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Fast forward Mossburn


Okay, so this should be a relatively easy day. About 100km mostly downhill, but, granted, with Von Hill in the middle which is a little bit gnarly.  We arrive in Queenstown the night before without a boat to Walter Peak organised for the next day.  All sorts of amazing investigative work by Wayne G sadly yields no ticket and we decide to get some sleep, get up early and appear at the boat in person after a decent breakfast somewhere.  

The next morning having ordered breakfast, Wayne G runs to the boat and does some more sleuthing.  There’s a charter leaving at 10 we might be able to get on if the customer is okay with it.  Wayne watches his phone while eating breakfast.   The phone eventually rings and he ducks out to take the call.  “..Sorry guys, the charter is not prepared to take you.  Best bet is to keep trying the Earnslaw. “

A few minutes later at about one minute to eight another call.  The same lady asks how far away we are because there’s room on the 8am Earnslaw.  What?  

“Wait…sorry.  No, it’s loading and leaving now. As you were.”

All this taken place before the ticket office has actually opened for the day.  After breakfast, it is open and we head there together.  After some discussion we somehow secure two return tickets on an 11am sailing.  How on earth did that happen?   We’ll be starting the ride from Walter Peak a bit late in the day, but we’re all go for a another ride to remember.

——

The boat ride was lovely.  A pianist played and sang on the way over while we relaxed, enjoyed an incredible view around us and generally each did our own thing.  I dare say we were both a bit nervous about the ride ahead - bad weather was expected on the other side of the lake - but we were also thrilled to be underway.  

Arriving on the other side, we readied our bikes and selves for the 100k to Mossburn.  The ride to Von Hill was overcast and damp. We needed our wet weather gear, but it didn’t seem too bad.  At 29kms we arrived at Von Hill.  It was a steady climb, but also not too bad.  The real work began at the top as the weather began to degrade (rain) and the winds picked up.  I had a couple of clumsy moments within 10km, dropping my front wheel in a cattle grate and a close call on a very wet bridge in the rain.  Nothing too serious, but a reminder to be careful in these conditions. 

We found a shelter and ate lunch at about 35kms. 

Fuelled up and back on the road, I remember staring at my computer and pondering our slow progress at around 40km, when suddenly we noticed a great tail wind behind us. Both of us began ploughing along at 30+ kms an hour with very little effort and we fast forwarded about 40kms.  The rest of the ride went pretty smoothly after that.  At some point, we entered a quite different part of the Round the Mountains trail, a section of windy sjngle track over farmland and that took us virtually all the way into Mossburn.  

The Mossburn Railway Hotel had changed hands since Wayne G was there a few years ago, but we got a good feed, a beer and sleep there.  The publican remarked at our sudden wind powered surge partway through the ride. He’d been spot-watching us. 

It rained all night in Mossburn to remind us what to look forward to the next day, our final day.  We checked and rechecked the weather forecast trying to find an optimal window to do our last 140km.  9am looked best if not great.  At least, we thought, we’d start with rain and be riding away from the weather.  We would prove correct about the rain.  But not the wind.

 

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