Day 5 2/21 Start of the bike tour-ride to Twizel



Up at 6 to finish packing, then breakfast, and meet our guide at 8. We were downstairs and ready at 10 til 8. We started out with a 2-hour drive in the rain. Paul broke the forehead piece of his c-pap mask last night and we didn't bring a spare. We jury rigged it with Scotch tape and toothpicks after super glue failed last night.


The tour guide is going to stop at an auto parts store to get something that sounds like epoxy to do a better repair as there are no stores that sell that type of stuff here.

We stopped at a roadside park for lunch, and they got out sandwich fixings. All bread and meat, no lettuce, no veggies. We had ginger beer and coffee, and a granola bar.

When the sun came out the scenery brightened up and it is beautiful.


We have seen sheep, cows, and elk being farmed, but only a few horses.



After passing the farm district, we started climbing and the landscape is brown tundra-like grasses with little pockets of gorgeous pine forest. We learned the brown grasses are native and the pines are invasive. Invasive or not they are beautiful. We drove to Lake Pokaki, which is where we started riding.


We could see Mount Cook in the distance.



Our group





Some of the trail is like a dirt road, some is like a mountain biking trail; at times single track and at times double track.



We went thru a twisty up and down section in a pine forest that was so pretty, but I could not stop to take a picture, I was trying to hang on.


We went thru a section that had gates on both sides meant to keep out rabbits.

I think our Bike Fridays would have had a difficult time on this surface. We are glad we rented mountain E-bikes. Some of the little hills are very steep. For me the handlebars are too low, and they can't go higher. So I have to bend forward and put more weight on my arms, which I am not used to doing. Paul was happy with the fit of his bike but complained of neck pain after the ride. 

We finally made it to town of Twizel, but then we didn't know where to go to find the hotel.


So we wandered around town and finally asked directions until we found the hotel 'Distinction'. We did our normal laundry and showers.


There is a nice, pleasant breeze to help dry them. They are not having dinner until 7:00 p.m. ugh! We think this is another country where dinner is served a lot later in the evening than we would prefer. We like dinner around 4:30 or 5.

Paul doesn't want to try to mess with his CPAP mask because what we jury rigged worked last night but we have the epoxy if he needs to rework it when it breaks again.

Very nice buffet dinner at our hotel complete with carving station.

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