After a cold night, the morning was grey and cloudy.  The run of good weather I’ve been enjoying looked to be over. After breakfast at the local bakery, I set out towards Manapouri. The wind, though light, was in my favour, and the road trended downwards, so I covered the short distance quickly and enjoyed a second breakfast before embarking on the longer distance to Tuatapere.

The favourable running continued and I made good progress until I reached Jericho Hill, where the grade suddenly pitched upwards and slowed my progress considerably. Soon the early cloud burned away and I was able to strip off my rain jacket for the first time in a week.

By mid-afternoon the wind had changed direction, and I had to push hard across kilometer after kilometer of dead straight road down a broad valley. Eventually I reached Clifden where a I paused to view the historic suspension Bridge across the Waiau River, then pushed on to Tuatapere, where I took a backpacker room, and after dinner at the pub and an interesting conversation with some Hump Ridge trampers, I was asleep before dark

Lake Te Anau...

OK Boofle, maybe you will have to help me with this...

Clifden's historic suspension bridge