Do you believe in magic?

Recap - Rest day

Yesterday was a rest day - a few things lined up to keep us off the bikes. First was the opportunity to catch up with our cousin, Leigh, whom we had not seen in some time. Second, we had family arriving from Brisbane (Mel, sister-in-law and mum/dad). Another day's rest after conquering the Crown Pass was also a nice bonus. 

We spent a lazy morning exploring downtown Queenstown and getting the lay of the land. It’s my first time here and it certainly lives up to its reputation as a beautiful city. The mountains ringing the town are big, bumpy, smooth, ragged…all the descriptions you can think of. Thanks to the cold front we rode through yesterday the high points were also dusted with snow which added yet another layer of beauty to the surrounds.

At noon I said farewell to Tony and Leigh as I had a jet boat tour booked. I went down Skippers Canyon and it was a lot of fun. In addition to the jet boat thing, I also got a bit of local information as the bus ride into the canyon gave lots of time for our guide to educate us on the area. If only the jet boat portion lasted longer. Mind you, the bouncing around might have done a number on my back so maybe that was a blessing.

That's our jet boat there.

Once I was back in Queenstown I had some time to explore the gardens before heading out to the airport to meet Mum and Dad and help get them settled into their hotel. We ended up having a lovely dinner as a family (mum/dad, Leigh, Tony/Mel and myself). 

The evening ended with a bit of a funny situation where I had to change out of my one set of non-riding clothes and into my riding gear so that I could leave all my stuff with Mel who will be ferrying it all to our accommodations the next day. There was probably an easier way but 

I figured changing in an underground parking stall was the best option. All in all it was a bit of a scramble to make sure I had the bare necessities for riding the next day as I didn’t really have an opportunity to fix that if I forgot something. Fingers crossed I guess.

Day 14 - Queenstown to Mossburn  

Today was shaping up to be an interesting day. It started with a 45 minute steam (yes, a legit steam powered ship) across Lake Wakatipu and then 100 km or so on gravel to Mossburn, mostly on the Around The Mountain Trail. This was also the last day of any mountain ascents of note. In other words, it should be mostly downhill after today.

TSS Earnslaw

This was my second time on a boat for this trip, the first from Wellington to Picton to start the journey. This one was pretty special though as it was a steam-powered ship and the smell, sights and sounds of coal burning engines is such an old-timey thing. The lake was calm and it was a lovely way to ease into the ride.

Just after getting off the boat

Foothills

After disembarking we took the gravel road through some working farms and mostly stayed within visual range of the lake. The views back to Queenstown and surrounds were amazing and I hope everyone who lives here doesn’t get tired of the view. The trail was ascending uphill but it was gradual enough that it was still pleasant riding.

Queenstown is down the gap to the right

Into the wilds

The trail eventually turned away from the lake and we started ascending in earnest. Rain has been threatening all morning and around this time it started to fall in misting waves. For the most part it was easy to ignore and occasionally felt like we might really get wet. The biggest thing of note was the wind - today was super windy and pretty much from the start we had a tail wind (the best direction a wind can be when on a bike).

The valley was spectacular

The final ascent

We had marked this on the map as our last big climbing day. The Crown Pass into Queenstown may have been the highest point but we still had some climbing to do. After a relatively gentle rise from the lake we finally made sight of Von Hill. It’s at this point that I made a tragic discovery. In all my rush to get my gear ready the night before, I neglected to pack any of those magic chocolate bars that have been my secret weapon to getting up and over all those hills throughout the Tour Aotearoa. My heart sank. How was I going to make it up this final ascent - the last of the trip - without that extra little push. It’s almost like they give you an extra gear just when you need it the most. At this point I honestly wasn’t sure I would make it up the hill. With a heavy heart, I clipped my shoes into my pedals and slowly started the long, gruelling climb.

Looking back on the road as we climbed Von Hill

Do you believe?

Von Hill was a cruel final ascent. Inch by inch I ground out the climb. One revolution at a time, head down and back to the wind. The rain was still coming down in waves and the wind was buffeting my bike. I don’t know if it were tears on my face or just the rain. We’ll never know. It seemed like I had been riding for hours; time had lost all meaning. In my daze I heard a distant voice and I looked up to see Tony calling me over. We had made it to the top! In my delirium I was still pedaling even after we made it to the peak. How did I do that without the magic chocolate bars? As I turned around to behold the majestic valley spread out in front of us, my whole body tingled with a rush of emotion and I felt the same feeling as if I had just eaten one of those chocolate bars. At that moment, I realised, there was no magic in those chocolate bars. The magic was in me all along!  I just had to trust in myself. I can’t believe I wasted all that time wondering about a missing chocolate bar when I just had to look inside for that strength to get me to the top. With an energy I didn’t think possible, I was ready to face the rest of the ride.

At the summit of Von Hill

Wind Assist

From Von Hill, we began a steady descent for the next 75 km to our destination in Mossburn. We forded over creeks (some wet feet, no other damage) and took in the amazing scenery. What we barely needed to do was pedal. The tail wind strengthened throughout the day and at one point I felt the wind at my back, looked down, and saw that I was already riding 35 km/hr and the wind was stronger than that. Even though this was a gravel road, it was in fantastic shape and combined with our light bikes (remember; Mel was hauling that by car for us) we made probably the fastest time of any leg of the South Island.  I don't think I've smiled so much riding my bike. Just grinning from ear to ear as the wind and gravity pushed us effortlessly through the wild and magnificent landscape.

The wild valley.

A final push

We left the wild valley and came back into lush farmland and weaved our way towards Mossburn. Today was a big day and to roll into camp and have dinner ready, wine on the table and a friendly face to welcome us was something special. We are fortunate to have family around and I am glad they will be around for the final push to the end. Tomorrow is another 100 km day, albeit on paved roads. Let’s see if the magic still beats within my heart and the wind still blows on to my back.

A familiar sight as we ride NZ

Final tally for the day:

Distance: 116.25 km

Elevation: 872m

And the tally for the Tour so far:

Distance: 1,149.92 km

Elevation: 11,782m