Day 8: to Hanmer Springs

Today was our longest ride, 250 miles. We headed out from the town of Fox Glacier. About 20 km up the road we came to the town of Franz Joseph. Like the previous town, this one serves the glacier of the same name. It is the jump off point for hiking to the glacier or helicopter rides to the glacier, etc. The clouds were gone and we had a good view of the glacier. I got a picture of one of the helicopters heading out with tourists to the glacier.

the rest of the day was a nice ride. We were on the west side of the mountains near the ocean so riding in the mountains they were very lush and green. About 60% of the way through the day's ride we stopped in an old gold mining town called Reefton for coffee. The high point of the town was finally some scones. There has been a dearth of scones the last few days. I got a cinnamon and date scone. And it was good.

After our break we pressed ahead to the town of Hanmer Springs. We are spending the night in the old and rather grand looking Hanmer Springs hotel. The hotel restaurant is the best in town and we ate our dinner on the restaurant patio in the second picture. It was a great meal.

Amazingly they had us park our bikes in the back in a covered patio beside the back entrance to the hotel desk. Such treatment.