Thursday, February-12
Fully loaded with passengers, we were three hours trapped on the tarmac at Heathrow, London. But our BA 747 did eventually leave at midnight, instead of the scheduled time of 2100. Freezing mid-winter condition had meant that the wings had to be ‘defrosted’ with steam jets before our giant silver bird was deemed safe to taxi out to the runway and queue for our turn to take-off.
So we were always gonna be late from here on out. .. Bugger!
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The briefest of a refuelling stop at Singapore helped-out a little to put us back on schedule; but as I disembarked at Sydney Airport the ‘final call’ tannoyed throughout the terminal for my connecting flight across the Tasman Sea. Running with my carry-on luggage, I just made it through the security process and boarded the nearly brand-spanking new Qantas 737 that would carry me to Queenstown, South Island NZ .. .. BUT would my checked-in luggage be so lucky? Had it made the connection through to the second plane too?
.. well, I guess we’ll find out in three hours’ time.
2½ hours later. Excited as hell as I peer out through my starboard porthole to see the Fiordland National Park coastline. That must be George Sound down there, with Catseye Bay just to the left [north], which means we hafta be almost directly overhead the entrance to Bligh Sound right now. Milford Sound, therefore, is down on our left-hand side about 30 km further up the coast so ..
.. we're definitely heading straight for ~~> Queenstown .. must be .. which let's face it makes sense, after all!
I'm back .. :o)
Heading eastwards across Lake Wakatipu; Glenorchy will be to our port quarter side by now [to the north], with the Mount Nicholas range down south in the background, just beyond the bend in the lake.
East of Queenstown we make our penultimate turn before our final approach.
This must be one of the most dramatic approaches and landings I've ever experienced. Down beneath the tops of the surrounding mountains - The magnificent Remarkables; and the Crown Range, up-and-over the crest of which lies the Cardrona Valley and Lake Wanaka beyond. Just how many times have I ridden up and down that steep twisty road to Crown Terrace? Let me count .. one .. two .. three .. maybe four times? .. at around 1,100 metres [3,600 ft] it's the highest sealed main road in New Zealand.
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We're down - and it's a lovely warm & sunny mid-summer Saturday afternoon .. February-14th (St Valentine's Day) - so where the hell did Friday the 13th go? Probably just as well I missed-out on that particular day to travel half-way around the world! Guess I'll just never get used to this loss-of-a-day phenomenon?
.. and so I discovered, after clearing Immigration Control and getting to the Baggage Reclaim carousel soon afterwards - that my checked-in luggage didn't accompany me in the plane's hold on this flight from Oz .. it was still back there, in Sydney .. Hoh-hum!
ser·en·dip·i·ty:
Noun
'the gift of making fortunate discoveries by accident'
Never was a word so appropriate for my good fortune in meeting Stephen (& wife Lisa), by accident, back in March 2007. My saviour(s) in so many ways .. and my hosts once again during this initial stop in South Island. No need to go into the finer details, or I could be in danger of sounding platitudinous [<~~ huh?]. They, and a few close others, know exactly what I mean. Re-united in the airport's concourse; Lisa there by car (for, eh-hem, my luggage) - and Stephen there by way of a shiny '05 Honda XL650V Transalp. Excellent transport decisions.
Sunday, February-15
Luggage arrived by taxi around midday, Sunday-15, courtesy and compliments of Qantas Airways .. :o)
Late afternoon, time for a ride. Up and over the Crown Range - that road again - to the lakeside Township of Wanaka - for deep-fried Snapper & Chips. A superb little excursion, and just the ticket for my re-introduction to the Alp, sporting a new seat and MRA Vario touring screen that I brought with me from England .. and all in the warmest of southern hemishere mid-summer evenings. What a contrast to the bleakest mid-winter weather conditions I left behind a couple of days ago (.. or was it three days ago?!)
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Monday, February-16
I have an important job to carryout over the next couple of days. I need to go back to the lakeside township of Te Anau, and the site of my gravelled crash, which occurred exactly 23 months ago during the afternoon of Saturday March-17th, 2007.
My plan had always been to: (a) ride across to Te Anau; (b) find some overnight accommodation; then (c) the next day [Tuesday-17] call-in to see those wonderful paramedics at the St John Ambulance Station; and then finally (d) re-visit the location of my March '07 "off", before returning back to Queenstown.
View Crash Site in a larger map
BUT .. riding westwards along SH-94 [the Te Anau-Mossburn Hwy], and as I approached the entrance to Centre Hill Road that leads up to South Mavora Lake, I just couldn't resist the temptation to turn off right and ride northbound for a short while to the scene of the incident, which I've precisely marked of the Google Map above.
I turned around, flicked-out my side stand and parked-up at the spot which, according to my memory, must be where the Alp and I parted company that afternoon.
Coincidentally, the same weather conditions prevailed; warm and windy with around 40% cloud cover. Kinda spooky.
A sobering reminder of how I left the Alp, in the ditch, on Saturday-17, March 2007.
Hunting around the ditchside stones and rubble, for about 20 minutes or so, I gradually discovered some of my crash debris .. the slideable top air vent from my old (and ruined) helmet; some of the windshield's plastic pipe-edging; and some loose broken parts of the shield itself. These 'souvenirs' would all accompany me back to England. After all, I had a responsibility to take my rubbish with me and tidy-up the Kiwi countryside!
My morose curiosity well satisfied, I headed back down to SH-94, turned right and rode into Te Anau Township.
It didn't take me long to find the St John Ambulance Station. After explaining who I was and the purpose of my visit, etc - I enquired if Mary (my 2007 paramedic) was still a working officer? "Oh yes" was the reply; "In fact, Mary will be attending a training session here tonight .. would you like to see her?"
[me] ".. er .. no I don't think so .. wouldn't want to embarrass her, or anything like that"
- "BUT, can I leave her some flowers .. would you pass them on to her for me this evening? .. and um .. maybe I could also make a cash donation 'to the cause' if that's permitted?" - [a silly question, of course!]
And so I was politely directed to a high street florist where I bought a bouquet of 'nice ones' with some appropriate hand-written words to the lovely Mary on the accompanying card - with instructions to deliver whenever it might be convenient (as I couldn't safely carry it on the bike). I withdrew some cash from a nearby ATM .. and rode the short distance back to the StJ-A Station.
I handed over my donation, and just as I was leaving to find myself a room for the night, so the nice lady from the florist turned-up with the said delivery.
A good job done then! .. :o)
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Perhaps the real reason why I wanted to be away from Te Anau during evening of Monday-16 was to spend another night in the Manapouri-based Lakeview Motor Inn, thus replicating my schedule, even more precisely; to the time I was last in the vicinity.
I enjoyed a pleasant hour or two at the Lakeview Motor Inn with a guy (+ his wife) whose name I cannot recollect, over from Dunedin which, of course, is located on the other side of South Island. Also enjoyed a great pork fillet meal in the Inn's restaurant, before strolling back to my chalet-room for the night - ever so slightly inebriated, and feeling very good about life .. :o)
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Tuesday, February-17
Talking of following in my own footsteps - and FOOD - I again returned to Te Anau the following morning, which was on EXACTLY the same day of the month, at EXACTLY the same time of day, as I did 23 months ago; and ordered EXACTLY the same breakfast in EXACTLY the same restaurant - The Olive Tree Cafe .. After all, I've always considered myself to be a creature of habit!
After brekky, I even gassed-up the Alp in EXACTLY the same service station, before leaving town for the 2½ hour return ride of 170 km [106 mile] back to Stephen & Lisa's place in Queenstown.
Two hours later, towards lunchtime, travelling northbound up the eastern water's edge [RH side] of Lake Wakatipu on SH-6, shortly after passing through Kingston, I stop for a lakeside wander and to stretch my legs in the near perfectly warm mid-summer 22ºC [72ºF] sunshine .. look idyllic doesn’t it? What you don’t see is that five minutes before I snapped this shot I was really struggling to scramble the Alp outta the very soft, almost quicksand-like, shoreline. It was not a good idea to go that far off-road.
Still, after a lot of puffing and panting .. and throttle twisting! .. I did eventually clamber back onto harder ground .. PHEW!
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During the afternoon I'm back safely in Queenstown, which is the way it should have turned out, but for the Centre Hill Road gravel, exactly 23 months ago! ..
.. in time to say goodbye to Stephen at Queenstown Airport, as he was about to board an internal Air NZ flight on a business trip to Christchurch.
I hope we meet again one day Stephen - thanks again for all your kind help over the last couple of years.
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Wednesday, February-18
I also bid my farewells to Lisa the following morning, Wed-18.
Today I have a date with my good friends, the Joneses, in their hometown of Otemamata. So around mid-morning I set off from a 100% cloud-covered Queenstown for the Lindis Pass along State Hwy 6; and by the time I reach Cromwell Township, through the dividing mountain range, the weather instantly clears-up.
At Cromwell I pick-up SH-8 and travel along the eastern bank of Lake Dunstan towards the tiny township of Tarras. From Tarras its a ride through the golden tussack-clad undulating countryside of the Lindis Valley; up, around and down the many long sweeping corners until I reach Omarama. Traffic is sparse all the way.
From Omarama it's a comparatively short ride, of around 20 minutes along a section of SH-83, a third of which hugs the southern shore of Lake Benmore, before arriving at Otematata. 2½ hours after leaving Queenstown, as I reach the hillcrest at the final approach down into Otematata, I stop to take a picture.
A few minutes later I pull into John & Philippa ['Pip'] Jones' driveway. John, now retired from the hydro-power industry, is typically at work in his garage.
Although when I first got to know John - initially online, back in September 2006 - like me, he then owned and rode a Honda XL650V Transalp - hence the common ground, and camaraderie. However, having struck a trade-in deal around late February 2007, he now rides a Triumph Tiger 955i ..
.. like the bloody wind! .. to the point that I often struggle to keep-up with him when we ride-out together. That's the way it's always been. And I'll say it again, "When I grow-up John, I wanna be just like you!" .. ;o)
Pip is typically busy at work in her kitchen. Some of the most wholesome and tasty home-cooked grub that both Ellen & I have ever feasted upon has been prepared and served-up by Pip ... so I can't wait for dinner time!
