Day 6 – Grinding Up the Lindis Pass

The rain forecast overnight never arrived, which meant packing up a dry campsite in the morning — always a good start to the day.

We’re gradually getting more organised each morning and are managing to get on the road earlier as the routine settles in.

At Omarama there were a number of “credit card cyclists” staying in the cabins at the caravan park. These are the smart ones who travel light and stay in proper accommodation each night.

They have a lot less to haul up hills — but they also have to book accommodation and can’t just camp wherever they feel like stopping.

Interestingly we all rolled out at about the same time, even though we had to pack up camp first. We haven’t seen them since, so they’re either well ahead… or well behind.

Conditions for riding were actually pretty good — cool, calm and overcast with just the occasional light sprinkle.

Then came the Lindis Pass.

From Omarama it’s essentially 33 kilometres of continuous climbing, with almost no undulations to give the legs a break (check out the ride link below).The first half is easy enough, but the last 15 km really starts to bite, and the final few kilometres were very much a case of locking out the front suspension and grinding away.

Average speed for the climb was a majestic 12.6 km/h, taking about 2 hours and 45 minutes.

I was puffing pretty hard when I took this, so not much of a photo, but is the view back down the road from the summit

The landscape changes dramatically as you climb. The farmland disappears and gives way to treeless hillsides, mostly grass and low vegetation. It feels much more remote and exposed up there.

There was even a roadside sign asking people to report sightings of wallabies to a New Zealand government website— apparently some of our Australian wildlife has made itself quite comfortable over here.

These wallabies are obviously having more success in New Zealand than the Australian rugby team has of late.

At the summit we were greeted by an enthusiastic crowd of tourists who kindly applauded our arrival.

I expect they were just wondering what old blokes on loaded bikes were doing up there.

The reward, of course, was the descent. The freewheel down the other side was tremendous, and it made me think the climb in the opposite direction would be a lot tougher than what we just did.

We stopped at the Tarras Roadhouse for a well-earned hamburger and chips before continuing on.

Beyond Tarras the route opens into wide plains and we were suddenly quite exposed, riding straight into a stiff headwind.

After a long day we decided to pull up at the Bendigo free camp on Lake Dunstan, just a few kilometres outside Cromwell.

View from our campsite across Lake Dunstan to the ranges, orchards at the base and a little bit of snow at the top.

The scenery here is interesting. The landscape looks green at first glance, but most of that comes from heavy irrigation. Without it, the land would be as dry as a chip. Large orchards covered in netting line the hillsides, along with massive frost fans to protect the crops.

There are also vineyards scattered around the slopes.

Dinner tonight was a gourmet selection of packet noodles, followed by a few nuts and a coffee to finish.

Glorious!

Not exactly fine dining — but it does the job.

Tomorrow we head into Queenstown, where we’re planning to take a well-earned rest day.

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Day Summary

Route: Omarama → Bendigo Campground (Lake Dunstan)
Distance: 97 km
Riding Time: 5 hr 57 min
Climbing: 675 m
Weather: Cool, overcast, light drizzle early
Best moment: Reaching the summit of Lindis Pass

Ride  links

Omarama to Tarras 

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/22155214218

Tarras to Lake Dunstan 

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/22155463624