Over the ranges - Wanaka to Te Anau

On our day off in Wanaka we wondered the town, enjoying the sunny and hot weather which we have all been craving. It was a sunday in Wanaka so there were a few markets that we could check out and there were lots of people about especially being a few days before xmas.

Unfortunately Arnaud came down with a stomach bug after eating a dodgy lamb kebab, although only hours earlier Tahlia claimed her chicken kebab was the best she ever had!! Considering Arnaud's condition he and Tahlia decided to stay and extra day in Wanaka then either bus to Queenstown to meet us or go on further to Te Anau.

So back as a two, we headed toward Queenstown over the famous Crown Range Road. The day started with a slight rise as we followed a river up towards Cardrona. We were doing good time as we got to Cadrona before the famous pub had opened, so instead we took a few photos and had a picnic opposite the pub, while many cars drove up, stopped jumped out, took one photo then back in the car and off again, not our kind of travel!!

After Cadrona we had a pretty steep 12km climb to the top of the Crown Range, at 1080m elevation it is the highest sealed road in NZ. The road has recently been sealed so was very smooth and a pleasure to ride on. At the summit we met a group doing a package cycle tour where all their gear is carried for them, and it was very rewarding to be sitting at the top after lugging all our gear up the hill.



Nat at the top of the Crown Range (1080m) the highest sealed road in NZ!!

Now for the fun part, a very steep descent followed by about 10 switchback corners that resembled the famous Alpe D'huez in france. The downhill section had stunning vistas of Lake Wakatipu and Queenstown with most of the mountains in the area still with fresh snow from the cold snap a few nights ago. On our way to Queenstown we stopped in at charming Arrowtown for a fresh fruit ice cream before pedalling around the back roads to Queenstown.

We only had an overnight stop in Queenstown as we will be back here in 3 weeks for Nicks friend, Naomis wedding.

The following morning, we caught the old steamship - The Earnslaw - to Walter Peak sheep station where we would start our next off road section, a two day jaunt to Te Anau. The ship was fantastic, it had a large area cut out of the deck so we could see the old steam engines pumping away.


Nat and Nick after we got off the SSS Earnslaw steamship

We arrived just before lunch at the sheep station and got off with most of the other passengers and unloaded our bikes which were wheeled on next to all the food supplies for the farm. This farm is the largest Merino farm in NZ, and it was here where they developed the method for high country farming which is still used today. What that method is, I do not know......

We planned to only ride 50km to Mavora Lakes where we would camp beside the lake before riding on to Te Anau on xmas eve. The road is 85km of gravel before joining up with the main road from Queenstown to Te Anau. The gravel road is actually a public road, but we only saw 2 other cars which were farmers who farm the land.

The ride was absolutely stunning, the first 10km winded alongside Lake Wakatipu and with mountainous backdrops we had to pinch ourselves a few times! After leaving the lake we headed up a valley which had a very steep 400m climb in 4km (10%). This is ok on sealed roads but it is hard going with fully loaded bikes on gravel. But after getting to the top we were on a large grassy plateau with no trees to be seen. It is so liberating to be in such a remote area with no one else around and we both enjoyed it very much. We rode along for about 30km before we started descending into some pine forests which surround Mavora Lakes. We rode a short way of the road and found a secluded camping site on the side of the lake. We jumped in to the ice cold lake for a wash before having dinner on a log and watching the sun set slowly behind the hills (which is about 10pm at the moment!!). One of our favourite days riding so far!!


The gravel road alongside Lake Wakatipu


Nat climbing up the gravel road

The next day we were up at sunrise (6am) and headed off toward Te Anau, not as pretty as yesterday but nonetheless it is nice to be off the road and away from Traffic.


Nick enjoying coffee at sunrise (yes we carry our stove top espresso maker!!)

We arrived in Te Anau and met up with Tahlia and Arnaud who was getting over his sickness and we also met up with Nick's family for xmas.