Feeling weary and with a worsening cold it seemed unwise to attempt the high altitude road through the Nevis Valley. The alternative is to go around the valley by returning to Queenstown and taking the highway to rejoin the route at Alexandra.

So I set off to follow the Around the Mountains trail back to Kingston where with a luck a shuttle will take me to Frankton, avoiding the Devils Staircase up the side of Lake Wakatipu.

The weather was not looking good, and I set off in showers, but they soon cleared and a brisk tailwind blew me along the first twenty kilometres. After the past few days of incredible scenery, this part of the route was somewhat anticlimactic, passing through a mainly agricultural landscape.

The trail building has been quite astonishing, with quite a few fantastic swing bridges along the way.

Eventually after what seemed an interminable ride I reached Kingston and checked in to a cabin in the holiday park. Although it was after office hours I tried calling to arrange a shuttle only to reach an answering service. But no sooner had I hung up when the company called back and within a few minutes had arranged a shuttle for tomorrow. I though I recognised the voice, and when I asked, yes it was Mick Barnett from the Around the Mountains company. Thanks again Mick for your exemplary service and kind assistance.