Te Anau

Well we had a good couple of days cross country. We got a lift across Lake Wakatipu on a steam ship and then pedaled across empty backcountry and sheepstation land for two days to reach Te Anau. After serious thought, we then elected to get a bus rather than cycle down to Milford Sound and go for a day cruise. The road to Milford is the most dangerous in NZ, so i think we made the right call. Milford itself was stunning, not only the scenery, but also a huge pod of dusky dolphins and then a pair of Hectors dolphins playing around chasing the boat.

Happy Christmas

Had a nice ride today, the promised bad weather turned out not too bad, and even the climb over the Crown Range was bearable. We had a beer and a nice christmas lunch on top of the pass, but are now stuck trying to find somewhere to eat on christmas day and all the half decent restaurants have been booked up for weeks!

Paragliding in Wanaka

IMG_8070
Originally uploaded by hairy_matt

The weather has finally perked up and we've been enjoying a few rest days in Wanaka. It's a nice chilled out town with nice beer and fantastic views.. We succumbed a bit to the tourist thing and went paragliding this morning, but it was well worth shelling out a few quid for. It' a great way to see the mountains, and very relaxing.. Tomorrow we have to ride over the Crown Range though, so Christmas lunch will be a sandwich on the top somewhere..

Wanaka

Well we finally got some sun. After a few more horrid wet days on the west coast, we climbed over the Haast pass and after a fairly epic day, we now have a few days rest in Wanaka before heading over the crown range to Queenstown.

They don't call it a rainforest for nothing..

Hanging out by the Franz Josef glacier today, and it is rather wet.. In fact it hasn't stopped raining for days! Oh well, pedaling off south now, into wet more rain.. Just like being at home.

A windy day

Just arrived in Hokatika after several hours of purgatory into a horrible headwind. Hope the weather helps us out a bit more tomorrow. The run down the Otira gorge was awesome though, even in the rain.

On the road

Pathway
Originally uploaded by hairy_matt

So, no new pics to post at the moment, but that's because I don't have access to any RAW conversion software while cycle touring. We are currently in Arthur's Pass, South Island of NZ. Tomorrow we ride down towards the west coast, and then south towards Queenstown and Milford Sound.

The weather has been rubbish so far, but the scenery is fantastic. Huge glacial valleys with trestle bridges spanning massive rivers.. Very Montana-esque, with a hint of Scotland about it.

The cycling is going fine so far, though we've only really put in one proper day. I had to buy a new wheel in Christchurch (when we unpacked the bikes on arrival in NZ I found my rear wheel bearings had seized completely...serves me right for washing my bike before flying..).

We managed to pare the kit right down this time so we both have quite managable loads. I think we're going to try to put in a few epic days in order to get an extra day off... Watch this space to see if we make it..

Iron Horse team photoshoot

Montage
Originally uploaded by hairy_matt

Had a good photoshoot with the guys on Saturday in Leigh Woods, Bristol. The weather was freezing and foggy, with a nasty washed out sky and gloomy woods. We got some good shots though, and the guys were great, hitting the same corners again and again... mind you, I think they were just glad to keep warm..