Day 12: Makarora-Wanaka
Minor bike drama. Over the last few days, my security chain had some sort of sticky goop on it. Tree sap, from one of the trees I leaned up against? I cleaned it off and it reappeared. A snack gone septic and leaking from the top compartment of the frame bag?
Close. I’d stashed some Fruit Bursts in the frame bag back in Nelson. I hadn’t eaten any, they’d fallen to the bottom. They’d melted into a sticky colorless goo which is probably related to corn syrup. So there was a small pool of this stuff, with the wrappers floating on it, and the security chain would just touch it when it was packed away. I don’t want to know how long it’s been down there … but I spent some time this morning cleaning it all out.
Today's a short day, mostly downhill. The route runs beside Lake Wanaka, then switches over to run beside Lake Hawea. So there were a lot of scenic views. And since this was a short day and there wasn't much time pressure, I stopped to take pictures - a lot.
On reflection there isn't much to say here. It was State Highway 6, so at best there was a small road shoulder for cyclists. Traffic was light and there were the usual interactions. The sky was cloudy so the light wasn't strong, so the mountains don't look defined. The water wasn't smooth so the reflections aren't sharp enough to be noteworthy. In these conditions the place looks a bit Scottish.
From left to right: The road this morning. My handlebar setup. Road had to be cut through cliffs. Best lake reflections I could find. I saw "Half Bridge No. 1" yesterday, how did they get so separated? The road beside Lake Hawea.
At the end of Lake Hawea the route went onto a bike path, properly away from the State Highway since Ross! It started with a canal-path combination, just like the Netherlands, but unusually the water was clear. The route went started among green trees, but then changed to brown grasses with a few scrubby green trees among them. I thought it looked great and was very happy to be there, but in hindsight it's probably mostly because I'm away from traffic...
The route ran alongside the river, which had some unusual rapids. A warning sign explained that the river has been adapted specifically to create exciting recirculating rapids for canoes, and as a result there were a lot of new ways for people in the water to die.
From left to right: “Fully Refurbished 2011” changed to a liability a while back. Nice trees at the end of Lake Hawea. Entrance to the bike path. Canal beside the track. Natural arch. Brown grass and scrubby trees. Love the warning sign.
The place I'm staying turned out to be far from Wanaka. I had a quick Google but there was nothing around. The center of Wanaka is where all the good stuff is found! So after getting civilized I cycled over. It was a 30 minute ride, but worth it.
Unusually I hadn't had lunch today: there weren't any options available at the hostel in the morning, and I hadn't looked for anything along the way - I figured I'd get something when I arrived in Wanaka. Since I didn't get to Wanaka until midafternoon, I was pretty hungry.
Also I'd been recommended (or perhaps ordered) to go to Burrito Craft. That included the suggestion (or perhaps the order) to try the Cheeseburger Burrito. This is, to be clear, a full cheeseburger and fries wrapped up in a burrito. Here's what the menu says:
CHEESEBURGER BURRITO - $18
Brisket burger mince, chipotle bacon jam, sliced burger cheese, pickles, house made burger sauce & french fries all wrapped in a 12" tortilla
They leave off the burger buns, which I'm grateful for.
As far as I can tell, this started as a joke: there's an Instagram post announcing that it's become permanantly available, which is not something you do for normal menu items.
Anyway, I had one. It was not too big, not dry or greasy, and actually not bad. I think they may have judiciously added a few more gherkins or something, because there were quite a few and I remember being quite happy to see them. If you're intruiged by this sort of degeneracy, there's photos online where you can examine the cross section and decide for yourself if the chip-meat ratio is what you'd expect.
From left to right: Beside the food truck. Also beside the food truck - note the ducks! Harbour views. That Wanaka Tree (it’s a hashtag). The slopes just on the way home.
There were a few more things in Wanaka, but I think they're all boring in comparison. Also after that burrito I wasn't able to think about dinner until late evening. In hindsight, it would also explain the vegetable cravings...
