The sun finally returned and provided warm rays as we finished our route up the west coast. Highway 6 had lots of curves and views of the Pacific Ocean meeting the sandy beaches. We stopped to take a walk along one of the beaches, stick our feet in the ocean, and bask in the warm sunshine after a few days in the rain. We turned inland and then connected with Highway 7 to head south towards Hamner Springs and after turning up empty on a lengthy search for a campsite, we decided to stay at a hostel in town and cooked up a feast.
The following day we returned to the path less traveled and went on a long ride up the Rainbow Road, another one of Matt’s recommendations. Clouds hung in the sky but luckily never produced more than a slight drizzle. Sam, Nick, and I again hit a good pattern of the lead bike stopping to take photos as the others zoomed by or opening a cattle fence to let the others through. We followed powerlines for a bit, snaked along mountainsides, crossed some rivers, and eventually arrived at Lake Tennyson were we took a break for lunch and naps.
Bust out the rain gear.
Hmmm…which way do we go?
Nick on left, Kevin is the spec in the middle.
Sam.
Nick (left) and Kevin (right)
Lake Tennyson.
Nick had a wipeout while crossing a river and slammed his back on a big rock and almost cracked his bike’s transmission case. But he saddled up and we continued onto more off-roading in open valleys before the trail dipped into a forest and deteriorated. There were potholes littering the trail and were all filled with muddy water so you couldn’t tell how deep they were and it slowed our pace considerably. We grew weary from the rugged road, especially me with my big and heavy Frankenbike, which caused me to fall behind. Sam and Nick waited at a river crossing and Sam eventually double backed to check on me and make sure I didn’t crash or ride off a cliff. He came around a blind corner and I simultaneously jumped off my bike as I laid it down to avoid a collision with him. I landed on my feet and was unscathed but we again had to use some rocks to smash the panniers back into box-shapes.
Nick loving life.
Nick not loving life after a wipeout.
Judgmental Cow.
Let me go check on Kevin.
Why would you do that?
Let’s get Frankenbike picked up.
Those panniers have seen better days.
The day wore on and we finally hit Highway 63 which lead us to the sleepy little town of Saint Arnaud. We decided to ride another 90km to the more established city of Nelson which would have better accommodations and establishments that serve adult beverages. When we got to the outskirts of towns we saw something we haven’t seen in weeks, a traffic light! Most of the tiny towns in the South Island have one traffic circle or maybe a stop sign. We cruised along the edge of Tasman Bay as we enjoyed a spectacular sunset and went deeper to the city center. We found a hostel that graciously let us store our bikes inside their locked courtyard so we didn’t have to unpack and detach all of our gear. Then we had a night out on the town; watched a rugby game at a bar, enjoyed some live music,hopped around, and ended up at a dance club. Partying after a hard day of riding left us exhausted and we slept like rocks that night.