I left Queenstown via the Queenstown Trail, which is an excellent gravel trail, which is quite suitable for trikes. The path follows the edge of the lake and rivers the most spectacular being he Shotover and Kawarau rivers. The countryside is green, not only the vegetation but the rocks as well. The gorges are deep and one highlight was crossing the Edgar Bridge a suspension bridge that noticeably sways when crossed. The trail has a multitude of different branches which are signposted with every place except the road that I needed. I ended up heading towards Gibbston, a wine growing region. On the way I passed the Kawarau Bridge Bungee Jump, where crazy people jump off the bridge attached by a piece of elastic, bouncing up and down into the water 45m below.
Shortly after this point I realised that the trail had bypassed the Crown Range Road and had to backtrack into a head wind for around 10km.
The Crown Range Road is spectacular. It starts straight away by throwing 5 impossibly steep switch backs in the first 2km where it rises around 300m. It is then a steady steep climb for the next 5 or so km before more switch backs up to the pass at 1067m, which is the highest paved road in New Zealand. It is then a very fast (and cold) decent down the other side. I manage to get the trike to 75km/h but I did have to keep the speed down because of the corners.
I spent the night at the historic Cardrona Hotel, which was expensive but very comforting after the ride.
