Southern Cross 07 - Ride Reports

[Jantar]

Friday 20th.

I left Alexandra at 08:30 on a beautiful day with plenty of sun and only a light breeze. It was still slightly cool, so I had on all my thermal gear and the bike was only lightly loaded with all personal gear split between my two panniers, and bike gear in a tank bag where a top box would normally sit. Traffic was light and it only took 90 minutes to get to Twizel and my first fuel stop. Whilst here I discovered that I hadn't reset my GPS to get the exact distance, so I took the opportunity to zero out my trip meter and GPS. I just had to remember to add 140 km to both at the end of the ride.

I took a break for an early lunch at Geraldine, then north to Mayfield and the long straight Thompson's Track road to SH1. I was very suprised to discover that the turn-off at Hornby was virtually gridlocked at 1:30 in the afternoon, and it took almost 30 minutes to negotiate the bypass to Belfast.

On the Christchurch motorway I noticed that my radar detector was picking up a cop on the Ka band, but my screamer wasn't giving any noise. I figured that the screamer battery must be low, so when I stopped in Amberley for fuel I bought a new battery at the same time. I didn't want to block the forecourt whilst I took the front fairing off to get at the screamer, so I carried on north to a rest area near Cheviot where I stopped to work on the problem. After removing the screamer I found that the self test button still gave adequate noise, and that pointed to a problem with the wiring. I soon worked out that it was a broken wire in the 3.5 mm plug, and without a soldering iron I couldn't carry out a proper repair. I did mange to wiggle the wire into a position where it appeared to work, so I carefully put everything back together and carried on.

After that rather long stop I arrived in Kaikoura at 4:30 pm and booked myself into the Lyall Creek Backpackers. This place is at the upper end of the backpacker spectrum and it was more like a boutique hotel than a backpackers; very comfortable and everything was provided.

[xknuts]

We'll be following you with interest, Malcom

[Jantar]

Saturday 21st.

As I didn't need to be in Picton till 1:00 pm I made today a late start, leaving Kaikoura at 09:30. Again the weather was brilliant, and I stopped at Kekerengu for brunch. This is a lovely spot, and although slightly expensive, the food is worth it, and just look at the view. (photo 1)

I arrived in Picton just before midday, and as it was too early to check in for the ferry I decided to park up near the water front and just have a look around. (photo 2).

The town was rather busy and parking spaces were at a premium. However I found a spot between a small island (next to a pedestrian crossing) and a bus stop. There was room here for possibly 2 or 3 bikes, but no cars could fit in there. WHile I was taking my jacket off, a local warned me not to park there as he had just received a ticket for parking a motor scooter in the same spot, and the parking warden was still in the area. I queried just what the ticket was for, and all he could tell me was illegal parking. He couldn't tell me why it was illegal, so I decdided to park there anyway, and if I got a parking ticket I could have fun fighting it. The bike was over 5 meters away from the pedestrian crossing, and wasn't on the traffic island, nor on the bus stop, and there was no dotted yellow line. (Photo 3 shows how far away from the crossing it was). Anyway I was disappointed that I didn't get a parking ticket.

While waiting for the ferry, 3 riders from the Chatto Creek club arrived. I knew that Noel had entered the SC with his wife Barabra as a pillion, but I wasn't expecting the other two so it was a bit of a suprise. Those who have read my report on the Chatto Creek 1000 published in Bike Rider Magazine will remeber mention of the group of 4, here were 3 of that group on a BMW 1200, a Triumph Rocket 3 and a Triumph Thunderbird. We boared the Santa Rosa, and I have never seen such poor tie down facilities. We were ushered into a corner next to a fire door, but there was nothing at floor level to tie to. I finally manged to find a couple of eyelets on the fire door to use as tie down points however I must say how glad I was that it was a smooth crossing. The bike would not have been secure in even a moderate swell.

After disembarking in Wellington I headed north to Shannon where I caught up with The_Duck_01 and Spanzy, both from the SI Passes ride.

[Jantar]

Sunday 22nd.

I left the Duck01's place shortly before 10:00 am and continued north with the intention of meeting up with Nadroj somewhere south of Hawera. As he was heading south from New Plymouth at about the same time I expected to see him on the road at around 11:30 - 11:45. As that time approached the road just seemed to be fill of bikes of all descriptions, but fortunately none of them resembled a Busa, so I didn't turn around and try chasing any. As I rode into Waverley there was a busa at the side of the road, so I stopped, and sure enough it was Nadroj. He had stopped right outside an eating establishment so we made that our lunch break.

