New Zealand...4 wheels good, 2 wheels better?

The black art of moving from A to B on foreign soil
OnHellas
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Re: New Zealand...4 wheels good, 2 wheels better?

Post by OnHellas »

We did ride from Westport to Murchison. We left at our usual time and I was very pleased that the day didn’t start with fitting a new tube in Sarah’s rear tyre.
No puncture, no problem. However, I need to be checking things a bit more often as I’ve obviously got a bit lazy with the bike checking.
We went to Murchison via Reefton and the Lewis Pass. The day started out with grey skies and drizzle but as we headed in to the hills and away from the west coast the sun came out and I had to change my smuggly chosen thicker waterproof gloves back to the summer ones. Where better to change gloves than a tea and apple slice stop.
It was looking like a 10 out of 10 day already.....

We’d decided to camp and had picked a campsite based on its internet reviews. The manager was a very laid back chap and during our two night stay the shower block went from OK thank you to a laid back Oh Dear. Still, it was the lowest price we’d paid for a pitch since Croydon in Australia.
The worst thing about the site though was the sandflies!! They got a real taste for my ankles, feet and elbows. Scratching has never felt so good.....why is it so nice??

Yesterday was Wednesday, I did some bike checks. What a good chap. All seems OK so fingers crossed they’ll be good until the booked service in Wellington in the 19th.

We also walked in to town as we had the previous afternoon. It was a 5.5km round trip so a bit of exercise, not much but better than nothing.

So that brings us to today. We would have stayed another night but the shower block looked even more ‘laid back’ this morning and the sandflies seemed to have called in reinforcements.
So we rode to Pohara up in the North of the South Island. What a cracking ride. Only 120 miles but lovely sweeping bends through beautiful scenery. The day was topped off with a very twisty mountain pass. Up one side and down the other, in to the Golden Bay Area.
I type this drivel from the tent, it’s pitched on a much nicer campsite. All clean and tidy. We joined fellow campers, Caravaners actually, for drinks and chat this evening, and very pleasant it was too. Tea for us obviously.
The plan is to stay here for a few days, the weather looks a bit dodgy for tonight and tomorrow, wind and rain. As usual I’ll let you know how it goes, until then....yep...

Two happy people, two happy bikes.
OnHellas
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Re: New Zealand...4 wheels good, 2 wheels better?

Post by OnHellas »

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A nice waterfall on the way to Murchison was worth a stop.
Why do people have to male these little piles of stones everywhere???
The one in the pic isn’t there anymore...it’s been ‘middle aged cynicaled!!’.
WillS
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Re: New Zealand...4 wheels good, 2 wheels better?

Post by WillS »

Great report, it's really a fantastic place NZ.
We have done two trips, first one in a Camper Van and the second by car.
Lots and lots to see.
Enjoying your report and photos, brings back nice memories.
Hope to go back next year as have family living in Queenstown.
Good luck on your travels.
Will
OnHellas
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Re: New Zealand...4 wheels good, 2 wheels better?

Post by OnHellas »

Our new found caravaner friends told us that it hadn’t rained in Pohara since Christmas Day.
Don’t worry, the Poms are here, we’ve probably got some rain packed in our luggage somewhere.

Of course we did, overnight the first night it rained. The next day it rained later in the afternoon. That gave us the morning for a walk along the coast. Unfortunately we were too early in the day to see the Penguins.
Our second night in Pohara also brought rain, as did most of the next day.
We wanted to ride up to Collision and beyond to the spit at the top so we booked the campsite for another two nights.
Sure enough Sunday morning was bright and dry. We still didn’t head off early but another great day in the bikes saw us cover about 70 miles, have a nice lunch at The Courthouse Cafe and Collingwood and finally get up to the spit.

We had a gift of a bag of local apples outside our tent when we returned, our friends from the caravan again.

