Rolling on to Wānaka

What a week. We’ve had lots of sun, some heavy rain, some big climbs and a whole lot of awesome scenery. Higher mountains, rockier rivers, bluer lakes, lusher native bush and some stunning coastline.

We've now completed the Touring the West Coast route, taking two days to cycle from Franz Josef to Haast, heading over the Haast Pass to Makarora, and then cycling on to Wānaka. For a much-needed rest day.

Franz Josef to Haast

South Westland is a beautiful part of the country. It is also one of the wettest. It absolutely bucketed down the night we stayed at Franz Josef, and again the following afternoon (when we were just eight kilometres from our accommodation). The rain carried on through the night and into the morning, then started all over again after we arrived in Haast. Heavy noisy rain bouncing off the road and forming streams and puddles faster than it could drain away.

We missed the worst of it while cycling, but we did get wet. We got light rain and drizzle when we left Franz Josef, and then a lovely long clear spell that helped dry us out - only to get completely drenched before we reached our motel.

But we still had a good day. There were two main highlights. The first was cycling over a succession of three steep saddles between Franz Josef and Fox Glacier. They weren't easy but we enjoyed the challenge, the views, and, best of all, the fast downhill rides (especially the longest one after the second saddle). (And yes, there was some woo-hooing on the way down.)

The second highlight of the day was taking a short detour to a viewpoint of Fox Glacier. The glacier is some distance from the viewing point, and you only get a small glimpse of it (we were lucky to time our visit with the cloud lifting). But the best bit was actually the ride through the bush.

Most bush tracks are only designed for pedestrians, but this one is a wide gravel track that is a shared walkway and cycleway. It gradually winds up the hill for a few kilometres through lovely native forest, and we enjoyed cycling almost the whole way to the viewing platform (the final few hundred metres are reserved for pedestrians). We were the only cyclists and the walkers on the track seemed surprised, and slightly amused, to see us there.

Our onward journey to Haast the following day also started out wet and was, to be honest, a bit miserable. We had an early start (actually starting in the dark) so we could get to Haast (88 kilometres away) before a scheduled road closure in the middle of the day. Low cloud and rain meant we couldn't really enjoy the scenery for the first half of our ride.

But the cloud lifted as we approached the coast, and we had a lovely sunny ride the rest of the way.

The road follows the coastline through to Haast, with great views out to the Tasman Sea. There are several lookout points and places to stop, the best being at Ship Creek. It's right by the beach and offers a short walk through swamp forest or a short walk along the dunes. (The only downside about this stretch of coast is the voracious sandflies, which are quick to find hot and sweaty cyclists.)

The ride itself was the usual mix of ups and downs, and lots of tourist traffic passing us by. We arrived early at Haast (with about 25 minutes to spare before the road closure) so, after refuelling, took the chance to ride the local cycleway through the bush to the beach. We were the only people there.

While we were having our lunch at Haast, we spotted a couple of people having a good look at our bikes, which we’d left propped up on a wall. They were clearly intrigued with our set-up, one guy lifting Chris’ bike up to see how much it all weighed. They were clearly fellow cyclists and, once we got chatting, discovered we were on much the same itinerary for the next few days. One, a Dutch New Zealander travelling with a friend from the Netherlands, decided our set up was preferable to his heavier load.

Haast to Makarora

Heavy overnight rain was followed by a beautiful clear day. Slightly cooler temperatures made for perfect cycling conditions, especially for our big climb through the mountains via the Haast Pass.

The road gradually climbs for the first 50 kilometres before the real climb begins.

Every day we think the scenery is more stunning than the day before, and this was no exception. We were surrounded by huge mountains, awe-inspiring in itself. But the previous day’s rain meant that the bush really came to life, and there were waterfalls - big and small - all along the ride. Many were only noticeable because we could hear and see them as we cycled slowly by. Motorists would have missed them completely.

There are several places where you can stop and do a short bush walk to get a better view of waterfalls. We did one early in our ride - and Roaring Billy (yes, that's the name of the waterfall) did not disappoint. But, like our visit to Fox Glacier, the bush walk was worth doing in its own right. Lots of healthy ferns of all shapes and sizes, heaps of moss, lichen, and epiphytes growing over big old native trees (like kahikatea) and plenty of fungi to keep Chris happy.

The climb over the Haast Pass was tough, very tough. I am hoping it is the steepest climb in our tour. It's not the biggest climb on the Tour Aotearoa route but the road ascends about 350 metres in the first three kilometres. We passed one cyclist walking up, and if Chris wasn't cheerleading behind me, I might have done the same thing. I was cycling in my lowest gear. (We later learned our Dutch friend walked his bike too.)

Fortunately the next seven kilometres up to the summit are more straightforward, so when we got there, we still had enough energy to stow our bikes in the bush and walk another 150 metres up to a lookout point.

Then, of course, came the downhill, and we cycled on to Makarora accompanied by a steady flow of tourist traffic, stopping only to refuel at one of the many scenic rest areas on the way. The day was getting hot by then and we were exhausted at the end of the day.

Makarora to Wānaka

The landscape completely changed for our ride from Makarora to Wānaka. Thick native bush gradually faded away, open farmland appeared and, while we were still surrounded by mountains, they became browner, with sparser vegetation and exposed jagged tops.

For the first stage of our ride, we continued cycling on the road, passing along the northern end of Lake Wānaka, before heading over “The Neck” to ride along Lake Hāwea instead. Stunning views all around.

We had a couple of surprisingly steep hill climbs (one making me reach for my low gears again) but also lots of downhill riding.

Cycling into Hāwea we were joined by my uncle John and his wife Lyn, who had cycled out from Wānaka to meet us. It was great to see them and, after coffee and lunch, they escorted us on to Wānaka.

This part of our ride was off-road. The route follows two mountain bike trails: the Hāwea River Trail, which runs alongside the river to Albert Town; and the Outlet Track, which follows the Clutha River/Mata-Au to Lake Wānaka and connects to a shared walking/cycling track along the lake and into town.

Both are grade 2 (easy) trails, with just a few narrow and windy sections (and some bumpy rocks) to negotiate. And, yes, both offer fantastic views of the rivers, flats and mountains.

It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed cycling with John and Lyn. It was also a great relief to be cycling off-road again. I had been looking forward to this after spending most of the week on a popular and sometimes busy tourist highway - but I didn't realize quite how stressful that had been until we didn't need to worry about the cars anymore.

Today is another lovely day in Wānaka and we’re having a lazy rest day - massages, coffee and scones, a walk by the lake and maybe a swim if we feel like it (or not). And I am particularly looking forward to a real meal with John and Lyn (who have promised vegetables and no hot chips)!

Tomorrow we head over the Crown Range to Queenstown. This will be our longest sustained climb yet (39 kilometres) and will take us to the highest point on the whole Tour Aotearoa route (1076 metres). Wish us luck.

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