Fifty shades of grey (or One wet week around the South Island)

[Frodo]

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/UrwIarSGZUlQOrNLZGP8z9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=d irectlink...............

[AllanB]

What?

Been a week of sun in CHCH

[Frodo]

Right, I'll give it another shot.

Its ironic that when I finally get round to post a ride report the weather is hot, the garden needs watering and Marlborough is heading into a drought. Well this certainly wasn't the situation a couple of weeks before Christmas.

318273
Day 1: Wellington to St Arnaud

318274
The rain started the moment I saddled up my bike with the camping gear that would sustain me over the next week. And it stopped shortly after the ferry left Wellington harbour. Blue skies and wind-swept seas as the promised gale arrives.

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Tying down the bike on the ferry next to a tricked out Yam XT660X.

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Coming into Picton.

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Turning west from Blenheim into a strong headwind.

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Enjoyment of the ride up the Wairau Valley was moderated by a strong headwind and later the fun of the curves was dampened by the rain. And the rain required me to focus on the road rather than enjoy the ride. The bike powered on through the rain without a hiccup.

[Frodo]

Can someone smarter than me tell me how I can get full size photos rather than piddly little thumbnails?
Thanks

[Ocean1]

Can someone smarter than me tell me how I can get full size photos rather than piddly little thumbnails?
Thanks

Right at the bottom of the "Manage attachments" box, click on the "insert inline".

[Frodo]

Right at the bottom of the "Manage attachments" box, click on the "insert inline".

Thanks Ocean, but I did that and just tried again and the pictures (which are the regulation 1024 pixels along the long edge) still come out as thumbnails.

318279
Here's a photo of a wet bike at Lake Rotoiti, with fresh snow on the hills.

[MD]

Unfortunate timing for you. Well they needed rain in Marlborough when we did the South Island in the first week of December.

How far did you cover? We went same way as you, inland from Blenheim-Murch-Westport-Hoki day 1. Then over Arthurs Pass to Twizel- weird place for a stopover to be honest. Then over the glorious Lindis Pass and Haast. Then upward to Takaha.
Only rain we got was 30 minutes through Otira.

What did piss us off was tourist drivers crossing the centreline. The media hype is all true.
Pics
-Trying to cool down at the Murchison Hotel/Cafe- it's always stinking hot in Murchison
-The beautiful Fox river mouth
-Punakaiki pub for the night. Bit expensive but well worth a stay

[Frodo]

Hi MD
Yes, I rode about 2300km of which over half was in the rain, as will be revealed! I stopped at Murchison for a coffee and saw a V-strom and a Triumph, the last bikes until I got to Kingston on the way north.
Anyway...

318293
Day 2: St Arnaud to Franz Josef

318294
The day started off with the promise of blue sky, but the reality of a 5 degree departure from St Arnaud in rain. And then the wind picked up – head wind of course. Stunning roads, but cold tyres and saturated surface meant discretion rather than valour in the many, many sweeping corners. Delightful riding country, shame about the weather.

318295
The weather cleared briefly as I entered the Buller Gorge. The Buller River dirty brown following the rain during the previous day.

318296
The Coast road started off pleasantly dry.
The bike is facing the other way as riding south puts you on the inside of the road away from the coast.


318297

[Frodo]

318298
Just north of Punakaiki, the sky turned black and soon after it started hailing.

318299
Looking back at the storm clouds I'd just ridden through.
Not large hail, about pea sized, but enough to sting and then the intensity grew such that the road was half an inch deep in the stuff, forcing me to slow down.
Notice the small pile of hail still sitting on the seat against my crotch!


318300
The rain resumed and I continued to Greymouth.
The bummer about rain with motorcycling is that you must be extra cautious in the corners and the coastline is obscured. And photography is difficult and so I took fewer photos. I discovered that my flip-front helmet (Shoei Neotec) collects some water in channels in the chin-piece, that can pour out on my camera. My camera showed signs of condensation, but survived the trip.

318301
Near Harihari - with fresh snow on the hills.

318302
Lake Mapourika

[Frodo]

318303
I was very cold when I arrived in Franz Josef - Aprilia "Shiver" was an appropriate description. But all’s well that ends well. The day ended up with thawing out in a hot spa with views of the mountains, fresh popcorn and great hot soup provided free by Glow Worm Backpackers in Franz Josef.


318305
The Franz Josef river

318304
Where will the road take me tomorrow? And will the weather improve?

[Frodo]

318306
Day 3: Franz Josef to Glenorchy

318307
Day 3 started off dry but rather grey. I rode up a short side road to the Franz Josef glacier. Thanks to a changing climate the glacier is retreating and not the easy walk that I had back in 1981.