[Pic from my last visit here, snapped by timer - on March-15 2007 - just two days before my accident. If only we had a crystal ball at the time, eh?!]
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Thursday, February-19
After a good evening and a teriffic night's sleep, at 09:45am shortly after breakfast, John & I set-off northwards in brilliant sunshine towards the high plains area around Lakes Pukaki and Tekapo.
Lakes Pukaki and Tekapo are harnessed for hydro-electricity generation, which was John's business of course, so he is keen to stop, view and explain the workings of the Power Stations hereabouts. For instance, here at Lake Ruataniwha [pic above] along State Hwy 8. An incredible roadside lookout view.
At the lookout, before firing-up our bikes, John turns and says to me, "Well Keith, I reckon I must indeed live in paradise, eh? .. it's easy to take all this for granted .. I shouldn't, of course."
Reckon you're right John.
We move further north along SH-8 skirting Twizel before arriving at the southern end of Lake Pukaki; pulling-in briefly for a couple more photo oppotunities at the Mount Cook Lookout.
.. zooming in on Mount Cook in the distance. At 3,496 metres [11,470 ft] Mt Cook, also known as 'Aoraki', is New Zealand's tallest mountain.
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We soon move on again from Pukaki, riding northeast towards Lake Tekapo and take the intersecting canal road(s), which proves an even quieter alternative from the main highway (SH-8), passing several salmon farms along the way.
Riding straight through the Township at L. Tekapo, I couldn't help but notice the enormous amount of housing development that had clearly been going on since my last visit here a couple of years ago.
Around 30 minutes after Tekapo we arrive in the township of Fairlie, and kick our side-stands down under the shade of a tree in Main Street for beverages and snacks. John just couldn't resist having some light-hearted fun, sporting with the counter girl in the adjacent café. She was up for it though. Smiles all round .. :o)
Back on the road, and after 46 km [28½ miles] - about 35 minutes - further eastwards along SH-79, we pull-up at the kerbside in the township of Geraldine and say our goodbyes. John has arranged to meet-up with some other bikers there; whilst I must carry on northeast for another 135 km [84 miles] - about a 2 hour journey - to the coastal city of Christchurch, and the Ilam district in particular, to spend another evening/night with yet more good friends, Richard and Tanya Mansell & family.
All-in-all .. 'tis been a grand day ..
..
EXCEPT for the not-so-pleasant surprise at Casbolts Honda Motorcycles in Manchester St, Christchurch. They charged me NZ$35 for two little plastic rivets and a couple of 1.00cm quite unextraordinary fairing fasteners that were missing after the repair job following the accident.
Perhaps one Honda dealer to be avoided .. I dunno? .. maybe this is the proper cost for these spare parts after all, but it came as a bit of a shock at the time
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Evening - Night-time
A really pleasant evening was spent with the Mansell family; good grub (a huge lasagne .. :o) accompanied with plenty of red wine. I fell into a nice comfy bed in the spare room towards midnight .. and died - again - for the following seven hours solid.
Richard even gave me the loan of his spare mobile cell-phone to use for the duration of my remaining stay in NZ - which proved to be very handy indeed.
I've definitely been spoilt during my first six days back in New Zealand, that's for sure.
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Friday, February-20
Awoke this morning to 100% cloud cover with heavy mizzle forecasted to prevail until late afternoon /early evening. So I make my way through the centre of the city, in a broad southeasterly direction, to find our pre-arranged accommodation and deposit my luggage ahead of Ellen's mid-afternoon arrival at Christchurch International Airport.
After 15-20 minutes or so I arrive at The Tunnel Vision Backpackers hostel in the historic port of Lyttelton - it could have been worse, I guess .. just about!
Take a look around its location at 44 London Street, Lyttelton, by way of this Google Maps Steet View:
To the left (west) it's uphill; to the right (east) downhill into the town. The town quay and harbour is just a block away .. behind you.
Luggage offloaded - and it's back the way I came; into and through the city centre .. and to CHC Intn'l to collect Ellen who's flying in from England .. via Singapore and Sydney.
Bang-on schedule the Qantas Boeing 737 appears out of the misty low cloud & rain ..
.. and taxis to the International Terminal.
It will be good to see her again. I wonder if she remembered to bring the Marmite?
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Of course she did .. suitably gift wrapped too .. :o) .. so on the way back to the Backpackers in Lyttelton we drop-off 500g of yeast extract at the Mansell Household. Richard just loves the said brown sticky stuff, which is nearly impossible to buy (at a sensible price) Down Under. The local variation on the same theme is marketed as 'Vegemite' ..
.. which simply doesn't cut-the-mustard for an Englishman .. if you get my drift!
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Lyttelton
Later that evening the rain surrendered to a clearing sky .. and we wandered down the road to a great little rustic restaurant - almost a bohemian atmosphere - and stuffed ourselves on a couple of bowls of seafood chowder .. followed by fresh NZ loins of lamb smothered in a madeira sauce - with about one too many carafes of house wine .. of course!
hic .. hic
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Saturday, February-21
And to get to the point of why we chose this particular weekend to both be in the Christchurch City area ...
.. why? well, to attend the Horizons Unlimited mini-meeting of course. Nigel Marx & his missus (Lee) - both Kiwis - are the lead organizers of the event.
We share a taxi ride with a couple of other bikers, who are also staying at the Backpackers, and travel the short distance of 3½ km [6 mins] to Nigel & Lee's home in the Heathcote Valley area of the City - where we're welcomed, along with nearly 40 or so other travelling bikers to the get-together, where we all keep the travel fires burning ...
.. literally! .. especially if you include Nigel's tasty spit-roasted lamb .. soon to be demolished by the attendees .. and suitably washed down with a keg of beer from a local boutique brewer.
In the back garden ['yard' in US speak] the salads & veges are prepared .. including newly-picked fresh corn on the cobs.
At a 'round robin' introductory session - a one minute bio talk - it soon became clear that attendees were a balanced mix of current travellers, past travellers, and people wanting to travel, .. all keen to ask and answer questions, and tell their stories to anyone prepared to listen.
[photo: courtesy of Peter Forwood]
The meeting was also attended by a small handful of 'celebrity' type motorcycling adventurers too. For instance, you couldn't help by notice the aussie couples', Peter & Kay Forwoods', 1994 Harley Davidson parked-up in the driveway ...
.. which is THE most extensively travelled motor vehicle in history .. EVER!
There are 193 Internationally Recognised Countries in the world and this motorcycle has been ridden in everyone of these countries plus numerous other entities over the last 13 years; covering 540,000 km [335,500 miles] in the process.
I say more about Peter & Kay a few more pics below .. and
.. Jo, the other half of the Jo and Gareth Morgan team. One of my all-time true heroines. She's bloody fit for her age too wouldn't you agree? .. a damn fine looking woman IMHO! .. ;o)
In fact, it was Jo & Gareth's book 'Backblocks America' which helped inspire me to ride around North America in 2007-08. For this reason I felt as if I already knew Jo personally.
The roasted lamb, cooked to perfection - and literally falling off the spit - was devoured during the evening.
Aided by their pictorial laptop slide show, Peter & Kay spoke after dinner of their worldwide travels ...
.. as did Jo
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Long after nightfall we taxied back to the Backpackers. Before leaving though, we gave our UK contact details to Peter & Kay Forwood and offered them our home as a place to stay if they ever made it down to Cornwall during the early stages of their next global tour ...
.. yep, you got it, after 13 years on the road, and burning their 1340cc HD Electraglide Classic across more than 335,000 miles .. they're gonna do it all over again! Absobloodylutely incredible!!
And the Forwoods' philosophy on life is? .. "For Tomorrow May Rain, So We'll Follow The Sun." ...
.. gotta luv'it!
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Sunday, February-22
This Sunday morning we head south to the Banks Peninsula, which is the most prominent volcanic feature of South Island. This will be my third visit to the Peninsula, and Ellen's second.
Following a brief but pleasant excursion to Diamond Harbour, and shortly after passing through the village of Little River, the fun soon began with a road climb up some seriously testing twists and turns before arriving at ...
.. our habitual refreshment stop of The Hilltop Cafe & Bar on Highway 75, which is midway to the township of Akaroa. The view down into the extinct volcano and across to Akaroa was impressive .. as it always is.
Later, after a wander around Akaroa, and helpings of fish 'n' chips, we returned via the Summit Road up and around the eastern rim of the volcano, where we viewed the harbour from a different perspective.
View Banks Peninsular in a larger map
Back at the Backpackers by mid-afternoon .. just in time to get into the swing of things at the Lyttelton Summer Street Party. Good atmosphere .. surprisingly good live music too!
Monday, February-23
The Morning After
Well, right there under our noses .. we discovered THE most sensational little gourmet food shop and café - The Ground Culinary Centre - which again is all very rustic and bohemian - where we ordered from the menu, and thoroughly enjoyed, the best Eggs Benedict with Smoked Salmon and Dill Hollandaise. The recipe's poached eggs were cooked to absolute perfection. Indeed, THE best poached eggs that we ever eaten. Wish we knew their secret.
Their coffee is exceptionally good too .. :o)
But by mid-morning it was time to say bye-bye to Lyttelton and the City of Christchurch .. and so we make our way westwards, out through the City for the last time, to State Highway 1 where we then turn south .. back towards North Otago .. and ..
Later that day ...
.. after a 310 km [192 mile] ride - about 4½ hours - we arrive at the Jones' Household in Otematata. My second visit to John & Pip's place within a week. It's Ellen's first, of course, for more than two years .. :o) :o)
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Tuesday, February-24
Breakfast with the Joneses
It was good to see John & Pip again .. but especially so for Ellen, as a couple of years had past since her last visit and she had a lot of catching-up to do with Pip.
BUT after breaking our fasts - it was all-too-soon the time to head-out and continue on our journey. Pondering some routeing recommendations from John, we were on the road again by mid-morning .. and
.. once more, from the opposite direction this time (for me - compared to last Wednesday-18), we sweep westwards along the brown tussack-clad landscape of the Lindis Pass ..
