The Long-White-Cloud Spectacular__SI 2012 [Archive]

View Full Version : The Long-White-Cloud Spectacular__SI 2012

glitch_oz

16th May 2012, 19:35

Guess, to you guys, this is just another rave by a bunch of Aussies.

Anyway....2 weeks, 8 mates including one local, some backroads and 1100pics later, here it is.

Lots of unfinished business:eek:...so, we'll be back. ASAP!!

The complete yarns and loads....LOADS!!!... of extra pics here:

http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3990

Below is a one-day sampler.

glitch_oz

16th May 2012, 19:36

Maaan, what a cracker of a morning!! http://www.austouring.com/forum/images/smilies/laola.gif

Rob’s out for another peek at that loooong singlelane bridge across the Waitaki River....just look at that water!!

http://www.glitch-oz.com/pics/12/NZ/NZ_SI_2012_0470.JPG

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Screw that cholesterol-bomb...got a whole day ahead of us. That bird at the servo was on the money, they don’t skimp on anything here that jam-packs those calories.

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Heading east, downriver, into the morning fog.

http://www.glitch-oz.com/pics/12/NZ/NZ_SI_2012_0476.JPG

Sadly, the Maori Rock Paintings are so faded, there’s hardly anything left to see....but it’s a gorgeous morning, crisp and typical late summer.

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Those micro-caves are full of a colony of pigeons, their whirring wings all around us.

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Something to see where ever you look!!

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Duntroon is just down the road, the turn off to Danseys Pass is well signed.

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Up them hills we go!!....and the tar doesn’t last long.

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glitch_oz

16th May 2012, 19:36

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You pick your own favourite...I just can’t make up my mind. Once more, it’s BIG SKY COUNTRY...and the golden morning sheen is a gobstopper!
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Near the top...

http://www.glitch-oz.com/pics/12/NZ/NZ_SI_2012_0497.JPG

...and it’s just as incredible down the other side...

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glitch_oz

16th May 2012, 19:37

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Then, out from no-where, there’s the Danseys Hotel....a Pub, by itself, in the middle of woopwoop.

But man....what a pub!!

And the pass-road goes right by their tables out the front.

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Some former stables

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glitch_oz

16th May 2012, 19:38

Ohhh yeahhh, this place just oozes history.http://www.austouring.com/forum/images/smilies/clap.gifhttp://www.austouring.com/forum/images/smilies/clap.gif

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Lots of bums have been sliding around on that one...and I bet there were a few well-known ones amongst it.

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Some absolutely choice carpentry and workmanship, where ever one looks....this is stunning, just look at that joinery....built for eternity, not today’s Lego and Ikea junk.
Bloody awesome!!http://www.austouring.com/forum/images/smilies/2thumbs_up.gifhttp://www.austouring.com/forum/images/smilies/2thumbs_up.gif

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Locally dangled copper cisterns...I haven’t seen stuff like that for decades.

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Note...no roll of paper towels here, oh no!!

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What an awesome place...I bet there’s heaps more to be found if one would stay a night here...it might well be worth the beefy asking price.

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glitch_oz

16th May 2012, 19:38

It’s a fairly short and gentle downhill run into historic, little Naseby...and right at the outskirts of town, the BM decides it had enough of the coarse gravel for a while...of course, it had to be the rear, as usual.http://www.austouring.com/forum/images/smilies/thunder.gif

Jo wobbles into town and it’s time to get the tools and spare tubes out. Thankfully we’ve got all that’s needed to fix things...but boy, that sun’s got some punch!!

http://www.glitch-oz.com/pics/12/NZ/NZ_SI_2012_0523.JPG

Popping the bead with the side-stand of the DR....

http://www.glitch-oz.com/pics/12/NZ/NZ_SI_2012_0524.JPG

....and some drongo has previously used some black mounting gunk...and shitloads of it, it’s just running out everywhere.

http://www.glitch-oz.com/pics/12/NZ/NZ_SI_2012_0525.JPG

Naseby’s Athenaeum is today’s library...and as the external appearance suggests, started life as a church in the 1800’s.
No bar-codes and self-checkout here!

