Occasionally it becomes a choice to leave the Comanche at home. This recently occurred when the Bazflyers accepted an assignment to spend a month in Twizel looking after two ‘grand-dogs’ named Brydie and Lola.
Nestled up against the might Southern Alps, Twizel is the small town that was never meant to be. Born in the late ’60’s as a temporary settlement to house workers constructing a nearby hydroelectric scheme, it was intended to be demolished when its purpose had been fulfilled. However, twenty years later the remaining residents successfully fought to ensure their beloved community was saved…Twizel is nowadays home to around 1,600 residents and accommodates many more itinerant visitors during holiday periods.
As an interesting aside, the town’s name comes from the nearby Twizel River, in turn named after the historic Twizel Bridge in Northumberland that the Bazflyers visited during their 2019 Round the World flight.
One of New Zealand’s iconic bike trails, Alps to Ocean, conveniently bisects Twizel. The lure of this more than 300 kilometre bike ride along rough high country trails and tracks was more than Bazflyer1 could resist. In keen anticipation the mountain bike also travelled by vehicle from the Bazbase. Why else would the Comanche be left at home in the hangar…?
Twizel is more than 1,000 kms by road and a ferry journey across Cook Strait from the Bazbase.
The township of Twizel is snuggled up against the Southern Alps
Reflections captured along the trail
Mount Cook at 12,218 feet (3,724 m) is New Zealand’s highest mountain viewed here on a cloudless day while out biking.
Bazflyer1 with his YT ‘Decoy’ mountain bike
Looking along the trail ahead
The ‘grand-dogs’, Brydie (left) and Lola (right)
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