Cycle Touring on the South Island of New Zealand

by Susan Otcenas

Wednesday, January 5th, 2005 - Wanaka to Makarora

Distance: 65 km
Average speed: 14.7 kph
Time in saddle 4:25
Max speed 58kph for Susan - Jeff 61.8kph
Departure 11:00 am
Arrival 4:45 pm
Warm & Sunny all day!!!

Knowing we had a short mileage day, we decided to spend the morning at Stuart Landsborough's Puzzling World, the highlight of which is a giant maze.

Puzzling World

The object is to find one's way to each of 4 towers and then find the way out again. The labyrinth includes a series of bridges, which must be used to find the way out. They also give a great overview of the maze. This was a ton of fun, and much more enjoyable than the corn mazes we have here at home.

Lost in the maze

a-maze-ing

Puzzling World also has all sorts of indoor illusion rooms, including a room full of holograms and an Ames Forced Perspective Room, which can make two similarly sized people look completely different. This is the technique that was used in the Lord of the Rings to make the Hobbits look smaller than the rest of the characters.

Leaving Puzzling World, the route follows the shoreline of Lake Hawea, crosses "The Neck" and then meanders along the shores of Lake Wanaka.

Jeff @ Lake Hawea

The road along Lake Hawea.

As the day progresses the headwinds got stronger and stronger, reducing our speed on flat sections to a mere 11-12 km. This is clearly a common occurrence, as Lake Wanaka played host to numerous kiteboarders. Those guys can really catch some air!

Kite Boarder on Lake Wanaka.

Despite the wind, we loved this day's ride. There was almost no traffic and the scenery was top notch. It also lacked any major climbs for which I was particularly grateful.

Finding our accommodation in Makarora was easy - Makarora is home to a mere 30 people. Our self-contained cottage at Larrivee Homestay was delightful. 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, a nicely equipped kitchen, living room, dining room and fireplace. The living room was stocked with books and magazines to keep us occupied for the evening, and the garden boasted all sorts of fresh vegetables and ripe strawberries. Instead of dining out, we went to the tiny "store" to buy pasta, sauce, cheese and wine to cook for dinner. It was a very relaxing end to a wonderful day.

Larrivee Home Stay

Home for the night

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