Sunday October 28, 2012, 42 miles (68 km) – Total so far: 453 miles (729 km)

I didn’t wake up until 7 so I guess I was tired. After dinner last night at the lodge we stayed in the room as it was raining. Jocelyn woke up around 8 so we packed up and prepared for a rainy ride. After the continental breakfast at the lodge we were on the road at 9. The first two hours we rode through a steady rain. The traffic was pretty non-existent so it was good until we reached the Kawatiri Junction where Hwy 63 meets SH 6. From then on the traffic was flowing and without a shoulder on the mountainous twisting road it was a bit difficult to take in the beautiful scenery.

We dropped a few hundred meters in elevation but there were plenty of ups and downs on the rolling mountainside. There were also a few exotic animal farms about so we stopped several times for pictures. About half way through the ride we came upon a hunter’s camp/tavern seemingly in the middle of nowhere so stopped in for a pint and a bowl of hot vegetable soup. They had a nice heater running so we were able to warm up a bit.

We were soon at our goal of Murchison but the backpackers we wanted to stay at “The Lazy Cow” had a no vacancy sign. So we rode around a bit and found a cottage in this little town of paradise nestled between the mountains. What a nice little town! It reminds me of Hawaii with all the greenery and colorful plants and flowers. It is like stepping back in time too as the downtown area is composed of old buildings with horses walking down the street. We have really found some cool spots to stay in. Murchison is a very beautiful and comfortable town. We plan to eat in the local pub this evening. Westport is 100 km away so we don’t think we can make it in one ride. We hope to find an accommodation about half way there. This adds to the adventure as we never know more than one day in advance where we plan to be.