Tailwinds

Today is a shortish, mostly flat, all road (depending on my route) day so my goal is to start later than usual. The market/cafe in town opens at 8.

I am greeted with a rainbow from my cabin window. Unfortunately, it's drizzling. I bike a km to the cafe and order a short black and a muffin. I am served a long black, which is probably a good thing because it is sub par.

I head out on my ride and see roughly 2 cars per every 10 km. I am flying with a tailwind behind me. I'm being blown up hill. I reach my coffee stop a half hour before expected and ride past it. I am blown over when I turn around--well almost. I put my feet down and don't actually fall. I walk 200 m back to the cafe and begin to worry about 1) am I going to fall over every time the road changes direction and 2) how am I going to get back to Queenstown if this is my headwind in a couple of days. I order a date scone (which is okay) and a long black (that is very good, except I forgot to order decaf so I can't drink the whole thing). I watch the wind bend the trees. I check to see if I can rent a car in Invercargill and drop it off it Queenstown (I can't). I check for a bus (it's 2 busses and 10 hours including layover to get to Queenstown). My goal is only to get to Stewart Island. If I can't ride back from there, I'll bus it or hitchhike. 

I continue on, carefully. I keep both hands on the bars and try to keep ahead of anything that becomes a cross wind. The road is lined with giant flax on both sides, obviously meant to be a wind barrier.

I am able to snap one photo on a flat part. The hills are  much more attractive and green beyond belief. More sheep than one could count without falling asleep. I roll into Tuatapere earlier than expected and with much less effort. I see my hotel and it is unfortunately a mile from town. Town is bigger than it should be and not particularly run down, but it has a depressing small town vibe. Every adult I see is wearing gumboots

All kids are barefoot

The hotel/bar looks out of business. There a backpackers that has a restaurant. A small market and a fast food place. 

I eat lunch even though I'm not hungry and definitely not at hungry hippo level. I consider continuing on to Riverton, which is my coffee stop tomorrow, but see that's it's almost 60 km away. I ride back to the hotel to check in and it's surprisingly better than I had pictured. I am overdue for laundry, so that's task #1.

My hotel serves dinner, but it's a farm to table whatever the chef is feeling like at a communal table. My alternative is the hungry hippo again, which I see is open until 8 PM, or the restaurant at the in-town hostel. It's the home of the Famous Tuapatere Sausage which is made on site.

While deciding I walk back to town, pick up something for breakfast tomorrow as I'll be gone before anything opens and stop into the hostel restaurant for a pint.

The closed hotel probably had the small town atmosphere I am looking for. This place...

I walk back to my hotel with a couple hours to kill before dinner. There's a real TV and I stream Netflix. I hate wasting time on vacation but there is nothing for me to do here. 

I opt for dinner at my hotel, expecting 30 or so people at the big table. There are 4 of us. A family of 3 Canadians/Australians (though the Australian grew up in Otago, so maybe I misunderstood). They're walking the Humpback Track tomorrow and are more concerned about the weather than I am. Of course, they're super experienced hiker's and I'm just a guy with a bike. I am even more worried about getting back to Queenstown until I realize the Monday (the day they recommend taking off) is only a 30 km day. With this news, maybe I can sleep tonight.

50 miles 1719 feet