A new day. I slept well, and deeply. I felt a lot better than yesterday. Maybe the Panadol and chamomile tea helped.

Both knees are still painful, particularly toileting. I’ll try and hold on longer lol.

We made our way out of central Queenstown, heading back to the road jam near Frankton. The view from a young blokes car 🤪🤪

First stop was Kingston, but before that we drove along the devils staircase. What a name. Basically a windy, narrow road adjacent to Lake Wakatipu.

The Kingston Flyer was ready to depart. It is a 28 km return trip.

The associated cafe does not open until its return. I think they are missing sales there with a train full of people pre journey.

This was interesting. This steam boat was the one featured in a photo yesterday heading from Queenstown to Walter Peak station.

Precisely!

Looking back down the lake from where we travelled.

We stopped in Athol for coffee and as we departed mused over this map and where we would have ridden.

Serendipity! Lincoln (England) ambassadors Sue and Simon struck up a conversation with us.

I reckon we chatted for at least an hour and I can see we need to add Lincoln to our bucket list to see….their cathedral of course.

Once the tallest building in the world, after the spire was added in 1311, overtaking the Great Pyramid of Egypt….but then the spire fell off in a storm.

Another reason is that ‘my’ Eleanor of Aquitaine had her viscera buried there.

The cathedral owns one of four remaining copies of the Magna Carta, plus is “THE BEST” example of Gothic architecture.

Plus, yes there is more, Sue and Simon live nearby in a small village and we ‘clicked’, Sue and I both having an avid interest in family history.

After departing Athol the weather turned very shite and windy. Trees were bent over, small branches flying around, then the rain started.

We grimaced realising we would have been riding in this. We dodged a bullet. We smile smugly.

We later learned of gale force wind warnings in the region of up to 100 kmh, and that some areas lost power. Eek. That is not rideable. Still smiling smugly.

Arriving in Manapouri, the weather was still crappy but looking like it would improve. We chilled in our room for a bit then headed out on a reconnaissance walk.

Our accommodation is the house with the red roof.

Closer up. The house is from the late 1800’s and New Zealand’s oldest continual family owned accommodation, starting off as their ancestors family home.

The family surname is Murrell. I ask the current owner Rob a few questions because I worked with Linda Murrell, who passed await sadly in 2018, married to Stephen, a Kiwi born Murrell.

The gardens lakeside.

We wandered down to the lake and headed towards Pearl Harbour.

From Pearl Harbour we wandered through the small village and down to Fraser’s Beach.

Super windy on the beach.

Various views from the beach on Lake Manapouri, a natural freshwater lake located within the Fiordland National Park, a world heritage region.

We had been pre-warned that an annual ultra endurance running race was being held in the area tomorrow and to book for dinner both nights.

There is only one place in Manapouri, The Church. We had booked and it was packed. Not sure they were ultra endurance runners though, more like the locals gathering together.

Today’s proposed bike route differs somewhat from the car route.

By car, we followed the south eastern section of Lake Wakatipu, before heading in a more westerly direction.

We missed out on a tough climb too 🤪

Thanks for sticking with us. 😊❣️