Day 8 – A Rest Day and Interesting Company
Today was a rest day, so we caught the bus into Queenstown for a look around.
Queenstown is obviously a spectacular natural setting, though I suspect it was even more beautiful once upon a time before tourism arrived in full force. These days it feels like New Zealand tourism in overdrive.
Enough said.
One of the joys of travelling like this is the conversations you have with people doing completely different things.
Paul, from Devon in England, told us his wife had left him and he decided — somewhat tongue in cheek — to ride a bicycle around New Zealand to “find himself”. Somewhere along the way he discovered he didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as he expected. He’s now sold the bike and all the gear and plans to walk the rest of the country instead.
Quite funny, really.
Then there was Rebecca, who is hiking from north to south looking for weeds of all things. Apparently she’s cataloguing plant species and believes she may be the first person to identify a new weed in the country. She explained the details, but I have to admit most of it went straight over my head.
Still, it’s now officially recorded somewhere.
We also met Graham, who must be close to seventy and has recently ridden his bike from London to Vienna. He’s staying here for a few days while he heads off on a four-day solo hike. His wife apparently won’t allow him to buy an e-bike yet because, in her view, he’s not old enough.
Great company.
Then there’s Chris, a contract fencer who is simply a giant of a man — not fat, just incredibly big and strong — who is trying to ease himself into retirement.
Another fellow we spoke to was a retired New Zealand policeman who now spends his spare time repairing wheelchairs and mobility scooters for people who need them. He and his partner live nearby and had simply hooked up their van and come down for a couple of days while the weather was good.
It’s quite a collection of people.
Another highlight of the day was the local rugby match being played on the oval — sorry, pitch — right next to where we’re camped.
It was a warm afternoon and there were some very big boys out there working extremely hard. By the end of the match a few of them were mostly plodding from one play to the next, but it was a very willing game and everyone seemed fully committed.
All in all, a very interesting day off the bikes.
Tomorrow we’re back riding again.
Day Summary
Location: Arrowtown / Queenstown
Distance ridden: 0 km
Weather: Warm and sunny
Best moment: Conversations with travellers at the campground
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