January 21 - Day 13

I woke up feeling like a truck hit me. My head was throbbing and I had a hard time getting out of bed. Matt is always so gracious and got up and showered first. 

I finally dragged myself out of bed and showered. We got to the cafe for breakfast and I started feeling better. My ciabatta sandwich was absolutely fabulous. The ciabatta is like nothing I’ve ever eaten. So good. And of course, the coffee was wonderful. 

After breakfast, we boarded the bus and headed to Omakau where we will be fitted for our bikes to do our bike ride today. We will be riding a section of the Otago Central Rail Trail that will cover about 18 miles. After everyone had been fitted and worked out the kinks, the bikes were put on a trailer to take to the start of the ride in Oturehua. It is kind of funny. At both the bike rides, there was one bike with no name on it. Both times it was mine. Not sure if the universe is telling me I’m nameless. But I’m ok with it. 

We took the bus the rest of the way to Oturehua and had to wait a while there for our bikes but eventually they showed up. We all got on our bikes and we were off. It was a bit cloudy but a wonderful day for a ride. The scenery is nothing like Lake Pukaki and Mt. Cook but it is beautiful. I am relaxed and really enjoying myself. We biked with few stops. Matt was way in the front for a while and I was about 20 minutes behind him. He is quite a cyclist. We went over bridges and through tunnels. So much fun. It started raining right at the end but not too bad. Matt and I cycled quickly and managed not to get very wet. The rain stopped almost as quickly as it started. 

When everyone arrived in Omakau back where we started, we returned our bikes. We all walked over to the Muddy Creek Cafe and had a wonderful lunch and yes, fabulous coffee. I had a Reuben. Nothing like home but still delicious. 

After lunch, we were back on the bus and headed to a historic gold mining town called Clyde. We got off the bus and walked through the town. It was warm and sunny, beautiful flowers everywhere, and I am really enjoying life. Nice to feel that way today. We got back on the bus for a few minutes and stopped at the Clyde Dam and watched the powerful water coming through the dam. This dam produces enough electricity to power a couple of the cities in New Zealand for a year. 

We now headed back to Cromwell with a couple hours to spare before dinner. Matt and I relaxed a bit and then headed to the historic precinct of town. It was really warm now and we walked a couple miles. It was interesting to see the old part of town and Lake Dunsten is so beautiful and serene. We walked back, cleaned up and got on the bus for dinner. We are taking the bus tonight to the restaurant because there is no clear sidewalk along the busy road.

Dinner was fabulous and unlike anything I’ve ever had. The meal was served in what looked like a piece of a barrel and included salad, sweet potatoes and other vegetables, regular potatoes, orange roughy, pork belly, chicken and steak. It was family style and everyone served themselves. The food was so good. And dessert! Brownies and lemon meringue pies, small servings and just delicious. 

After dinner, we came back on the bus and Matt and I walked another mile. Settling in now to our room. Tomorrow we will leave Cromwell to go to Te Anau. This is the last place we will stay for this trip. It is supposed to rain some but the forecast has improved a little so we’ll see. Wonderful day.

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