Thursday 12 February 2015

Te Anau – Clifden (Swing Bridge) – Orepuki (Monkey Island) – Kapuka - Waikawa – Papatowai – Kaka Point.

Cycle to Manapouri Lake, and do lunch, meet a young kiwi bicyclist…Hayden,  a passionate  tramper and free spirit… soon to  do his paramedic ticket,we get on great, top bloke…….. kept cycling to a free camp at Clifden swing bridge, meet  Stephan and Jan from the Czech republic  touring and tramping on cheapo mountain bikes…… they smashed the 60 klm Keppler track near Te Anau in  1 day…..usually a three day hike…..
Cycle on next morning  to Tuatapere, then to Monkey Island at camp next to a van……. We are lucky to meet Lewis and Elke….just happened to be veteran multi world tour cyclists…they have given cycling a rest for now but still travel the world in search of culture,fun, and culinary adventures, as they are superb chefs, we celebrated that evening with them…..really  the coolest  guys. later on that evening  two French cyclists Jerome and Quentin…father and son tour, camp near us, its late……..so there we were enjoying vino with all the crew……..sharing stories and yarning  till late…. spent another laid back day at monkey island , the Czech boys lobbed into the camp later that evening………alls good at the island, wild, windswept, south island coastline…hiked around some of the headlands and coves around Pahia point.
Exit  Monkey Island towards Inveragagill….we navigate around the town and ride till very late ….so we door knock and score a camp on Benos lawn . somewhere between invergagill and Gorge road at a place called Kapuka,  Beno a Philippine family man managing an 800 head dairy farm… thanks  Beno….
Cycle towards Curio Bay, and stop for a wash at Niagra Falls, Waikawa, Lewis and Elke had the same idea, we all made camp at a free camp at Waikawa…….no vino tonight, rice veg, and salsa……so good……..Lewis shares a few touring stories, Cycling 5k elevations in the Himalayas, and three months of headwind in oz, come to mind…….theve definitely cycled some hardcore miles on the planet, about 250000, i think!…..respect to them… they invite us to drop in on our way north to Taieri Mouth South of Dunedin, where they have some good freinds………………………………………
So of to see some more of the Catlin Scenery, we cycle to Papatowai..and stop by a roadside Art….place The Lost Gypsy Gallery,  meet Josh and Annabella, vanning it from Israel…they brewed a  coffee and tucker for us straight up…..they knew how tired we were…..they were really blown away by this art installation… curios…so of we went into  this guys  inner Sanctums of his mind………..a 15 year in progress, maze of rooms with devices, wired to moving hand made bits…..all junky  recycled stuff, made into something to behold…….. i don't know what to call it…look it up its unreal……… http://blog.keads.com/2012/03/lone-gypsy-of-papatowai.html,So many peeps you meet on the road…cycling……set up in nearby doc camp……Meta Whom we met earlier shared, her cockle  shell harvest….she is bicycle touring nz, from Switzerland….happy journeys Meta, Next day, Purakaunui falls, then Kaka Point for a couple of days, caught up with kehfan….. Nugget Point…..Special Place…..Sea rocky outcrops , an amazing old lighthouse……. shrouded by a sea fog from the south seas….










































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