Sunday 6th March: Mostly Sunny with some clouds, warm 15°C to 25°C
Tekapo to Twizel: 9.15am to 3.30pm: 58k over mostly flat but gravelly tracks
Eleven starters on Alps 2 Ocean
Lake Tekapo on a beautiful morning
Down the Tekapo Canal
Loose Gravel, head wind
Donnas Mascot
Mt Cook salmon farm on canal
100 metres of salmon cages
Glacial blue Lake Pukaki
Alps 2 Ocean (A2)) signs
Lunch by Lake Pukaki
Salmon shop
Blue skies blue lakes white clouds
Manouvring thru sheep gates
Dusty ride Pukaki Flats to Twizel
Donna's mascot survives dusty trip
Highlight of the day was just riding down the Alps2Ocean on a warm near perfect day, along the Tekapo Canal with its salmon farm, around Lake Pukaki, and buying some salmon at the Mt Cook Alpine Salmon shop.
The morning started casually at 7.30am with breakfast in our room of muesli and yoghurt followed by a quick re-pack to try to jam more into our 24 litre bike panniers. All 11 of us meet at the Four Square store just 50 metres up the road and after a photo session, we're away up the highway. 2k up the road we're turning left to meet up with the A2O (Alps 2 Ocean) beside the Tekapo Canal which is running swiftly beside us. It's hard work as the track is loose gravel and we're riding into the wind. There's lots of stops to either wait for stragglers or push our upended bike through control barriers.
There's a salmon farm with traps laid out along the canal. At about 30k the canal drops into Lake Putaki through a hydro electricity catchment and after a few k around the lake, Milton directs us to the only picnic table we've seen so far. The lake is an amazing glacial blue and in the distance is Mt Cook shrouded in misty clouds. Everyone does their own lunch and then it's on a bit further to the Mt Cook Salmon Shop where we buy 2 packets of frozen salmon pieces for $23 per kg, enough for Graham and Jenny, Ian and I. Donna and her team buy 3 packets for their crew of 6, Mike is vegetarian.
Across the main road and onto the track for the last 20k to Twizel. It's hot and dusty and soon we're riding across an even dustier track into the wind towards Twizel, nestled in a little forested clump. After following the Signs to the Twizel Holiday Park, we arrive thirsty and tired at 3.30pm and are shown to our cabins - very basic but very suitable. We're sharing with Donna and Milton, Graham and Jenny have another ensuited cabin nearby. Time to unpack - that doesn't take long - then over to the Four Square to buy salad to go with the fish, and salami and rice cakes for the next 2 days lunches.
It's still warm, almost hot, when we arrive back and wash a few dusty pairs of socks, then guzzle down a few cold beers around the garden table outside the cabins while our washing dries in the dry wind. Jeff, Sean, Helen and Christian have a nearby 4 bedroom house with a lovely garden setting, so at 7pm, we cart our dinner over there with our bottle of Mount Rile's Sav Blanc. Jenny and Graham, myself and Ian are having grilled salmon pieces with a large salad of capsicum, tomato, onion, sprouts and rocket leaves with mayonnaise, the rest are having a lovingly prepared salmon pasta.
It's a beautiful summers evening as we wine and dine in the garden before going back to our cabins and bed about 9.30 ready for a not too early start.
Twizel Holiday Park Cabin