This morning we had the option
of cycling from the hotel on the “triple bypass” to Fox Glacier or being shuttled
to Fox Glacier. I chose to cycle the 26
km and left at 7:30 am immediately after breakfast. This trip took me over 3 hills that had
fairly steep 3 km climbs followed by one short and two long downhills. The total time to Fox Glacier took about
1-1/2 hrs through mountainous countryside.
At Fox Glacier, I met the others and we cycled 62 km through native New
Zealand rainforest along the Tasman Sea to our lunch stop at a Salmon Farm. The restaurant had very nice views across the
valley. The weather changed while we
were having lunch and the rain moved in.
Louis and I cycled together the remaining 26 km to the Wilderness Lodge
at Lake Moeraki in a fairly heavy rain. Needless
to say, we were totally soaked. This
ride took us 1-1/4 hrs; arriving at the Lodge at 3 pm.
The
Wilderness Lodge at LakeMoeraki is very unique. Here we were
surrounded by a 1,000 year old rainforest and pristine seacoast at a self
sufficient lodge. It actually makes its
own electricity by using the water from the Moeraki river. After showering, we met in the reception area
at 5 pm for a short hike to the Moeraki River to feed the Eels that live in the
river. The short hike took us through
the forest with its great diversity of fern trees. As soon as Gerry, the overseer, poured the
blood from the meet into the water, the Eels came to the shore to be fed. Most of the female Eels were 3 to 4 ft in
length. We returned and had a very
delicious group dinner at 7 pm.
No comments:
Post a Comment