GTT – Nelson and then Christchurch – 4 February 2021

 


We had an early start so we could get to Nelson, collect the rental car from our friends’ place and drive to Christchurch.  It was a nice crisp start to the day.  After a superb breakfast provided by our host Carol, we started the shortest leg of our ride, a mere 30kms of mainly flat terrain. 

We're off on our shortest leg

 Our first stop was for a quick coffee in Brightwater.  There were a lot of cyclists going both ways on the track and that was especially the case on the leg between Richmond and Nelson.  We rode the Railway reserve route which took us through the middle of Stoke and then up over a hill before a quick and fast ride down into the city centre.  We stopped in at Kiwi Cycles to return the torch, share our experiences and give some feedback, then had a quick coffee at a local riverside café before going back the H&M’s to pick up the car. 

The last swing bridge of the trip
It was a long drive to Christchurch, taking us through the Lewis Pass.  I had not travelled between Murchison and Christchurch on this route for many years and in travelling it, I found that I had no memory of it whatsoever.  It is simply beautiful.  It seems remote and almost like another country.  If we had more time I would like to have stopped and experienced a bit of the area.  There is resort at Maruia Springs that could perhaps be an overnight stay on another occasion. 

After arriving in Christchurch we emptied the car as there was no point taking all of our possessions to Queenstown.  It was going to be an early start the next morning as we were due to have the rental car back by midday.

Distance cycled: 34 kms  - Cycling time: 2h 10m

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