41km, 11 hours

Another cold, frosty morning. Then again, we are at nearly 1400m elevation. The track decends down a rocky ridge line in spectacular fashion, with cliffs falling off sharply and the feeling of being almost directly above the road and lake below. 

Then were down and it’s utterly flat. We take it easy…we’re done with another mountain range. We walk past Lake Hawea, with its manicured, European style farms. Down a crystal clear river and to the Clutha River, wide and swifter than any large river I’ve seen.

We end up taking it too easy, remembering that while it’s flat, it’s a long way around two lakes to actually get to Wanaka. We arrive late and hungry.