PDA

View Full Version : 5 Days in Heaven



flyingscotsman
4th March 2006, 21:21
We take so much for granted these days. Especially our ability to ride freely in such a wonderful country. I've not long returned from my first bike trip to the South Island. After catching the early ferry on a Thursday morning we rode down SH1 to Kaikoura, Eddie on his very new VFR250 and me on the trusty XJR1200. We stopped at the Yamaha dealer in Winton (? I think)who was having a closing down sale. Nice guys, deals of a lifetime on XJR1200, FZR's etc, but clearly sad to be closing a business which has served the community for generations. We pressed on to Kaikoura to go whale watching. Despite me being seasick on the calmest day in 7 years it was well worth the visit. Day 2 saw us heading inland to Blackball through the Lewis Pass. Although it was a long day in the saddle we found ourselves lost in the scenery on numerous occasions and ran wide on several corners. Apart from Eddies $150 ticket for failing to stop at a stop sign at the Hamner Springs turn-off, it was simply stunning. If you ever find yourself down that way drop in to (formerly known as) the Blackball Hilton. It's a wonderful piece of West Coast history and the food is wonderful. Too many Miners Draught's the night before saw a slightly late start to Day 3 - a short trip to Greymouth then down to Hokitika. Big ups to Hughes Motor Services in Greymouth. They fixed the XJR's idling problem on Sat morning - no fuss, no drama, all for $20. Interesting collection of bikes in the workshop too. Day 3 was spent lazing around Greymouth ready for Day 4 the ride up to Motueka. Day 4 was another fantastic day. Great weather, great scenery and wonderful roads. We stopped of at Murchison for lunch and caught up with other bikers from as far afield as Whangarei and Dunedin. We pressed on through the Buller Gorge. For me this was the absolute best riding; a mix of long open sweepers with some really tight narrow bends thrown in. Heaven indeed. On Day 5 we headed back to Picton through the scenic Wrai Valley. Again the weather was brilliant; sunshine, blue sky, barely a breeze.
I could rabbit on for ages in an hour by hour account of these 5 days and bore you to tears with the endless photographs but I wont' All I can say is I'll be back. in fact I'm already planning next year's trip. To quote Fred Dagg, "we don't know how lucky we are" Really.

Shadows
4th March 2006, 21:37
Cool, man. That's on my list of trips to do.