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Distance

88km

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The trip from Fox Glacier to Hari Hari had two distinct phases: firstly 22 kilometres of pretty steep hills to Franz Josef; then mostly flat and easy riding all the way to Hari Hari. Well I suppose there was one complication - it poured with rain the whole way.

Despite the rain it was a fun ride. The scenery from Fox Glacier to Franz Josef was spectacular. We had morning tea at Franz Josef before setting off again. It was at this point that Hans thought to check his tyre pressure. It was way too low. So he had struggled over the steepest hills of the day with an underinflated tyre. After applying a pump to the tyre in question he finished the rest of the day "like greased lightning."

However another complication popped up. Just as we were about to head north Ken asked the question - "Why don't we look at Franz Josef glacier while we are here?" Well, it meant an extra 10 kilometres to the trip, but our purpose was to enjoy scenery after all. So Ken, James, Daniel, Hunter and Sean did a U-turn and headed back to the glacier.

This detour definitely had adventure. As we rode closer to the glacier the temperature dropped and the previously "warm" (I use the term under protest) torrential rain became "freezing cold" torrential rain. The recent spring rains had washed away the walkway to the glacier making the trip an arduous, cold and wet experience. Mind you the glacier itself is impressive so the detour was worth the effort.

An hour later our group headed north following the rest of the tour. Now the riding became an easy cruise: a bit like either following a bitumen paved river; or riding through a really long car wash. This caused Tony some problems. At one point he was shaking his head trying to clear the torrent of rain from his eyes and he lost his balance causing a dismount at short notice.

Our next food stop was Whataroa only 30 kilometres from Hari Hari. Unfortunately Tony's day deteriorated further. On a downhill run his brake malfunctioned sending him down the road. This one hurt. He tried riding further but the bruising was too debilitating and he grudgingly crawled into the Sag Wagon.

For the rest of us though Whataroa was a really welcome rest stop. In the solitary cafe the food was good, the temperature was warm and the owners didn't seem to mind the fact that we looked as if we had just been dunked in the river. It didn't seem possible for it to rain any harder but I am sure it rained even heavier for the next few hours. The SINZ Unitour was throwing adventure our way by the bucketful.

After a day like this there is nothing better than a good hot shower, comfortable accommodation and good old fashioned hospitality. Unfortunately we found none of these things at the Hari Hari Motor Inn. I believe John Cleese based Fawlty Towers on some accommodation he experienced while travelling. We now wonder whether he was passing through Hari Hari at the time. The next day some cyclists heading north asked about accommodation options in Hari Hari. Our advice was simple - don't stop, keep riding.

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