After a good night's sleep in my tent thanks to the new Thermarest, I retrieved my cycling clothes from the campground drying room; except for my socks which must have had enough and walked off somewhere by themselves in protest. Fortunately I had two pair.
Steve had emailed to say he would meet me outside the Tapawera 4 Square. He had biked in last night but had been picked up by his wife to stay with friends. He was behind me after spending a few days in Wellington. It was good to see him again.
The road out of town was nice and quiet and misty. It was definitely getting cooler in the mornings. Before long we met up with Martin and Pete, and at a point where there was cell coverage I booked the four of us into the Lazy Cow backpackers in Murchison for that night. I had stayed tere before and it’s excellent and very friendly.
A misty start to the day.
We all stopped for lunch at a cafe/homestay at Lake Rotoroa. The owner was nice enough but seemed to follow the Basil Fawlty school of hospitality where customers are primarily an inconvenience. It was good to have a rest and a cool drink though.
Over the Braeburn Saddle we met a couple who were training for a cycle tour of Australia. The guy had a huge amount of gear on his bike as well as on a little trailer. I think he said it weighed over 40kg with a lot of that weight being water. Rather him than me.
A local with his border collies.
Pete crossing a ford after the Braeburn Saddle.
The four of us biked the rest of the way to Murchison together. The roads were quiet and the countryside very pleasant. When we got to the Lazy Cow we were told that anyone that arrives under their own power gets a drink on the house! They also had bike tools and a work stand that we could use.
Steve preparing to cook dinner at the Lazy Cow.
