I missed packing our raincoats eek. The plan is to head in to Ashburton to op shop for them. Jack, the manager takes us up to look at the hydro electric generator they use for the property. The old building that it used to be in is going to be converted into accommodation. Jack has a lot of plans and there is going to be a lot of changes done on the property. The views are spectacular from higher up.

After that little excursion we head off towards Ashburton. Along the way we do some exploring, looking at the history of the area.

We head backwards a little to go to a cafe in Stravely for brunch. When we arrive in Ashburton it doesn’t take us long to find one jacket. It is a mere $2 and high vis. We don’t get much more success, but we do have another jacket that will work for Rowan. This cycle trip will be quite different as we don’t need any of our sleeping gear or shelter etc. however we will bring a few things just in case we need them.

Now off towards Geraldine, we may stay in Tekapo tonight. When we reach Tekapo everything is pretty booked out and they want to charge us $90 to camp. Well f&@k that. We head to Lake Pukaki where we know several places we can camp for free. We take the dirt road in, following the land for the defence force. We come across this cool hut which is probably built for mustering shelter. Looks like anyone can stay there, it is better than a lot of DOC huts.

It doesn’t take us long to find a good spot to camp. Rowan gets into the lake for a wash, I am not keen to get into that cold of water. Especially with the wind up. I have a wipe down instead. It takes a long time for Rowan to warm up again.