This old rail trail has been converted into a nice bike trail. We did the first two days of the three day tour.
When we realized we wanted to stop biking the Rail Trail after a day of brutal winds, we decided to get back to our car and come back to pick up our bikes. We stopped the trail in Oturehua and wanted to return the bikes to the bike hire shop in Middlemarch in the morning to avoid getting charged for an additional day. The 'catch-a-bus' service had long-gone by that time, so the only option was to hitchhike! As this was Barbara's first hitchhike experience, she was pleasantly surprised to discover that it isn't only psycho killers who are interested in picking up strangers. It was almost 100km back to our car in Middlemarch, so we expected several rides to get there. The first lady was a grandmother coming home from work. The second ride came from a skydiving instructor from Queenstown who had a 2 week old baby at home and was driving to Palmerston because his father had just had a heart attack. He was well-traveled himself, and at that point in need of a distraction. The third and longest stretch of 50km was a bit trickier but led us into an incredible evening with a very kind and generous Kiwi family. As we waited on the road for the 3rd ride, the sun started to go down and there wasn't a car in sight. We noticed a house across the road with several cars in the driveway. We were pretty much stuck in the middle of nowhere, so I stayed with the bags and Barbara went to go ask for help. The house belonged to Rose & Mo who were just about to have supper with their 2 boys. It turns out we weren't the first strangers to come knocking on their door for assistance! Although it's not the only house in the area, it is the most visible in an area that is all farmland. Mo kindly agreed to drop us off and Rose insisted we come in "for a feed first"!! We spent the evening eating and chatting and learned a heap about the region and country from them. Such a great experience!!
Drive through the Catlands
The drive through Central Otago and the Catlands was very beautifully. I was fascinated by the ever changing landscape.
We picked up some eggs at a farm and there Barbara finally got to cuddle a little lamb.
On of the high light was Nugget Point.
Waterfall Day
Yesterday we had our waterfall day ;-)
Fire in the tunnel
There was just a small sign on the side of the road for this old rail tunnel. It turned out to be the perfect location for some fire staff playing.
The lost Gypsy
This old bus is loaded with little gizmos and gadgets. Feels like being on a play ground. So much fun!!!!!
Push to gurgle
Shag Point
We made it to the south most point on the South Island.
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