After lunch, Nadroj took me to a museum near Waitara, and what a fabulous place it was. (Maybe Nadroj can give us some more information). We arrived at Nadroj's place in New Plymouth mid afternoon, in plenty of time to clean the bike and check it over thoroughly in preparation for the ride. Next we headed around to the motel where Highlander was staying, and tried to hijack his bike. He caught me before I could move it though, then we tracked down Shafty and another rider (sorry mate, I'm hopeless at remembering names after a week) and we went for a mini KB evening at a pub.

[nadroj]

That beed the Tawhiti museum just out of Hawera - recomended stop to anyone passing thru & easiest to find by turning east at Normanby.

[Jantar]

Monday 23rd (morning).

With everything packed and loaded, Nadroj and I headed out at 09:00 for fuel, then a short stop at a money machine. I knew that I needed to carry sufficient cash for 4 days as I couldn't be sure what places would or wouldn't have eftpos etc. Traffic was quite light as we headed west, but we were seeing more and more motorcycles.

We stopped at Okato for a KB breakfast, and what a fabulous sight to see so many motorcycles all lined up. The Cafe hadn't yet opened their kitchen so most riders opted for coffee and a muffin. Across the road at the shop there was a much greater selection of food available with everything from chicken and chips to filled rolls. The Cafe may normally do the best business, but on this day it was the local store that provided the best service.

We continued on to the start point for the rally and turned onto the East Cape road just as another large group of riders came in from the opposite direction. A great line up of bikes of all descriptions, and a last opportunity for a Team KB photo before the Southern Cross began.

[Jantar]

Because of the large number of riders this year, 134 entered and 130 started, the organisers didn't give a verbal briefing, but gave us all a briefing sheet with all the relevent information. Also this year there were 3 books with all entrants listed in alphabetical order, so that also cut down the time spent waiting to sign in, and we were permitted to depart shortly after 11:00 am.

Nadroj on his Busa, Highlander on his CB750 and I on a VStrom set off at 11:15 and set a good steady pace back around the coast to New Plymouth. Just out of the city, near Bell Block, a number of approaching cars started flashing their lights, and a short distance further on there was a cop with a laser gun. Half a km or so down the road was a HP car at the side of the road with one poor motorist nabbed. I guess that with the number of bikes passing through in groups that laser would be the only way that the cops could ping any individual motorcyclist. So that suggested to me that this speed trap was aimed directly at the Southern Cross riders. Other riders from Taranaki later commented that they had never seen Laser at that spot before.

There were many patches of road works as we made our way north, and somewhere near Mt Messenger, Nadroj and I passed a group of slow vehicles, but Highlander got stuck behind them, so our wee group were now seperated. We had all planned on refuelling at Otorohanga, so we knew that we'd all meet up again soon. In the Awakino Gorge, we came up behind a group of 5 riders on sports bikes who were sitting on a nice comfortable pace, so we just tagged on behind and followed them through King Country and on to the refuelling point in Otorohanga.

Highlander caught up with us as we were filling up, so once agin we were a group of three on totally different typres of bikes as we took the back road through Pirongia where my radar detector signalled a cop sitting near the primary school. Nadroj turned off at Whatawhata as Highlander and I continued on to Ngaruawahia. Travelling North through the Waikato I felt a bit nervous at one spot where the road was only a single lane with cheese cutters between the lanes, and on the side of the road as well. Why are Transit so intent on killing motorcyclists in this fashion?

We made very good time north, and as we passed Pokeno at 3:30 pm I realised that we had a good chance of getting throgh the Motorway befor the rush hour began. Traffic continued to flow easily all the way along the motorway, until just short of Spaghetti Junction, where it became bumper to bumper, but not quite grid locked. It took us about 20 minutes to cover the next 10 kms, but then we started travelling freely once again, and had a great run through Orewa, Warkworth and on to Wellsford. We had intended to refuel here, but my guage was indicating 3 bars (5 is full), so after a quick check on the state of Highlander's fuel we decided to carry on. 1 km further on and I lost that 3rd bar on my fuel guage, but I was still confident that I could get close to Whangarei. Just as we were approaching Whangarei my last bar on the guage started flashing, indicating that I had 2 litres of usable fuel remaing, and right in front of us was a Caltex station, so in I went. Highlander stopped right behind me and commented that he had gone onto reserve coming down the previous hill, so this stop was perfect for both of us.

