Saturday, March 6, 2010

Day 5 Haast To Franz Josef .. 143km

Hi Folks, well today we left Haast at 7.40am in brilliant clear skies but quite cool temperature. First 10k's were nice and flat with the guys working well and rolling through and cruising through at 30 plus kph.The scenery is absolutely fantastic and there were a couple of very solid climbs prior to a great run down the coast of the west coast beach. At this point Big Al got our first puncture on a long stretch of road works. At 70km mark we stopped at Salmon Farm Cafe for morning tea. It was here that Chilly won the "Richard" Award when he took longer than necessary to massage chaffing cream on to his manly parts.He thoughtfully tuned away from the bunch but inadvertently in full view of the Cafe. Interestingly the quiet man of the team , Dave, formerly known as Brian was he recipient the day before and was very keen to get rid of the trophy.We had another good run into Fox and the sun was shining and warming everyone up.
Unfortunately we were then advised by a local that there were three snorters before we got to Franz Josef. She was right after the second hard climb Al got his second puncture on the down hill on a cattle stop.
Still collectively we can't complain and the puncture was quickly fixed . What has been nice to see is the friendly attitude of the motorist and we haven't had any agro at all. We even got to visit the glacier but Ange hasn't shaken her flu yet and her assistance for the riders can't be under estimated. Great support also from Scenic Hotel Group who have assisted with accommodation in both Haast and Franz Josef.
This tour thus far has far exceeded all expectations and I will definitely do it again but maybe on a motorbike. I also want to thank the support from home especially Ruth as we have a few things happening at the moment.
Go well,
Kim (Real Name)
P.S. Pagey noted today there were 16 fresh road kills.
Its on the road again
Great scenery

Cracker day on the road


Franz Josef Glacier





Some great sights to be seen.

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