Gravel Cycling the South Island

Up early after a broken sleep during the night. Firstly with a group in a tent further down looking for a possum in the trees. Lights on, shouting to each other where it was. Next, don't know how long after, I sat upright in my sleeping bag after hearing someone tampering with the bikes outside my door.  Zips open, headtorch in hand, searching for whoever it was. No sign, but not long after a branch falls out of the big tree we were pitched under. Lands about two feet from hitting us smack bang on the top of the tent. I once again shine the torch outside, all over the trees and " Hey Presto" here's a young possum in the tree above us, looking right at me.  Threw a couple of pine cones at him but it made no difference. Shining the torch certainly didn't put him off and he was only too keen to see what the inside of our tent looked like. I switched off the torch and zipped up the tent as I heard him jump down from the tree and shuffle around the tent. He then starts...

Awake at 6.30am. I was keen to get started this morning in case it began to rain. Today we travel to Duntroon and then begin our climb up Danseys Pass.  Over to the kitchen for Weetbix and banana and a cuppa. Julia wanted a coffee so I shot back to get our bedding put away. Just finished when Julia arrives back and we get the tent packed away under the lightest of drizzle. Whilst I tidied up my gear, Ju shot back to kitchen to give Brody a call. Pete says he popped on his Drysteppers like it was no big deal. But I noticed he first checked there was nobody about to see him wearing these iconic pieces of fashion....and as soon as he was successfully through the creek, they were hidden away back in his frame bag. On track for the first 5kms and crossed Kurow Creek. Just deep enough to put on our dry steppers. For anyone unfamiliar, they cover your shoes and come to about three inches above the ankle. Worked very well, no water. Decided to hop on the main road for the next 10kms as tra...

Last night in the kitchen about twenty minutes before we returned to the tent, we met Mes and Maria, from Denmark. They have been living in Auckland since just before Covid hit the first time and what a lovely couple. They had driven down heading for Queenstown and then back again, all in just two weeks. They are doing the Routeburn, so we gave them some info and just generally chatted.                                         Back at the tent, it had to happen, we had a bunch of piss heads, but only being about 9.30pm, not much you can do. Anyway, they'd just think we were a couple of old farts... don't even think it. Julia drifted off to sleep and I lay and listened, as time went on, to a confrontation, by I presume, one or a couple of the campers telling the noisy ones to shut up. There was some language but eventually everyone behave and we were able to get to sleep.  This mo...