With the bikes fuelled, and daylight fading fast, it was time to find fuel for the inner man, and the Burger King joint seemed nicely located right next to main road north. After a good feed I said farewell to Highlander, as he was staying in Whangarei, and I continued north solo.

At Kawakawa there appeared to have been a minor accident, with a car stopped awkwardly at the side of the road, but plenty of people and other vehicles around the scene, so I continued on. A few minutes later, and whilst riding in thick fog, I saw a cop car travelling in the opposite direction at high speed, then 10 minutes later, a second one. Obviously they were on their way to the accident scene, but as I hadn't seen any ambulance at all I assume that it was a non-injury accident.

I finally broke out of the fog as I started climbing the Mangamukas, and what a lovely piece of road. On the previous Southern Cross, Blackbird, Mangel6, Rider in Black, and I, had passed over this stretch in daylight, and I really enjoyed it then. Now, in the dark, and it was almost surreal. The whole event was worth it if only for this piece of road. I saw one other bike on this stretch, a DR650 (ducatijim perhaps?), however I just waved him through as I was enjoying the ride too much to be bothered with another bike.

Kaitaia appeared to be very quiet as I passed through and headed on north to Pukenui and my overnight stay. However when I arrived at the backpackers at 9:30 pm, I discovered that they had mucked up my booking. They had saved a bed for me alright, but it was in a small dorm. The result was that I had to sheare a 6 bed bunkroom with 5 gorgeous Israeli girls. Every single one of them would qualify as model material, and here I was sharing a room with all 5. I should mention that the other two rooms were also full with beautiful girls, mostly Israeli, and one from Ireland. :gob:

[NighthawkNZ]

kewl... :) :niceone:

[Blackbird]

Oh dear Malcolm - really tough when you had to bunk down with others. Bet changing in to your PJ's was fun:gob: Looking forward to the next instalment as is your gorgeous wife no doubt:innocent:

Geoff

[Jantar]

Tuesday 24th,

I had a pleasant lie in bed while trying not to perv at the lovely young ladies as they got up, and being the gentleman that I am, I waited to be last to hit the shower. Damn, no hot water..... yet maybe a cold shower was just what I needed. There was plenty of time to pack and load the bike before heading down to Pukenui for fuel, then a couple of filled rolls and some fruit juice from the bakery for a picnic brunch at the cape.

I only had a short ride to Cape Reinga so left it quite late before heading off, and got all the way to the gravel section before even seing any sign of another bike. Once reaching the gravel though it was great riding. the road surface was well packed, and the Scorpion tyres actually felt far more predictable on the gravel than they ever did on the seal. I kept up a good pace, and on one straight section through a dip I really opened the throttle. I was impressed to see over 1x0 kmh on the speedo while on the gravel.
:innocent:

I did pass a few other bikes on this section, and tried not to spray them with gravel as I passed. There was one rider though who just hogged the right hand side of the road on a twisty bit, and the only way past was at full throttle on his left. He may have felt a few small stones as I passed by, but I hope not too many.

There were only a handfull of bikes at the cape when I arrived, and many of those had the same idea as me, a picnic before the hard afternoon ride began. Higlander arrived about 20 minutes later and after that bikes just kept on coming.

Once again, the checkpoint was again opened early, and I suggested to Highlander that he leave while I delayed long enough for a piss stop. I figured that way I would catch up with him about the time he finished the gravel section. Sure enough, once I headed away, I passed every bike I saw on the gravel, (unlike last time when I was passed by a KTM and 2 VStroms) and man it was fun riding. Some riders were at home on the gravel surface and kept up a good pace, while others were so slow and careful that they were a danger to themselves. I was impressed with how Shafty rode his big ST1300, and coped much better than many riders on smaller bikes. Plenty of bikes were still heading into the Cape as we were coming out, and all looked like they would get there before the 1:00 pm deadline.

Once back on the seal, I could see Highlander 2 bikes ahead of me, so that timing worked out quite well. We opted not to stop at Kaitaia, but carried on to just short of Whangarei for our next fuel stop. There were plenty of bikes on the road this time, and we again made very good time south as far as Warworth. From here the traffic got heavier, and a couple of slow moving trucks just wouldn't allow anyone to pass. The oncoming traffic was also quite heavy, so we had a slowish trip through to Orewa. The cops had set up a checkpoint here and were stopping all traffic going north. I later heard that shortly after we went through they swapped sides of the road and were stopping all south bound vehicles. I did discover that my screamer had stopped working again due to that same broken wire that plagued me earlier.

