Lake Dunstan Trail

From our fab camp above the Gibbston River Trail we sped along HWY 6, trying to avoid a gazillion possum roadkills and some large trucks, onward towards the town of Cromwell. We had a break randomly at The Highlands Motorsport Park - the nearest cafe for breakfast. Here we met lovely Steph and Don (who both had just taken a very fast Lamborghini ride around the track). It was lovely to meet them and after ten mins chatting to us, they generously invited us to stay with them when we reach Wellington! We very much hope to take them up on their wonderful and very kind offer and will endeavour not to be too smelly 😊. Joining the Lake Dunstan Trail, we initially rode past vineyards, and then hugged the lakeside. Linking the heritage towns of Cromwell and Clyde, the trail witnesses land shaped by nature and also the gold miners and dam-builders who toiled along it during the last couple of hundred years. We rode along constructed clip-on boardwalks, an 86m suspension bridge, around craggy bluffs, past a floating boat cafe (!) sadly closed, and two very challenging switchback hills. One of which was called the Cairnmuir Ladder - grade 3 in mountain NZ biking parlance but much harder on bike weighing in at 28kg with 20+kg of kit strapped to it! Rising 130 vertical metres over several switch backs it was tough. Our camp at days end was beside the water, with some possums and two noisy feral pig visitors at night! 🫣😳 The wee pig was spotted on a moonlit walk and was bold as brass. Not bothered by our presence at all. The big one may have been its mum and sounded like a T-Rex. Although anything snuffling around outside a tent when you’re in it sounds large! 😆Read more