Day 7: Fairlie to Lake Tekapo
Journal for 2014-10-26 | Published on 2014-10-26 01:54:24We went to bed late, and the Guineys were kind enough to let us stay in the guest room, so we had a comfy, cozy bed for the night. It’s a working farm, so of course the roosters were up crowing at the crack of dawn, but we were able to ignore them and sleep for a bit longer. We got up when the girls got up (they got up early to watch a movie on TV). We had breakfast and then we had to say our goodbyes and be on our way rather late in the morning.
Our first task was crossing the river, and we decided to brave the ford, so we took off our shoes and walked our bikes across. This shaved at least a few kilometers off our final total. Pam’s knee, of course was hurting, and so every km or so, we would make an adjustment and see how it affected the knee. After about 18 adjustments, it’s just about dialed in. The pain is still there, but it’s more of a dull pain, and is something manageable. Pam’s hoping that now the pain will start to fade with her bike seat adjusted to that magically spot.
There were some really nice views of the mountains as we climbed up and over Burke’s Pass, and toward Tekapo. We experienced just about every kind of weather you can think of also: in the morning it was cool, then warmed up and was sunny, then the clouds came and cooled off, then the wind picked up and it was cold, then the warmth came back, and finally there was a cold headwind. We saw swings of 10C in 15 minutes. The couple of climbs we had to do today were mildly challenging, and we took many breaks getting up them.
Once we got in the MacKenzie Basin the views became breathtaking. The Southern Alps dominated the distance across a wide plan of grass. For a bit we had a tailwind, then came the side wind, and for the last 8km a brutal headwind. We were in our granny gears on the flats grinding away. While it isn’t the best part of touring, it is part of it.
We got to Lake Tekapo, went to the Church of the Good Shepard, which is right on the lake and has an amazing view, and then headed to the supermarket for lunch supplies as we had eaten our last slices of bread for lunch. It’s a holiday weekend, and we passed many B&Bs and motels with “No Vacancy” signs, so we knew the town was going to be crowded.
The Holiday park was almost full, but there was room for us. We’re right down the road from some hot pools, and Pam wants to check them out and see how they compare to Lava Hot Springs. We’re now in the Dark Reserve, which means if the skies are clear, we’ll have great views of the stars. So far, it looks to be cloudy, but there’s time for it to clear up. I think we’re going to call for another rest day tomorrow and explore Tekapo and all it has to offer.
We have finally relented and paid for a wifi plan that covers many different campgrounds. The rates they charge a ridiculous, but cell coverage/speed has been much worse than we expected.
Distance: 37.5km
Riding Time: 3:16
Climbed: 514m
Max Speed: 49.23kmh
Average: 11.47kmh
Pam riding past Lake Tekapo
Our first fording of a river, the Opihi River
Matt invited these guys to come with us because they were so cute
The Southern Alps from the MacKenzie Basin
Lake Tekapo
The Church of the Good Shepard
Yay for knee pain not taking over. I bet the hot pools would help her knee.
The hot water was just what I needed :)
Hey you guys!!! I finally got to read your blog. How exciting. It looks absolutely beautiful there and I am completely jealous!! It's great to see the friendship in touring. Bikers are awesome people, no matter where they are from. Good luck with the knee Pam. I think you and I have the same issues; must be genetic! Keep posting, it's so fun to read your adventures.
Beth, why couldn't we share some cool genetic trait, like, oh, I don't know, gigantism or something? :P
Thanks for taking the time to post about your journey. We enjoy keeping up with you. Hope Pam's knee continues to get better. Be safe~
Thanks, Lora! We're sure having a lot of fun!
Hey guys, finally had a chance to read up on your adventure. It is so exciting! Sorry about the knee. Hope it gets better. Sounds beautiful there. Keep on trekking!
Peggy, it is absolutely gorgeous here!
Hey Pam, Feel better soon, you rock girl !! Pam, I would like you to take a picture of Matthew, I want to see how his beard is coming along. Take Good Care. Happy Labour Day !! peace and love, mom
Tracey, I'll see what I can do :)
Preston: is the lake beautiful? Parker: what are the white animals called? Kate: gorgeous!!!
Parker, those are llamas! :) They were the funniest things ever. They ran up to the fence, like we were going to feed them, and stared at us. I kept asking if they wanted any lasagna (ask Mom about that!). They made us laugh so hard!