Once on the motorway though the pace picked up once again and it even looked as though we may get over the bridge before rush hour. Alas, we didn't quite make it, and crawling up the hill towards spaghetti Junction, the traffic just stopped. Still, it could have been worse as we were only delayed for a few minutes. With my panniers sticking out the side as far as they do I couldn't split, so when I saw a reasonable gap I suggested to highlander that he just split on through, and I'd catch up at Bombay. As it happened I arrived at the Caltex Station at Bombay just as Highlander was finishing topping up his tank, so there wasn't more than a couple minutes lost through not splitting. Shafty sent a txt saying that he was over at the BP station, so while Highlander went to find Shafty I continued on.

Near Kaihere a small group of sports bikes caught up, and as they were setting a good pace, I sat in with them as far as Matamata. A stop here for fuel then over the road to McDonalds for a quick feed which turned out to be a long stop. McDonalds in Matamata is the worst organised and slowest service of any McDonalds I visited anywhere in New Zealand. I must have waited 15 minutes to be served when I was only 4th in the queue, then another 5 minutes for the food to arrive. A woman in the queue in front of me commented that she knows the owner, and that they have a terrible problem with recruiting and retaining suitable staff. I would suggest that if the owner sat and watched the manager, rather than the staff, then the reason for the staff retention issue would become obvious.

Remembering how cool it was in the fog the previous evening, and hold cold it can get in the Waikato - BOP area, I took the opportunity to put on my polyprops before continuing. It is many years since I last rode over the Kaimais and I had forgotten just what a great road it is. Even in the dark the bends are just endless, and there was little traffic to hold me back. Going down the Tauranga side I came across the scene of an accident. One cop car was already there and another was just arriving. I believe Highlander and Shafty arrived at the scene ahead of me and only shortly after it happened, so I'll let them give more details.

I took the back road through Welcome Bay, rather than go all the way out to the Mount, then as I came out to the main road another group of bikes headed through. I followed them as far as Te Puke where they all stopped, and I continued on solo. It was completely uneventfull for the rest of the ride to Opotoki, where I arrived at 9:30 pm. This time the backpackers was full of asian girls, but I did have a room to myself.

[cowboyz]

niice read so far. Meanie and I are planning this ride next time. Couldnt do it this year due to a million things but next time we will be there with bells on.

cant wait to read the rest of the trip!

[Jantar]

Wednesday 25th.

I got a nice early start from Opotoki, and remembering that it was Anzac day, I made sure that the tank was full, and that I was carrying food and drink. The information we had was that fuel would be available at Te Aroroa, but remembering previous trips around East Cape, I wasn't going to rely on that.

It was a picture postcard day. Perfect weather, dry roads, and lovely scenery. I wasn't riding particularly fast for the trip to Te Aroroa, yet I passed at least a dozen other bikes along the way, so I guess that those riders were also admiring the scenery. A few riders shot past me, and I just let them go. There were quite a few patches of road works sign posted along this section with that rediculous 30 kmh temporary restriction for nothing more than a filled in pothole on the other side of the road. One piece however was signed with "Uneven Surface", and it did consist of a reasonable section of loose gravel right across the road on a sharpish corner. There were signs of a car having skidded straight through and off the edge of the road, and I remember thinking to myself that it could be a trap for motorcyclists. We later heard that a Ducati rider had misjudged this section and dropped his bike. As far as I know the damage was minor and he wasn't injured.

As I arrived at Te Aroroa, there were already many bikes parked in the main street by the only fuel pump. I saw a couple of riders I wanted to talk to and although I hadn't intended stopping I pulled over as well. What a fiasco. The promised fuel wasn't available, and many riders didn't have sufficient to make the return trip to the Cape then carry on to Ruatoria, the next available fuel. Eric, on a Buell Ulysses, was one of the riders in this predicament, so I suggested that he park his bike up and pillion with me to the Cape, then he would still have enough fuel to get to Ruatoria. He agreed, and off we went. We hadn't gone more than 6 km when we were met by other riders returning and signalling to us to return to Te Aroroa. Because of the fuel situation the checkpoint had been moved from East Cape to Te Araroa.

