It was another overcast day but with clear views over the hills.
Most of the day’s trail goes through farmland and is dominated by introduced species like these beautiful birches.
Elephant rocks near Kurow
You can see how Elephant rocks got their name.
It is worth taking the time to walk among the rocks. They reminded me of the standing stones in Avebury, England.
Water and wind has carved patterns in the limestone.
Echo corner. I stopped and tried it out. It works.
Dairy country. Too many nutrients in the water cause algal blooms which can be toxic so rivers aren’t swimmable.
The dairy and irrigation industries sponsor these signs that are laughable when you look at the state of the waterways you are riding near.
A climb up a gravel road rewards you with the first view of the ocean.
Heavy rains earlier in the year had washed out some of the track.
The official end point
I ended the trip by throwing in the stone I’d brought from Tekapo into Friendly Bay and following it in.
Click to see options for using the image
Started at 8:40 am and arrived at 2:30, with about 4 hrs in saddle. One of the more demanding days of the trail, but rewarding (though the only swimmable part is at the end).
Sue came down to meet me and we headed to a local bar with our partners.
Our arrival in Oamaru coincided with their Jazz and Blues Festival. We enjoyed listening (and dancing!) to these guys before we headed back to the backpackers (The band was Oscar LaDell and Hoot)
After a night at the backpackers ($100 for a double room), I went for a wild swim at Bushy Bay, watched only by a couple of seals on the beach.
Then it was off to the Oamaru farmers market (on a Sunday) to stock up before heading back.
We packed up Gertie for the trip home (I’m glad she survived as well as my bike. You can see what Duncan’s parallel fishing trip was like at his blog here: https://localfoodhound.wordpress.com/2021/03/28/mackenzie-country-adventure/).
