van der merwes blog site

Date: Wednesday 20 February 2013
Route: Springs Junction to Hanmer Springs
Distance: 94km plus 5km around town
Weather: clear, no wind, very hot in afternoon
Accommodation: Pines Holiday Park – cheap but very basic, no bedding, had to pay 50c for shower! (however it was clean and there were nice trees to sit under)

We had an early start again at about 8.15am – after an Alpine Burger at the Motel restaurant – it included a hash brown and egg on the burger!

The first hour of our ride was a gentle climb to Marua Springs, which is where the main climb of the day (to Lewis Pass summit) started. Luckily this was at the start of the ride and the route was shaded. It took about 35min slow uphill slog in lowest gears to get to the summit. On the other side we had a wonderful long downhill run. After that it was all up and down – probably more down than up.

We had beautiful mountain scenery – following the river tumbling over a rocky valley with mountains on either side. It was exhilarating free wheeling down hills with a huge open river valley below.

It got very hot after 12 – and we suffered for the last couple of hours of the ride. In some places the tar was melting and I could see Kris’s tyre making a track on the road!

We we got into Hanmer just before 2pm and immediately saw Laurie on the main street. We stopped at the Monteith’s Bar for a draft (or two), to cool down and had a good chat. There is nothing as good as a cool beer after you have been cycling in the hot sun.

Laurie came to camp at our campground (we are in a cabin). After cleaning up and shopping we all had a al fresco style meal at picnic tables under the trees. We also met and shared our wine with a young German backpacker and had a long conversation – he is from Bodensee – an area of Germany we really loved.

Date: Tuesday 19 February 2013
Route: Murchison to Springs Junction
Distance: 85km
Weather: Misty and cool in morning, no wind, very hot in afternoon
Accommodation: Alpine Motor Inn

Woke up at about 4am to go to the toilet (so had to leave the cabin, no ensuite). I was awestruck when I looked up and saw the Milky Way. It seemed much closer than ever and had acquired a few more stars. No wonder our ancestors were so impressed with the stars – there is so much more to see if no city lights.

By the time we got up we were totally in the cloud and it was quite cool. We made eggs for breakfast – the advantage of being in a camp park with cooking facilities – and left quite early at about 8.30am. It was a very scenic ride today – the first part atmospheric in the mist, along the river with mountains rising into the mist on all sides. This cleared around 10am. We passed through some stunning river valleys with wooded hills all round. The countryside is very dry though.

We stopped at a waterfall lookout and met Laurie – a Dunedin born Australian cycling around the S Island. We didn’t stay long to chat as we began to be plagued by sand flies and bumblebees. They have been a problem the last few days every time we stop or go slow up a hill. We think the bees like our bright coloured clothes. I got my second bumblebee sting.

We crossed paths with Laurie a few times during the day as he was also going to Springs Junction.

The hardest part of the ride was a long climb up the Shenandoah Saddle at about 500m but we coped well. The rest of the road was constant ups and downs but manageable.

On the other side of the steep climb we met a couple from Melbourne touring on fold up bikes. We stopped at the cafe at Maruia (we remember stopping here with Elsbeth some years ago). It is the only cafe on the route so the other couple stopped too. We took a table together and had a good chat about our cycling experience. They have cycled on the fold up bikes in Italy and Eastern Europe. They use the fold up bikes as they are easy to take on planes and trains. From their description of Romania it is not a country suitable for cycle touring (note to self for future planning).

Got to Springs Junction around 2.30pm. Laurie had arrived just before us. Another cyclist from NZ arrived later coming from the other direction. That is about the whole guest list in the motel. All are very disappointed to find out that although there is a cafe and a dairy, there is no beer to be had in the town! It seems I am NOT the only one who wants a beer after a long hot ride.

The motel is comfy with a bubbling stream directly outside the units – makes a lovely sound. We brought some food with us, so had a picnic meal outside our room. It got really uncomfortably hot again in the late afternoon – that seems to be the pattern here – and the insects got increasingly aggressive – so we were driven indoors to rest and write blogs etc.