.. until we reach 'the neck' separating lakes Hawea and Wanaka.
Heading up the west bank of Lake Hawea
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The road (SH-6) then becomes tight and twisting as it skirts around the eastern edges of lake Wanaka and Mount Aspiring National Park .. continuing through the Southern Alps via the glaciated Makarora River valley that alternates the riding experience between: tall banks on one side that fall away steeply on the other ~~> and a succession of scenic straights. This is a ride of contrasts.
After a while the mountain pastures are replaced by native temporate rain forests .. as we travel through evocatively-named locations such as: Fantail Falls, Gates of Haast Bridge, Thunder Creek Falls .. and onwards
.. eventually to the southern bank of the Haast River until we arrive, at around late lunchtime, at the small locality of Haast township - a bidofa one-horse town really - where we stop for refreshments including: so-so bowls of fish chowder & bread rolls .. all washed down with diet cokes, in the warm-but-windy West Coast sunshine .. always in the company of PESKY SAND FLIES! ..eek!! .. we had forgotten all about these irritating little buggers that thrive over here!
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Ellen's own words of this 'Magic Carpet Ride' from the Lindis Pass ~~> to Haast [taken from her journal]:
"On this journey to the West Coast we were surrounded by lush vegetation where pampas grass, fronds of ferns, fifteen foot tall thin spiky leaves of the NZ flax plant compete with each other to cover the dense banks on either side of the road, montbretia vying for space and bringing a splash of colour. At one stage we passed by mountains dressed with what I can only describe as mega-normous green broccoli only with leggy tree trunks instead of stumpy stalks where the sun shone on patches of the mountains where the vegetation had been unable to take hold. Then there were the numerous cascading waterfalls, throwing themselves hundreds of feet to the valley floor, creating countless creeks, streams, bluffs and wide expanses of grey pebbly bouldered river beds. We crossed so many of these on one lane bridges sometimes with 2 or 3 passing places as the river beds were so wide. Interesting names that have been given to the creeks, my favourite has to be 'Pea Soup Creek'."
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View Otematata to Whataroa in a larger map
We then ride for a further 176 km [109 miles] - taking about 2 hrs 10 mins - up passed the wild West Coast beaches and its lush green forests; through the twin glacier townships of Fox and Franz Josef ~~> to eventually finish our journey in the SH-6 junction township of Whataroa.
443 km [275 miles] after leaving John & Pip's place back in Otematata .. and about 6½ hours in the saddle, we had just about had enough .. any further and the day's ride was in danger of being spoiled. Evening was upon us in any case.
All-in-all it's been quite memorable motorcycling today, by anyone's standards .. :o) :o)
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We found quite a decent motel in Whataroa, which we pre-booked (via Richard Mansell's phone .. :o) when passing through, and briefly stopping at the very busy Franz Josef Township; the cost of accommodation being prohibitively expensive in FJ for our budget. On the other hand the White Heron Sanctuary Motel in Whatoroa, 31 km [19 miles] - about 20 minutes up the road from Franz Josef - turned out to be just the ticket at NZ$105 [GB£38] /night.
Moreover we straightaway made friends with four other bikers who were also lodging at the motel; a Kiwi couple on their Honda ST1100, and two visiting yanky fellers who were exploring NZ for a fortnight .. on rented motorsickles outta Christchurch.
After unpacking and settling into our room(s), all six of us popped across the road into the Whataroa Pub - which seemed to be the focal point of the township - for beers, wine and a spot of dinner. We all chose the Stone-Grill.
Ellen ordered the Stone-Grill with chicken ..
.. whilst I chose the mixed grill which came with pork, beef-steak, venison and wild boar. As side-servings we both took salad and chips.
All the cuts of meat were sizeable and simply excellent: tender, moist, flavoursome .. and farmed locally. The side-dishes were just that; side-shows in a wonderful montage of sizzling juicy tenderness. Bloody marvellous tucker .. and a pure delight to eat. Somehow, everything else faded into the background and the local medley of matured meat became the focal point of attention and conversation for us all.
The Merrycan fellers remarked that there is "NO GOD-DAMN WAY" such dishes could be served-up in the USA .. for the management's fear of getting sued for all the risks involved. They mentioned the "McDonald's coffee case" as an example. They're almost certainly right too, of course! Litigious America? .. and are we all going the same way? .. probably, but I'll say no more! .. :o(
Neverthless, despite 'the inherent risks', the Stone-Grills at Whataroa Pub are highly recommended. Indeed, I wish we could get the same type of culinary deal in England ..
(Hmmmm? .. now there's a thought! .. ;o)
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Wednesday, February-25
Whataroa is probably best known for it's White Heron (Kotuku) Sanctuary along the Waitangi roto river - where the birds come to nest from September to March - and it's introduced species of wild deer, thar and chamois.
The following morning, however, without enough time to explore the area and find-out more about the local Kotuku population, we say our goodbyes to our new-found friends .. as we all head-off separately to continue our respective journeys.
Final apologies given and received by everyone for the overnight snoring 'n' farting!
Only thing wrong with the White Heron Sanctuary Motel then? .. well, the walls are a little bit on the thin side!
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10:00am: onwards and upwards ~~> northbound on SH-6. After 103 km [64 miles] - about a 90 mins' ride - we start to get hungry; otherwise known as getting a 'Brunch Requirement'. So we pull-off the highway and park-up outside a café alongside a row of Harleys in the township of Hokitika; a place I had once planned on visiting during the annually-held Wildfoods Festival .. but sadly this time we're too early, as the Festival always occurs during the second week in March. The event allegedly celebrates the 'bounty of nature', largely in the form of copious handouts of such delicacies as white bait, mountain oysters and huhu grubs.
But during the third week in February .. we had to settle for a couple of all-day brekky fry-ups!
After the hour-long break, we get back on the road and once again are heading up SH-6. 30 minutes later we're cruising through the City of Greymouth under the gaze of surrounding coal dark mountains. Not a place that I could take to easily .. but on this warm and sunny mid-summer's day, it doesn't look too bad at all .. :o)
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Some say that it's best to travel UP the West Coast Road (south-to-north) .. and not down (north-to-south). Maybe they have a point. It is, without question, very scenic - almost dramatic - in outlook, making it hard to concentrate on the road ahead at times.
Over yonder at the other end of the volcanic beach (pic above) are the West Coast 'Greigs'; a rock formation adjacent to headland area known as Twelve Mile Bluff, which is located about 16 km [10 miles] - approx 17 minutes - north of Greymouth.
The Greigs seen from the opposite direction .. this photo was taken whilst sat in the saddle at a beachside pull-in, just a few Ks up the road from where the previous pic (above) was snapped.
Twelve Mile Bluff leads onto Fourteeen Mile Bluff ~~> then Seventeen Mile Bluff, as the complex coastal scenery dramatically unfolds, and where the foreshore often hosts a small number of charming holiday [second] homes, colloquially known as 'cribs' or 'batches'.
Soon we're into the Paparoa National Park region and stop to explore the coastal ancient 'pancake' limestone area called Punakaiki.
Just off the highway, a short walk wends its way amongst the pancake formations, providing photo-op views of the Tasman. When the tide and swell conditions are just right the wild seas here can blast spectacularly through blowholes - but not today, unfortunately .. :o( :o(
Looking north from the 'pancake rocks' at Punakaiki where lies the township of Westport, nearly 60 km [35 miles] - 45 minutes - further up the Coast Rd, which is our ultimate destination for today.
Back in the car park adjacent to the Punakaiki Visitors Centre, just as we're donning our riding gear and lids, we spot what appears to be a flightless chicken-sized bird scurrying around in the undergrowth, not 10 feet from the Alp. We immediately - and incorrectly! - believed it to be New Zealand's national bird, the elusive and endangered Kiwi.
Question: So when is a Kiwi not a Kiwi?
Answer: Well, when it's either a hedgehog .. or a Weka. What you see here [pic above] is a brown Weka .. NOT a Kiwi!
.. ho-hum?!
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By late afternoon we're riding up the main street, Palmerston Street, in the township of Westport .. and decide to check-in at the Black & White Hotel, 198 Palmerston St. At a cost of NZ$70 [GB£25] for the night it seemed like fair value, especially for an en-suite room .. AND we could park the bike off-road around at the back of this pre-war building, which allegedly dates back to the 1860s.
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It's early evening - and we elect to ride-out down the coast a bit to Cape Foulwind .. for no other reason than to checkout what's behind the evocative name. The location is hardly noted on a tourist map.
13½ km [8½ miles] - about 15 mins - later, we arrive at Foulwind Point, under the shadow of its handsome lighthouse, and get our bearings at the Visitors' Walkway Info Board.
We learn that the Cape was given its name by Captain Cook in 1770, who had a hard time battling with contrary winds here.
At the first bay ( .. can't find a name for it?), just around the corner from the lighthouse, we stop to take-in the view from the cliff edge above this sandy and rock-strewn beach.
View Larger Map
The exact location where the pic of Ellen (above) was snapped at 19:07 pm precisely.
.. although we are obviously at the very edge of the coast, looking out across the Tasman Sea, we are actually at the bottom of an escarpment, with undulating grazing pastures behind us .. and the Paparoa Mountain Range in the distance beyond.
Cape Foulwind is a wonderful place to spend an evening, if raw nature is what you like. A dramatic rocky coastline with its granite bluffs and panoramic views; and further on, towards the surfing mecca of Tauranga Bay (the next bay along), we understand that it is entirely possible to have an encounter with a colony of friendly fur seals doing their thing .. swimming and dozing etc.
But we halt our clifftop walk short of Tauranga Bay, just to take-in the beautiful sunset. The time is 20:15 pm.
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Shortly afterwards we get back to our hotel at Westport in almost complete darkness .. and then grab a spicy meal at the nearby Priya Indian Restaurant just up the street. There's hardly anyone around - it's like a ghost town. Maybe everyone else had been warned of an approaching tsunami? We are the only patrons eating at this particular curry establishment tonight.