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Right next to it, this little surprise...

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Chain going back on, nip up a few bolts and bits and we’ll be ready to roll again.
In hindsight, this turned out to be the only flat of the whole trip...8 bikes, 4000k’s each, lots of gravel roads....that’s 32.000k’s with a single flat, no bloody complaints, sir!!

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It’s still fairly early, despite the flat...checking the maps, we could turn south and have a nibble at the Old Dunstan Rd, eh?

Fuel first, though...and there sure’s nothing in Naseby. It’s the weekend, too....nothing in Ranfurly either.
Let’s tack south and try to pick up some juice somewhere along the way...Wedderburn, no... Idaburn, zilch.... Oturehua’s got a single bowser, but it’s locked...Ida Valley? nope....Poolburn? nada...Omakau? outta luck again, the servo is locked...and for sale.

Another 20k’s into Alexandra then...and right next to the bowser is a bike-shop, which opens the door for us to grab a couple of spare tubes...just in case! Makes the 40 extra-k’s only half as bad...it’s a good feeling to have fresh stock.
A big thanks to the kid behind the counter of the servo for unlocking the bike-shop, thanks buddy!

The locals are out in force, it’s a bewdy of a day, some air force trainers are flying some great formation-loops over the valleys and hillsides, and life seems good and settled in this little pocket of the world.
http://www.austouring.com/forum/images/smilies/icon_beerchug_.gif

glitch_oz

16th May 2012, 19:39

While having lunch in the park, the maps reveal a shortcut through he hills from just out of town to the start of the Old Dunstan Road...and the Crawford Hills Road into the back of Moa Creek proves a little gem of its own!!
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Poolburn Dam...that’s us!! Let the good times roll...

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And things are getting weirder and weirder...the road rockier and rougher as we climb the gentle hills.

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The rock-clumps in those paddocks are strange, weird shapes of ragged, volcanic lumps just laying there. In between, the views are stumping, the valleys wide-open and the next line of hills far away.
Again, it’s strange and intimidating.

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Some of the rocks seem to poke out of the ground like the blade of a knife, others seem to rest on the ground like a giant turd, the rock twisted and layered and played with by the earth when it was magma.

http://www.glitch-oz.com/pics/12/NZ/NZ_SI_2012_0546.JPG

glitch_oz

16th May 2012, 19:40

Poolburn Dam...and the colour of the water is for real.

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The road deteriorates from here....gone are the rocky ledges, replaced by soft earth and clay with soggy patches... deep, clumpy grass which feels spongy and bouncy when walked over. Put a wheel in it and watch it get it gobbled up in no time flat.

http://www.glitch-oz.com/pics/12/NZ/NZ_SI_2012_0552.JPG

Bernard’s doing the scouting...the lil’ XT is the lightest of the bunch.
If that sucker sinks...we’ll just turn around and go home, leaving Bernard to deal with it.:bt:guff

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Next!

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glitch_oz

16th May 2012, 19:40

More Old Dunstan Road...

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Orrite then...that was the first part of the Dunstan...and the Linnburn Runs Rd. turns out to be one rutted, washed out track, that isn’t much fun to ride....even though the countryside is simply stunning.

There’s also the gnawing feeling of possibly being wrong, the maps don’t show a great deal of detail and things are a bit wishy-washy, we’re heading too far south.... not south-east, as we should.

http://www.glitch-oz.com/pics/12/NZ/NZ_SI_2012_0566.JPG

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The Loganburn Ford Rd. is a good dirt road again...and cuts straight east.
Shortly after, the Old Dunstan continues towards the south-east again and all’s good....sorta.
It’s getting late and we better don’t have any breakdowns, otherwise things could get quite messy.
Taieri River down below.

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glitch_oz

16th May 2012, 19:41

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The afternoon is getting old, shadows growing long, and it’s getting nippy in those bare, brown hills.

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glitch_oz

16th May 2012, 19:41

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Coming off the High Plains and back into farming country...we can’t be that far off.

