God was again on hand to ensure that no helicopter would leave the ground which put pay to my activity, however there was the option of taking the cable car up the mountain and joining the 8km downhill track.
Ais was off roaming in the gloaming, on horseback, the hanging on for dear life while hurtling down a mountain side on single track road somehow didn't appeal to her?
But all this was in the afternoon, which left plenty of time for sleep and another phenomenal breakfast at Vudu Cafe.
Ais' ride was out in the Boondoggles so she had to take a coach, I had a cable car to take, my steed was Giant DH bike with 8" on the front forks. The view from the top was incredible, they also have the bungee and swing of the mountain edge, I padded up, helmet and gloves, checked the route and held the hell on.
The tracks are divided into Green, Blue and Black, all pretty much single track and all very much downhill, my first two rides were green and got me used to the terrain and more confident on the bike, my next was blue, then a mix of both blue and green and then a black. I didn't go back to the black, my bowels wouldn't allow it.
There is some skill involved in DH biking, much more balls and ultimately the grip of a Thai masseuse, after 3 hours of gripping my hands were done and locked around the handlebars, my thighs were toast and close behind and my helmet was full ( note title)
I had tried to have a coffee but my grip wouldn't allow it so I went to the bathroom, and it fit just right... I soaked up the view for a while and watched people throw themselves off the bungy ledge screaming like someone throwing themselves from a 200 ft ledge with elastic on their ankles.
I met up with Ais downtown, found a cute Bistro and knocked off the last three on the list, Venison, Rack of Lamb and the Pinot Noir. Now it's not warm here at night, it's well into the single digits so my bike shorts and sweat soaked top were not much insulation, but then a young local kiwi would pass in the short shorts, wife beater vest and barefoot, why you ask? The same reason English people wear t- shirts in the winter, the same reason Grenadians wear wool hats in the summer.
Tomorrow we booked a tour to Milford Sound, I could drive but it's 10 hour round trip. It's supposed to be the most majestic, tranquil place on earth and is in fact the cleanest, purest place on earth, it also rains 350 days of the year- so like England then, without the majestic, tranquil, clean and pure.
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