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Thursday, February-26
Following a quick coffee-and-muffin breakfast, we're off again, eastbound in overcast conditions on State Highway 6; twisting through the scenic Lower Buller Gorge Road, often hugging the edge of the river, until we arrive at Inangahua Junction .. where I overlook to take the LH turning that continues our chosen ride along the Buller River on SH-6, which soon elevates into the just-as-scenic Upper Buller Gorge Road.
Could have continued along the valley road (State Highway 69) through from Inangahua Junction, of course, and beyond to Reefton and ~~> eventually Springs Junction, which would have been the quicker route towards today's destination. BUT according to our road atlas, SH-69 looks justa-bit too straight and boring. So we turn around and get back onto SH-6 at the foot of the Upper Buller Gorge Rd ... and then almost straightaway we're into the teeth of some major bridge repair works. Gotta park-up in the awaiting queue of traffic then. Engine off .. BUGGER!
Perhaps SH-69 ('Le soixante-neuf' - my favourite number, after all! .. ;o) to Springs Junction Township would have been the better option .. at least I could have gotten to ride by a placement on the map called 'Cornishtown' that way too!
Anyway, despite the hold-up, we're soon through the road works and, just before reaching the township of Murchinson, we turn right off SH-6 and head south down along the Shenandoah Highway to Springs Junction. Soon after we stop along SH-65 at Reid's Store, Maruia-Springs, for some brunch. The weather is starting to clear-up nicely, so we eat our snacks outside on the wood-decked terrace.
The Lewis Pass
Back on the road and soon afterwards we're into successions of sweeping corners and mountain undulations set amid world-class mountain scenery and lush native forest. It's THE Lewis Pass - which is probably the 'prettiest' [if that's the right word] of all of the three major Southern Alps' passes. This is my second ride (west~~>east) through the Pass, and Ellen's first. It's alpine riding nearly at its most beautiful best .. although nothing can beat the pure majesty of riding in-and-around the 'real Alps' of the Central European region. This is just my humble opinion, of course.
Through the saddle of the Lewis Valley, we then take the 10 km [6¼ mile] diversion along SH-7A to the leafy spa town of Hanmer Springs. Also my second visit here; and Ellen's first.
Set in the midst of oak trees, the healing properties of the naturally occurring thermal pools of the resort; the Hanmer Springs Sanatorium in particular, continues today as a major healing centre since its foundation in 1914 .. and more recently, allegedly to cure alcohol and drug addiction .. Hmmm, so that's why Ellen has been so keen to visit here! .. ;o)
This is the Hanmer Springs 'budget' motel - the Kakapo Lodge Backpackers /YHA - in which I stayed for the three nights of Sun 4th - Mon 5th - and Tue 6th of February, 2007. It turned-out, at that time, to front the beginnings of a building site for a brand new car park right behind my upstairs bedroom window. Which is great, of course, if you need an early morning wake-up call at 6:15am ... which I didn't at the time!
Here's the view that my co-guest Dominik (Austrian) and I had from our shared veranda at breakfast time back then.
So with my curiosity getting the better of me, we turned-off the main drag into Hanmer Springs and rode in down to the now not-so-new car park's entrance, on the RH side of the Backpackers, just to see the finished item ...
.. which looks good.
Bad timing on my part though during the first week in Feb-07 .. :o(
Anyway, this time, after a bit more research, we settled on a stopover in the Larchwood Motels at NZ$90 /night [GB£33], which proved good value-for-money. Clean & tidy .. very quiet indeed, and less than a 5 mins walk away from the centre of town.
Later that afternoon, Ellen just couldn't resist a leisurely session in the spa pool centre. As I had already BTDT&BTT-S a couple of years ago .. I quite naturally retired to a nearby bar instead!
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Friday, February-27
Breakfast in Hanmer Springs
Writing this blog, and re-calling memories, reminds me of just how important food is to a traveller. Maybe cuz meal times are one of the predictable hightlights of the day. Good food always seems to stick in the mind ..
.. so much so that I instinctly returned to the 'Springs Deli Café' for breakfast located right in the town's main drag - 47 Amuri Ave - which is almost directly opposite the spa pools. They serve-up good portion sizes, at sensible prices - and it's all very tasty. A decent range on the blackboard menu and displayed in the food cabinet means everyone can find something they like.
You'll get to read their table menu a bit better by clicking on this link
Their display cabinet is always full of goodies which are extremely well presented. Summary: good honest café fare .. and I couldn't help but think that a similar establishment could make a lot of money in my hometown of Newquay, Cornwall.
(Hmmmm? .. now there's ANOTHER thought! .. ;o)
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Today, Friday-27, we're gonna re-track a route that that my son, Mark, took us around (by car) back during the mid-daytime of Saturday January-07, 2006. The 'Inland Route' from Waiau to Kaikoura; one road I always promised myself that I would ride one day on a motorcycle. There would never be a better opportunity to fulfil that promise than today.
Our destination: about a 6-hour ride to Lower Moutere, just south of Motueka Township, in the Nelson /Abel Tasman region. Total distance = 426 km [265 miles].
Better get a move-on then!
View Hanmer Spring to Lower Moutere in a larger map
Along the straights from Hanmer Springs to Waiaua we were convinced that we were being followed by an unmarked 'revenue collector' - aka: a plain-clothed traffic cop car! - cuz the blighter was following about 100 metres behind us and constantly matching our definitely below 100 km/h varying speeds all the time for around 15 km or so. As I increased or decreased my speed - so did he. He made no attempt to overtake, even when I dropped my speed down to around 60 km/h. Not that I'm paranoid, of course .. 'LOOK OUT KEITH .. BEHIND YOU!'
.. then, as we rode down the main street of Waiaua at exactly 49 km/h, and pulled-up to a textbook kerbside stop - so he overtook us, at some speed, and shot-off up the road .. looking totally annoyed and exasperated!
I reckon I woz right, Mr Plod-the-B#stard didn't nobble us after all! - excellent progress! .. :o)
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From Waiau the real riding fun starts as the 'Inland Road' undulates through lush green pasture land ~~> climbing and twisting through the foothills of the rugged Seaward Kaikoura Mountain Range. Superb stuff.
Nearly two hours after leaving Hanmer Springs - 130 km [81 miles] of excellent motorcycle riding, we pull into the seaside township of Kaikoura .. well pleased with the morning's run ..
We even encountered a flock of Sheilas along the way. Beautiful totty .. eh? .. certainly so by any healthy NZ sheep-shagger's standards, I'm sure.
(ONLY JOKING, honest! .. ;o)
Onwards and upwards from Kaikoura along State Highway 1 ~~> we were soon through Blenheim and heading west on SH-6.
Approximately halfway to the City of Nelson, we stop-off at The Mussel Pot in Havelock for a few dozen steamed Green Shell Mussels. One of Ellen's favourite dishes - but a 'so-so' choice for yours-truly. In fact, I was more pre-occupied with the local wasps that were flirting around our spent mussel shells than I was with the hairy-lipped flesh inside.
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After Havelock and Pelorus, there are some spectacular sweeping climbs and descents through the Rai and Whangamoa Saddles; down the Hira Road and into Nelson City. Sensational riding.
By late afternoon /early evening we arrive at Apple Tree Cottage - in the Lower Moutere village area. This would be our very own cottage-bungalow for at least the next two nights.
Chris and Judy - our hosts - live next door in the annexed 'main' building on this section and were once-upon-a-time neighbours of John & Pip Jones (down in Otematata, North Otago), hence the connection and recommendation to stopover here.
The whole point of coming across this way has been to show Ellen around the Golden Bay area of north-western South Island. Moreover, I would get to ride, for the second time (since end of Feb-07), up-an-over the 'Marble Mountain' of Takaka Hill, which must be one of THE GREAT motorcycle riding experiences in the whole world.
HOWEVER .. that evening, after arriving in the village .. so the heavens opened, and down came the rain .. like bloody stair rods!
.. and Saturday, February-28
All through the night and for most of the following day, Saturday-28, the rain continued. We were stuffed good-and-proper .. no ride 'over the hill' for us today ..
.. BUT at least the bike was under cover ..
.. AND we were in a really fantastic place to stay .. fresh, clean and comfortable, private, with very helpful and friendly hosts .. so it could have been a lot worse.
I also discover, much to my regret, that there’s no TVNZ Breakfast Show (TV One) on a Saturday morning ... so there's no chance to watch cheeky chappy Paul Henry live with either his lovely co-host Pippa Wetzell .. :o( .. or his backup co-host Alison Mau .. :o( ... Damn Shame.
Despite these setbacks, as we were only 5 minutes away from Motueka, we nevertheless decided to sneek into the Township between the downpours during the late afternoon .. and seeing no obvious forecast for an improvement in the weather for the next 24 hours, we booked our ferry tickets online in an internet café for the following day outta South Island ~~> across the Cook Straight into Wellington, North Island.
Abel Tasman, Golden Bay, Farewell Spit et al - not to mention THE Takaka Hill, will need to wait another day .. Ho-hum! .. :o( :o(
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Sunday, March-01
The weather is still 'brisk' this Sunday morning, the first day of March.
In an ideal world we would have liked to ride to the ferry terminal in Picton via the testing, twisting narrow roadway of Queen Charlotte Drive. BUT with the past two day's deluge we feared that some landslips may have occurred along that particular route. So we opted for the safer, more protracted option back east along SH-6 to Blenheim ~~> then north up State Highway 1 to Picton Township.
Here's Ellen taking another couple of her customary mid-morning slugs of gin & tonic by the roadside along SH-1, somewhere between Blenheim and Picton .. ;o)
So after some Picton-based lunch, we're soon fully loaded onto our InterIslander ferry .. and by early afternoon making our way out of Queen Charlotte Sound and into the Cook Straight.
It's been the most fantastic 15 days' for me - 9 days' for Ellen - leisurely tour around South Island. We refreshed some old acquaintances .. and made some new ones. We WILL be back - one day.
Meanwhile:
Move with us to North Island ...