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Not long after, we’re on tar again...and pop out onto a main road at Clarks Junction, the standalone-pub on Hwy87.

If they can cope with the 8 of us, we’ll pull the pin here.

“Sure, we’ve got 8 beds...that’s all we’ve got, but it’ll do! But there's only one bathroom, our own, if that's....and we'll have to make up the beds, didn't get around to it yet...”

The tired, grubby old pub becomes home for a night. It sure isn’t flash, or even “comfortably worn”, but hell, it’s a roof over the head, the deep-fryer tries to punch out something edible and the beer’s cold. And with the Danseys and the Old Dunstan under the belt in one day, who the hell’s complaining?

Do it all over again??

YEE-BLOODY—HAA!!!
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glitch_oz

16th May 2012, 19:47

Not that the next morning started any less exciting....

The morning dawns with an UNBELIEVABLE display of a sunrise. http://www.austouring.com/forum/images/smilies/glubsch.gifhttp://www.austouring.com/forum/images/smilies/glubsch.gif

Nature is putting on a BIG ONE, a feast for the eyes that doesn’t come around often.

Just scrape your bum out of the dead, folded-up excuse of a mattress

AND HAVE A LOOK AT THIS!!

http://www.glitch-oz.com/pics/12/NZ/NZ_SI_2012_0594.JPG

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.....as for the rest of the trip, please follow the link in the first post.

paturoa

16th May 2012, 19:52

Stunning adventure - recommend everyone follows the link in first post.

Can I come on your next trip?

FJRider

16th May 2012, 20:06

There IS 24 hour fuel in Ranfurly ... if you had bothered to ask (any shop or the information center), you would have been told where the card pump was. There is a 7-day service station there too. Depending how "early" you were ... if it was open.

Maha

16th May 2012, 20:12

What an absolutely stunning and wonderfully put together pictorial read.
Thank you so much for sharing that with us.

glitch_oz

16th May 2012, 20:15

Can I come on your next trip?

Tks for the "endorsement" :msn-wink:

Think, I know the name from StromTrooper?

And unlike most "long-term plans and commitments" elsewhere, the AT-mob doesn't fart around about their rides and trips.
By the time the yarns were sort-of finished, there were 2 slots left for the MK2 either next year or 2014.
By now I'm holding 5 lots of bike-deposits for "whenever it's going to happen".

If you're serious, shoot me a pm either here or on AT, I'm not spending much time on StromTrooper these days.

paturoa

16th May 2012, 20:50

Tks for the "endorsement" :msn-wink:

Think, I know the name from StromTrooper?

And unlike most "long-term plans and commitments" elsewhere, the AT-mob doesn't fart around about their rides and trips.
By the time the yarns were sort-of finished, there were 2 slots left for the MK2 either next year or 2014.
By now I'm holding 5 lots of bike-deposits for "whenever it's going to happen".

If you're serious, shoot me a pm either here or on AT, I'm not spending much time on StromTrooper these days.

Endorsement was genuine.

Yes for Stromtrooper.

Not really serious - but would love to as I've not done quite a few of the roads you travel, and I live here.

I'm planning a merkin trip in the next 2 years so that will use all available domestic credit and cash!

FJRider

16th May 2012, 21:15

f you're serious, shoot me a pm either here or on AT, I'm not spending much time on StromTrooper these days.

If YOU are serious ... give us a heads up before your next trip. Some of the "locals" in the areas may assist in advice on where you can/cant get to. Fuel availability etc.

Oh and it may pay to re-size those photo's before the mods infract you/remove pic's ... (as nice as they are)

glitch_oz

16th May 2012, 22:34

If YOU are serious ... give us a heads up before your next trip. Some of the "locals" in the areas may assist in advice on where you can/cant get to. Fuel availability etc.

Oh and it may pay to re-size those photo's before the mods infract you/remove pic's ... (as nice as they are)

Serious orrite... there's a long track record of that.
Like with the last ride... where we go and finish up at the end of the day always depends on weather, mood and other circumstances.
The plans in the morning might point east, but the events along the way might make us finish in the north.
The fuel (or lack thereof) in Naseby made us finally go into Alexandra...and we saw a few interesting things along the way, so no drama and nothing was lost.
Always looking at the flip side....

