Cycle: 89km

The abridged version as I just wrote a magnificent account of the day, pressed the back button and lost it. Poo.

We reintroduced chocolate to our porridge (much missed) and set off past the Clyde Dam and then followed an undulating road along Dunstan Lake to Cromwell (partly flooded by the building of the dam with a good lookout from the road indicating the flooded bits). In Cromwell we had a huge lunch at the Juice Bar (and gained the respect of the waitress in eating it all) and continued on our road entering the Kawarau Gorge. The gorge was spectacular with steep rocky sides and outcrops and a fast flowing blue river. The kilometers flew by on the sealed, undulaing road (my favourite) with interesting scenery and no head wind!

We popped out of the gorge (after running the gauntlet around the unstable Nevis Bluff, scene of a landslide in 2000) into the lush wine growing Gibbston Valley. We called in to Gibbston Valley wines for a tasting (we'd had a bottle of theirs in Moeraki so were happy to pass their cellar door!) and then watched crazy people jump off a bridge with elastic tied to their ankles (no way I'm doing that although hubby had already back dived that one, as I said, crazy people...).

We arrived in Queenstown at dusk and it was getting chilly. We pitched our tent at the Creeksyde Top 10 and headed into town for some food with flavour! We ended up in a Thai restaurant with a group of very drunken friends from Taranaki. After a table top dance 'Nimble' O'Dea stumbled over to us, spilt his red wine and invited us to his house when we pass through! We'll keep his card!