SINZ Day Ten - (Haast - Fox Glacier)

Info
Distance	115km
Blog
During the night it poured with rain. This gave us hope that the day would dawn clear for a good day's riding. Ken switched to driving the Sag Wagon. Roger started from our accommodation, despite the rain, determined to ride the full distance to Fox Glacier. The rest of us though reasoned thus: at a logical level we were meant to be sleeping at Haast, not Okuru, so we should start from Haast. So we were given a lift in the bus back to Haast Junction. The mood in the bus was grim - the rain was pouring down. However, for a change, the weather smiled on us and the rain stopped before we emerged from the bus at Haast. So began a great day of riding. There was no wind and the road was flat so we covered ground quickly. The road wound along the coast and the scenery was stunning. It did rain - but then this is the we(s)t coast isn't it! It was Nick's last day of riding before heading back to Australia for school so he was keen to cover the full distance. However the rain changed his mind. The rain also drove Monika and Hannah into the Sag Wagon so Barry and Hans finished the day riding bicycles. Roger suffered from a niggling knee problem which became worse so he also retired to the Sag Wagon, along with Martin. This only left Tony, James and Sean to complete the 115 km on unicycles. Perhaps I should spell this out clearer - Tony backed up a 100 mile (160 km) day with 115 km to Fox Glacier. Tony now takes the King of the Kilometres Award for this tour. Go Tony!!! Once the bedraggled riders had been through the showers we gathered at The Saloon for dinner. It was Martin's birthday so we sprang a surprise birthday cake on him for dessert. The staff at The Saloon really got into it and led the singing. It was a great night. However, for Martin the day was not yet over. Before retiring to bed he checked his email and discovered that his father in England had died from a long illness. While others retired to sleep he made some phone calls and when we awoke in the morning he was gone, with Barry and Nick, on the way to Christchurch airport.

SINZ Day Eleven - (Fox Glacier Rest Day)

Info
Quotes
Distance	Not much
Blog
The day began with three of our number gone. Barry was driving Nick and Martin on the round trip to Christchurch airport. For most of us we only heard Martin's news after he had left so it was a sobering start to the day. On the bright side though the rain had cleared which made our expedition to view the glacier much more enjoyable. There is no point is trying to describe it in words - check the photos. Following the glacier excursion Connie, Tony, James, Monika, Hans, Hannah and Sean took the walk around Lake Matheson. The two locations are barely 5 kilometres apart, yet one is a glacier and the other is temperate rainforest. While strolling around the lake Mt Cook and Mt Tasman are clearly visible with their peaks covered in snow. It highlights the variety of scenery available in New Zealand. For the rest of the day relaxation was king. Roger finished another book. This is not earth shattering news since Roger can be found lying around reading a book every time we stop for a rest. There was plenty of email happening. Connie even spent a relaxing few minutes vacuuming the bus clean. The best part about our accommodation was the kitchen which as spacious and well stocked with crockery and cutlery. The large table was a single slab of wood chopped from a tree. Hans, Hannah, Monika and Connie used these excellent facilities to whip up a pasta feast for the whole group - carbo loading for the serious unicyclist! Owing to the high rainfall there was a glow worm colony barely 200 metres from the backpackers. So following dinner a group of us took the walk to look at glow worms. It really was quite an enjoyable rest day.


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