Fully loaded with passengers, we were three hours trapped on the tarmac at Heathrow, London. But our BA 747 did eventually leave at midnight, instead of the scheduled time of 2100. Freezing mid-winter condition had meant that the wings had to be ‘defrosted’ with steam jets before our giant silver bird was deemed safe to taxi out to the runway and queue for our turn to take-off.
So we were always gonna be late from here on out. .. Bugger!
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The briefest of a refuelling stop at Singapore helped-out a little to put us back on schedule; but as I disembarked at Sydney Airport the ‘final call’ tannoyed throughout the terminal for my connecting flight across the Tasman Sea. Running with my carry-on luggage, I just made it through the security process and boarded the nearly brand-spanking new Qantas 737 that would carry me to Queenstown, South Island NZ .. .. BUT would my checked-in luggage be so lucky? Had it made the connection through to the second plane too?
.. well, I guess we’ll find out in three hours’ time.
2½ hours later. Excited as hell as I peer out through my starboard porthole to see the Fiordland National Park coastline. That must be George Sound down there, with Catseye Bay just to the left [north], which means we hafta be almost directly overhead the entrance to Bligh Sound right now. Milford Sound, therefore, is down on our left-hand side about 30 km further up the coast so .... we're definitely heading straight for ~~> Queenstown .. must be .. which let's face it makes sense, after all!
I'm back .. :o)
Heading eastwards across Lake Wakatipu; Glenorchy will be to our port quarter side by now [to the north], with the Mount Nicholas range down south in the background, just beyond the bend in the lake.
East of Queenstown we make our penultimate turn before our final approach.
This must be one of the most dramatic approaches and landings I've ever experienced. Down beneath the tops of the surrounding mountains - The magnificent Remarkables; and the Crown Range, up-and-over the crest of which lies the Cardrona Valley and Lake Wanaka beyond. Just how many times have I ridden up and down that steep twisty road to Crown Terrace? Let me count .. one .. two .. three .. maybe four times? .. at around 1,100 metres [3,600 ft] it's the highest sealed main road in New Zealand.---------------------------
We're down - and it's a lovely warm & sunny mid-summer Saturday afternoon .. February-14th (St Valentine's Day) - so where the hell did Friday the 13th go? Probably just as well I missed-out on that particular day to travel half-way around the world! Guess I'll just never get used to this loss-of-a-day phenomenon?
.. and so I discovered, after clearing Immigration Control and getting to the Baggage Reclaim carousel soon afterwards - that my checked-in luggage didn't accompany me in the plane's hold on this flight from Oz .. it was still back there, in Sydney .. Hoh-hum!
ser·en·dip·i·ty:Noun
'the gift of making fortunate discoveries by accident'
Never was a word so appropriate for my good fortune in meeting Stephen (& wife Lisa), by accident, back in March 2007. My saviour(s) in so many ways .. and my hosts once again during this initial stop in South Island. No need to go into the finer details, or I could be in danger of sounding platitudinous [<~~ huh?]. They, and a few close others, know exactly what I mean. Re-united in the airport's concourse; Lisa there by car (for, eh-hem, my luggage) - and Stephen there by way of a shiny '05 Honda XL650V Transalp. Excellent transport decisions.
Sunday, February-15
Luggage arrived by taxi around midday, Sunday-15, courtesy and compliments of Qantas Airways .. :o)Late afternoon, time for a ride. Up and over the Crown Range - that road again - to the lakeside Township of Wanaka - for deep-fried Snapper & Chips. A superb little excursion, and just the ticket for my re-introduction to the Alp, sporting a new seat and MRA Vario touring screen that I brought with me from England .. and all in the warmest of southern hemishere mid-summer evenings. What a contrast to the bleakest mid-winter weather conditions I left behind a couple of days ago (.. or was it three days ago?!)
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Monday, February-16
I have an important job to carryout over the next couple of days. I need to go back to the lakeside township of Te Anau, and the site of my gravelled crash, which occurred exactly 23 months ago during the afternoon of Saturday March-17th, 2007.
My plan had always been to: (a) ride across to Te Anau; (b) find some overnight accommodation; then (c) the next day [Tuesday-17] call-in to see those wonderful paramedics at the St John Ambulance Station; and then finally (d) re-visit the location of my March '07 "off", before returning back to Queenstown.
View Crash Site in a larger map
BUT .. riding westwards along SH-94 [the Te Anau-Mossburn Hwy], and as I approached the entrance to Centre Hill Road that leads up to South Mavora Lake, I just couldn't resist the temptation to turn off right and ride northbound for a short while to the scene of the incident, which I've precisely marked of the Google Map above.
I turned around, flicked-out my side stand and parked-up at the spot which, according to my memory, must be where the Alp and I parted company that afternoon.
Coincidentally, the same weather conditions prevailed; warm and windy with around 40% cloud cover. Kinda spooky.
A sobering reminder of how I left the Alp, in the ditch, on Saturday-17, March 2007.
Hunting around the ditchside stones and rubble, for about 20 minutes or so, I gradually discovered some of my crash debris .. the slideable top air vent from my old (and ruined) helmet; some of the windshield's plastic pipe-edging; and some loose broken parts of the shield itself. These 'souvenirs' would all accompany me back to England. After all, I had a responsibility to take my rubbish with me and tidy-up the Kiwi countryside!My morose curiosity well satisfied, I headed back down to SH-94, turned right and rode into Te Anau Township.
It didn't take me long to find the St John Ambulance Station. After explaining who I was and the purpose of my visit, etc - I enquired if Mary (my 2007 paramedic) was still a working officer? "Oh yes" was the reply; "In fact, Mary will be attending a training session here tonight .. would you like to see her?"[me] ".. er .. no I don't think so .. wouldn't want to embarrass her, or anything like that"
- "BUT, can I leave her some flowers .. would you pass them on to her for me this evening? .. and um .. maybe I could also make a cash donation 'to the cause' if that's permitted?" - [a silly question, of course!]
And so I was politely directed to a high street florist where I bought a bouquet of 'nice ones' with some appropriate hand-written words to the lovely Mary on the accompanying card - with instructions to deliver whenever it might be convenient (as I couldn't safely carry it on the bike). I withdrew some cash from a nearby ATM .. and rode the short distance back to the StJ-A Station.
I handed over my donation, and just as I was leaving to find myself a room for the night, so the nice lady from the florist turned-up with the said delivery.A good job done then! .. :o)
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Perhaps the real reason why I wanted to be away from Te Anau during evening of Monday-16 was to spend another night in the Manapouri-based Lakeview Motor Inn, thus replicating my schedule, even more precisely; to the time I was last in the vicinity.
I enjoyed a pleasant hour or two at the Lakeview Motor Inn with a guy (+ his wife) whose name I cannot recollect, over from Dunedin which, of course, is located on the other side of South Island. Also enjoyed a great pork fillet meal in the Inn's restaurant, before strolling back to my chalet-room for the night - ever so slightly inebriated, and feeling very good about life .. :o)
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Tuesday, February-17
Talking of following in my own footsteps - and FOOD - I again returned to Te Anau the following morning, which was on EXACTLY the same day of the month, at EXACTLY the same time of day, as I did 23 months ago; and ordered EXACTLY the same breakfast in EXACTLY the same restaurant - The Olive Tree Cafe .. After all, I've always considered myself to be a creature of habit!After brekky, I even gassed-up the Alp in EXACTLY the same service station, before leaving town for the 2½ hour return ride of 170 km [106 mile] back to Stephen & Lisa's place in Queenstown.
Two hours later, towards lunchtime, travelling northbound up the eastern water's edge [RH side] of Lake Wakatipu on SH-6, shortly after passing through Kingston, I stop for a lakeside wander and to stretch my legs in the near perfectly warm mid-summer 22ºC [72ºF] sunshine .. look idyllic doesn’t it? What you don’t see is that five minutes before I snapped this shot I was really struggling to scramble the Alp outta the very soft, almost quicksand-like, shoreline. It was not a good idea to go that far off-road.Still, after a lot of puffing and panting .. and throttle twisting! .. I did eventually clamber back onto harder ground .. PHEW!
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During the afternoon I'm back safely in Queenstown, which is the way it should have turned out, but for the Centre Hill Road gravel, exactly 23 months ago! ..
.. in time to say goodbye to Stephen at Queenstown Airport, as he was about to board an internal Air NZ flight on a business trip to Christchurch.
I hope we meet again one day Stephen - thanks again for all your kind help over the last couple of years.
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Wednesday, February-18
I also bid my farewells to Lisa the following morning, Wed-18.
Today I have a date with my good friends, the Joneses, in their hometown of Otemamata. So around mid-morning I set off from a 100% cloud-covered Queenstown for the Lindis Pass along State Hwy 6; and by the time I reach Cromwell Township, through the dividing mountain range, the weather instantly clears-up.
At Cromwell I pick-up SH-8 and travel along the eastern bank of Lake Dunstan towards the tiny township of Tarras. From Tarras its a ride through the golden tussack-clad undulating countryside of the Lindis Valley; up, around and down the many long sweeping corners until I reach Omarama. Traffic is sparse all the way.
From Omarama it's a comparatively short ride, of around 20 minutes along a section of SH-83, a third of which hugs the southern shore of Lake Benmore, before arriving at Otematata. 2½ hours after leaving Queenstown, as I reach the hillcrest at the final approach down into Otematata, I stop to take a picture.
A few minutes later I pull into John & Philippa ['Pip'] Jones' driveway. John, now retired from the hydro-power industry, is typically at work in his garage.Although when I first got to know John - initially online, back in September 2006 - like me, he then owned and rode a Honda XL650V Transalp - hence the common ground, and camaraderie. However, having struck a trade-in deal around late February 2007, he now rides a Triumph Tiger 955i ..
.. like the bloody wind! .. to the point that I often struggle to keep-up with him when we ride-out together. That's the way it's always been. And I'll say it again, "When I grow-up John, I wanna be just like you!" .. ;o)
Pip is typically busy at work in her kitchen. Some of the most wholesome and tasty home-cooked grub that both Ellen & I have ever feasted upon has been prepared and served-up by Pip ... so I can't wait for dinner time!
