Day 7 - Omarama to Cromwell 96.5 kms
Today we were up and about at 6.30 am with the aim to leave Omarama at 7.40 am after having breakfast and ordering lunch and having a coffee. Yes we did it even though it was a last minute rush for Ellio.
Early morning across the valley
One of the climbs on the trail….apologies for my shadow!
Lunch at Benmore Dam
A view of the valley going towards Kurow
Two blokes contemplating the world!
Chris was taking tail end Charlie for the day.
The track started off with a really good surface and the going was great…. Then we did the first of four climbs which were a bit challenging but the views were spectacular!
At the top of the climbs we had climbed about 450 meters and we had great views of the surrounding mountains and country
The descent to the lake Benmore dam was really enjoyable but even better we were able to enjoy the sandwich lunch ordered earlier in day.
After this it was on made roads for about 20 kms where we enjoyed lovely downhill riding until picking up the trail again at the Aviemore dam and hydro power station. It should be noted that at every dam we saw there was hydro power station which is interesting as NZ relies almost exclusively upon this as their power source.
The trail into Kurow was again a steady downhill with great surfaces for riding.
Kurow is where we are staying this evening and Rob and Phil decided not to take the extra 28 kms to Duntroon which was our end point. We all had a great “ coffee stop” at Kurow and 5 of us then went on Duntroon. Once again it was downhill riding with 2 fairly deep river crossings which we all navigated successfully.
After reaching Duntroon we loaded the bikes on the van and made the short trip back to Kurow for the night
Dinner tonight was rather special with Chris suggesting a bbq and Rob doing the honours as chef. The motel owner kindly supplied some salads and we had a wonderful first course. For dessert Chris made us each a plate of ice cream topped with berries which was a delightful way to finish the day
It was somewhat challenging to start with but became easier as the day went on. The weather too was kind with a cool start at around 6 degrees but warming to around 21 by the end of the ride
Early morning across the valley
One of the climbs on the trail….apologies for my shadow!
Lunch at Benmore Dam
A view of the valley going towards Kurow
Two blokes contemplating the world!
The are Phil and Rob
Chris and Stephen with a km to go!
The end of the trail at Duntroon!!!!
Chris and Stephen with a km to go!
The end of the trail at Duntroon!!!!