After yesterdays epic ride, and the final struggle with the wind, I’m taking a break in Kurow to do my laundry and rest my weary legs before attempting to cross the Hakataramea Pass.

I’m at the Kurow holiday park, which would have to one of the nicest I’ve seen, and by the size of it, a very popular place in peak season. The walls of the park office are adorned with photos of some huge salmon and trout taken from the Waitaki River, which bounds the park to the north.

So with the laundry under way I wandered in to the town centre, where I picked up supplies to cook my dinner, and then stopped at the café for the giant hamburger I had been promising myself all day yesterday, but never got.

Back at the park, I finished the laundry and then rigged my fishing rod and wandered over to the riverbank to see if I would have any beginners luck. I got a little bushed in the maze of channels, and didn’t find the good fishing pools. I had some casting practice but caught no fish.  But it was a welcome diversion for a few hours.

For dinner I cooked up a huge pot of spaghetti bolognese, and somehow managed to devour the lot.

Boofle feeling at home here...

Looking across to the Wataki River...