pritch
6th April 2007, 19:15
We all have our favourite roads. Some, like the Paekak Hill, are over all too soon. Others like the Coromandel loop are more substantial, or if you fancy a really substantial ride you could do SH43 Stratford to Taumarunui (or vice versa).
I was surprised a year or two ago to read that the West Coast of the South Island was considered one of the world's best rides. The West Coast simply never having had that image for me.
I just Googled that topic and came up with this:
http://www.askmen.com/fashion/travel_top_ten_100/110d_travel_top_ten.html
Somebody must have been a bit lost...
The last time I was planning to ride the West Coast there was a storm warning for the area on my day of departure from Lumsden, so I headed north up through the McKenzie Country and left the West Coast for another day. That day finally arrived last week.:scooter:
My words may not be able to do this justice, nor may my photographs. Afterall if you've seen one picture with blue sky, blue water, and a mountain range you've see em all. Sort of.
If you are a New Zealand motorcyclist and you haven't travelled down the West Coast of the South Island you haven't seen the best riding this country has to offer. By Far!
You owe it to yourself to put this on your “to do” list. Maybe not for the middle of winter though...
Fairly conservatively I had organised the legs into rides of approximately 350 to 400K. That must have been about right because at the same time I was doing my trip there was a group of about 60 to 70 Ducati riders on a similar mission and we were generally keeping a similar timetable.
Sunday 25 March
No hassles boarding the ferry in company with a couple of Australian Ducati riders and several other bikes. Tiedowns all round plus duct tape on the front brake but it was a super smooth crossing. Thanks to nadroj for the loan of his bike bra and two tiedowns though.
A brilliant run down SH1 to Kaikoura, the first time I rode down there I was grinning inside my helmet. This is the sort of thing we imagine when reading the brochures prior to buying a bike, but which we all too seldom get to do.
Then to the inland road SH 70 just after Kaikoura. This was an interesting little number. Generally of such a nature as to let you cruise at whatever speed you choose (or think you can get away with?). It does pay to stay awake however, because without warning you'll come across a corner that would normally be posted at 40KPH. Then another, and another. The third one likely being the first one that is posted as being that speed. This happened more than once and I'm not sure whether there is a roading engineer with a warped sense of humour or whether this is done to stop the North Island tourists getting constipated.
Hanmer is a resort with lots of accomodation: motorcamps, hotels, motels, and ski lodges. I had trouble finding the motorcamp I was booked into, I found two others first. Both the VFR and I were running hot before we found the right place but I don't have an automatic electric fan. It seems that in Hanmer every single corner has those blue signs indicating accomodation in that direction. They might be just as well off with no signs?
Once I finally located it, the Top 10 Holiday Park in Hanmer was an impressive place. Dinner at the Hot Springs Hotel next door was good too. I could willingly spend more time in their bar but $6.00 a pint?
I was surprised a year or two ago to read that the West Coast of the South Island was considered one of the world's best rides. The West Coast simply never having had that image for me.
I just Googled that topic and came up with this:
http://www.askmen.com/fashion/travel_top_ten_100/110d_travel_top_ten.html
Somebody must have been a bit lost...
The last time I was planning to ride the West Coast there was a storm warning for the area on my day of departure from Lumsden, so I headed north up through the McKenzie Country and left the West Coast for another day. That day finally arrived last week.:scooter:
My words may not be able to do this justice, nor may my photographs. Afterall if you've seen one picture with blue sky, blue water, and a mountain range you've see em all. Sort of.
If you are a New Zealand motorcyclist and you haven't travelled down the West Coast of the South Island you haven't seen the best riding this country has to offer. By Far!
You owe it to yourself to put this on your “to do” list. Maybe not for the middle of winter though...
Fairly conservatively I had organised the legs into rides of approximately 350 to 400K. That must have been about right because at the same time I was doing my trip there was a group of about 60 to 70 Ducati riders on a similar mission and we were generally keeping a similar timetable.
Sunday 25 March
No hassles boarding the ferry in company with a couple of Australian Ducati riders and several other bikes. Tiedowns all round plus duct tape on the front brake but it was a super smooth crossing. Thanks to nadroj for the loan of his bike bra and two tiedowns though.
A brilliant run down SH1 to Kaikoura, the first time I rode down there I was grinning inside my helmet. This is the sort of thing we imagine when reading the brochures prior to buying a bike, but which we all too seldom get to do.
Then to the inland road SH 70 just after Kaikoura. This was an interesting little number. Generally of such a nature as to let you cruise at whatever speed you choose (or think you can get away with?). It does pay to stay awake however, because without warning you'll come across a corner that would normally be posted at 40KPH. Then another, and another. The third one likely being the first one that is posted as being that speed. This happened more than once and I'm not sure whether there is a roading engineer with a warped sense of humour or whether this is done to stop the North Island tourists getting constipated.
Hanmer is a resort with lots of accomodation: motorcamps, hotels, motels, and ski lodges. I had trouble finding the motorcamp I was booked into, I found two others first. Both the VFR and I were running hot before we found the right place but I don't have an automatic electric fan. It seems that in Hanmer every single corner has those blue signs indicating accomodation in that direction. They might be just as well off with no signs?
Once I finally located it, the Top 10 Holiday Park in Hanmer was an impressive place. Dinner at the Hot Springs Hotel next door was good too. I could willingly spend more time in their bar but $6.00 a pint?