Arrowtown to Gibbston Valley and back.

March 12, 2021

Tension, Suspension, Vinification and Lunch Consumption.

Day 17 March 12 Friday

Arrowtown to Gibbston and back. 41kms

Tension, Suspension, Vinification and Lunch Consumption.

Today’s ride is up the Gibbston Valley, which heads south towards Cromwell without actually getting there. There are apparently plans afoot to complete a cycle route through the Kawarau Gorge in the future and they look pretty spectacular. For today though, we intend to find the Gibbston Tavern and have lunch. We leave Arrowtown along Centennial Road this time. There’s a good path alongside the road but we turn off past the golf course to the Southern Discoveries bridge access.

The cycle trail runs above the main highway in places.

Down, we continue, past the now familiar bridges to Arrow Junction (where the Arrow meets the Kawarau) and on to the A J Hackett Bungy Centre and the old suspension bridge. It’s hard to believe that cars were still crossing on this old narrow wooden structure, into the 1960s. There are a couple of tense jumpers mentally preparing as we cross today, but it’s certainly not a case of ten lords aleaping at the moment and one of the employees tells me that it’s been very quiet for some time. Certainly quite an extensive industry has been built around this tourist experience, with a large building in which all manner of related objects and experiences can be purchased.

Until the 1960s cars crossed on this. Bungy jumping on the right.

This stained glass window can be found in St Paul’s Anglican Cathedral in Wellington.

Now the views of the Kawarau from the cycle trail are quite breathtaking and it’s difficult to do justice to the colour of the water and the height of the canyon it runs through, with a camera. Quite an extensive number of vineyards begin to appear too - firstly across the valley and then beside the trail. Pinot Noir is the local grape of choice and the wine here has a very good reputation compared to other Pinot growing areas in NZ.

We reach the Gibbston Tavern which has some tables outside shaded by umbrellas. A cloudy IPA and a pizza prepares us well for the return journey. We are back in Arrowtown by late afternoon and revive with a hot cuppa.

Today's ride: 41 km (25 miles)
Total: 582 km (361 miles)

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