[Pic from my last visit here, snapped by timer - on March-15 2007 - just two days before my accident. If only we had a crystal ball at the time, eh?!] ---------------------------
Thursday, February-19
After a good evening and a teriffic night's sleep, at 09:45am shortly after breakfast, John & I set-off northwards in brilliant sunshine towards the high plains area around Lakes Pukaki and Tekapo.
Lakes Pukaki and Tekapo are harnessed for hydro-electricity generation, which was John's business of course, so he is keen to stop, view and explain the workings of the Power Stations hereabouts. For instance, here at Lake Ruataniwha [pic above] along State Hwy 8. An incredible roadside lookout view.At the lookout, before firing-up our bikes, John turns and says to me, "Well Keith, I reckon I must indeed live in paradise, eh? .. it's easy to take all this for granted .. I shouldn't, of course."
Reckon you're right John.
We move further north along SH-8 skirting Twizel before arriving at the southern end of Lake Pukaki; pulling-in briefly for a couple more photo oppotunities at the Mount Cook Lookout.
.. zooming in on Mount Cook in the distance. At 3,496 metres [11,470 ft] Mt Cook, also known as 'Aoraki', is New Zealand's tallest mountain.---------------------------
We soon move on again from Pukaki, riding northeast towards Lake Tekapo and take the intersecting canal road(s), which proves an even quieter alternative from the main highway (SH-8), passing several salmon farms along the way.
Riding straight through the Township at L. Tekapo, I couldn't help but notice the enormous amount of housing development that had clearly been going on since my last visit here a couple of years ago.
Around 30 minutes after Tekapo we arrive in the township of Fairlie, and kick our side-stands down under the shade of a tree in Main Street for beverages and snacks. John just couldn't resist having some light-hearted fun, sporting with the counter girl in the adjacent café. She was up for it though. Smiles all round .. :o)Back on the road, and after 46 km [28½ miles] - about 35 minutes - further eastwards along SH-79, we pull-up at the kerbside in the township of Geraldine and say our goodbyes. John has arranged to meet-up with some other bikers there; whilst I must carry on northeast for another 135 km [84 miles] - about a 2 hour journey - to the coastal city of Christchurch, and the Ilam district in particular, to spend another evening/night with yet more good friends, Richard and Tanya Mansell & family.
All-in-all .. 'tis been a grand day ..
..
EXCEPT for the not-so-pleasant surprise at Casbolts Honda Motorcycles in Manchester St, Christchurch. They charged me NZ$35 for two little plastic rivets and a couple of 1.00cm quite unextraordinary fairing fasteners that were missing after the repair job following the accident.
Perhaps one Honda dealer to be avoided .. I dunno? .. maybe this is the proper cost for these spare parts after all, but it came as a bit of a shock at the time
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Evening - Night-time
A really pleasant evening was spent with the Mansell family; good grub (a huge lasagne .. :o) accompanied with plenty of red wine. I fell into a nice comfy bed in the spare room towards midnight .. and died - again - for the following seven hours solid.
Richard even gave me the loan of his spare mobile cell-phone to use for the duration of my remaining stay in NZ - which proved to be very handy indeed.
I've definitely been spoilt during my first six days back in New Zealand, that's for sure.
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Friday, February-20
Awoke this morning to 100% cloud cover with heavy mizzle forecasted to prevail until late afternoon /early evening. So I make my way through the centre of the city, in a broad southeasterly direction, to find our pre-arranged accommodation and deposit my luggage ahead of Ellen's mid-afternoon arrival at Christchurch International Airport.
After 15-20 minutes or so I arrive at The Tunnel Vision Backpackers hostel in the historic port of Lyttelton - it could have been worse, I guess .. just about!
Take a look around its location at 44 London Street, Lyttelton, by way of this Google Maps Steet View:
To the left (west) it's uphill; to the right (east) downhill into the town. The town quay and harbour is just a block away .. behind you.
Luggage offloaded - and it's back the way I came; into and through the city centre .. and to CHC Intn'l to collect Ellen who's flying in from England .. via Singapore and Sydney.
Bang-on schedule the Qantas Boeing 737 appears out of the misty low cloud & rain ..
.. and taxis to the International Terminal.
It will be good to see her again. I wonder if she remembered to bring the Marmite?---------------------------
Of course she did .. suitably gift wrapped too .. :o) .. so on the way back to the Backpackers in Lyttelton we drop-off 500g of yeast extract at the Mansell Household. Richard just loves the said brown sticky stuff, which is nearly impossible to buy (at a sensible price) Down Under. The local variation on the same theme is marketed as 'Vegemite' ..
.. which simply doesn't cut-the-mustard for an Englishman .. if you get my drift!---------------------------
Lyttelton
Later that evening the rain surrendered to a clearing sky .. and we wandered down the road to a great little rustic restaurant - almost a bohemian atmosphere - and stuffed ourselves on a couple of bowls of seafood chowder .. followed by fresh NZ loins of lamb smothered in a madeira sauce - with about one too many carafes of house wine .. of course!
hic .. hic
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Saturday, February-21
And to get to the point of why we chose this particular weekend to both be in the Christchurch City area ...
.. why? well, to attend the Horizons Unlimited mini-meeting of course. Nigel Marx & his missus (Lee) - both Kiwis - are the lead organizers of the event.We share a taxi ride with a couple of other bikers, who are also staying at the Backpackers, and travel the short distance of 3½ km [6 mins] to Nigel & Lee's home in the Heathcote Valley area of the City - where we're welcomed, along with nearly 40 or so other travelling bikers to the get-together, where we all keep the travel fires burning ...
.. literally! .. especially if you include Nigel's tasty spit-roasted lamb .. soon to be demolished by the attendees .. and suitably washed down with a keg of beer from a local boutique brewer.
In the back garden ['yard' in US speak] the salads & veges are prepared .. including newly-picked fresh corn on the cobs.
At a 'round robin' introductory session - a one minute bio talk - it soon became clear that attendees were a balanced mix of current travellers, past travellers, and people wanting to travel, .. all keen to ask and answer questions, and tell their stories to anyone prepared to listen.[photo: courtesy of Peter Forwood]
The meeting was also attended by a small handful of 'celebrity' type motorcycling adventurers too. For instance, you couldn't help by notice the aussie couples', Peter & Kay Forwoods', 1994 Harley Davidson parked-up in the driveway ...
.. which is THE most extensively travelled motor vehicle in history .. EVER!There are 193 Internationally Recognised Countries in the world and this motorcycle has been ridden in everyone of these countries plus numerous other entities over the last 13 years; covering 540,000 km [335,500 miles] in the process.
I say more about Peter & Kay a few more pics below .. and
.. Jo, the other half of the Jo and Gareth Morgan team. One of my all-time true heroines. She's bloody fit for her age too wouldn't you agree? .. a damn fine looking woman IMHO! .. ;o)
In fact, it was Jo & Gareth's book 'Backblocks America' which helped inspire me to ride around North America in 2007-08. For this reason I felt as if I already knew Jo personally.
The roasted lamb, cooked to perfection - and literally falling off the spit - was devoured during the evening.
Aided by their pictorial laptop slide show, Peter & Kay spoke after dinner of their worldwide travels ... 
.. as did Jo---------------------------
Long after nightfall we taxied back to the Backpackers. Before leaving though, we gave our UK contact details to Peter & Kay Forwood and offered them our home as a place to stay if they ever made it down to Cornwall during the early stages of their next global tour ...
.. yep, you got it, after 13 years on the road, and burning their 1340cc HD Electraglide Classic across more than 335,000 miles .. they're gonna do it all over again! Absobloodylutely incredible!!
And the Forwoods' philosophy on life is? .. "For Tomorrow May Rain, So We'll Follow The Sun." ...
.. gotta luv'it!
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Sunday, February-22
This Sunday morning we head south to the Banks Peninsula, which is the most prominent volcanic feature of South Island. This will be my third visit to the Peninsula, and Ellen's second.
Following a brief but pleasant excursion to Diamond Harbour, and shortly after passing through the village of Little River, the fun soon began with a road climb up some seriously testing twists and turns before arriving at ...
.. our habitual refreshment stop of The Hilltop Cafe & Bar on Highway 75, which is midway to the township of Akaroa. The view down into the extinct volcano and across to Akaroa was impressive .. as it always is.
Later, after a wander around Akaroa, and helpings of fish 'n' chips, we returned via the Summit Road up and around the eastern rim of the volcano, where we viewed the harbour from a different perspective.View Banks Peninsular in a larger map
Back at the Backpackers by mid-afternoon .. just in time to get into the swing of things at the Lyttelton Summer Street Party. Good atmosphere .. surprisingly good live music too!Monday, February-23
The Morning AfterWell, right there under our noses .. we discovered THE most sensational little gourmet food shop and café - The Ground Culinary Centre - which again is all very rustic and bohemian - where we ordered from the menu, and thoroughly enjoyed, the best Eggs Benedict with Smoked Salmon and Dill Hollandaise. The recipe's poached eggs were cooked to absolute perfection. Indeed, THE best poached eggs that we ever eaten. Wish we knew their secret.
Their coffee is exceptionally good too .. :o)But by mid-morning it was time to say bye-bye to Lyttelton and the City of Christchurch .. and so we make our way westwards, out through the City for the last time, to State Highway 1 where we then turn south .. back towards North Otago .. and ..
Later that day ...
.. after a 310 km [192 mile] ride - about 4½ hours - we arrive at the Jones' Household in Otematata. My second visit to John & Pip's place within a week. It's Ellen's first, of course, for more than two years .. :o) :o)
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Tuesday, February-24
Breakfast with the JonesesIt was good to see John & Pip again .. but especially so for Ellen, as a couple of years had past since her last visit and she had a lot of catching-up to do with Pip.