Before setting off we were warned about a patch of road works about 50 km south that apparently had big narly boulders and a large step to get back up onto the seal. Although we did find some patches of road works they were well sign posted, and nothing as horrendous as we were warned of. I joined in with RichardC, Eric and another rider on a BMW K100 for the remainder of the day as we rode down to Gisborne for a bite to eat, then on to Wairoa for fuel. It was another uneventfull section down to Napier then onto Highway 50 to avoid Hastings and all the 50 kmh areas.

Darkness fell by the time we reached Dannevirke for more fuel and a feed, and all noticed our radar detectors showing that at least one cop was tracking us. At the petrol station we were directed to a great fast food stop. It had the normal burgers, chips etc, but it also had a takeaway chineese smorgasboard for only $7. A great tasty feed.

RichardC and I seperated from the other two as we headed through the Manawatu Gorge. I couldn't help noticing a large sign that said "Crash Area, Next 8 kms". Isn't it good that Transit have recognised that some drivers do want to crash and have provided an area especially for them? That sign was shortly followed by another that read "No Passing, next 7 Kms". I did start to wonder why Transit would designate a crash area, then immediately make it harder to crash in that area. However, we refused to comply with either sign, and we didn't crash, but we did pass one other vehicle.

We followed SH57 to bypass Palmerston North, where once again the radar detectors showed that we were being hunted. I was relying entirely on the visual clues as my screamer was now into day 3 without working properly. Fortunately these cops weren't using instant on and we were getting plenty of warning. Once on SH1 the traffic got heavier, and so did the number of cops. It appeared that they were everywhere. In Paraparaumu there were either multiple cops, or one cop who just wanted to blast us with instant on every few seconds. As we turned off at Raumati South there was another cop coming out of the side road and he too gave us a good blast of instant on.

We pulled into RichardC's house at 8:30 pm, where he had all the right gear to fix the broken wire on the screamer properly.

[Warr]

Great reading there. Thanks for the report,, really good :)

[EJT]

Fantastic report. Looking at doing some of those routes so thanks for the heads up on things to look out for (ie petrol East Cape).

[cowboyz]

yeah, petrol on east cape can be a trick. when we did the trip I was seriously looking for gas. Found a little pump on the side of the road and asked if I could fill up there. The lady said sure I can as long as I take an entire tank. No problem, I wanted to fill up anyway.

Before this the most fuel I ever put in my gsx600f was $22. On this particluar day it cost me $35!!!!

Have to watch out for these country folk...........

[ducatijim]

I finally broke out of the fog as I started climbing the Mangamukas, and what a lovely piece of road. On the previous Southern Cross, Blackbird, Mangel6, Rider in Black, and I, had passed over this stretch in daylight, and I really enjoyed it then. Now, in the dark, and it was almost surreal. The whole event was worth it if only for this piece of road. I saw one other bike on this stretch, a DR650 (ducatijim perhaps?), however I just waved him through as I was enjoying the ride too much to be bothered with another bike.

Yes Malcom, that was I......havn a ball!!

[shafty]

"I was impressed with how Shafty rode his big ST1300, and coped much better than many riders on smaller bikes. "

Cheers Jantar, - I was more wary of scooting around a corner to find someone crawling or stationery and becoming a Gay projectile. Great report Mate - good stuff.

[Keith the Pom]

I finally broke out of the fog as I started climbing the Mangamukas, and what a lovely piece of road. On the previous Southern Cross, Blackbird, Mangel6, Rider in Black, and I, had passed over this stretch in daylight, and I really enjoyed it then. Now, in the dark, and it was almost surreal. The whole event was worth it if only for this piece of road. I saw one other bike on this stretch, a DR650 (ducatijim perhaps?), however I just waved him through as I was enjoying the ride too much to be bothered with another bike.

Jantar, on Thu-28-Dec last year ['06] I captured some ‘on-board’ video footage of a run through, (up-and-over) the Mangamuka Gorge.

IMHO this 13 km stretch of road must be one the twistiest tar-sealed set of curves, possibly anywhere in the world; inclining between around 10% - 15% on the way up (northwards), and 5% -10% down on the other side of this barrier mountain-hill range.

Fantastic stuff! :yes: Surreal in daylight hours too, especially if you catch the right conditions.

Here's the link (http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=4151578094054395810) to the video in question. My good mate "oldrider" (aka John Jones, from this site) even felt inspired enough to compose a short poem in honour of the ride, which appears at the end of the footage.

I'm now back in the UK, having spent 4½ months (early December -to- mid April) just touring around your fine country on two wheels, almost without a care in the world, clocking up some 16,000 - 17,000 km in the process.

In summary: I really ... I mean REALLY .. miss New Zealand, and I just can't wait to get back in late February next year ['08]. There's still a lot more riding for me to do down your way.

Keep up the good work with your report BTW.

Regards

[Jantar]

Keep up the good work with your report BTW.
More tomorrow. I had just typed up another 2 sections when my computer crashed and I lost the lot. I'm too pissed to type co-herently at the moment.

[Keith the Pom]

I'm too pissed to type co-herently at the moment.

:apint: Yep, I know the feelin' ... :yes:

:bye:

[Highlander]

... It is many years since I last rode over the Kaimais and I had forgotten just what a great road it is.... Going down the Tauranga side I came across the scene of an accident. One cop car was already there and another was just arriving. I believe Highlander and Shafty arrived at the scene ahead of me and only shortly after it happened, so I'll let them give more details.


No injuries, car was a bit of a mess. Young guy driving said there was a truck he thought was stopped, but it wasn't and he went up the back of the trailer.
I have pondered it much in the past week and can't work that out.
If the truck was stopped surely he should have:
a) stopped before reaching it, or
b) gone around it (it was in a passing lane after all).

I'm drawn to the conclusion that the box of Woodstock on the floor in the front may not have been full. Like I said, no injuries and the Police were being called when I arrived so I left them to it.

Good write up Jantar, keep them coming.

[oldrider]

Jantar, I was speaking to "Keith the Pom" on Skype after reading your account of the Southern cross 07 ride and I mentioned to him that you had made reference to the magic of the ""Mangamuka Gorge" road.

When Keith came out here in December 2006 he fell in love with that piece of road and proclaimed it as "the best in the world" and as he was based at that time at Ruakaka, he resolved to capture it on film, "to show the world".

I had said that I had ridden it and it never really registered with me as a "great road" and that I had never really heard anyone else mention it either, at which he retorted, you Kiwis are either blind or spoilt for choice, or both!

He became so obsessed with that section of road that I dubbed him the "Mangamuka Kid" and put together that little ditty which he included at the end of his video!

You will forever rank high in his list of respected Kiwi motorcycle riders since your acknowledgement of the Mangamuka Gorge in your Southern Cross ride report, while I have been spurned and reduced to my original posting (by him) as a "miserable old git".

He would love to come back with his beloved ST1300 Pan European, just to ride that track, I guess you will be invited to join him as, honoured guest. (lol)

Guess who wont be invited! :blip: Cheers John.

[Jantar]

Thursday 26th.

Today was an early start. Up at 05:30, packed and loaded, a quick coffee, and we were on the road by 06:15 am. RichardC was piliioning his wife as far as her work in Wellington, then later that day she was flying to Dunedin to ride the last section to Bluff. Even at this early hour of the morning there was quite a bit of traffic on the road, and we were quite happy to use the bus lanes where appropriate.

When I arrived at the ferry terminal there were a dozen or so bikes already there, and a large number still in the queue to check-in. The check-in process was rather slow and it was obvious that we all weren't going to be processed in time, so we were simply waved through to the line up and told to walk back and check-in if there is time, otherwise we could be processed on boad. Simplicity in action. 48 bikes were on board the Bluebridge crossing and we lined the entire length of one wall of the deck, and continued around one end. At least this time there was somewhere to tie to, although we were discouraged from facing the bulkhead and tieing down by compressing the front forks. I don't understand why the ferry crew don't want us to tie our bikes in the most secure manner possible.

It was a calm crossing, and way down south there appeared to be a low fog bank near Kaikoura. With a light southerly swell, and a gentle westerly wind, I was sure that this would soon burn off and give us another day of lovely weather. I was soon to be proved wrong.

Once off the ferry at Picton RichardC, Eric, myself, and another rider whose name escapes me (sorry mate), followed a large group through to Blenheim. There were a dozen or more bikes stopped for fuel at the first petrol station, so we continued on the the second one where the queue was much shorter. It didn't make any difference though as the EFTPOS was down and we had to wait a few minutes for it to come back online.

We continued as a group of four south from Blenheim in a relaxed manner as there were no deadlines to be met today. Just south of Ward we were seperated at some roadworks, so RichardC and I took the opportunity to put on another layer of clothing while the other two caught up. The temerature was cetrainly dropping. At Kaikoura it was time to stop for a coffee, and I noticed Higlander and Shafty ride by into town. Back on the road, and it was fairly uneventful riding until Parnassus where the drizzle started. It got quite heavy for a while, then somewhere south of Cheviot it just stopped and looked like it was clearing further south. (Another optical illusion).