Which also goes for the pic-size.
If the admins don't allow pics beyond a certain size, they can easily install an auto-resize feature into the VB software which pulls down any size pic hosted somewhere else to the size they want.
If they want to scrap the pics the way they are or the whole post... so be it (shrug).
I'm not re-sizing, re-uploading, re-linking all those pics for this single forum alone while they're fine with everyone else around the globe.

Enjoy the pics then....while they're there.

glitch_oz

17th May 2012, 00:14

Not really serious - but would love to as I've not done quite a few of the roads you travel, and I live here.

I'm planning a merkin trip in the next 2 years so that will use all available domestic credit and cash!

Let's stay in touch then and see how the cookie crumbles when things are getting closer.
"merkin"? = American?

george formby

17th May 2012, 10:09

What an absolutely stunning and wonderfully put together pictorial read.
Thank you so much for sharing that with us.

Wot ^^^^ he said, great piccies.

Reminded me of how long it's been since I had a holiday.

glitch_oz

17th May 2012, 12:24

Reminded me of how long it's been since I had a holiday.

What a shame, with all that INCREDIBLE country right out the front door.

willytheekid

17th May 2012, 12:50

What beautiful photos:niceone:

...this is why Ive never left NZ before, I will oneday...but we have some of the most georgeous country, and Ive only seen 3/4 of it :laugh:

Great to see our aussie neighbours embracing all our country has to offer :love:

you guys are always welcome and warmly recieved over here...lest we forget

george formby

17th May 2012, 15:27

What a shame, with all that INCREDIBLE country right out the front door.

TBH I'm still discovering whats on my doorstep up here in the tropics. Just found a "narrow road" on an old map which has probably not seen a foot on it in 30 years, apart from the odd horticulturalist no doubt, so it's on with the knobs this weekend.....

glitch_oz

17th May 2012, 20:37

Great to see our aussie neighbours embracing all our country has to offer

Well, mate...those who don't better stay at home. The place is just incredible. Folks are great, tucker's good, the plonk is spectacular and the countryside leaves you dribbling. That really goes for both the South and the North (yo, had a 2010 trip there plus a few more trips checking both Islands)

TBH I'm still discovering whats on my doorstep up here in the tropics. Just found a "narrow road" on an old map which has probably not seen a foot on it in 30 years, apart from the odd horticulturalist no doubt, so it's on with the knobs this weekend.....

Same here...still discovering the immediate neighbourhood after 30 years of living in the same area.
All the local goodies get easily overlooked with all those fantastic destinations only a mouse-click away.

glitch_oz

17th May 2012, 20:43

Thanks to those who had a look, had notice from mod/admin that I've busted the boundaries on the picture size, so I guess the post (or at least all the pics) will disappear.
I'm not going to waste hours and hours to re-rig everything specifically to KB specs.... which will also prevent posting of more , similar material of rides around the globe (Euro-Alps/ Western US/ AUS etc etc), just in case someone was interested.

You might see the one or other yarn on ADVrider/ other forums...and always on AusTouring.
Cheers...and thanks for looking in :niceone:

pete376403

17th May 2012, 20:51

glitch_oz

18th May 2012, 10:03

Hi Pete, thanks for posting the pics and the report. I read the whole thing through last night and even though I've ridden many of those roads and tracks it was still great to get another perspective. Great photography, you make my (sorta) back yard look pretty good.

Pity you missed the West Coast and Haast pass - now that IS spectacular.

I'm heading off down that way in a couple of weeks - hope I get half as good as the weather you appeared to enjoy.

Happy to hear you enjoyed. The whole thing in one hit...man, you're keen!
And it sure is easy enough to make your backyard look good.
Been along the West Coast + Haast Pass in years past, from the swingbridge across the Kohaihai north of Karamea down to Wanaka.
Too many tourists along that side :msn-wink:
:laugh: