Sunny in morning. It is 20KM to DOC and lake. After a couple reasonable hills it is mostly downhill with a tailwind pushing us 25KPH. We are able to coast along in the wheel tracks to avoid the deeper gravel.
It is a couple kilometers to turn off to day use area. Further along at a campsite, we chat with a woman and her daughter, they kindly give us some drinking water as it is a 10 minute drive into campground where there are water taps.
After lunch we carry on. The next 38 km are fairly rough, it is not as enjoyable as the previous day; fortunately it is mostly downhill.
Finally at 58KM we reach the junction and the end of gravel!
It is too far to get to Te Anau, so 5KM on we get to a schoolyard at The Key. It has a big yard and slopes down to a small area of forest beside a fenced sheep pasture. We decide to camp in the woods.
There is a water fountain so we can fill our waterbottles. We listen to the "baaing" of sheep as we eat our noodles.
Peter tells me that we need to get out early before school starts and anyone arrives in case they don't appreciate us camping there. I think that no one will mind.
It is pouring rain when we get up, we eat breakfast in tent. Although we are packed up to leave at 7:50AM, there is a car already in the lot when we leave.
Unfortunately Peter was right, the principal comes out and is upset that we camped in the schoolgrounds. Although I tell her that we didn't leave any garbage behind, she is upset, I assume that she thinks that we left behind toilet paper in woods or worse, but we didn't leave any trace behind.
We are quite soaked by the time we reach Te Anau. At motorcamp, I am really cold, I have a hot drink in kitchen while we are waiting for a room.
On our way to room we chat with a scottish couple (cyclists). They bought bikes (and will sell their bikes) here as Emirates wanted to charge them $1,200 each to transport bikes.
We hang everything up in room to dry, including our tent and walk into town for lunch, stock up groceries and stay in room to watch TV for night.
We decide to stay in Te Anau another night to see sights. We switch to a tent site as it has stopped raining. I check into doing Milford Sound, cheapest is $100/bus and cruise. Although Peter has done the trek, he hasn't done the cruise so he agrees to do it, as I don't want to do it without him.
I do some souvenir/gift shopping. That night I chat with a couple, Aruna & Kash who are booked to do cruise next day.
Day 40 cycling 65KM
Day 41 cycling 27KM
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