BUT after breaking our fasts - it was all-too-soon the time to head-out and continue on our journey. Pondering some routeing recommendations from John, we were on the road again by mid-morning .. and
.. once more, from the opposite direction this time (for me - compared to last Wednesday-18), we sweep westwards along the brown tussack-clad landscape of the Lindis Pass ..
.. until we reach 'the neck' separating lakes Hawea and Wanaka.
Heading up the west bank of Lake Hawea---------------------------
The road (SH-6) then becomes tight and twisting as it skirts around the eastern edges of lake Wanaka and Mount Aspiring National Park .. continuing through the Southern Alps via the glaciated Makarora River valley that alternates the riding experience between: tall banks on one side that fall away steeply on the other ~~> and a succession of scenic straights. This is a ride of contrasts.
After a while the mountain pastures are replaced by native temporate rain forests .. as we travel through evocatively-named locations such as: Fantail Falls, Gates of Haast Bridge, Thunder Creek Falls .. and onwards
.. eventually to the southern bank of the Haast River until we arrive, at around late lunchtime, at the small locality of Haast township - a bidofa one-horse town really - where we stop for refreshments including: so-so bowls of fish chowder & bread rolls .. all washed down with diet cokes, in the warm-but-windy West Coast sunshine .. always in the company of PESKY SAND FLIES! ..eek!! .. we had forgotten all about these irritating little buggers that thrive over here!
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Ellen's own words of this 'Magic Carpet Ride' from the Lindis Pass ~~> to Haast [taken from her journal]:
"On this journey to the West Coast we were surrounded by lush vegetation where pampas grass, fronds of ferns, fifteen foot tall thin spiky leaves of the NZ flax plant compete with each other to cover the dense banks on either side of the road, montbretia vying for space and bringing a splash of colour. At one stage we passed by mountains dressed with what I can only describe as mega-normous green broccoli only with leggy tree trunks instead of stumpy stalks where the sun shone on patches of the mountains where the vegetation had been unable to take hold. Then there were the numerous cascading waterfalls, throwing themselves hundreds of feet to the valley floor, creating countless creeks, streams, bluffs and wide expanses of grey pebbly bouldered river beds. We crossed so many of these on one lane bridges sometimes with 2 or 3 passing places as the river beds were so wide. Interesting names that have been given to the creeks, my favourite has to be 'Pea Soup Creek'."
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View Otematata to Whataroa in a larger map
We then ride for a further 176 km [109 miles] - taking about 2 hrs 10 mins - up passed the wild West Coast beaches and its lush green forests; through the twin glacier townships of Fox and Franz Josef ~~> to eventually finish our journey in the SH-6 junction township of Whataroa.
443 km [275 miles] after leaving John & Pip's place back in Otematata .. and about 6½ hours in the saddle, we had just about had enough .. any further and the day's ride was in danger of being spoiled. Evening was upon us in any case.
All-in-all it's been quite memorable motorcycling today, by anyone's standards .. :o) :o)
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We found quite a decent motel in Whataroa, which we pre-booked (via Richard Mansell's phone .. :o) when passing through, and briefly stopping at the very busy Franz Josef Township; the cost of accommodation being prohibitively expensive in FJ for our budget. On the other hand the White Heron Sanctuary Motel in Whatoroa, 31 km [19 miles] - about 20 minutes up the road from Franz Josef - turned out to be just the ticket at NZ$105 [GB£38] /night.
Moreover we straightaway made friends with four other bikers who were also lodging at the motel; a Kiwi couple on their Honda ST1100, and two visiting yanky fellers who were exploring NZ for a fortnight .. on rented motorsickles outta Christchurch.
After unpacking and settling into our room(s), all six of us popped across the road into the Whataroa Pub - which seemed to be the focal point of the township - for beers, wine and a spot of dinner. We all chose the Stone-Grill.
Ellen ordered the Stone-Grill with chicken .. 
.. whilst I chose the mixed grill which came with pork, beef-steak, venison and wild boar. As side-servings we both took salad and chips.All the cuts of meat were sizeable and simply excellent: tender, moist, flavoursome .. and farmed locally. The side-dishes were just that; side-shows in a wonderful montage of sizzling juicy tenderness. Bloody marvellous tucker .. and a pure delight to eat. Somehow, everything else faded into the background and the local medley of matured meat became the focal point of attention and conversation for us all.
The Merrycan fellers remarked that there is "NO GOD-DAMN WAY" such dishes could be served-up in the USA .. for the management's fear of getting sued for all the risks involved. They mentioned the "McDonald's coffee case" as an example. They're almost certainly right too, of course! Litigious America? .. and are we all going the same way? .. probably, but I'll say no more! .. :o(
Neverthless, despite 'the inherent risks', the Stone-Grills at Whataroa Pub are highly recommended. Indeed, I wish we could get the same type of culinary deal in England ..
(Hmmmm? .. now there's a thought! .. ;o)
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Wednesday, February-25
Whataroa is probably best known for it's White Heron (Kotuku) Sanctuary along the Waitangi roto river - where the birds come to nest from September to March - and it's introduced species of wild deer, thar and chamois.The following morning, however, without enough time to explore the area and find-out more about the local Kotuku population, we say our goodbyes to our new-found friends .. as we all head-off separately to continue our respective journeys.
Final apologies given and received by everyone for the overnight snoring 'n' farting!
Only thing wrong with the White Heron Sanctuary Motel then? .. well, the walls are a little bit on the thin side!
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10:00am: onwards and upwards ~~> northbound on SH-6. After 103 km [64 miles] - about a 90 mins' ride - we start to get hungry; otherwise known as getting a 'Brunch Requirement'. So we pull-off the highway and park-up outside a café alongside a row of Harleys in the township of Hokitika; a place I had once planned on visiting during the annually-held Wildfoods Festival .. but sadly this time we're too early, as the Festival always occurs during the second week in March. The event allegedly celebrates the 'bounty of nature', largely in the form of copious handouts of such delicacies as white bait, mountain oysters and huhu grubs.
But during the third week in February .. we had to settle for a couple of all-day brekky fry-ups!
After the hour-long break, we get back on the road and once again are heading up SH-6. 30 minutes later we're cruising through the City of Greymouth under the gaze of surrounding coal dark mountains. Not a place that I could take to easily .. but on this warm and sunny mid-summer's day, it doesn't look too bad at all .. :o)
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Some say that it's best to travel UP the West Coast Road (south-to-north) .. and not down (north-to-south). Maybe they have a point. It is, without question, very scenic - almost dramatic - in outlook, making it hard to concentrate on the road ahead at times.Over yonder at the other end of the volcanic beach (pic above) are the West Coast 'Greigs'; a rock formation adjacent to headland area known as Twelve Mile Bluff, which is located about 16 km [10 miles] - approx 17 minutes - north of Greymouth.
The Greigs seen from the opposite direction .. this photo was taken whilst sat in the saddle at a beachside pull-in, just a few Ks up the road from where the previous pic (above) was snapped.Twelve Mile Bluff leads onto Fourteeen Mile Bluff ~~> then Seventeen Mile Bluff, as the complex coastal scenery dramatically unfolds, and where the foreshore often hosts a small number of charming holiday [second] homes, colloquially known as 'cribs' or 'batches'.
Soon we're into the Paparoa National Park region and stop to explore the coastal ancient 'pancake' limestone area called Punakaiki.Just off the highway, a short walk wends its way amongst the pancake formations, providing photo-op views of the Tasman. When the tide and swell conditions are just right the wild seas here can blast spectacularly through blowholes - but not today, unfortunately .. :o( :o(
Looking north from the 'pancake rocks' at Punakaiki where lies the township of Westport, nearly 60 km [35 miles] - 45 minutes - further up the Coast Rd, which is our ultimate destination for today.
Back in the car park adjacent to the Punakaiki Visitors Centre, just as we're donning our riding gear and lids, we spot what appears to be a flightless chicken-sized bird scurrying around in the undergrowth, not 10 feet from the Alp. We immediately - and incorrectly! - believed it to be New Zealand's national bird, the elusive and endangered Kiwi.Question: So when is a Kiwi not a Kiwi?
Answer: Well, when it's either a hedgehog .. or a Weka. What you see here [pic above] is a brown Weka .. NOT a Kiwi!
.. ho-hum?!
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By late afternoon we're riding up the main street, Palmerston Street, in the township of Westport .. and decide to check-in at the Black & White Hotel, 198 Palmerston St. At a cost of NZ$70 [GB£25] for the night it seemed like fair value, especially for an en-suite room .. AND we could park the bike off-road around at the back of this pre-war building, which allegedly dates back to the 1860s.
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It's early evening - and we elect to ride-out down the coast a bit to Cape Foulwind .. for no other reason than to checkout what's behind the evocative name. The location is hardly noted on a tourist map.
13½ km [8½ miles] - about 15 mins - later, we arrive at Foulwind Point, under the shadow of its handsome lighthouse, and get our bearings at the Visitors' Walkway Info Board.We learn that the Cape was given its name by Captain Cook in 1770, who had a hard time battling with contrary winds here.
At the first bay ( .. can't find a name for it?), just around the corner from the lighthouse, we stop to take-in the view from the cliff edge above this sandy and rock-strewn beach.View Larger Map
The exact location where the pic of Ellen (above) was snapped at 19:07 pm precisely.
.. although we are obviously at the very edge of the coast, looking out across the Tasman Sea, we are actually at the bottom of an escarpment, with undulating grazing pastures behind us .. and the Paparoa Mountain Range in the distance beyond. 
Cape Foulwind is a wonderful place to spend an evening, if raw nature is what you like. A dramatic rocky coastline with its granite bluffs and panoramic views; and further on, towards the surfing mecca of Tauranga Bay (the next bay along), we understand that it is entirely possible to have an encounter with a colony of friendly fur seals doing their thing .. swimming and dozing etc.But we halt our clifftop walk short of Tauranga Bay, just to take-in the beautiful sunset. The time is 20:15 pm.
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Shortly afterwards we get back to our hotel at Westport in almost complete darkness .. and then grab a spicy meal at the nearby Priya Indian Restaurant just up the street. There's hardly anyone around - it's like a ghost town. Maybe everyone else had been warned of an approaching tsunami? We are the only patrons eating at this particular curry establishment tonight.
