1. Picton.

After a Friday night bus to and early morning ferry
from Wellington we arrived in Picton, transit town
in the top of the South Island.














2. Renwick.

We cycled a day around in the Blenheim/Renwick area
known for its vineyards and celebrated our wedding
anniversary with tasting in a chocolate factory and
a nice lunch in a popular wine estate restaurant.






















3. Delegats, near Renwick.

Just outside Renwick we visited the new Delegats
winery building, a high profile project of my
office that is nearing completion.
















4. Inland Kaikouras.

On Christmas Day we started our cycle-trip,
leaving Blenheim via the Taylor Pass and riding
up the Awatere valley along the Inland Kaikouras;
Mt Tapuae-o-Uenuku is with 2885m New Zealands
highest mountain outside the Southern Alps.














5. Awatere River.

On the third day we neared the end of the valley
after several long climbs and descends
and reached .......
















6. Molesworth Cottage.

This original cob (=grass reinforced mud) homestead
was built in 1866 and is the gateway to the Molesworth
station that forms together with two others a 180,476ha park,
NZ’s biggest farm run by the Department of Conservation.
In earlier days the stations ran 95,000 sheep; now about
10,000 cattle are roaming around (we only saw a few),
stockmen go on horse.













7. Isolated Flat, Molesworth Station.

The park is opened for the public from 28 Dec-01 Apr
and on the first day we entered the park with roads
getting a bit rougher and only suitable for 4WD vehicles.
We climbed the 1145m Wards pass and descended along
the Acheron river into the big Isolated Flat.















8. Wairau Gorge, Molesworth Station/Rainbow Valley.

After a relax and shopping day in Hanmer Springs,
we headed back into the mountains. On Jacks pass we
were met with dark clouds and rain, that turned into
snow on higher grounds; another freak cold front passing
over in summer! Several unprepared cyclists got into problems.
We rode over the 1347m high Island Pass and further to the
nearest free hut accommodation along the way, near Lake Sedgemere; 
a large group of mountainbikers were having a bbq when we arrived.
The hut was nice warm and the weather cleared a bit.
The next day we rode through the Wairau river gorge, the landscape
changing from wide and smooth to narrow and rough.
We camped in the wild somewhere near the road to St. Arnaud.









9. Pick you own cherries, near Blenheim.

At first we rolled down State Highway 63, but from
halfway onwards we had to battle against ever increasing
headwind before we could rest at a perfect little backpackers
place with campground in the centre of Renwick.
The next day we stopped to buy some chocolates and picked
4.5kg cherries(!!) on our way back to Picton, via Blenheim.


















10. Queen Charlotte Sound.

The weather had been a bit too cool altogether, also when
we took a water taxi to Camp Bay, at the other side of the sound.
But when we started a 2-day tramp on the Queen Charlotte Track,
the sun and summer warmth came at last.
After 2 weeks and 500km cycling, we treated ourselves on a big
Chinese lunch in Wellington and cherries and chocolates
the next day on the train back home.

Let's go: