Fiordland

When we loaded our bikes after the generous lift from Margaret, Erin's bike stand came off in her hand. Moments later, Julies bike started a slow fall to the left, the bike stand bending to 90 degrees. We headed to a bike shop. The man at Wensley's cycles reckons there is no stand that will support a touring bike loaded with panniers. He went to his storeroom and came back with two rear stands "I found these; don't know how long I've had them; don't even know how much they cost". While we went to a cafe for lunch he put them on the bikes - and charged a grand $10 for the stand plus fitting!!! They certainly look much more robust than the first stands.

We cycled into the wind to Riverton. The campground was fully booked but the lovely manager let us squeeze our tents in. It was New Year's Eve and there was a concert in the soundshell by the beach. We sort of tried to stay up for the New Year but only made it to 11pm. I was fast asleep in the tent when the fireworks started with a bang. Too sleepy even to open the tent flap to peer out....

The next day I was looking forward to a tail wind as the prevailing wind is a southerly. We had an initial headwind and I kept waiting for the magical tail wind. It never came. We cycled into awful gusting head and side winds all the way to Tuatapere. I then found out the wind had changed to a nor'wester. Gutted. First thing I bought on arriving was a litre of fullcream silver top "Happy Valley Dairies" milk. We had lunch then went to the Tuatapere sports day - wood chopping; cycle races; clay bird shooting. For the wood chopping and the races they had handicapped starts - so the fastest people had to start after the slower ones; which made it all the more exciting. One wood chopper started 49 seconds after the first person and still won! The wind was still going strong so we decided to call it a day and deluxe it up in the Tuatapere holiday park. I had a tuatapere sausage for afternoon tea and a Deep South icecream. Dinner was blue cod and chips from across the road.

The next day the wind had changed back to a southerly and we had the best day of cycling of the trip. It's an amazing feeling when you are cruising along a slight descent, not peddalling, but still going at 40kph. We did 101 km to Te Anau by 2pm - our longest day by distance but probably the easiest as there wasn't the wind of southland or the hills of Dunedin.

The weather has changed yet again and today it is heavy rain with 'possible thunderstorms'. We are supposed to be biking up Milford Road, but I think that we might wait until tomorrow.