Lake Dunstan Cycle Trail: NZ’s coolest coffee shop floats among the mountains
Richard Foale would have been at the helm of his sleek 504 horsepower helicopter soaring above the peaks of the Southern Alps this time two years ago.
He’s now driving a five-horsepower Zodiac with a huge grin on his face. He’s just parked next to his latest venture, a floating coffee store.
I’m on the Lake Dunstan Cycle Trail, a fantastic new route that connects Cromwell and Clyde via the Cromwell Gorge. The route has been in the works for years since vast areas of the gorge are sheer cliffs, posing a considerable engineering challenge. A set of stunning cantilevered platforms that dangle over the edge of granite cliff were devised as the answer.
The coffee shop is open throughout the year (weather dependent).
When Richard and Jolanda were requested to be models for the track’s promotional materials, they found one major flaw. The journey takes three to four hours (either way), and there was nowhere to buy a drink of water, let alone coffee.
