I had got in touch with Steve, who having sped ahead of us had spent a few days in the area, and we arranged to meet in the morning and ride to the Earnslaw together. The cycle into Queenstown is really nice but I can’t say I’m a fan of Queenstown itself. If I was Dictator of New Zealand I’d pass a law which only allows people to arrive by bike or foot. That’d sort the place out! We had time for breakfast and I got some sugary waffles without any substance; which seemed appropriate.
The Earnslaw had a good contingent of TA riders. As well as John, Sean, Steve and me there was Pete, Martin, Annette, Gary, Katie, Amy as well as a few others I hadn’t met before. This was my first trip on the Earnslaw and it was really enjoyable. So much for me being a Queenstown grump.
Steve, Sean, Pete and a boat load of bikes.
Walter Peak Station is really well set up for tourists. There was even a tourist doing some sort of Zoolander pose by a helicopter whilst getting photos taken of him trying (unsuccessfully) to look cool.
The nor’wester continued to pump which was good news. Before long, as is the case when Sean, Steve and John ride together, a time trial broke out. We zoomed past most of the other cyclists, but of course would end up stopping and everyone would overtake us again. Doing the TA quickly is not about speed, it’s about just keeping on riding with few stops.
Walter Peak Station.
At the top of Von Hill.
Once we were over Von Hill it was mainly flat with only a few little gullys to climb out of. The wind was so strong it was easy to bike at over 40 km/hr on the gravel. Finally, for the first time in the whole ride, my 38 tooth chainring made sense as I kept an easy cadence in top gear.
I met my parents in Mossburn who had coordinated their holidays with my arrival. I had initially planned to stay in Mossburn with them but the forecast was for rain and southerlies tomorrow so it made good sense to push on to Winton.
It was another 69 km to Winton but we did it in closer to 2 hours than 3 because of the wind, but I was really starting to feel empty and once again was of limited use on the front.
Sean under a nor'west sky.
John had phoned ahead to organise somewhere to stay in Winton, but us other three ended up at the Winton Hotel after a recommendation shouted from the upstairs window by another TA rider as we rode past. It was indeed a good place to stay and quite cheap. However, later that evening when we were in the bar the publican noticed on the cctv that a guy was assaulting his partner in the carpark out the back, and so the police were called. It was upsetting for all.
