Day 4 – Burke’s Pass and the Road to Tekapo
Today was the longest day of the trip so far.
We rolled out of Geraldine into a cold, overcast morning, but the skies were clear and — most importantly — there was almost no wind.
The road heads inland here and the hills begin in earnest. The Canterbury farmland continues for a while, with plenty of dairy operations, but the landscape slowly starts to lift toward the high country.
There were a few short and sharp climbs on the way into Fairlie, enough to remind the legs that the trip was entering a new phase. We arrived just before lunchtime and stopped at the Fairlie Bakehouse, which has quite a reputation. People lining up out the door.
The pie certainly lived up to expectations.
I also tried a $6 hot cross bun, which was a little more adventurous than the ones back home — much spicier than I’m used to. I think I’ll stick with the Australian versions for now.
From Fairlie the road continues inland toward Lake Tekapo, gradually climbing the entire way. It’s mostly just a steady one or two percent gradient, which sounds easy until you realise it goes on for about 40 kilometres.
The real test of the day came at Burke’s Pass.
It’s only a kilometre or two long, but it’s steep enough to demand your full attention. Legs certainly got a workout, as did the granny gear.
As you crest it, you get the first glimpse of snow covered mountains.
Fortunately the reward on the other side was immediate — a strong tailwind pushing us toward Tekapo.
The sun finally appeared for the first time in a few days and the temperature climbed into the mid-20s, making it close to perfect cycling weather.
We’ve seen quite a few other cyclists over the past couple of days, although interestingly they’re all heading the opposite direction.
Perhaps they know something we don’t.
By the time we reached Lake Tekapo we had covered 91 km with about 1,150 metres of climbing, making it the toughest day of the trip so far.
Tekapo itself was a little disappointing. Beautiful surroundings of course, but like a lot of tourist towns — loved to death.
A lot of development and plenty of tourists. It depends what you like, I suppose.
One strange observation from today’s ride was the amount of roadkill, mostly wallabies and possums. For a moment it almost felt like riding in Australia again. Never seen so many dead possums on the road in my life.
Tomorrow we’re planning another big ride to Omarama. If that works out we’ll be about three days ahead of schedule, which could be very useful if the forecast rain arrives later in the week.
Today’s highlight was definitely the climb over Burke’s Pass.
It felt like we’d properly entered the mountains.
Day Summary
Route: Geraldine → Lake Tekapo
Distance: 91 km
Riding Time: 6 hr 1 min
Climbing: 1,150 m
Weather: Cold start, sunny afternoon, light winds
Best moment: Climbing Burke’s Pass
Ride Link
Geraldine to Fairlie
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/22133712234
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