tramp/hike around Bob's Cove Beach and lookout. It was a beautiful blue-sky day, although Leigh thought it was too much like summer. 😀
In the afternoon I went out to the airport to meet Mel, while Rob went to meet the folks. We all met up for dinner downtown at Sunfire restaurant. It was a great evening, and Queenstown was pumping with a party town atmosphere due to the Marathon weekend crowds.
Back to Monday
We were awake early to catch the 9am TSS Earnslaw steamboat ferry from Queenstown to Walter Peak Station. Rob, Mel and I had coffee and breakfast at the bakery that Leigh showed us on Sunday. We also bought lunch and muffins for the day ahead. The 9am ferry meant we didn't start cycling proper until 10am, which was a VERY late start to the day. There was an earlier staff ferry but it was booked out for bikes (bugger!). At least we had a relaxing start to the day and could enjoy breakfast.
Our bikes were now devoid of their regular panniers and gear. We had the luxury of giving our gear to Mel to transport to Mossburn, which meant we only needed basic bike repair gear, first aid kit and food/drinks. Was this cheating, or was it working smarter? You be the judge. But with the bikes stripped of their regular panniers and gear they were light and nimble.
Today was on gravel roads and cycle trails. After so much bitumen it was a reminder that that TA is not over yet. It was also very remote and included the last big climb on the TA route. I felt a bit sad…this journey is coming to an end.
The first leg was the ferry trip from Queenstown on Lake Wakatipu. I felt great on the ferry, and once again the countryside was so picturesque. There was also the pleasant smell of the coal fired boilers and steam engine on the ferry. Pleasant to me anyway! But after only 45 minutes we were dropped at the Walter Peak Station and it was time to start cycling.
The second leg was a 35km cycle to the final summit of the TA at Von Hill. As seems to be the way, the first 20 km was a gradual climb before the final 15 km became very steep. And because this was gravel there didn't seem to be any limits to how steep the road could be. For example on the Haast Pass (a recognised highway) there would be limits to the gradient so that heavy vehicles could make the trip. None of those limits applied today. It was just steep and loose gravel.
As there were also no shops to purchase supplies we carried everything we ate today. Water purification tablets were used when we refilled our water bottles. Rob used tank water from one of the shelters and I filled up on one of the cold mountain streams we crossed.
The final leg was 70km "downhill" to the town of Mossburn. The trail notes indicate it as downhill but we knew enough to check our expectations. What could happen on a long, exposed, flat(ish) ride to Mossburn on gravel? Well, we were extremely lucky, because what happened was a huge tail wind! We were flying along and the gravel road was in great condition. Often we were cruising above 30km/hr and just chatting away. It would have been nice to think it was due to the fitness but as soon as we stopped it was clear there was a massive tailwind giving us a boost.
Side note - As we were pulling into Mossburn at the end of the day there was some random guy yelling out to me, like he knew me. When he got out of his car I didn't recognise him, but he was so excited, like a long lost buddy. Turns out he works for Surly, the company that made my purple Karate Monkey bike. He was excited because here was someone riding one of his bikes. He wanted a photo to show the team back in the USA, and once we were done he drove off. Maybe I'll be famous?
Rob and I arrived in the campground outside Mossburn around 3:30pm. Due to the tailwind this was earlier than our predicted ETA but Mel had already checked into the cabins and got dinner underway. We got cleaned up and enjoyed a feast - cheese and crackers, Spag bog and then mini pavlovas with strawberries, cream and flake chocolate. I was stuffed. But I still have a day or 2 of riding so I need to keep the carbs up!!
Today's theme song is by Midnight Oil - King of the Mountain
Don't call me king of the mountain, but I certainly could be in the royal court for a visit. Today we completed the last significant climb on the TA - and I've climbed SO MANY mountains over the past 2 months. Tomorrow we push on along the plains of Southland to Invercargill. We are hoping for another tailwind…
Offloaded at Walter Peak Station with the TSS Earnslaw in the background. Time to start cycling
Rob, Leigh and me on the lake shore at Queenstown on our Sunday rest day. Coffee in hand. It was a beautiful day to be cruising around Queenstown.
Rob taking a break on the climb up to Von Hill. The weather today was cold, windy and rainy. This is a good shot of the climb up from the valley. The road kept going up.
At the top of Von Hill. This is the last summit of the TA, and I was full of emotions. Extremely happy to be here but sad knowing it's coming to an end.
Getting closer to Bluff. I've now entered Southland District.
I really enjoyed the ride along the plateau. It was cold, desolate and the grey clouds fit the landscape perfectly.
A great couple of days, with all the emotions!
ReplyDeleteNot carrying gear you don’t need… priceless!
ReplyDeleteNot cheating, definitely working smarter! 👍😊