318308
But it then rained heavy all the way further south (hence no photos along this stunning coast).
I sloshed into the petrol station in Haast, as much for the shelter as for the fuel.

318309
The sun came out 40km beyond Haast. I remember that distance as it was so great to see the sun! My bike pleaded for some throttle and so I obliged in the sweeping curves along the Haast River.


318311
The Gates of Haast, just west of the Haast Pass.

318310
A Japanese tourist carrying a large Nikon obliged when I asked him to take a photo of me.

[Frodo]

318312
A great road through here so I was thankful the road was dry.

318313
Warm sunshine at the top of Lake Wanaka.

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More sun as I approached Lake Hawea.

318315
The glorious roads of the Crown Range and the old pub at Cardona.

318316
Crown Range Road with Lake Wakatipu in the distance.

318317
Portrait of my bike in touring mode. Superb, reliable bike for New Zealand roads.

[Frodo]

318318
Tourists thronged Queenstown in skimpy shorts and T-shirts, and I sweltered in multiple layers of clothing as I searched for a small bicycle pump to top up my front tyre (garage air hoses can’t clear the brakes on my front wheel - I'll fit a right-angle valve when I replace the tyre). The road from Queenstown to Glenorchy is glorious and the mountains beckoned in the distance. I looked forward to finally camping at the head of the lake.

318319
The idyllic setting of the campsite at Lake Sylvan conflicted with three dozen or so army cadets from Invercargill, dressed in army camou clothing camping here. A kea flew screeching overhead, a falcon wept past in a hunt for finches for dinner and some kakarikis chuckled in the forest nearby.

[Frodo]

318320
Day 4: Glenorchy to Manapouri

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The day began with a chorus of bellbirds and the clouds cleared as I was eating breakfast.
I packed up the campsite, noting that I was out of practice and often had to pack stuff more than once - l’d love this to be second nature. A young engineer camping nearby asked my plans. No plans, I said, but some ideas. Like putting the bike on the Earnslaw steamship across to the other side of Lake Wakatipu from Queenstown and take the back road to Te Anau, perhaps camping at the Mavora Lakes. I’d ridden that road through wide open country some years ago and wanted to repeat the experience.
The lenticular clouds in the sky warned of wind later that day.

318322
Heading south on the gravel road towards Glenorchy.

318323
Crossing the Dart River.

318324
Looking up the Dart River.

318325
Back on the seal, I noticed the bike felt sloppy so I stopped and saw that the rear tyre was flat. I couldn’t see any nail - perhaps it just needs pumping up. Great that I bought that pump yesterday, but the little pump made no headway. Great that its not raining, but civilisation feels a long way off. I could see a farm house in the distance and slowly rode my bike there, thinking I’d have to take the wheel off and hitch into Queenstown.
A friendly teenager extracted himself from the internet and offered me a larger pump. But again it could not sustain more than a few psi in the tyre. I did, however, hear the hissing of escaping air and found a large hole in the tread groove in the middle of the tyre, probably from a sharp stone. (Looking at the photo of the bike on the Dart bridge shows that the tyre was fine after leaving the gravel). I plugged the hole with a tyre repair kit I carried with me and rode slowly to Glenorchy.

[Frodo]

318326
The café at Glenorchy provided good, but very slow coffee, but the tyre held the pressure.
A careful ride to Queenstown took me to the local Yamaha shop where the friendly staff not only had the right size tyre (Metzeler Z8), but would fit it for me in spite of a fully booked afternoon, and I had delicious coffee and lunch in their café while I waited.
The sun was still shining when I left the shop and I thought Ha! My luck has changed. The Earnslaw had long departed, so in 20 degrees and sunny skies I headed south.

318327
Lake Wakatipu takes a dogleg to the south and when I could see down the lake, there was a black wall of rain. The temperature plummeted to 8 degrees and the old familiar feeling of rain was back. This glorious road along the lake was not only tempered by the weather, but by road works. So I diligently slowed to 50 km/h in the 30 km/h section, when around the corner comes a mufti police car, sees me, flashes his red and blue lights. Shit! I don’t need this! I stop in the rain waiting for the cop car who doesn’t appear. Perhaps it was too difficult to U-turn on the narrow road.

318328
The rain persisted until about 20km from Manapouri (ironic as this is one of the wettest parts of New Zealand).

[Ocean1]

Thanks Ocean, but I did that and just tried again and the pictures (which are the regulation 1024 pixels along the long edge) still come out as thumbnails.

