Motupiko to St. Arnaud/Nelson Lakes National Park

Our bellies were full and our bodies well rested. We were informed by Dorine that our journey ahead would be an easy one. Our end destination was St. Arnaud/Nelson Lakes National Park. St. Arnaud was the start of Rainbow Road...Rainbow Road is a 'wildnerness driving' experience across private land between St. Arnaud and Hanmer Springs. It is remarkable for the transition from craggy, beech-covered mountains to flowing tussock lands, where vast scress spill from ridge crest to valley floor in a lonely landscape. St. Arnaud/Nelson Lakes was our resting point before we ventured off-road into 'the wilderness'. Thanks to Brad Sauber, Operations Manager at Bicycle Adventures...we wouldn't have found out about this treasure. We'll save that entry for another day. Now onto our ride into Nelson Lakes.

Our ride from Motupiko to St. Arnaud would be only 30 miles. The morning was damp and a bright chill rang through the air. We donned our long sleeve jerseys for the first time on bikes and began our trek. After 7 miles into the ride we looked down at our speedometers and noticed our speed - relatively slow for what seemed to be flat road. Could it be we're going uphill and have been deceived? Looks like Paul's altimeter shows we've gained altitude. Hills were becoming more prominant and descents less noticeable. I turned to Paul and said, "Is this difficult for you or are you trying to appease me?"

We made it into Nelson Lakes/St. Arnaud mid-afternoon. Nelson Lakes National Park apparently was heavily explored several times over by Europeans in hopes of reporting some type of wealth. Most had tried to use the land for grazing their stock but due to extreme terrain they abandoned the area. The lakes and mountains became a popular recreation spot. Soon enough it was sold to the park system. The area has been restored to its original state after fires ripped through the mountain sides in the late 1800's. The terrain received heavy erosion due to lack of support from native bush. Park rangers began planting Mountain, Red, and Silver Beech to restore it to it's original state. The only thing they forgot to take care of are the notorious, ferocious sandflies! I'm not sure if these beasts are native or not...but they're savages in every way! Imagine the tiniest of all flies landing on your thin, delicate skin...unknowingly. Soon enough you detect a sharp bite at your ankles or behind the backs of your knees. Their saliva becomes implanted under your skin. 24 hours later your itching so hard you didn't even know you've excoriated your skin raw!

Thanks so much to James & Janet Mace for offering us their solo kayaks for a venture out on the lake. Where else would we have been able to view freshwater eels? Curious little buggers - one swam up to Paul's boat and surfaced a few times. Brillant!