Alps to the Ocean on an e-mountain bike.

As we left Lake Manapouri and Doubtful Sound behind us, the sun came out. It was going to be a great day for a drive. We turned left and began our drive to the north end of the south island.

Next stop, a 3 day, 190 km self guided e-mountain bike trip from the base of Mount Cook (Mt. Cook Village) east towards the coast.  It was part of the A2O (Alps to the Ocean)  trail system, and they have done a great job setting it up.

I have to admit to being a bit of an e-bike snob, but had such a good time that I think an e-bike may be in my future.  It is mid winter in the Pacific NW and there is no time to put in the saddle time for a multi-day trip (outside of spin class at the Y).

It was such fun. And there were no worries about not being in shape. Get a little tired? Want some exercise? Turn off the battery. Turn on the juice. Lugging up that hill? Get a little electric boost. And the extra kilowatts ande the 50 mile days move right along.

When we arrived at Mt Cook Village, it had been raining and we thought it might be a repeat of Doubtful.

But the next day the clouds cleared, Mt cook came out, and we had 3 dry days.

The first day, from Mt Cook to Twizel, was one of my best riding days ever. Talk about scenery - not to be beat.

At the start we had to cross the Tasman River (run off from the Tasman Glacier on Mt Cook). There ia no bridge so we got a helicopter lift.

No camping on this trip - and the lodge on Lake Ohau had some great views to boot.

The last day we did a steady 1000 foot climb on one of the best manicured single tracks I've ever ridden. Then a long downhill and it was over too soon.

I'll try to put a couple videos in this blog, but if they don't work, you can find them along with a few more pictures at
https://photos.app.goo.gl/hGMakUq9NAyztNVp6

Fiordland Part II - Doubtful Sound

After seeing the high country of the Routeburn, we were off for Doubtful Sound, one of the many fiords of fiordland.

Milford Sound is better known, but we wanted to avoid the crowds. The downside is a longer "approach". First was a catamaran across Lake Manapouri.

Then a bus over the coastal range to reach our boat. 

First sighting of Doubtful Sound from the coastal range saddle.

The plan was an afternoon cruise, dinner, and staying on board overnight.   The weather remained wet, and the views limited....

...but it was mystical and the upside was the hundreds waterfalls. Within an hour of the rain, they began to appear. The soil on the granite is thin, so it doesn't take long for the run off to start.

We made it to the mouth of the fiord on the Tasman Sea, visiting a seal colony.

In the AM it will be time to start the drive north towards Nelson and Golden Bay. But only after a side trip to do some e-biking at Mt Cook.

Trip pictures at: https://photos.app.goo.gl/hGMakUq9NAyztNVp6   Including a couple movies of the waterfalls that don't work well to upload on Blogger.

Fiordland and the Routeburn Track.

The southwestern corner of New Zealand is a temperate rain forest just like the west coast of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State and Vancouver Island in Canada. It is the first landfall for storms and moisture brought in by the roaring fourties with more than 250 rainy days a year. Get on a trail under the canopy and it is impossible to tell you are not hiking in the Olympic National Forest.

The area is well known for the fjiord like inlets from the Tasman Sea and at the other extreme its walks, treks, or “stomps” in the high mountains.

Today was off to do the Routeburn a 32 km track connecting Fiordland with the north end of Lake Wakatipu – the lake we looked at from Queenstown. Since neither Kath nor I wanted to carry a big pack, we did it with a company that has 2 quite nice lodges with warm showers, good food, and a liquor license.

First it was a 3 hour bus ride to the start at the western end of the track. It was to be a 3 day walk – 9, 9, and 6 miles. Day 1 weather was sunny and we got some great views.

But then the rain stated. Day 2 began and finished in the rain. We got to experience a fiordland storm firsthand with almost horizontal rain at times. The trails became small streams, and waterfalls appeared everywhere. The ground is so saturated that waterfalls appear with just a few hours of rainfall – but then disappear just as quickly when it stops. Although it was wet, really wet, we stayed warm and everyone agreed that it had its own mystical beauty.

The morning of the last day we awpoke to a suting of new snow on the peaks round us. The drizzle continued, but more a NW drizzle than the real gully washer of the day before. 

But after a stop at a pub on the way home, we headed to the motel and knew that with a warm shower and a good nights sleep, we would be ready for part 2 – Doubtful Sound.

Queenstown.

Queenstown started as a base camp for the local sheep farmers in 1860 - just about the time of our Civil War. But gold was discovered a few years later and it quickly became a busting mercantile center to out fit the miners.

The gold ran out, the miners left, and the town settled into a backwater settlement in a very beautiful part of the world. Over the years it found its niche again with tourism.

Today there are ~ 30,000 permanent residents and in the high season over a 100,000 people are in town at any given time. It is a young city - seems as if everyone is a 20 something  year old. If you want to understand Queenstown, go to any ski town in the US in mid winter. Bars are open every night till 2 AM, and the cost of everything is about twice what you'd expect.

if any one thing makes Queenstown stand out for me, it is the hundreds of storefronts selling daily adventure packages - rafting, paragliding, bungy jumping, canyoning, jet boating, etc.

We did several walks - the toughest was up to the saddle of Ben Loman Peak (just shy of 10,000 feet) - and started about 3 blocks from our hotel. We cheated and took a gondola at the start. But it was still plenty of exercise.

Another highlight was the city gardens - very similar to Stanley Park in Vancouver, BC. Those brits do like their gardens.

Kath and I are working through our viral URI - from the 24 hours enclosed with a few hundred others on Air New Zealand.

Tomorrow, The Routeburn Track.

I'm going to include a link to all our pictures for those who'd like to see a few more.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/hGMakUq9NAyztNVp6

In transit.

We are here!!  We left Mukilteo at high noon on Sunday and landed in Queenstown New Zealand yesterday almost a full 24 hours later. A long trip with many movies, part of a book, and too many airplane and airport meals. I'm glad it's 5 weeks until we do the return run.

Before we left the NW, we solved an escape room challenge with Chris and family and returned to one of our favorite walks at Ebey's Landing on Whidbey Island. New Zealand will have its work cut out to beat this view of the Olympic Mountains on a perfectly clear NW day.  Then it was a final gear check (the GoreTex is still doing its job) and we were ready,

We won the escape room challenge.

The Olympics from Ebey's Landing.

I know....maximum dorky.

It was sunrise when we landed in Auckland and clear blue skies in Queenstown. We took a short walk about in town and then opted for a cruise across Lake Wakapitu to a sheep ranch where we had a truly gourmet bar-b-q on the veranda. Maybe it was too much airplane food, but I thought it was some of the best lamb I've had..ever.

Auckland Airport.

First beer - blue skies over Queenstown.

Steaming across Lake Wakapitu.

A demonstration of sheep shearing....

....then lunch!!

A nice way to spend our first day. Tomorrow,  some exercise.