Sorry dude, that's the extent of my pic-posting expertise. :laugh:

Sure that used to work...

[BMWST?]

great pics.You dont need them any larger,we can click on them and they come out great.You can get much larger pics if you have the pics hosted somewhere else but that makes it slow for anyone with limited or slow data or internet.The ataachmnet thumbnail is the best way imho peple can view the larger pics if they want or just view the thumbnail

[merv]

Great to see your photos Frodo.

[MD]

Yeah I enjoyed seeing your pictures. Well done that man.

seeing the shots along the West Coast just makes me want to rush back down again...and it's fine

[nerrrd]

Great reading and really nice pics, hope all your gear held up well in the rain!

[Grashopper]

Great pics and I enjoyed reading through your descriptions. Lucky that the cop didn't bother to turn around and good to see that the tire repair kit came in handy. I used to carry one around, then stopped, but may start doing that again.

[rambaldi]

Great pics and I enjoyed reading through your descriptions. Lucky that the cop didn't bother to turn around and good to see that the tire repair kit came in handy. I used to carry one around, then stopped, but may start doing that again.

It might have just been a warning to slow it down, rather than a concerted effort to pay for some doughnuts. One or two others on here have gotten them recently.

[caspernz]

Thanks for sharing your pics and experiences. I'm sure you enjoyed yourself despite the weather. :niceone:

[swtfa]

Thanks for sharing. The south island is definitely on my bucket list :)

[Frodo]

318381
Day 5: Manapouri to Omarama

318382
Originally I’d hoped to ride along the south coast, including the delightful Catlins, camping at the aptly name Porpoise Bay (a stronghold of the endangered Hector dolphins). I flagged that away a couple of days previously with a forecast of strong southerlies. I’d hoped that taking an inland route to Gore would give me better weather. But with predicted rain and hail, I decided to backtrack to Queenstown.
I delayed leaving Manapouri, hoping the rain would ease. It didn’t. I thought riding in rain at 4 degrees, it would only get better. It didn’t.
This is a photo from the backpackers as the rain started.


318383
I rode east from Manapouri then turned north on the road up from Invercargill, and the black clouds to the south told me I had made the right decision. I was pretty cold at this point and knew that I needed a break before the planned coffee in Queenstown. The inside of the café at Kingston was like a sauna and the smell of fresh coffee and baking drew me in. The double flat white was a good as it smelled as was the gluten-free slice. I had some urgent work to attend to, which the dodgy wifi added a challenge.

318384
A biker stood alongside me, shook my hand and introduced himself with an Irish accent, saying he’d lived in New Zealand for years. His hand was as cold as mine must have been a half hour ago. He was riding a Harley Road King with his friend and another couple on another Harley, and asked about the weather further south. I gave the answer he expected, but didn’t want to hear and he went out to report to his friends. The Harleys were the first bikes I’d seen since Murchison on day 2. And then an FJ1200 rode past, heading north, away from the rain. Bikes were no longer rare

318385
The rain eased a little in the bustle of Queenstown, and in spite of the ever-threatening rain, I was pleased to leave. The Kawarau Gorge is like a scene straight out of the Lord of the Rings – and it is – the River Anduin was filmed here. And a great bike road, when dry.

318386
The rain increased alongside Lake Dunstan and it got colder as I climbed slowly towards the Lindis Pass. At the top it was just 3 degrees and it felt like snow. Steam rising from the warmer road belied the real temperature.

[Frodo]

318388
The other side of the Lindis Pass - the rain had almost stopped.

318387
Heading north. I hoped the desert like Ahuriri Valley would be dry.

318389
Just the other side of Omarama, I turned right into Buscot Station, where I would stay the night. Strange to see a plume of dust behind the bike. And to see the lawn of farm house being watered, but then the rain arrives and I had to bring my drying saturated gloves in.

318390
It rained most of the night and became the most significant rain Omarama had seen for months. The owner of the station said I could stay for free next time if I brought rain!
(View from my bedroom window).

[JATZ]

Nice work Frodo :niceone:

It's a right pain when the weather turns to custard day after day, but still better than working... right ?

Re photos: I host mine on Photobucket and "embed" them when posting trip reports

[Frodo]

Nice work Frodo :niceone:

It's a right pain when the weather turns to custard day after day, but still better than working... right ?

Re photos: I host mine on Photobucket and "embed" them when posting trip reports

Absolutely right about riding in rain rather than working! There is another thread here somewhere called "The pleasures of riding in rain". There is a limit and after about 300km of rain at around 5 degrees, the pleasure wanes!

I have my photos on Picasaweb and will try that. But some have reported that they prefer thumbnails.

