March 11
Wanaka to Lawrence
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Cloudy and slightly chilly this morning. I cooked my final bacon roll, packed my bags and posted my key through the letter box at the motel office and drove out of town. The roadworks didn't hold me up much and I was soon speeding down the valley towards Cromwell. I stopped for a few photos of the hills and the lake.
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My first stop in Cromwell was for petrol, after which I went round in circles a few times, looking for the Quartz Reef Winery. This is the least aesthetically pleasing I have ever visited - and one of the friendliest. They are now biodynamic and make excellent wines, although the main Pinot Noir isn't currently available in the UK. I hope that changes, although a second tier label, Loop Road, is available at Majestic. I will have to try a bottle - if life ever returns to normal. I bought half a dozen bottles and departed. In the town centre, I took the obligatory photo of the big fruit and had a coffee. The car parks have expanded considerably since my last visit but a fair proportion were full.
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The road runs gently downhill to Alexandra, where I stopped beneath the bridges for a photo opportunity. A piece of the suspension cable from the old bridge is now used to help fence off the edge of the gorge.
The Butcher's Dam, a few kilometres down the road, provided a suitable place at which to eat the remains of the food that I had brought with me. There was a little brightness around but the cloud prevailed.
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Just outside Roxborough, not an inspiring town, I stopped at a fruit stall and bought jam quality plums and apricots. Both were a reasonable price for this area. They are very good at growing stone fruit and they are also very good at charging for it.
I stopped in Roxborough for a coffee. I might have had a bun if they had sold anything small - but, as so often - everything was huge. When will the catering industry learn that many people are only allowed small buns?
I continued downhill for another half hour, reaching Lawrence in mid afternoon. Barbara and Stephen greeted me, entertained me and fed me.