So Monday morning and it was time to pack up. The tent needed a bit of a brush up and then a chap called Darryl came for a chat.
He had BM’s as well, his wife has an F650GS Twin with Jesse Luggage like ours. She obviously has taste. We talked bikes, travel and work, he and his wife are both pilots for Air New Zealand. I tried the ‘maybe you’ll be our pilot when we fly out of here, maybe they’ll be an upgrade’ gambit, but alas he’ll be on a training course at the end of April learning to fly a bigger newer plane. Worth a try, by then it was nearly 11.30 and time to go. We’d only planned a short ride again, this time to Nelson and a motel room.
Once more over the pass.

Hey ho, Two happy people, two happy bikes.
OnHellas
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Re: New Zealand...4 wheels good, 2 wheels better?

Post by OnHellas »

A nice ride over the pass and a chat with a couple of enthusiastic older British chaps that still had motorcycles. All three seemed to live in NZ for 6 months and then head to the U.K. for the rest of the year.
One of them was extra keen on our bikes as he also had an 800GS.
When we saw them however, they were on bicycles....with electric assist.
After chatting for a good 20 minutes they said that the open road was calling and headed off for the rest of their cycle ride.
It’s great to see people still full of enthusiasm for travel and bikes, even if the horizons headed far are not so far from home.

The chosen motel was a gem. Super clean and there were biscuits in the room. Only one two biscuit pack but biscuits. Unusually for me they lasted 15 minutes....more or less.

Yet another trip to a supermarket to collect supplies for the two nights booked.
We went in to the centre of Nelson on the bus the next day. Sarah had an appointment for a haircut. More excitement of a long distance rider. I wandered around for a couple of hours and I must say that the town seemed pleasant.
I didn’t go seeking museums or anything but tea and people watching is always a good use of time.

That brings us to today, Wednesday. We have a booking for the ferry to the north island on Monday. We are not far away from the ferry departure town of Picton so there is no rush. Nit that we often feel as if there is a rush.
We decided to ride a road that had been recommended a few days back by another bike rider we’d met.
Unfortunately the cloud was low so riding in the mist sort of took the edge off of the ride.
We got to a beautiful bay, found a bench and had our picnic. Then we went back the 20 or so miles to the main road and headed to Havelock. The campsite here, yes it’s tent time again, is in the middle of town alongside the park. A bit strange but that’s what it is.
I decided to give the chains a bit of lube and as I squared down to start on Sarah’s bike I noticed a shiny thing in the centre of the tyre.
Bugger! It was a little panel pin about an inch long, long enough to make a hole in the inner tube too. Bugger!
So the tools came out, the Jetboil was lit and filled and the job of inner tube replacement was interspersed with cups of tea.....and some Garibaldi type biscuits.
A hot afternoon meant slow going, not that we were going anywhere anyway.
Three hours later laying in the tent typing this the tyre is still inflated. Will it be in the morning.....time will tell.

Feeling chuffed with the outcome and the fact that we had another nice day.

Two happy people, two happy bikes.
OnHellas
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Re: New Zealand...4 wheels good, 2 wheels better?

Post by OnHellas »

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OnHellas
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Re: New Zealand...4 wheels good, 2 wheels better?

Post by OnHellas »

The campsite at Pohara (recommended) was very quite......but this chap just had to set up right next to us.....why is that??
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OnHellas
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Re: New Zealand...4 wheels good, 2 wheels better?

Post by OnHellas »

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Shame about the weather....nice pork and tomato roll though.
OnHellas
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Re: New Zealand...4 wheels good, 2 wheels better?

Post by OnHellas »

Bugger!
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Bugger!
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Bugger!
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OnHellas
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Re: New Zealand...4 wheels good, 2 wheels better?

Post by OnHellas »

Well the tyre still has air in it this morning. I haven’t checked the pressure with the gauge yet due to it raining.....and it being breakfast time!

I’ll be brave and say....

Two happy people, two happy bikes.
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