From Clyde to Lauder

March 10, 2012

Yesterday we spent a fun day at the Wanaka A and P (agricultural and pastoral) show. Jane and I spent tne time looking at the myriad of stalls - I bought some lovely silver earrings and much to everyones mirth a strange looking gadget to support your back while sitting on a stool.wAith it on I look like one of the Clydsdale horses in full harness. Thought it might be good in French campgrounds that don't have seats. The men had a much more serious time looking at the farming side of the show. Kens brother is a high country farmer and the Wanaka show is a very important event for him.

This morning, after our bacon and eggs, Fred put Jane's bike and our bags in the back of the truck and off we went to Clyde to pick up our rental bikes at the start of the Railtrail. Trail Journeys is a huge operation in a huge old railway shed. They will arrange all aspects of your tour including the accommodation and transport of bags from place to place. For us it was only a matter of bikes, transport of our bags straight through to the end, a shuttle to the train and train tickets to Dunedin. The bikes are hybrid bikes with intermediate tires and they seem absolutely ideal for the track which is unsealed. It is however smooth and the gravel small and well packed so it is good to ride on.

Fred wasn't coming with us as the show was on for another day, he will meet us at Hyde tomorrow night. Off Ken, Jane and I went over the dry landscape to Alexandra. Eight km, a couple of small railway bridges and we were there and being us we were in need of a cup of coffee so we detoured into towm and enjoyed that. Back on the trail the landscape becomes more interesting with huge rocky out crops, every little while you come to an old railway station and I certainly enjoyed going through the cuttings and thinking of the climbing it had saved. Lunch was at Chatto Creek and it really hit the spot, the delicious Seafood Chowder and the most genial of hosts. Next comes Tiger Hill and although it is only 1 in 25 it goes on for a very long time and the wind was beginning to get up so we felt pleased to reach the top of it and go down to Omakau where we called in to see the Jim and Dorothy who had been so kind to me as a teenager. Into their car we went and off to see old sights, looking at the hills that Ken used to roam over when he was a rabbiter , visiting St Bathans and enjoying a beer in the old Vulcan Pub. This was all gold mining territory with the beautiful rounded hills and mountains and tussock blowing in the breeze that are so well represented in Graeme Sidney's paintings.

Our accommodation for the night was the Lauder Pub and they gave us such a huge meal none of us could finish it. I slept like a log.

Even in NZ we search for coffee and it wasnt long before we found our first one

There is information at the little ganger's huts all along the way

Tiger Hill is worse than it looks. It seems to go on for ever

We met our friends here this is Nickie's beautiful historic B and B

They took us to St Bathans where the Vulacan hotel has a genuine ghost

Today's ride: 49 km (30 miles)
Total: 84 km (52 miles)

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