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Published: April 1st 2009
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27th March 2009 - WIND IS A CYCLISTS NIGHTMARE & ARRIVAL AT LAKE TEKAPO!!
I got up at 7.45am, dressed and prepared for the day. Other people who were staying at the hut that had come from Lake Tekapo kept on telling us what a lovely flat ride it was. Easily said when you travel along it by car...our peddlers paradise book told a slightly different story, which had plenty more ups than downs! It was only 58km though so I was sure we would get there! We had been more concerned about the weather as rain was on the agenda but it looked ok when we got up and we crossed our fingers that we would stay ahead of the rain throughout the day.
It was pretty cloudy when we set out and I did feel a few spots of rain but nothing heavy. After around 30 minutes of cycling we realised that rain was going to be the least of our worries…the wind was blowing pretty hard and was not on our tail but right in our faces! So gusty and strong, every km we rode felt like 2 and made it very hard work! The only thing
that made it bearable was that Lake Pukaki looked amazingly blue from the glacial waters flowing into it! Very nice to see!!
After around 2.5 hours cycling we spotted a couple of trees on our left. Bingo!! We rode to them and sheltered behind them from the wind whilst we had lunch. I could not believe what a difference a couple of trees made…seemed like such a calm still day when we were sat there and I definitely came to the opinion that trees were a cyclists best friend. Such a shame that they were so sporadic on this journey…only around 5 planted every 10km….didn’t provide much shelter whilst we were riding!!
After lunch we thought we should have around 90 minutes cycling left and pushed on in the wind. It was not enjoyable at all. The road was long, straight and went on forever…I think the Romans must have invaded here once upon a time!! The wind coupled with the long straight road meant that the ride became quite tiresome and although neither of us were out of breath and sweaty as we would have been on a really hilly ride, we were both fed up and
just wanted to get there or at least go around a bend or something!! We expected to see Lake Tekapo on the final part of the ride too but again…we didn’t see anything except long straight road and Billy wind whizzing around! Turned into a mentally tough ride as it didn’t matter how hard we cycled, we just didn’t seem to get anywhere! Nat had a sore bum as did I and we both expected to have to savlon up when we arrived that day! Another part of my anatomy was also very sore and I was worried that I would never be able to have children…all due to bike seats!! The bain of my life at the moment!!
We finally saw the sign for Lake Tekapo and we saw the Lake itself! So blue and beautiful caused by the rock flour in the water. Worth the ride…almost!! We cycled straight to the info centre and they pointed us in the right direction for a hostel. Thankfully it was just around the corner and so we didn’t need to cycle..woo!! We checked in, applied the savlon in abundance and had lunch with a brew. Free tea, coffee and hot
chocolate at this place as well as sky movies…..back of the net!!
Once we felt a little better we headed out on a walk to see the Lake and the famous church that we had seen on all the postcards. . Very cute and sat right on the edge of the water. It was called ‘The Church of the Good Shepherd’ and I expected a full on story behind it but there wasn’t one. The view over the lake from inside the church was pretty special and anybody getting married with a face for radio should go there as the congregation will definitely be looking at the views rather than you…guaranteed!!
After our wander to the church we headed back into town and looked in the supermarket for inspiration for tea. Nothing!! We went on the net for an hour to pass some time and then decided upon beans on toast for tea…definitely ‘the’ travellers choice!!
After tea we settled on the couch to watch ‘Disturbia.’ Not a bad film and we enjoyed it with a brew and some cake. Our eating habits are a little out of control at the moment and I may have to
partake in the cabbage soup diet when I return home at this rate. I blame the cycling as we always seem to be hungry! We will have to curb it when the bikes go back though else we will need 2 seats each on the rest of our flights!! Following the film we cleaned our teeth, applied the savlon again and headed to bed! Very tired and sleep was very welcome!!
Cycled 58km/36 miles (felt like double with the head wind).
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