Distance: 88 kms. Ride Time: 6:33 hours.
Today’s distance is slightly shorter than
yesterday, but with a little fatigue remaining in my legs, I expected it to be
just as hard. So I rose early, breakfasted and got on the road. Once again the
wind was in my favour, and I had soon reached the coast, were the sea was
perhaps unusually placid.
The road undulated along the coast through farmlands. At least the scenery was a little more varied than yesterday, and there
were a few small settlements along the way. At Colac Bay the pub looked
inviting so I stopped for lunch, and was served the biggest burger I’ve ever
seen.
Soon after I passed through Riverton where
I stopped briefly to buy a sports drink. The shopkeeper raised a wry smile when
he remarked that it was a hot day for cycling, as I stood before him
wearing gilet, arm and leg warmers with my cycling kit.
After a short break I set out on the final
30 kms leg to Invercargill. This is a very busy stretch of road, and
particularly uninviting was the regular smell of farm effluent carried on the
wind. By now I was feeling quite saddle
sore after two long days on the road, and the final kms were distinctly
uncomfortable, but I arrived in Invercargill at about 4:30pm and booked in to a
central backpacker.
The Speights Ale House is right next door, so
after a quick shower I enjoyed the roast of the day – a nice change from pub
meals served with “chuppies”.
Tomorrow I had planned a short return dash
to Bluff, just the bike without all the panniers and gear. But the weather may
intervene yet again as rain is forecast. We shall see.
Looking back at the Waiau River mouth... |
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