March 8, 2021
Cromwell to Mount Pisa
A meeting with friends and leaning towards Mt Pisa.
13 March 8 Monday
Cromwell to Mount Pisa and back. 33kms
A meeting with friends and leaning towards Mt Pisa
Today we are going to explore the other end of Lake Dunstan but first we meet a friend from our Te Kuiti days, Marilyn and her husband Nick who now live on a block of land on the slopes of Mt Pisa. We meet at another one of the other cafes among the old quarter buildings rescued from the dam’s flood and enjoy coffee and an interesting catch up chat. After our meeting, we mention our planned ride out to Pisa Moorings, and they suggest we visit them there in the afternoon.
The ride out along the water looks like it’ll fairly relaxing. Back to the bridge we came in on, we don’t cross, keeping to the Cromwell side. The trail is follows the foreshore of a calm and vast expanse of water. There are few surprises but the views are pleasant. Not far from the start we come across school students learning yachting and kayaking skills and having fun on paddle boards. Further on is a campervan park. It looks pretty full of grey nomads, some with very large rigs. 48 hours is the maximum staying time.
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The cycle route meanders around small canals harbouring boats, jet skis and other nautical equipment. There are also individual houses and groups of townhouses along the canals too. There look to be some excellent swimming areas alongside the path. The water is exceptionally clear, and today, as smooth as a swimming pool.
Nick meets us at a landing called Smith’s Way. We load our bikes onto his carrier and up we go to the house he designed and they built six years ago. As he is an engineer by profession, he has used his skills to include a number of eye catching features. The very high pitched ceiling is supported by exposed sequoia rafters and there is a curved staircase leading to a mezzanine from the large living area below. The mezzanine has a large circular window and they have used beautiful lead lights too. The floors are tiled, the space, light, warm and open.
We tour the garden outside, meet their young and very friendly though solid, boxer, and admire the colour of the local brown stone exterior of the house. They’ve even used the same stone to form an arch. The view from their house over the valley and lake below is impressive, though the white of the nets covering vineyards makes it looks as if some areas are covered in a massive shroud.
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Nick returns us to the trail, and we head back to the campground, sorting ourselves out for our next day’s shuttle to Queenstown, where we plan to ride on some of that areas trails.
Today's ride: 33 km (20 miles)
Total: 457 km (284 miles)
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