Lindis Pass and astonishing beautiful cycling to Lake Hawea

April 14-15

Today I’m leaving Twizel and heading towards Wanaka. The first thing I noticed when I walked to the kitchen and dining area was that parts of the lawn were white. It was frost. Good to keep this in mind, as the road may be slippery—especially in places that have been shaded. I’ve checked the weatherforcast for coming days and they promised sunny weather and only light winds.

Most of the backpackers seems to have  seems to have taking lie-in, I’m almost completely alone in the kitchen. Just before 10 A.M I turn right from High Country Lodge & Backpackers hostel and follow road 8. The sun is shining from almost cloud free sky and the road is flat.

Around noon I arrive at Omarama, a roadside tavern The Wrinkly Ram on my left side became my first stop today. Lots of people sitting outside and eating lunch and I’ll joined them.

Inside the restaurant it’s a que, seems to be a popular place. Coffee, a big sandwich and a smoked sheep sausage will be my lunch and I take my tray and sit outside in the sunshine. This restaurant has also a shop where they sells clothes, gloves, hats and other things that can be made from sheep’s wool.

Half a hour later I was on the road again and next  waypoint is Lindis Pass , 33 km away. First part quite easy. The road goes through valleys and cattle meadows, then winds slowly between the mountains that get higher and more powerful with each km.

Something that is a bit amusing about New Zealand is that all the creeks that pass under the road have names: Lindis Creek, Sheepskin Creek, Shoulders Creek, and so on.

Thirty minutes later I had Lindis Pass in my sight and 3 km to viewpoint

From here, it’s mostly downhill to my tent camp in the valley. I take it slow, not entirely sure if the road surface might be slippery. It’s barely 5–6 degrees where the sun still reaches.

By 6 p.m., I’ve reached smoother ground, and the fading sunlight seems to say it’s time to pitch the tent. The air has turned really chilly, so I pull on my gloves to keep my hands warm. Just past a large bend in the road, I spot a detour through a gate with a sign reading “Private, No Entry.”

I park the bike just to the right of the gate, where a green patch offers plenty of space to set up camp. With no houses or people nearby to ask, and no signs forbidding camping, I go ahead and pitch the tent.

Half an hour later, I’m sitting inside preparing dinner: brown rice with bacon, sandwiches, coffee, and a tiny bit of wirre.

Feeling a bit chilly, as I crawl my Marmot sleeping bag, put in my earbuds, and try to finish episode six of the radio serial “The Suite”. Of course, I drift off before the 26-minute episode wraps up. An hour later, I wake to find complete darkness outside; every now and then, a car rushes past, but they’re rare and far between.

See yeah from Wanaka
P-G
//The Global Cyclist

Next morning
I slept like a log last night, first ting I did was to looking out and  just to notice that is little bit chilly and foggy. After my breakfast I feelt ready and excited for todays cykling to Wanaka och lake Hawea.
It’s so cold that I’m tempted to bring out the down gloves, but I think I’ll hold off a bit longer. First part of the road is narrow and winding, only few small slopes to climp. Follows the Lindis river. The surroundings is dry and golden hill covered with tussock grass and schist rock.

By half past ten the sun has picked up strength, and so have I. A decent climb up Cluden Hill Summit over just under 4 km, about 10 km from Tarras, makes the body heat rise.
At the very top of Cluden Hill a parking space where I stop for rest my tired legs. It’s also a viewpoint from where you can view down 100 metre decent into Lindis valley, captivating view.

Although I will not complain, the views down through the valley and the weather which has now become pleasant were worth all the effort.

Lindis Valley from Cliden Hill Summit, an adorable and scenic view.

45 minutes later I steered my bike into the cafe in Tarras, Tarras Country Café. The sky was clear blue and the air was warm. A lovely autumn day, perfect for cycling.

Tarras is a small village with a few houses, a cozy café, a country store where you can buy sweaters and clothes from the local sheep and a small souvenir shop with slightly better quality items.

The café Tarras Country Café is cozy and in the middle of a long wall they have an open fireplace where the fire is lit.

A female proverb written in chalk adorns another wall and arouses my interest.

I order a cup of tea and a warm scone with butter from the menu in front of me, skipping the coffee as the aroma of tea drifting from the kitchen changes my mind.

I sit outside in the warm autumn sun that is now doing its best to warm up a cyclist. The woman in the café soon comes out with the tray with my scones, a plate of yellowish butter and a large cup of tea. She also sets out a jug for refills.

Sitting and enjoying something in the middle of the autumn sun. The scones were probably freshly baked because they tasted absolutely excellent.

Before I head Wanaka, I took a look at the country store where wool products and merino wool sweaters are neatly laid out.

I follow road 8A, first part is wide with rolling terrain, big skies and long views toward the Dunstan Mountains dominate the horizon.

No wind at all today, but if there was it would be quite tough as there are no trees and little protection from the wind. Then the surroundings change to wide river terraces and farmland.

After 15-16 km the road reaches the Clutha River which winds like a snake. Where the river bends there is a green spot which is perfect for stopping for a little photo opportunity.

A few others did the same as me. The river below is a deep blue or turquoise, probably due to glacial sediments, like Lake Tekapo.

Some kilometres later I cross the river at a historic red bridge, a beautiful steel structure. A sign says it is a one-way bridge so I have to be careful of oncoming traffic.

The road follows the Upper Clutha River valley, orchards, vineyards and pastures appear and still no headwind.

Five km before Wanaka I pass an airfield and some hang gliders land. The airfield arranges transport to glaciers, for hiking and fishing.

Near the airfield is a large building, the National Transport and Toy Museum, with old planes and vehicles.

There is also a toy shop with a special section for Star Wars items. A sign at the entrance says that the museum has 60,000 toys, 650 vehicles and 20 planes.

Inside the toy shop is a pub that I visited. A cold beer is always a cold beer.

Continue another 10 km to Wānaka, it is a popular ski and summer resort and is very beautifully situated at the southern end of Lake Wanaka. Lots of sailboats are moored at the marina.

I only stop to withdraw money and have a coffee break at a pub. Then I follow the lake a little north and stop at a small grocery store in Albert Town for supplies.

I arrived at the southern end of Lake Hawea just before 6:00 PM. As the sun sets, I look for a nice spot to pitch my Hilleberg tent.

A sign leads me to a holiday campsite just a few hundred metres north. Very close to the shores of Lake Hawea, a perfectly green and clean place to camp.

The whole area is well-kept and clean. Not much rubbish to see and the information at the recycling centre says that the best way to recycle is to be resource efficient and buy as little as possible to save our planet. I can’t help but agree.

Picking up my camping gear and preparing tonight’s dinner, the air is still warm so no problem eating outside.

The sun sets and only a few ripples on the lake, almost no wind. The place and the evening are so beautiful that I get goosebumps.

At half past nine I’m already in my sleeping bag with headphones listening to the fifth chapter of “The Suite”.

See yeah from Haast Pass
P-G
//The Global Cyclist