Cycle: 121km

Another early morning to get us up over the mountain and back to Te Anau before dark! This time we stealthily vacated our dorm room in the dead of night (6:35) and had breakfast (first in the kitchen!) before heading off into the chilly valleys, yet to be touched by the sun.

Our frog today was to get up to the tunnel (a gain of 800m from 0m in 15km) then through the tunnel (this time uphill - 120m in 1270m) and then up the little steep section to The Divide. Well, we did the climb at a very steady pace adn really enjoyed it! Even the tunnel was better going uphill! Maybe because we knew what to expect this time (i.e. poor lighting, leaky ceiling and a patchwork floor!). After the tunnel we even had time for a nature walk and saw a rockwren (luckioly no keas around to eat our bikes, this would have been bad at 900m and 10km from a town!). We even made the second climb feeling good and then went on to the pretty Mirror Lakes again where the water was clear enought today to see the scaup under water when he dived down and to watch him foraging for food on the bottom.

Even though we felt good on the climbs they must have taken more out of us than we thought and the last 50km were tough, I passed them by singing a lot. Poor husband. We also had more beeps from friendly bus drivers who we'd waved at on our way to Milford! Back at the lovely YHA in Te Anau we cooked dinner feeling slightly wobbly and passed out in our comfy bed.