Time to dry out and head to Queenstown
Fortunately the previous evenings efforts to dry my riding gear had largely worked out well. The oven had dried out my riding gloves and the hair dryer had done a great job on my riding boots (a top tip for the future).
The weather forecast was looking slightly more favourable today, with some rain expected and feeling warmer again towards Queenstown. My satnav had died the previous day, however the route to Queenstown is easy to follow.
To route will take me east again towards Lake Tekapo, Lake Pukaki and Twizel. As I approached Burkes Pass it was clear that I had made the right decision to turn back to Fairlie the previous day. The roads were lined with snow, with some light patches still lingering on road in shaded areas.
Twizel provided a convenient place to stop for a late breakfast, and an opportunity to defrost from the icy wind blast. I’d also managed to stop for a quick photo opportunity at Lake Pukaki, with amazing view of Mount Cook in the background.
My intended destination for the previous day was Omarama, which had received a significant snowfall the previous evening. As the road wound past the small town, I was glad that I’d played safe and stayed in Fairlie. The road traversing the mountains was still heavily snow lined, which made for some fantastic footage on the motorcycle.
As I pushed on further south towards my final destination of the day at the Kinross Cottages, the road started to lose altitude and the temperature started to rise.
By the time I’d reached the Kinross Cottages, the sun had broken through the clouds and provided a great back drop over the vineyard where I was staying.
I’d made a few false stops due to my lack of satnav, however my mobile phone eventually directed to the correct location. I’ll be staying at the Kinross Cottages for two days, so after unpacking I indulged in the local wine whilst having dinner (guard ducks on duty).