Amberley was our next fuel stop, then down to Belfast where we turned onto the southern bypass. I remembered the near gridlock of 6 days earlier so turned right before Hornby and continued on the western side of the railway line through Islington, before coming back out to SH1 near Templeton. Unfortuanately at that moment in time half the population of christchurch decided to want to use SH1 and so we still had a 5 minute wait for a gap in the traffic. Then, once we turned south, it started to drizzle again.

The drizzle was that fine mist that just gets everywhere, and makes everything nice and damp, then turns to rain. After 30 minutes of this, and no sign of any let up, we stopped at Rakaia to put on some wet weather gear. Just as well too, as from here on it just got heavier and wetter.

We arrived at Timaru just on dark and stopped for a quick bite to eat. The Cafe and bar, just up from Caroline Bay, provided hot coffee, garlic bread, burgers so big that they were held together by fence posts (RichardC claimed telephone poles, but he exagerates) and chips. When we said that we wanted something fast, they provided fast. Prepared, cooked, and served faster than McDonalds in Matamata. As we left, the rain appeared to have stopped, and I briefly debated whether or not to leave off the wets. I decided that I'd stay prepared, just in case.

We fuelled up and continued south straight into more rain. Through South Canterbury and North Otago was uneventful riding, but even though this is supposedly my home territory, it was so dark with the low cloud, I sometimes had to keep reminding myself just where we were. The roads just seem so different when there are no landmarks to be seen.

At Hampden I waved farewell to the others in the group and pulled off at the Backpackers. What a disappointment. No Israeli girls, no Asian girls, in fact no girls at all. I had the entire backpackers to myself. However I did have my choice of room, my choice of bed, no queue for the shower, and plenty of hot water.

[shafty]

[QUOTE=Jantar;1039841]Thursday 26th.

"At Hampden I waved farewell to the others in the group and pulled off at the Backpackers. What a disappointment. "

Jantar, not so much detail please, LOL

[nadroj]

Must have been a pet goat there!

[Jantar]

Friday 27th.

I could hear a few bikes already passing on SH1 as I loaded the bike in the drizzle ready for an 08:00 departure. A few minutes before my intended time I started the final part of the rally. With the low cloud the scenery wasn't as spectacular as normal for this section of road, and I briefly debated about taking the Trotters Gorge road. However the wet conditions and a memory of moss on the road soon convinced me to stick to SH1. For visiting riders I would reccommend having a look at Trotters Gorge on a fine day. It is sealed all the way, narrow, windy, and only a few minutes longer than SH1.

Traffic was light as I approached Dunedin in the middle of rush hour, and I was also fortunate to get a good run through the lights. Only one red the whole way. I was starting to see a few more bikes as I passed various fuel stations and breakfast stops, and it seemed like no time at all and I was in Milton and making my own fuel stop. Further south, and passing through Balclutha, I noticed that ScumDog had his flag up, so a short tootle on the horn then through town to the Highway Diner at the south end and brunch; Bacon, eggs, chips and coffee for $11.

As I left Balclutha I noticed a couple of riders join me on what appeared to be matching bikes. I later recognised them as a pair of Bandit riders that I had seen earlier on the ride. Same bikes and similar gear. They followed me through to Clinton then stuck close to me as I took the back road through to Mataura. I was fairly confident that the cops don't patrol this road as often as they do on SH1, so I picked the pace up just a tad.

Back on the main road at Mataura, and also back to more legal speeds, and for once the weather was improving to the extent that the roads were drying. The two bandits were still right on my tail, but when I turned off at Kennington for the Kennington - Tiwai shortcut that bypasses Invercargill they decided to continue on the highway. Looking further south I could see a dark cloud and a rainbow right about where I estimated Bluff would be, and sure enough, as I reached the Tiwai turnoff, down came another shower.

Back onto SH1 for the last few kms to Bluff, and I could see another lone rider a short distance behind. Through Bluff and onto Stirling Point where I could see about 20 - 30 bikes already there. As I stopped, the rider who had followed me for the last few Kms turned out to be Highlander. More bikes were soon arriving and the pair of badits that follwed me from Balclutha were almost exactly 15 minutes behind. So, for future reference, the Kennington-Tiwai bypass saves around 1/4 hour and 12 kms over sticking to SH1.

