Waterfall in Arthurs Pass?

[Big Dave]

Wazza name of the waterfalls that have been diverted over the roadway half way up to Arthur's Pass.
Doing the Roads to Ride article and boogered if i can remember.
top 10 bling on offer :yes:

[Finn]

Devils Punchbowl or Twin Creek's

[Steam]

It's Reid Falls.
See here http://www.world-of-waterfalls.com/new-zealand-reid-falls.html
Hooray for me!

[Paul in NZ]

Not the devils punchbowl - you have to go on a wee walk to that one.

[Big Dave]

Mr Steam has it thanks.

[laRIKin]

Wazza name of the waterfalls that have been diverted over the roadway half way up to Arthur's Pass.
Doing the Roads to Ride article and boogered if i can remember.
top 10 bling on offer :yes:

Now why could you not ask this on Monday, as we went for a ride there on Tuesday and could of checked it out for you.
And I'm normally looking at the road and not reading the signs on the side of the road, so I can not help you.

[sAsLEX]

Funny thing is all the new fancy roads have led to more accidents than the old goat track.

[ajturbo]

Funny thing is all the new fancy roads have led to more accidents than the old goat track.

i loved the old road......!!

[Big Dave]

New one is pretty impressive bit of work.

[Kickaha]

New one is pretty impressive bit of work.

And a damn sight steeper in real life than it looks in the photo

[TonyB]

Hence the accidents? I reckon the smoothness of the viaduct and the fact it feels less steep than it is encourages people to go faster. I know I did the first time! By the time I had the car slowed enough to take the corners below the viaduct the brakes were just about shagged

[sAsLEX]

And a damn sight steeper in real life than it looks in the photo


Hence the accidents? I reckon the smoothness of the viaduct and the fact it feels less steep than it is encourages people to go faster. I know I did the first time! By the time I had the car slowed enough to take the corners below the viaduct the brakes were just about shagged

Yip. Knew a few on construction and they reckon its people sitting on the brakes the whole way down, by the time they have got to the corner the pedal is against the floor and they just dont slow down in time.

[Hitcher]

Mrs H, the bikes and I are doing that ride in a couple of weeks time. This time from east to west. Woo hoo!

[Big Dave]

Co-pilot and I have crossed the Southern Alps via Arthur’s Pass twice.
The First time was on a Trophy 1200 and there was 90 mm of rain in Greymouth on the day.
The second was on a Tiger 955i and we had near perfect conditions. It’s hard to say what was more spectacular.

How the massive engineering of the roadway coped with the thousands of litres per second barrelling down the mountainsides and the way the aqueducts discharged the mighty torrent into the void, and riding under and between it was an enduring memory.

So was the epic landscape towering to the clouds on the Tiger ascent.

From Greymouth follow the signs to Christchurch. Route 73 and the turnoff at Kumara Junction you are looking for.

Crossing the coastal plain the Alps soon loom in the distance and the climb to the Pass begins. Slowly at first along the base of the Taramakau River Valley until it narrows from meandering wash, kilometres wide, to a fast flowing, deep ravine and the cuttings and the steep going starts.

The climb to the Reid Falls has some great up hill 25kph peg draggers and an impressive carriageway. Wet or dry.

Then at 920mtr above sea level a huge valley opens up beyond the township of Arthur’s Pass. Even in high summer the valley was skirted by snow capped peaks in a sight that is truly awesome. I expected to be overtaken by the Riders of Rohan any second.

The road then hugs the almost vertical hillsides along the edges of the Waimakariri River as it flows towards the Canterbury Plains.

Enormous mountains of Scoria, massive rocky outcrops and some of the best sweeping bends accompany the descent as it winds around the Torlesse Range to the plains just before Springfield.

It’s one of those rides that nobody would blame you if you said: ‘Wow – let's go back and do that again.’

[Hitcher]

Very poetic Dave. And aren't those 130kmh corners between Arthurs and Porters Pass a blast, even if they are labelled as 65kmh...

[Paul in NZ]

Be careful on the road through Arthurs Pass these days. Since they improved the road Truck - trailer combos use it and there is still a lot of it that is not improved.

Great place to ride a bike though.

[Big Dave]

Very poetic Dave. And aren't those 130kmh corners between Arthurs and Porters Pass a blast, even if they are labelled as 65kmh...

I set up a Trophy to do the first tour. Ohlins shock, Race tech emulators and Ohlins Fork springs. Sticky tyres. Had it jacked up with some custom ride height adjusters and it handled like a sprotsbike for the larger gentleman.
(an 06 FJR 5 years before they had 06 FJRs) Christchurch side was dry. Absolutely nailed it all the way down - back when I had an Aussie licence even.
Thems war the days.

[Big Dave]

Also, in the enquiring minds want to know stakes - Arthur whom?

[Hitcher]

The pass is named after Sir Arthur Dudley Dobson, who led the first party of Europeans across the pass in 1864. He had been informed of the presence of a pass which had been used occasionally by Māori hunting parties by a West Coast Māori Chief, Tarapuhi.

[Flyingpony]

Yip. Knew a few on construction and they reckon its people sitting on the brakes the whole way down, by the time they have got to the corner the pedal is against the floor and they just dont slow down in time.

It's a lovely road that one. I'm quite sure there's a sign on the summit which tells trucks to use low gear. These signs should always be taking into account.

For myself, I'm engine braking virtually all the way down either hill so should the brakes be required :shit: they're still there :yes:

[jonbuoy]

I did it last summer - although on the day I went accross I could see snow not too far above me. Was still an awesome ride. Dangerous coz the scenery is so stunning.

[Big Dave]

used occasionally by Māori hunting parties by a West Coast Māori Chief, Tarapuhi.

What were they hunting? Crossing that lot seems a lot of bother for a feed of pointy beaked duck.

[Hitcher]

What were they hunting?
Probably pounamu. Or their West Coast brothers.

[sAsLEX]

The pass is named after Sir Arthur Dudley Dobson, who led the first party of Europeans across the pass in 1864. He had been informed of the presence of a pass which had been used occasionally by Māori hunting parties by a West Coast Māori Chief, Tarapuhi.


Probably pounamu. Or their West Coast brothers.

Surely you mean East in the second statement as surely they wouldn't cross a mountain pass in order to attack themselves?

And I would probably point out that the Maori were exercising there rights of kaitiakitanga with the Moa population......

[MD]

The pass is named after Sir Arthur Dudley Dobson, who led the first party of Europeans across the pass in 1864. He had been informed of the presence of a pass which had been used occasionally by Māori hunting parties by a West Coast Māori Chief, Tarapuhi.

He was such a name dropper. Guess why there is a town west of Greymouth called Dodson.
My mammary gland might be playing tricks on me, but wasn't there an impressive statue/monument to Sir Arthur Dudley Moore Dodson on the old zig-zag road. That's the old road that twisted, oh so nicely over the top, before the viaduct was built. What did they do with the statue when they closed the zig-zag? Leave the poor old bugger up there in the snow on his lonesome?
Done that Chch-Grey trip so many times but still the scenery never ceases to impress, and the road- sweepers fast and slow to dream about.

[Unforgiven]

For myself, I'm engine braking virtually all the way down either hill so should the brakes be required :shit: they're still there :yes:

You still have to watch out for all the cages with autos, they will cook the breaks every time.

[Flyingpony]

You still have to watch out for all the cages with autos, they will cook the breaks every time.
My cage is an auto :pinch: so she gets placed into manual mode and forced to use first or second gear :shifty: Does the trick ;)