The Real Meaning of continental shifts!!!!!!!

From New Zealand Cycle tour

While browsing the local magazine shelves we spotted a familiar name....dad we didn't know that that's where you go when you have 4 days on. You're apparently a famous spear fisherman in Oz!

Queenstown to arrowtown then cromwell/ Bannockburn

From New Zealand Cycle tour

{look at the thermometer}

From New Zealand Cycle tour

{in lake dunstan to cool off}

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[Tee shirt for my dad]

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[We decided(too expensive at 165 dollars] not to do it this time but we had a look again]

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[Shotover jet boat , twin 660bhp chevy engines forcing a few hundred litres of water a second through a hole the size of a coffee cup....again looks fun but at 130 dollars for 25 mins ....no thanks]

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[lake dunstan where we went swimming]

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[pancakes on an MSR whisperlite....YES]

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[Us]

Merry Christmas

From New Zealand Cycle tour

From New Zealand Cycle tour

Queenstown Revisited.

We headed back from Glenorchy along the same road (only road) back to Queenstown

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[on our way back to queenstown the lake was calm]

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[More reflections]

Back in Queenstown we heard a pipe band , upon finding them they promptly finished their set and made way for "Dan Ger" from "Hashishstan" a Steet performer

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[Dan Ger setting up and starting his show]

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[Dan Ger / Bruce from Melbourne finishing his show atop a bed of nails , 15 foot up a pole juggling fire sticks!]

Glenorchy to Kinloch ,

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[me on Glenorchy wharf]

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[Jayne under a bridge that on our version of the map doesnt exist on the road to Routeburn track]

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[The view under the bridge]

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[The dart river from the other side of the bridge]

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[Again the dart , Its really that blue in real life]

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[Our pitch at the Glenorchy camp ground at night]

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[view from the wharf at night]


We are now back in queenstown for xmas and will be in our hostel in a couple of hours for the next 2 days, looking forward to the extra space we will have after the last 17 consecutive nights living in the tent !

Queenstown to Glenorchy

we had to get out of Queenstown as it is a tourist mecca and thus everything is so expensive and sometimes under par on quality.

So 45kms out to the north west round the lake lies Glenorchy and is now where we are till tuesday when we will head back to Queenstown for Christmas. We have our hostel confirmed and we have bought tickets to an international orphans christmas dinner at a renound travelers pub in town which should keep us entertained !

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[Queenstown wharf at sun set]

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[ Me with my not so sub par quality hot chocolate from Patagonia chocolates on wharfside......but it was bloody expensive......$15 for 2 .....we normally pay $7 for 2 ... but it was nice and it was the only place open at 10pm for non alcoholic drinks]

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[After bad weather yesterday the good stuffs back! ]

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[Nice lunch spot ? ]

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[It snowed on the hills last night , the snow level wasnt that much above us at some points on our ride ....and we were only at a max of 450meters today]

Fergburger-Queenstown

From New Zealand Cycle tour

We had been told from more than one source that Fergburger was somewhat of a legend in Queenstown and that we had to try it. So how fitting be it that once we had pitched the tent that the first place we see when walking into town was Fergburger

From New Zealand Cycle tour

{Exchange rate yesterday was basically divide the figure on that menu by 2.5}

I had the BIG AL and jayne the tropical swine and yes they were right , they are the stuff of legends.

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[me and burger at Queenstown wharf]

http://www.fergburger.co.nz/

Mavora Lakes and Queenstown

We rode from Te anau to Mavora lakes on Tuesday afternoon after the rain stopped.

Mavora lakes is a basic campsite (toilets table and water) in the middle of no where so all food has to be carried in and all rubbish carried out. It was 70k into the lakes and 50k out the other side on gravel 4x4 trails to Queenstown

From New Zealand Cycle tour

{gravel trails}

From New Zealand Cycle tour

{Swingbridge at mavora.....very wobbly}

From New Zealand Cycle tour

{our fire .....our first in nz as its the first time we have been allowed , most places have strict fire bans in place due to bush fires starting easily}

From New Zealand Cycle tour

{sun setting over the hills and the lake from our campsite}

From New Zealand Cycle tour

{The first obstacle after mavora in the form of a ford .... with knee deep water, Socks and shoes off and through we go. Also in the picture are an american couple touring the west coast that we met in Te Anau and again at Mavora}

From New Zealand Cycle tour

{many sheep blocking the path .... they ran infront all the way to the gate then ran back as us parting round us}

From New Zealand Cycle tour

{We got the TSS earnslaw over the lake to Queenstown from Walters Peak farm}

From New Zealand Cycle tour

{Walters peak farm}

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[Us at the water front before the ship came in]

We also recieved news that Alpkit are going to refund us for our broken arric sleeping mats and so we have purchased some new ones at Kathmandu (a nz outdoor brand) for 20 quid ....

From New Zealand Cycle tour

{the red line shows our route so far}

the local birds

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[on the peer]

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[came up to us at lunch]

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[on the edge of our table at lunch]

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[on the empty chair at lunch]

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[I think this is what they were all after]

And to ensure we avoid more random posts of this ilk we are back on the road again tomorrow morning. Heading for Mavora lakes and then down the the TSS Earnslaw for a steam ship entrance to Queenstown.

Today we also found the swimming pool that time, cleaners and health and safety forgot. Fiordland Community college pool was at one time i think an outdoor pool that someone built a roof over ! I was in the changing rooms thinking someone had left the shower on but no the roof was leaking. At least the pool its self was clean and a refreshing swim and muscle soak was had by all.

And lots more photos of more interesting things added to the album as well !

Mt Luxmore

Having watched Debbie win the Luxmore Grunt the weekend past we decided to go see what the run consisted of at the better pace of walking. It was a 25k round trip from Brod Bay. We got a water taxi to brod bay to cut out the boring coastal walk from the control gates to brod bay which would have added about 3 hours to the already long day.

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[our water taxi made 3 hours into 5 mins]

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[at the beginning]

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[the view through the trees after only about half an hour onto a mirror like lake]

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[Negotiating a fallen tree]

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[Stairs to get up the Limestone Bluffs]

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[Top of pitfichie Dh anyone ? ]

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[To combat people camping anywhere and leaving there waste anywhere you have to stay at Doc huts at certain places en the route. These are like Bunkhouses on the hill which are manned all season by doc staff ... we thought at $45(we usually pay $25-35 if we stay in a bunkhouse) they were rather steep(thus we didnt stay) but we can see the reasoning behind them.There was room for 55 people in this particular one.

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[Lots more hills]

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[The view from the top , the inlet to the left is one of the inland fiords from lake te anau]

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[Us on the return to the hut for our lunch]

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[another of the limestone bluffs , visible from te anau with jayne in for scale]

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[showing how dense and green the forest actually is]

From New Zealand Cycle tour

[some kayakers having fun]