Date: Monday 18 February 2013
Route: St Arnaud to Murchison
Distance: 62km (plus 4km around town)
Weather: Overcast and cool in morning, no wind, very hot in afternoon
Accommodation: Kiwipark holiday park cabin

One of our shortest planned routes today. Also an easy ride. We did the first 25km in an hour, hardly having to pedal as it was a long steady downhill. Nice quiet road to start with but once we turned onto the main drag to Murchison from Nelson there was too much traffic, including trucks. The whole route followed the river – very beautiful in parts with native forests and mountains on either side.

Few mechanical issues today – Kris just had to stop a couple of times to adjust his front paniers.

We met and chatted with a Swiss cyclist who has done around 3000km all around NZ when we arrived in Murchison. He was going on to Westport in the afternoon.

We left early at 8.45 and arrived early around 12. Spent the afternoon shopping and relaxing. Very hot in afternoon. Bought food for tomorrow. The shop here is not so expensive and we have kitchen facilities – so made our own meat and vegetable meal and bought food for tomorrow.

Date: Sunday, 17 February 2013
Route: Renwick to St Arnaud
Distance: 94km, plus 5km around town in evening
Weather: Overcast and cool in morning, no wind
Accommodation: Nelson lakes motels backpacker lodge – basic but clean, has all the facilities, good value

We had a good early start at 8.30am and ideal conditions. The road was flat and easy for the first 80km. After that there was a steep steady uphill over a pass just before the lake. At the start we rode past a lot of vineyards. Later on we rode alongside the river with mountains on either side. This was one of the longest distances we have planned and we did well.

No problems with tyres today, but my chain slipped off the gear about three times. Kris has adjusted it and think it is ok now. We both arrived with oily hands.
We were happy to find a washing machine at the hostel, so no hand washing tonight.

We found the only shop in town – but it was very limited and expensive. So decided to go to treat ourselves to a meal at the Alpine Lodge – the only local restaurant and bar. Had delicious craft beer there from local brewery. The meal was their Sunday evening barbeque – wonderful quality salads and meats. We ate too much! We always seem to fall into this trap with buffets.

Went to look at the stunning Lake Rotoiti before dinner. Elsbeth – last time we were here we walked along the lake with you, remember the clear water with the large fish and the beech forest.

Date: Saturday, 16 February 2013
Route: Home to Renwick
Distance: 60km, including ride to ferry from home
Weather: clear sky and hot, no wind
Accommodation: On the Terrace Bed and Breakfast, Renwick – recommended for good value, spacious private accommodation, friendly hosts

Murphy was on holiday with us this morning. Firstly, one of the headlamps didn’t work. We needed them as we were leaving at 6am and it was only just getting light. Kris tried to fix it but gave up and so we took the spare.
Then I got a flat tire on a rock near the bottom of Horokiwi road – even though we were going really slow and carefully as we knew there was lots of debris on the road. I just didn’t see it. We changed the tube in a huge rush. I was getting really tense about being late for the ferry check in. In the end we got there about 7.15, rather than 7.00 for the 8am ferry, and it really didn’t matter.

The ferry crossing was very smooth and trouble free. We wheeled our bikes on with the rest of the passengers and they tied them up at the front of the the car deck. It was nice being some of the first people off the ferry with the foot passengers.

The Picton to Renwick ride was relatively easy. Only one manageable hill just out of Picton. We turned off the main road onto a quiet country road as soon as we could at Tua Marina. Stopped and bought some plums from a road side stall – the kind where there is no one around, you just place your money in a nearby box. The road runs alongside a river, and we began to notice vineyards. We also noticed that my back tyre was a bit soft. We pumped it up a few times along the way – having to admit that I had my second puncture of the day. The road turned to gravel for a few km – I was really happy to see that tar again with my dodgy tire.

Renwick is a small town surrounded by vineyards with not much else in it. It was really hot when we got here so we ended up drinking some very refreshing beer at the pub, where we also ate. The locals were watching a darts tournament on TV (out in the cool porch where we were sitting). Kris brushed up on his understanding of the rules with them and explained them to me – so I learnt something unexpected today.

Our B&B accommodation is very neat and spacious. It is a self contained flat connected to the house. Plenty of garden to do bike repairs in (patching the tube this time). We were told we could help ourselves from the apple tree which is loaded with fruit. There are also a heap of olive trees all bearing green olives and a grapevine.