Month: March 2018

February 28th Lake Tekapo (km2424) – Lake Ohau (km2510) Mileage: 53.5mi/86km plus much more, but all done on a bicycle. The mechanical advantage was back today! 3 days of walking done in one, thanks to the aid of 2 wheels. Three of us (Klaus, Ruslan, and I) cheated by renting bikes for this, the longest stretch of roadwalk on the SI. The route follows the Alps 2 Ocean cycle-way for nearly 90 kms, and there are several operators that rent bikes in the area. Options include Tekapo to Twizel or all the way to Lake Ohau lodge, which is what we did. They even do pack delivery to your destination. We rented from Cycle Journeys, which has a TA special.[…]

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February 27th campsite (km2398) – Lake Tekapo (km2424) Mileage: 15 mi/24km We woke to heavy fog and very wet conditions. I was mopping up the condensation all night. It was also very cold, the first time I have had to sleep with my puffy on. My bag was just warm enough but I was starting to get cold spots by the morning. I didn’t want to start moving early but it wasn’t going to get warm and sunny anytime soon. Plus, it was not too far to town. The walk to town seemed to take a long time, even though I was there by just after noon. The remaining trail was gloomy in the fog, offering none of the glorious[…]

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February 26th Stone Hut (km2368) – campsite (km2398) Mileage: 18.6mi/30km Today was a no-stress, all-amazing-views day. It rained overnight and the forecast called for rain in the morning, too. But it was nearly clear when we woke up. It was time to hike! We couldn’t escape getting our feet wet first thing with 4 more crossings of Bush Stream (I hate you, stream!). Thankfully, this high up it really was a stream, and clear as well. It was still pretty swift but we were all able to cross individually. Then we were at Royal Hut, named so because Prince Charles supposedly visited as a child. It was old and rustic, just like the one we stayed in the night before.[…]

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February 25th Two Thumbs trailhead (km2350) – Stone Hut (km2368) Mileage: 11.2mi/18km Starting off, I thought the only pressing concern for the day was getting to the trailhead. Little did I know that the water crossings 2 days ago were just a warm-up for today. We had a great night under the pines. It rained just a little but the tents were dry in the morning. It was just windy enough but also protected from the trees. We were on the road at 07:30 am. We walked a few kms up to the top of the ridge, hoping to get cell service to contact J and Klaus about the shuttle. A farmer was the first to come along and stop,[…]

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