Will post the final 2 days later today (including the dry Day 7!).

[Frodo]

318421
Day 6: Omarama to Waipara

318422
I woke to scattered sun, light showers and a rainbow.

318423
There was fresh snow on the hills (to the left) as I packed the bike.

318424
Optimistically, I left the rainpants in the pannier as I rode off.

318425
It was cold, but dry, although dark clouds were hugging the mountains, obscuring Mt Cook, so I flagged away the planned side trip. Light rain started and the temperature dropped to 5 degrees as a bunch of about a dozen bikes, all BMWs, approached. Clearly an organised motorbike tour. I hope they have better weather than I! I will be back, but that may be difficult for them.

[Moi]

Enjoying reading and seeing photos of your trip, the photo with the lupins is wonderful...

yeah, I know, DoC doesn't like them but they add colour in a spectacular way in grand scenery.

Thanks for sharing.

[Frodo]

318427
The Church of the Good Shepherd at Tekapo.

318426
Reflection of Lake Tekapo in the windows of the church.

318428
Rainbow patches on the road warned me that a truck had spilled diesel – I almost wished for more rain to wash the diesel off the road. Dark clouds threatened real rain as I crossed Burkes Pass and I stopped in at the township of the same name to put on the rainpants and to get a coffee. Coffee was only takeaway, and with no warm café, I pressed on to the next town in the rain.

318429
After lunch in Geraldine, the sky brightened and the temperature rose to a balmy 12 degrees. I was presented with a choice of Highway 72, the Inland Scenic Route, with dark clouds skirting the hills, or to turn right towards blue sky and Highway 1. I chose Highway 72, was soon pleased with the choice.

318430
Rural scene in inland Canterbury.

[Frodo]

318432
Great roads near Rakaia Gorge.

318433
Rakaia River valley

318434
Towering thunderclouds loomed in the distance and I wondered if the road that held me captive would lead me into them. Eventually it did and just before Amberley, the heavens opened. I then joined Highway 1, having avoided it for as long as possible, and was drenched in wafts of roadspray from one truck after another. Just as well I was staying in Waipara as 10 km of those conditions were enough.
I stayed in a backpackers in Waipara in a cottage with just enough room for the bike to be out of the rain.

318435
The skies cleared in the evening and the setting sun cast long shadows and bathed the landscape in warm light. I rode out to Weka Pass to make some photos.

318436
Weka Pass.

318437
The toilet block at Waipara at sunset - an iconic rural building style.

[Frodo]

318438
Day 7: Waipara to Wellington


318439
I woke early to a gorgeous crisp morning, had breakfast and was on the road at seven. Beautiful weather, little traffic and probably the best section of Highway 1 from a motorcyclist’s perspective.

318440


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The Hundalee hills provide lots of 35km/h corners, but the surface was patched with many temporary repairs, taking a bit of the edge of the ride. This was close to riding perfection and it was great to treat the Aprilia to a few more revs than she had received through the last week.

318442
I reached the coast and some cloud. In the middle distance, the foothills of the Kaikoura Range had been dusted with snow. I bumped into an old friend by chance in a café in Kaikoura, refuelled and rode north. The pervasive stench indicated the fur seals that haul out along this coast.

318443
A stiff southerly developed, but this was now a tailwind (for the first time on this ride) and so this meant relaxed riding. I arrived in Picton in plenty of time for the ferry.

[Frodo]

318444
I tied the bike down in the ferry, next to a Ducati Multistrada of the same year and colour as my eariier bike. The guy had just bought it and was rapt. The bike attracted a lot of attention (like mine used to), but I doubt whether the Ducati would have performed so flawlessly in the rain my Aprilia encountered during the previous week.

318446
Also on the ferry was Martin Jarvis who was riding around the world. Great guy and he enthralled me with his stories during the voyage back to Wellington.
Martin's blog is here:
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog/oneworldonebike/1/tpod.html

318445
Martin's journey continues.
I look forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight and dream of the next ride.

[nerrrd]

Some stunning shots in that lot too - at least the inclement weather added some drama!

Very envious of your flexible trip-planning and photographic talents.

[CB ARGH]

Sounds a tad cold and a TAD wet! Great read Frodo, and awesome pics.

[awa355]

Frodo, I have sent you a copy of a PM that I had sent another member about being able to post pictures instead of attachments. Most of the message shows how I downsize the photos in Paint, then upload those pics to my photobucket acc. From there I download to my ride reports. It may or may not help you.

[adventure1]

Great pics an journey story very inspiring for us newbies ,thanks,


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