Mileage: 173
Some views are not worth the risk.
Matt and I hit the road this morning around 10am after a quick breakfast at a nearby cafe/antique shop. I had bacon again this morning, ugh. I didn't mean to. I'm actually sick of it. After five straight days of the stuff, I don't even want to smell it. However, it was the only breakfast on the menu that came with eggs and I always want eggs. I pawned half of the greasy strips off on Matt. He didn't seem to mind. Hamish, the Scottish bloke that owned the hostel, warned us that a storm was going to plague the South island and there would be no escaping it.
Hamish, our Scottish Kiwi host
We gassed, checked the tire pressure and pushed off. The first destination was the site where they filed much of the scenes in Rohan in Lord of the Rings. The only problem was, you had to trek through 16 miles of gravel road to get there. I looked up the road on Google Earth the prior night but couldn't make out if the road to Edoras was loose or hard packed gravel so decided to go for it and see what happened. Worse comes to worse, Matt could head in and I'd chill at a cafe somewhere.
When we got to the road, I sighed. The gravel was loose but the shallow of the road looked relatively compact. I had started reading up on tips for riding on gravel the previous night to prepare for this so I picked my line, unweighted the handlebars, eased off the throttle and braved the road all the while chanting in my head "the bike knows best, trust the bike".
A mile in, I paused for a breather. My nerves were frayed from a few close calls. You tall people have no idea how hard it is to relax when your bike is wiggling around under you like a live fish especially when the tips of your toes can barely touch the ground. I was sweating buckets. The gravel had started getting deeper as we rode. After a few seconds, I shook myself off (literally and figuratively), pushed my visor over the top of my helmet and continued with grim determination. The road will NOT best me! Another mile in, I was feeling pretty good until my front tire hit a deeper patch, pitched me forward causing me to roll on the throttle and down I went. AAARRRGGGHHHH!!!!
Matt helped me right the bike and I literally stood there, contemplating the road with a scowl. I was severely pissed. I wanted so badly to ride, but there was another 14 miles of this crap then 16 miles back. And what if the road got worse? I decided that as much as I wanted to continue, it would not be the smartest thing to do. Up to now, the drops have been relatively painless and not incapacitating. I still had over a week of riding to do and it would be asinine to hurt myself or damage the bike out of pure stubbornness. We were taking a LOTR tour the next day, so I would just have to be content with that. Matt road with me back to the start of the gravel and we decided to meet at the hostel, which was about 150 miles away, since the ride would take him several hours. Even though I knew I did the right thing, I was still disappointed.
The storm never became more than pitter patter drizzle as I rode through farmland dotted with cows, sheep and deer. I liked the variety of road that were mapped out for this trip as today, I was grateful for the long sweepers that meandered through the rolling hills. My butt was sore and my throttle hand ached. I rode at a leisurely pace, enjoying the countryside. The rain alternated between sprinkling and misting. As I crested some hills, the fog rolled in thickly but dissipated after less than a mile, whew! I decided to stop at the Farm Barn for some coffee since the temperature had dropped quite a bit.
Their soup of the day was carrot and coriander with homemade bread. Whoa, ok I'll take one please! It was delish and warmed me right up.
I also ordered a latte and a rasberry/blueberry/white chocolate bar. Wow...
I wanted to record all this for my blog so decided to put pen to paper. There is something so relaxing and simple about writing a journal vs typing it on a netbook. Thanks Michele for suggesting I bring a notepad for just such an occasion.
Back to the rasberry/blueberry/white chocolate bar. It was so crumbly it literally melted with my first bite and the sweet tangy flavors of the berries burst in my mouth. Between sips of my latte and bites of the pastry, I was in food heaven.
Bokonon from the Ninja 250 forum accused me of being obsessed with food. I do believe he was right on the money, especially since I have more photos of food than anything else. Look Elmer, you've been memorialized in my blog! :)
The view from the Farm Barn patio
Misty rain
I continued my ride to Twizel which was about 50 miles away. It continued to drizzle and rain for the next 35 miles. The road continued to meander through hills and some low mountains. About 10 miles from Twizel, the road suddenly opened up into a vast valley surrounded by mountains. It was breathtaking. I don't think words can describe the feeling of being in a place like this and photos can't capture the magnificence of the mountains that surrounded me all sides. The road that led me to this valley came in between several mountains so as I looked around, I was surrounded 360 degrees by mountains and hills. I was in my own little slice of paradise right here, right now. The mountains directly in front of me and to my left were rocky with snow capped peaks. The clouds threaded through some peaks while slowly rolling off others. The rolling hills to my right were green and brown.
The road through the valley snaked around the foothills of one of the mountains and a gorgeous lake met my gaze. Again, the photos don't convey just how majestic this almost-white lake was surrounded by jagged peaks but I tried to take several photos to make one panoramic. Still doesn't do it justice but I tried.
I also took this video of Lake Pukaki:
The lake was HUGE! I could only see and take pics of a snippet. Here's a google map pic:
I arrived at my destination around 3pm and passed a sign that said "Twizel, the town of trees". The town is pronounced with a long "i", not like Twizzler. When I was unhooking my luggage, I noticed that the fall on the gravel earlier today broke the right tail light. I went to the Shell station across the street, got some epoxy, untipped a q-tip to use as a mixing stick, mixed everything on a piece of Halls lozenge wrapper and voila...impressive right?
Now I just bungee everything together to let set over night and it'll be good as new.
Matt arrived a little after 4pm and we went searching for food. He saw a Korean restaurant attached to the hostel. Ooooh, I could taste the galbi already.
There was a note written in Korean by the door, that's a good sign.
Unfortunately, the restaurant was only catering to a Korean bus tour at the moment so we went in search of other fare. There was a Thai restaurant on the gps. The food was shockingly good. I ordered the Pad Thai (it's hard to screw that one up) and Matt had the Panang Curry. They were both excellent.
Tomorrow, we start the LOTR tour at 9am, woohoo!!!
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