Day 13 - Wanaka to Queenstown

Day 13 - Wanaka to Queenstown

The Crown Range Summit is the highest paved mountain pass in NZ. At 1,076 metres it is also the highest point on the Tour Aotearoa route. Would this be the emotional highpoint too? Read on to find out.

Leaving Wanaka. Still smiling. Like every morning!

“Spring”

Leaving Wanaka at 6:40am - like most days so far - we hoped to avoid some traffic and keep the wind down. Sadly, our early morning luck ran out and we faced pretty steady traffic right from the get-go. The wind had a bight that said more l' hiver than printemps and I feared we would face some serious weather. The road out of Wanaka meandered through a beautiful valley filled with farms and surrounded by mountains; a familiar sight by this time in our trip. The only difference was the dusting of snow on the high country.

Beautiful start to the ride

We're riding Penny Farthings


Cozy AF

Our first target for the day was the historic Cardrona Hotel at the 25km mark. This hotel is right at the base of the Cardrona ski hills and the crackling fire and cozy sofas had strong apres-ski vibes. It also worked as avant-high mountain pass biking. With a hot cocoa and a bikkie by the fire it took a strong will to get back on the saddle. However, this mountain pass wasn’t going to cross itself.

Hygge


The Ascent

At this point we’ve done a few mountain passes so we had a bit of a sense of what to expect. However, riding up the Crown pass was a little different. All the highways are a bit skint on the shoulder but the Crown pass made it harder by also being just generally narrower. The other difference was the lack of trees as we had ascended above the tree line. The mountain grasses and shrubs, topped with the fresh snow, painted a different palette. The ascent itself almost felt like it increased exponentially; the start was lo-key and with every kilometre it seemed to get twice as steep. Fortunatley I was still stocked with those magic chocolate bars that have here in NZ. So, so good and helped to get me through the tough stretches.

I feel like this is the closest I've come to capturing the steepness in a photo


Snow, sleet, rain and wind

We got all the weather on this ride. Apart from the incline - or perhaps because of - we struggled the most with weather. Since it was cold we were bundled up with all the layers…gloves, long pants, head covering, buffs, and jackets. Since it was so steep, we also were sweating under these layers. Since the wind was up, the wetness from the sweat made it feel icy. As we approached within shouting distance of the peak the heavens opened and a mix of rain, sleet and snow started to fall. Didn’t quite have that on my Tour Aotearoa bingo card but here we are.


Over the top

As kilometre 41 we crested the last bump and made it to the peak. It’s not a new feeling - and I’m not sick of it yet - I got the tingles down the spine as the view filled my field of vision with unsurpassed beauty. There’s something about arriving at these destinations, short of breath, tired of leg, that just makes the accomplishment feel unparalleled. We downed a quick mouthful of food but had to get moving as the wind was cooling us down far too much. 


Those rosy cheeks!

Down the hill

The descent is the pay-off for any climb. Much like the ascent, this one was different. The sweaty body, the whipping wind, the speed all combined to make us as cold as we’ve been all trip. I was riding my brakes pretty hard to maintain control in the twisting and turning road but my fingers were gradually losing sensation. Tony was in the same situation. Fortunately we made quick time and were able to turn off the highway onto a protected gravel road. 

Flooded trails but that didn't stop us!


Into civilization

From here on we were able to follow gravel roads and bike paths all the way to our cousin Leigh’s place in Arthurs Point (a suburb of Queenstown). Along the way we went through historic Arrowtown for more fuel, passed by the Historic Arrowtown Chinese Settlement (we didn’t stop to explore but I can only assume the Chinese Settlement is a retrospective of what must be a super positive historical thing that happened. Right?). Following the trails we ground out the last 10 km to Leighs place. 

Beautiful riding


Family 

Tony and I were both pretty cold, tired and ready to get off the bikes. We were able to clean up before our cousin, LEigh, returned from supporting friends completing the Queenstown Marathon. We figured it’s been 30 years since we last saw each other and that gave us lots to catch up on over beers and burgers at the local pub. Tomorrow is a rest day from riding but Tony and I will be heading to the airport to greet some more family who will be supporting the last few days of our tour. Tony will be welcoming his wife after 6 weeks apart and we both get to see mum and dad. Family really are the best people. 

Our trail down to the main road. Lots of fun.

I’ll be back on the bike Monday with a big 100+km day on the books. Today marked a few milestones. Highest elevation of the entire Tour Aotearoa, Over 1,000 km riding and over 10,000m total elevation. More still to come.


Final tally for the day:

Distance: 71.70 km

Elevation: 1136m


And the tally for the Tour so far:

Distance: 1,033.67 km

Elevation: 10,910m



Comments

Paul said…
As I commented to Ant.cold is a party dampener if ever there was one. Great that you both over came the challenge.and looking forward to seeing you. (We are having a bit of hail / thunderstorms at present)
12:48 AM
Steph said…
Such a trip! NZ springs are unreliable and you can have a big range of weather conditions! Well done biking over the Crown Range. A lot of people dread driving it but we have done it several times in the motorhome, not me driving though, I just enjoy the views! We have biked the trail between Queenstown and Arrowtown and back from Leigh's place, a nice ride especially on my ebike! Millbrook is the fancy golf course you bike through. Glad you, Anthony and Leigh enjoyed the big catch up! All the best as you head to the Bluff! You are heading towards the South Pole...!! Look forward to reading how you both get on and isn't it great that you have family support over the next few days!
4:43 PM

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