Fire 'n Ice NZ'05 pt.2

glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
Previous:
http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=802

Time for a rest day to stow away the deep impressions of the last few days on the road...and Sasha to get rid of the handicap of being single-eyed.
Some impressions of the area...
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Nigel, Billy and Moira
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John, Tim and Jimbo
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As usual, duct tape saves the day...
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Willie-what??
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The planned glacier-walk the next day saw blue-ish skies and what a day it turned out to be…
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Great stuff and well worth the muscle ache after...climbing the rubble and then onto the ice was something not to be forgotten for a long time.
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Clouds moved back in later in the afternoon and drizzle turned to constant rain overnight.


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Expecting the worst for our departure the next morning we were surprised to see the drizzle stop 5 mins. before we climbed onto the bikes.
50km towards Haast the road dried out and some sunlight pierced the black-blanket on the run-up to Haast Pass.
Having a ball across the saddle, Lake Wanaka was nearly too much; the green-blue waters with a dry-yellow background of sharply creased hills an unbelievable composition. Lake Hawea topped all that again…
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After lunch in Wanaka (bowlacino anyone?)
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and Tim deciding that this was HIS place it was up the Crown Range road towards Queenstown. A 200meter fence decorated with bras...yes, bras!!...before Cardrona
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was a strange eyecatcher. The twisties and hairpins on the way down had the Strom in major knots, again it was the gravel in a quickish right-left combo, sheer luck and some "I'm-way-too-old-for-this"-acrobatics kept the schamozzle on the road and upright. The Crown Range is a gem, views magnificent.
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Jimbo's pannier-lock replacement key (for the broken one in Fox Glacier) was already waiting at the reception of the Frankton Holiday Park, Tim wouldn't shut up about Wanaka and the beer was cold :)).

The next day was "Queenstown" day with everyone out to go for some of the attractions on offer: jet-boating/ bungy-jumping etc. etc.
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Spending $1000/ day per head is no problem whatsoever around here.
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Escaping the hype of the place, Goodie and I worked up a mega-sweat hiking out of town and up to the Gondola top-station, sure enough, nobody to be seen….and again, the views !!
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Into a clearing sky, the afternoon ride led along the lake to Glenorchy, another superb road with a cluster of glacier-clad mountains in the background.
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Twisties, sweepers...a run that shouldn't be missed by anyone!!!

Another quick-run was out the other side of Queenstown up to the Coronet Peak Ski area, great twisties with superb views.
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...and past the Shotover River on the way home.
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The stories flew thick and fast that night, everyone "bringing home" something different :)

Low clouds tainted the next morning's ride to Glenorchy,
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as did the splitting-off of Nigel, Moira and Billy who had to make their ways back to Christchurch/ Melbourne.
A short 200km ride,
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broken by some huge bowlacinos and venison-pies as a much needed warm-up got us to Te Anau, the starting point for the Milford Sound Road.

Believe it or not...the River Cruise in Pearl Harbour...NZ

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Te Anau cabins ;D ;D
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WONG Way ? It bloody was, too... :)
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Dinner was WONG as well ;D ;D
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Next lot here: :) :)
http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=798
 
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