Wednesday November 14, 2012, 48 miles (77 km) – Total so far: 969 miles (1,559 km)
We spent twice as long as we wanted in Queenstown due to the weather but were rewarded with a wonderful sightseeing flight and cruise to Milford Sound. The following day as we were standing at the bus stop waiting for our ride to Dunedin two friends from the ice, Tyler and Rachel, walked by. Again what a small island this is. They left the ice after me, spent a month on the beaches of Samoa, and are back in New Zealand hiking some of the wonderful trails here.
We arrived in Dunedin and stayed downtown at Central Backpackers. This morning we boarded the Taieri Gorge Railway for a cool train ride to Pukerangi where we cycled to the start of the Otago Rail Trail in the town of Middlemarch. Here we obtained a room at the town’s pub. Tomorrow we will start the trail that runs 150 km through the central Otago Valley of the South Island.
Our pilot picked us up at our hostel and drove us to his plane.New Zealand is about as green as it can get.Lord of the Rings was filmed here.
Another filming area for The Lord of the Rings.Milford Sound and the Tasman Sea.
Time for our return to Queenstown on a different route.Milford Sound – formed by a glacier 20,000 years ago. Opens up to the Tasman Sea.This lake is overflowing. How beautiful.Queenstown on Lake Wakatipu.A Sunday hike.The empty lot next door.Sunset on the hostel deck.A 5 minute walk from our downtown hostel. What a great tour about the history of beer.Captain Cook was the first to map New Zealand.The ancient Egyptians made beer.
A father and daughter adventure.A fine keg!A famous railroad trip.Breakfast on the train – chips, wine, and an egg salad sandwich.
A proper bike path. The local bike shop owner met the train and offered to take our panniers to his shop in Middlemarch about 20 km away – an offer we couldn’t refuse.“Jocelyn, this isn’t the rail trail yet.”The big valley – wide open spaces!All of a sudden a sealed road appeared for about 2 km.
Cool railroad bridge.
Our lunch spot.This chip seal, unlike that in the states, is really smooth.
The start of the trail.These locals didn’t run away from us.A proper pub with accommodation.
