Tapawera-St. Arnoud Nov19-20/08

At breakfast I suggest that we leave excess jam as free food for another camper, however Peter exclaims that "We don't give free food we take it!" (we haven't found any free food).

We pass fields of "hops" (see photo long strings and rows of hops) what I think are vineyards. There is one tough climb with the winds picking up then a fast descent. Tapawera seems to have all the necessities for a small town (cafe, store, grocery, mini museum).

We have a sheltered tent site and the motorcamp is well stocked, with pots, pans, utensils, herbs, etc.

We chat with a fellow in a who equipped his van for camping complete with a single bed platform and cupboards.

That night at supper we spend the evening chatting with Michael, a Canadian who moved to New Zealand 8 years earlier with his New Zealand wife and family to escape the rat race of Vancouver. We get a Canadian perspective on life in New Zealand.

We enjoy chatting with him and he very kindly invites us to visit them in Christchurch if we happen to spend a couple days there before we fly back to Auckland.

On the way to St. Arnoud, we take the alternate Golden Downs road, aptly named for the golden flowered bushes lining the road. It is quiet with the melodic and lyrical bird sounds to serenade us.

We lunch by a stream until the black flies annoy us. The last 10 kilometers I am bonking. Fortnuately the last 5 km is downhill athough it is cool and I feel chilled when we arrive.

After a snack, it is short ride to the DOC campsite beside Nelson Lakes. Immediately I put on a jacket and long pants and bug spray as the black flies are on us.

There are hot showers and flush toilets although the cook shelter is only partially enclosed. At supper we chat with a young couple (French & Czech) touring New Zealand until June/09. They stay periodically at a WOOF (farm where they help out in exchange for free accomodation and food). It sounds like hard work however they are experiencing different ways of living to determine how they wish to live.

Day 30 cycling 53KM
Day 31 cycling 60KM