Mount Cook to Braemar Station

We had to cycle 2 kms from The Hermitage to the official start of the Alps 2 Ocean cycle trail, then cycle back past The Hermitage to get to Mt Cook Aerodrome where our bikes were loaded into a crate and lifted over the river by helicopter. When the helicopter returned the four of us and two other cyclists climbed into the helicopter and were lifted across to join our bikes. Very exciting.

It was an absolutely stunning day with blue sky, white clouds and a lot more sunshine than we had bargained for. The scenery was magnificent.

The trail was challenging in parts with stones, corrugations, lots of bumps in the ground and also a good deal of gravel. 35 kms, plus a helicopter ride, after we set out this morning we arrived at Braemar Station and our home got the night - Pine Cottage. Our hostess turned up with our dinner - salmon, new potatoes, salad, rhubarb crumble and ice cream. Delicious!

The main blip shows, clockwise from top left, the four of us at the official start of the Alps 2 Ocean, the view from the helicopter, the helicopter looking very small down on the ground, and the helicopter up in the air taking the bike crate back to the aerodrome.

The extra shows, clockwise from top left, crystal clear water in a stream, Mt Cook across Lake Pukaki, an old Mercedes truck on Braemar Station and our accommodation for the night - Pine Cottage.

There are 27 new community cases today. They are in Auckland (16), Waikato (5), Bay of Plenty (2), Rotorua (1), Hawke’s Bay (2) and Wellington (1).