Day 15: Dansey Pass to Kurow 52km (826k)
I was glad to be off gravel, although that was going to be short lived. Leaving Dansey Pass for the Waitaki River Valley the schist cliffs give way to towering flat-topped buttresses of waitaki limestone, and after a quick ten k’s I was back on gravel. This time on the Alps to Ocean cycleway heading inland – counter to the downward flow of cyclists.
I can’t say there was anything too exceptional about the ride to Kurow, other than some Māori Rock art in some limestone caves, Duntroon (that I will discuss in my next blog) and the Duntroon Wetlands. Other than that it was a pretty monotonous cycle either alongside the road or among at the ugly weedy and scrubby floodplains of the mighty Waitaki River – that was heard not seen. Being on a floodplain meant there was a of water damage to the track making it a rather lumpy bumpy escort in places. A couple of tributary streams to the river required minor water crossings but I was lucky that these weren’t in flood otherwise a road detour would have been needed.
The whole day felt like a bit of a dilly-dally. Late start. Slow ride. Lots of stops. Uninspiring landscapes. So I was glad to finally get to Kurow only to be disappointed some more. I could barely drink the cider or eat the hamburger and greasy chips from the local tavern, and then strolling about town looking for points of interest all I could find was that rugby legend Richie McCaw was born in the region (among others) and the town is lobbying to have a statue raised in his honour. Hu-rah!
The only saving grace to the day was the free kayaks at the campground where one could paddle a short 200m circuit around the Kurow Wetlands. Pretty, but cold.
Day 16: Kurow to Sailors Cutting 56km (882k)
Dam! Dam! Dam! I cruised past three dams today and the shimmering stunning lakes they have created; Lakes Waitaki, Aviemore and Benmore. I also racked up a few hundred megabits in photos, and banality of yesterday evaporated in the sun.
Sweat dripped off my nose as I worked my way up to each dam. And the ‘up’ just kept coming. After the grunt to the top of Benmore Dam the trail become harder, narrower, gravellier, and fricken spectacular! The contrast between the rugged parched desolate brown earth that crumbles broken into the placid deep-blue water sets off something primordial in the deepest core of my brain, and makes me feel so damn lucky to be alive. Here’s a bit of a video see what I mean.