Beginning The Southern Scenic Route (First Three Days)

DAY 1
We woke up in our tent in Te Anau to find that we had survived the night and stayed completely dry! We then set out to run some errands in town... laundry, returning our backpacks, grocery shopping, etc.

By about 4pm, we had finally packed up our bikes and were ready to ride. We were back on the road and about to begin the Southern Scenic Route - which runs down to the south coast, along the coastline and then starts up the east coast. The beginning of the route was nice and flat and we looked out onto mountains all around in the distance. The mountains became a bit softer than the rugged peaks of the west coast. They were rolling off in the distance with farm fields directly to our left and right. The sky was finally sunny and if felt good to be pedalling again.... yet we set out at a slow pace because we were both exhausted from our tramping and kayaking journey. After 20km, we made it to the first town, Manapouri, and were struck by the beautiful lake along the road (said to be the most beautiful in NZ). Knowing that it was 5pm, we were tired, and the next known sleeping grounds were not for another 60km, we decided to call it a day and sleep by this spectacular lake.

We found a nice camping ground/chalets right across from Lake Manapouri, with two very friendly gentlemen running the front desk. After setting up our tent and cooking ourselves some burritos, I asked one of the guys whether there was anywhere I could get a tent brace for our broken pole. I didn't expect a positive response since Manapouri consists of a few homes, one restaurant, and a small grocery/convenient store, but we discovered that one of the gentlemen who helps run the campground, also built all the cabins, does all the repairs, and is very handy. He took us out to his workshop full of assorted tools, scraps, and old collections. Then he began bending a piece of old truck metal into a round tent brace. It wasn't long before our tent pole was straight again! Finally, our tent looked normal!

That evening, we wandered across the street to the Lake. Three sides of the lake were surrounded by gentle mountains in the background... and the side we were standing on was lined with a rocky beach. The sun was beginning to fall between two peaks, and the sky changed from blue to yellow to gold to orange to red to purple to deep blue and back to light blue around the lake. We played a bit on the beach, and Mally managed to fall into the water (oops :o)... we also chatted a bit about our travels with a guy from Florida who was walking along the beach. As darkness began to set in, we hit the sacks and planned for an early start the next morning.

DAY 2
Although we went to bed before 10, we didn't wake up 'til after 8... and it was nearly 10 by the time we finally got on the road. The day was sunny and beautiful... warm, but not too hot. We set out past field after field after field... with the mountains beginning to fade. We saw more livestock that people... tons of sheep, plenty of cows, a few horses, a couple of goats, and a dog or two.

We only had one hill for the day... Jericho hill... but after riding up the highest hill in NZ, it was not too bad. After we coasted down the other side, we came to a stop in front of someone's house under some shady trees. We broke out the peanut butter sandwiches and enjoyed a big meal out of the sun. The owner of the house came by and let us know that the rest of our ride was slightly downhill until Tuatapere (about 40km away)... meanwhile his dog let us know that he did not like strangers.

After lunch, we enjoyed our downhill ride through more and more fields until we finally arrived in the small town of Tuatapere around 3... just in time to see school let out. We stocked up on some food for dinner and inquired about a free camping ground we had heard about. After discovering that the lady at the info center had no idea about any free camping ground, we decided to continue on a bit to Orepuki. We encountered a few ups (boo) and downs (yay) out of Tuatapere through more fields... and then we could see that the fields ran into the ocean beyond. Shortly after we pulled to a lookout spot where we had a full, magnificent view of the coast. The winds were roaring onto shore forming wave upon wave which created a thick white stripe along the beach.

We then cycled on to Orepuki. Orepuki is a very small town consisting of a couple run down buildings, a few houses, and a pub. Taking a break off the bikes, we went into the pub to get a cold milkshake. While we were there, the local television station was broadcasting a documentary on sheep sheering. It just so happened that the owner of the pub used to be a sheep sheerer himself and was full of tidbits on sheep sheering world records. Apparently, many of the world record holders come from southern NZ. While I was there, I inquired about whether there were more sheep than people in NZ and discovered that NZ has about 60 million sheep! (and about 4 million people). We then had our fill on sheep and after learning of a campsite nearby on Monkey Island, we went off to set up camp.

Turns out our campsite was also one of the most beautiful coastal lookout points on the south coast. The campsite was on a short bluff overlooking the beach. The beach below had a large rocky lookout point surrounded by nifty rock formations. We climbed to the lookout point for our dinner and then climbed out onto some of the rocks to enjoy the beautiful scenery. We then met two local women who came from a nearby town to enjoy the spectacular view. They pointed out some Hector dolphins in the background... which are small, very rare dolphins native to the area. Mally and I then spent all night looking out onto the ocean and watching the waves crash upon the rocky outcroppings.

Soon, the sun began to dip into the water and the sky was filled with magnificent pinks, purples, and oranges. We played in the sunset and danced around in the waves until the colors faded and then tucked ourselves into our sleeping bags to fall asleep with the rolling waves singing us a lullaby.

DAY 3
Today we left our wonderful home on Monkey Island and set out to an early start to get to Invercargill before the predicted rains came in. The sky was grey and the air was cool. We continued biking through feild after feild on a quite road. As we approached Invercargill, the road became a bit busier, but nothing like the streets in Boston.

After a rather short bike ride, we reached Invercargill before noon (and before any rain) and searched for a nice hostel for the night... we didn't feel like camping in rain tonight and Invercargill is not the most scenic of cities... its a sprawling town that looks quite industrial. At the information center, we found a place to stay and we also saw a Tuatara... a reptile with a family lineage that goes back before the dinosaurs. The one we saw (Henry) was born around 1880!

We said goodbye to Henry and then went to Southern Comfort - our home for the night - took a nice warm shower, cleaned up, and set out for some lunch. We'll spend the rest of the afternoon just wandering around and taking it easy before heading further on the Southern Scenic Route.