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Thursday, February-26
Following a quick coffee-and-muffin breakfast, we're off again, eastbound in overcast conditions on State Highway 6; twisting through the scenic Lower Buller Gorge Road, often hugging the edge of the river, until we arrive at Inangahua Junction .. where I overlook to take the LH turning that continues our chosen ride along the Buller River on SH-6, which soon elevates into the just-as-scenic Upper Buller Gorge Road.
Could have continued along the valley road (State Highway 69) through from Inangahua Junction, of course, and beyond to Reefton and ~~> eventually Springs Junction, which would have been the quicker route towards today's destination. BUT according to our road atlas, SH-69 looks justa-bit too straight and boring. So we turn around and get back onto SH-6 at the foot of the Upper Buller Gorge Rd ... and then almost straightaway we're into the teeth of some major bridge repair works. Gotta park-up in the awaiting queue of traffic then. Engine off .. BUGGER!
Perhaps SH-69 ('Le soixante-neuf' - my favourite number, after all! .. ;o) to Springs Junction Township would have been the better option .. at least I could have gotten to ride by a placement on the map called 'Cornishtown' that way too!
Anyway, despite the hold-up, we're soon through the road works and, just before reaching the township of Murchinson, we turn right off SH-6 and head south down along the Shenandoah Highway to Springs Junction. Soon after we stop along SH-65 at Reid's Store, Maruia-Springs, for some brunch. The weather is starting to clear-up nicely, so we eat our snacks outside on the wood-decked terrace.
The Lewis PassBack on the road and soon afterwards we're into successions of sweeping corners and mountain undulations set amid world-class mountain scenery and lush native forest. It's THE Lewis Pass - which is probably the 'prettiest' [if that's the right word] of all of the three major Southern Alps' passes. This is my second ride (west~~>east) through the Pass, and Ellen's first. It's alpine riding nearly at its most beautiful best .. although nothing can beat the pure majesty of riding in-and-around the 'real Alps' of the Central European region. This is just my humble opinion, of course.
Through the saddle of the Lewis Valley, we then take the 10 km [6¼ mile] diversion along SH-7A to the leafy spa town of Hanmer Springs. Also my second visit here; and Ellen's first.
Set in the midst of oak trees, the healing properties of the naturally occurring thermal pools of the resort; the Hanmer Springs Sanatorium in particular, continues today as a major healing centre since its foundation in 1914 .. and more recently, allegedly to cure alcohol and drug addiction .. Hmmm, so that's why Ellen has been so keen to visit here! .. ;o)
This is the Hanmer Springs 'budget' motel - the Kakapo Lodge Backpackers /YHA - in which I stayed for the three nights of Sun 4th - Mon 5th - and Tue 6th of February, 2007. It turned-out, at that time, to front the beginnings of a building site for a brand new car park right behind my upstairs bedroom window. Which is great, of course, if you need an early morning wake-up call at 6:15am ... which I didn't at the time!
Here's the view that my co-guest Dominik (Austrian) and I had from our shared veranda at breakfast time back then.So with my curiosity getting the better of me, we turned-off the main drag into Hanmer Springs and rode in down to the now not-so-new car park's entrance, on the RH side of the Backpackers, just to see the finished item ...
.. which looks good.Bad timing on my part though during the first week in Feb-07 .. :o(
Anyway, this time, after a bit more research, we settled on a stopover in the Larchwood Motels at NZ$90 /night [GB£33], which proved good value-for-money. Clean & tidy .. very quiet indeed, and less than a 5 mins walk away from the centre of town.
Later that afternoon, Ellen just couldn't resist a leisurely session in the spa pool centre. As I had already BTDT&BTT-S a couple of years ago .. I quite naturally retired to a nearby bar instead!---------------------------
Friday, February-27
Breakfast in Hanmer Springs
Writing this blog, and re-calling memories, reminds me of just how important food is to a traveller. Maybe cuz meal times are one of the predictable hightlights of the day. Good food always seems to stick in the mind ..
.. so much so that I instinctly returned to the 'Springs Deli Café' for breakfast located right in the town's main drag - 47 Amuri Ave - which is almost directly opposite the spa pools. They serve-up good portion sizes, at sensible prices - and it's all very tasty. A decent range on the blackboard menu and displayed in the food cabinet means everyone can find something they like. You'll get to read their table menu a bit better by clicking on this link
Their display cabinet is always full of goodies which are extremely well presented. Summary: good honest café fare .. and I couldn't help but think that a similar establishment could make a lot of money in my hometown of Newquay, Cornwall.
(Hmmmm? .. now there's ANOTHER thought! .. ;o)
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Today, Friday-27, we're gonna re-track a route that that my son, Mark, took us around (by car) back during the mid-daytime of Saturday January-07, 2006. The 'Inland Route' from Waiau to Kaikoura; one road I always promised myself that I would ride one day on a motorcycle. There would never be a better opportunity to fulfil that promise than today.
Our destination: about a 6-hour ride to Lower Moutere, just south of Motueka Township, in the Nelson /Abel Tasman region. Total distance = 426 km [265 miles].
Better get a move-on then!
View Hanmer Spring to Lower Moutere in a larger map
Along the straights from Hanmer Springs to Waiaua we were convinced that we were being followed by an unmarked 'revenue collector' - aka: a plain-clothed traffic cop car! - cuz the blighter was following about 100 metres behind us and constantly matching our definitely below 100 km/h varying speeds all the time for around 15 km or so. As I increased or decreased my speed - so did he. He made no attempt to overtake, even when I dropped my speed down to around 60 km/h. Not that I'm paranoid, of course .. 'LOOK OUT KEITH .. BEHIND YOU!'
.. then, as we rode down the main street of Waiaua at exactly 49 km/h, and pulled-up to a textbook kerbside stop - so he overtook us, at some speed, and shot-off up the road .. looking totally annoyed and exasperated!
I reckon I woz right, Mr Plod-the-B#stard didn't nobble us after all! - excellent progress! .. :o)
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From Waiau the real riding fun starts as the 'Inland Road' undulates through lush green pasture land ~~> climbing and twisting through the foothills of the rugged Seaward Kaikoura Mountain Range. Superb stuff.
Nearly two hours after leaving Hanmer Springs - 130 km [81 miles] of excellent motorcycle riding, we pull into the seaside township of Kaikoura .. well pleased with the morning's run ..
We even encountered a flock of Sheilas along the way. Beautiful totty .. eh? .. certainly so by any healthy NZ sheep-shagger's standards, I'm sure. (ONLY JOKING, honest! .. ;o)
Onwards and upwards from Kaikoura along State Highway 1 ~~> we were soon through Blenheim and heading west on SH-6. Approximately halfway to the City of Nelson, we stop-off at The Mussel Pot in Havelock for a few dozen steamed Green Shell Mussels. One of Ellen's favourite dishes - but a 'so-so' choice for yours-truly. In fact, I was more pre-occupied with the local wasps that were flirting around our spent mussel shells than I was with the hairy-lipped flesh inside.
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After Havelock and Pelorus, there are some spectacular sweeping climbs and descents through the Rai and Whangamoa Saddles; down the Hira Road and into Nelson City. Sensational riding.
By late afternoon /early evening we arrive at Apple Tree Cottage - in the Lower Moutere village area. This would be our very own cottage-bungalow for at least the next two nights. Chris and Judy - our hosts - live next door in the annexed 'main' building on this section and were once-upon-a-time neighbours of John & Pip Jones (down in Otematata, North Otago), hence the connection and recommendation to stopover here.
The whole point of coming across this way has been to show Ellen around the Golden Bay area of north-western South Island. Moreover, I would get to ride, for the second time (since end of Feb-07), up-an-over the 'Marble Mountain' of Takaka Hill, which must be one of THE GREAT motorcycle riding experiences in the whole world.
HOWEVER .. that evening, after arriving in the village .. so the heavens opened, and down came the rain .. like bloody stair rods!
.. and Saturday, February-28
All through the night and for most of the following day, Saturday-28, the rain continued. We were stuffed good-and-proper .. no ride 'over the hill' for us today ..
.. BUT at least the bike was under cover .... AND we were in a really fantastic place to stay .. fresh, clean and comfortable, private, with very helpful and friendly hosts .. so it could have been a lot worse.
I also discover, much to my regret, that there’s no TVNZ Breakfast Show (TV One) on a Saturday morning ... so there's no chance to watch cheeky chappy Paul Henry live with either his lovely co-host Pippa Wetzell .. :o( .. or his backup co-host Alison Mau .. :o( ... Damn Shame.
Despite these setbacks, as we were only 5 minutes away from Motueka, we nevertheless decided to sneek into the Township between the downpours during the late afternoon .. and seeing no obvious forecast for an improvement in the weather for the next 24 hours, we booked our ferry tickets online in an internet café for the following day outta South Island ~~> across the Cook Straight into Wellington, North Island.
Abel Tasman, Golden Bay, Farewell Spit et al - not to mention THE Takaka Hill, will need to wait another day .. Ho-hum! .. :o( :o(
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Sunday, March-01
The weather is still 'brisk' this Sunday morning, the first day of March.
In an ideal world we would have liked to ride to the ferry terminal in Picton via the testing, twisting narrow roadway of Queen Charlotte Drive. BUT with the past two day's deluge we feared that some landslips may have occurred along that particular route. So we opted for the safer, more protracted option back east along SH-6 to Blenheim ~~> then north up State Highway 1 to Picton Township.
Here's Ellen taking another couple of her customary mid-morning slugs of gin & tonic by the roadside along SH-1, somewhere between Blenheim and Picton .. ;o)
So after some Picton-based lunch, we're soon fully loaded onto our InterIslander ferry .. and by early afternoon making our way out of Queen Charlotte Sound and into the Cook Straight.It's been the most fantastic 15 days' for me - 9 days' for Ellen - leisurely tour around South Island. We refreshed some old acquaintances .. and made some new ones. We WILL be back - one day.
Meanwhile:
Move with us to North Island ...
