Nearly there!

Today I am in Cromwell in Central Otago. The weather has come out hot and the wind has gone round 180 deg. Typical could have done with that direction yesterday!

Sadly the last days of my trip have been marred by a sore right knee which is made worse
by big hills and headwinds both of which I have encountered in the last 2 days.

Cromwell is a fascinating place and has a huge amount of history. The town was originally built as  a Gold mining town during the gold rush of the 19th.century. It susequently became an important soft fruit growing area and still is . The biggest part of the original town was flooded in the late 1980s when the Clutha Dam was built downstream as part of a huge Hydro power scheme to provide electricity for the future if NZ. It was hugely contraversial at the time as you van.imagine. The area flooded not only submerged the town but over 30 farms and orchards. The local community managed to take down and re build a very few of the oldest buildings right on what is now the new edge of what is now Lake Dunstan . A new Cromwell has been built on land further back from the edge. I will attach a couple of photos of the area .
The campground here is very busy,  Cavalcade of horse riders , over 300  some with wagons arrived in town yesterday from several areas of the south to re create the original settlers arriving . It's an annual event apparrently. Also there are a lot of kids taking.part in a 2 day swimming gala , from all over South Island. Good kids if a little noisy !
Amazingly I have met up again with a Kiwi couple called Ken and Leone from Auckland who flew down to Christchurch with there bikes and are touring around. I first met them on there first day on the outskirts of Christchurch.
Tomorrow I am of up the  Gorge which will take me to Queenstown via the Gibbston Valley, an important wine area of Otago. Might get a couple of bottles of Pinot Noir if I can fit them in .
Weather looks set fair with Sun and light winds tomorrow, so hopefully a good last day, knee permitting!
Will report again from Queenstown and sum up the whole experience.
Until then .