Today we made what was for me an endurance trek on the bike. Traveling between Christchurch and Wanaka. We encountered the strongest wind gusts I have ever felt and as I looked around us at the topography and the barren landscape at that moment I thought “that explains the lack of trees”. We both think it was gusting stronger than Wellington and that is saying something!!
We stopped for a bite to eat at Lake Tekapo and ate at ‘Reflections’ where we sat with a beautiful view across the lake. That is when the rain came down so the stop provided the perfect opportunity to put on our wet weather gear.

427.2 kms from our start in Chch and through some awesome twisty and near empty roads we arrived in Wanaka, jumped in the spa for a stretch of our sore muscles. I got the sauna up and running for some intense relaxation and was enjoying the experience immensely until a bloody huge black & fast moving spider sat down beside me. Little Miss Moffat was out of there like a shot. The steam room session was aborted.

All up we had about five and a half hours on the bike today. Much of the road was dead straight – especially for the first half of the journey. Dead straight and dead boring landscape. Not much to see at all. After Tekapo things began to get interesting. Lupins growing wild on the roadside, incredible cliffs set into farmland with silver sparkling deposits of rock (shine bright like a diamond), tall and majestic poplars, one lane bridges, dams holding azure blue water, idyllic streams and groves of trees, fields of gold as far as the eye can see, huge hawks flying overhead, and long straight stretches of empty road with maximum sight lines. Just perfect for a motorcycling adventure for two.

Tonight we are dining at Wanaka’s top restaurant and enjoying incredible Italian wine. The perfect Christmas Eve.