An old (well 1860ish if that is old) sheep pass, the Crown Range Summit at 1076m was the jewel of today’s cycle. The last of this trip, so a fitting finale.
Amazingly the road, which has a few steep bits, and many tight switchbacks on the descent, was only tarmaced in 2000. Before cars it was horse drawn carts. “Neigh lad, if you think I’m going up that you can hoof it”.
The other star of the day was the lupins. Maybe an introduced weed, they look quite the part against the hillsides and streams.
Gold of course is the backdrop to the few small towns we go through. Today the gold is it’s dry and the sun glinting off the summits as it rises. Which means we left very early.
Next couple of days to explore the environs of tourist Queenstown and head home. Great trip of Australia and New Zealand. Amazing flora and fauna, landscapes, places. My ignorance exceeded my expectations!
A bientot!
Travelling reflections 