Day 72-73 | Twizel & Christmas
24/25 December 2022 | 23°C | 27km
10 AM when I first look at my phone. Are we going for a walk today or just chilling at the lodge? not good to make decisions with an empty stomach, so let’s have breakfast first. It’s probably checkout time already but fortunately the young folks from the lodge are very flexible. The breakfast we have on the deck with awesome views is actually the lunch menu and consists of a soup with a cheese and ham toast.
In the end, we decide to go for a walk towards Twizel along the lake today. It was nice to have the morning off and chill but the legs have rested and want to get going. We get a bottle of sparkling wine from the bar for a potential Christmas eve celebration in the tent by the lake. Shortly after starting to walk back to the trail junction, a camper van stops and an English couple from Texas saves us from walking an extra 3.5 km giving us a ride to the junction.
After all the climbing of the past day, it’s and it’s a very enjoyable walk along the mountain bike trail around Lake Ohio today, slightly cloudy, but nice temperature. It’s 5h30 when we get to the river so it’s either camping somewhere on the way to Twizel, walking another 13km or walk along the canals where the chances to get a ride into town with one of the people fishing there seem pretty good.
A look on google maps indicates that the supermarket closes at 7pm so the decision to get a ride and catch up with the missed km the following day is quick. It’s no problem at all to get a ride, enough time to get some champagne and everything needed for a feast on Christmas Day. We are not lucky with finding accommodation - everything is closed or fully booked - but there is a nice and peaceful area by a river that is the perfect campground.
Bummer of the day: My new shoes are waiting at the High Lands Lodge which is closed until December 26, 2pm. Meow!
