Except for the first 55 km, it was just another gray, windy day with sprinkles. I came rocketing out of Mt. Cook (see yesterday) and would have done those 55 km in less than two hours but I was riding the first part with a German woman, Dagma. Once again I was romping along in my biggest gears. What a thrill.

On the advice of a cyclist I met in Omarama, I turned off the main road and followed the lake back the way I had just come but on the other side [of Lake Pukaki]. The road led to a canal that connects Lake Pukaki with Lake Tekapo. The canal is 25 km long, about 10 m wide, 3 m deep and along its entire length, it only drops 3 m. Thus, it's totally flat. Sometimes it was spectacular riding. In some places entire hills were cut in half to accommodate the canal and in other places, entire valleys were practically filled in to prop it up. Getting up to it at the start was a grunt but then it was pretty smooth sailing. I had to stop to put on my raincoat but it was way better than blasting the flats via road with busses, etc. Riding through the valleys was great. On your left is the canal and on your right it would just drop, albeit at a slant, for 50-100' to the valley floor without a guardrail.

Lake Tekapo itself is not much in this wind and rain. I'm sure it's beautiful in the sun; I can see a water-ski jump in the water and the beach, although a bit rocky, is very close and very long. The wind blows right up the lake, right at the campsite.

8:40 PM - I just read in a paper in the kitchen that this place is supposed to have the most sunshine and the cleanest air (there's an observatory here) of any place in NZ. Outside it's still misting, foggy and windy. In fact, it's the coldest here compared to the rest of my trip!

Training Diary Comments: Windy, a little wet. 4:30. Knee is fine.

canal

view from canal