Coast to Coast 9 - Picton to Kaikoura
A really nice Cafe Gusto breakfast (fruit muesli and two flat whites for me) filled the fuel tank for the morning ride. Clear blue skies and sun signalled another promising day.
We caught a water taxi across a mirror flat sound to begin our ride near Portage. After climbing "a bit of a saddle" the road ran alongside Kenepuru Sound heading back towards Havelock, ultimately to Picton.
The sounds looked stunning with sun speckled turquoise waters and green bush. The terrain was great for cycling with short ascents & descents around the bluffs between bays. At the head of the sound a stiff climb took us over a ridge to join the Queen Charlotte Sound road.
I've ridden, and driven, this before but it was no hardship to repeat such a nice ride. The wind had got up a little but once in the bays it wasn't an issue. After skirting the coast the road gradually rises around a bluff. This made the last part of the ride a twisty speedy downhill towards Picton.
Another awesome ride in perfect weather. Then it was on the bus to a late afternoon winery lunch, near Blenheim, and a drive to Kaikoura.
PS: A couple of days later my flight home gave a wonderful view of this ride from 10,000m above. We went from Picton (top centre) by boat across to the peninsular on the West (top left), rode down it’s West coast, over the saddle to the green farm area (lower right) then back around Queen Charlotte Sound to Picton.