It was an anti-climax to finally sign the book for the last time and collect a well deserved badge, before heading back to the Eagle and a few beers. After a great lunch I took the bike back to my accomadation and walked back to the Eagle and a great night. Shafty tried to talk me into riding his bike naked into the bar, but I considered it a bit cold, so as a compromise he rode his own (borrowed) bike up and down the main street with a BARE minimum of riding gear. :yes:

[Jantar]

Saturday 28th.

I only had a 2 - 3 hour ride today, so spent the first 1/2 hour riding around Bluff trying to get some oysters to take home. Would you believe that on a Saturday morning, you can't but buy fresh Bluff oysters in bluff. I could get froze, or cooked, but no fresh ones. So without any oysters, I headed back north. It was cold, but fine all the way to Gore where I stopped for fuel. A mufti cop targeted me just as I was pulling into the fuel station, but I was so far below the speed limit that I don't know why he bothered.

Travelling through Tapanui and I saw a large number of bikes stopped outside the pub. Of course, today is the Beaumont Rally, so a wave to them all and I carried on.

The day stayed cold and fine all the way home to Alexandra.

So ends my second Southern Cross. Will I do it again?

:yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes:

[oldrider]

Well done and well reported Jantar, that was a long ride, too long for this old fellah these days, I will just stick to reading about it! :shit: Thanks, John.

[Blackbird]

Saturday 28th.

So ends my second Southern Cross. Will I do it again?

:yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes:

Have enjoyed your write-up very much indeed Malcolm. Any mental comparisons between your '05 mount and your current one? A lot better in the comfort stakes I'd imagine!

Cheers

Geoff

[Jantar]

Any mental comparisons between your '05 mount and your current one?
In 2005 I rode a Suzuki GS1200SS, and found it very suitable for the trip. This year it was a Suzuki VStrom 1000, which is also a very suitable mount.

The GS1200SS had better fuel consumption, better acceleration and braking, and because of the sports bike seating position was more comfortable on the upper body.

The VStrom has a bigger fuel tank giving it the same range as the GS1200SS, has better handling in low speed corners and in the gravel, and with its higher seating postion is more comfortable on the legs. It also has better lights for the night sections.

I would be happy to take either of these bikes on a similar ride.

[T.I.E]

totally enjoyed it. cheers.
so ya gonna do it next year?

[Meanie]

What a bloody magic wright up Jantar
as mentioned by cowboyz we intend doing the southern cross when its on next in 2009 Done the four points last year with Cowboyz and Mouse and had the privelage of riding the Mungamoks and enjoyed it so much we thought we would leave a day earlier next time and spend the day going back and forward over it :yes:
We went for a ride on Anzac day and were at the mobil in Dannivirke just before dark and spoke to a couple of guys on the southern cross, one with an ST1300. I took an eager interest in the ST as i am tossing the idea to buy a FJR or an ST, not sure yet Didnt get thier names hoping they may say who they were
Excelent :Punk:
How many Kms ?

[Jantar]

totally enjoyed it. cheers.
so ya gonna do it next year?

Yes, I'll doing the next one in 2009. Its every 2 years.


How many Kms ?

The Southern Cross itself was 3458 kms in 96 hours. My GPS recorded 41hr 13 minutes of moving time. From leaving home to returning was 4880 kms. A shorter ride this year compared to the 2005 one.

[nadroj]

Pre start formalities.

[nadroj]

A couple more

[cowboyz]

Yes, I'll doing the next one in 2009. Its every 2 years.



The Southern Cross itself was 3458 kms in 96 hours. My GPS recorded 41hr 13 minutes of moving time. From leaving home to returning was 4880 kms. A shorter ride this year compared to the 2005 one.

just as a comparision.
Last years 4 points tour we did 3438km in 39 hours 9 mins and 53 secs. Although our sense of direction and will to ride made the trip alot longer than it needed to be. We actually went new plymouth and back home then wellington and back home then up round the cape and up to northland and back home.

[Meanie]

just as a comparision.
Last years 4 points tour we did 3438km in 39 hours 9 mins and 53 secs. Although our sense of direction and will to ride made the trip alot longer than it needed to be. We actually went new plymouth and back home then wellington and back home then up round the cape and up to northland and back home.

What do you mean our sense of direction more like Your sense of direction led us astray :yes:

[cowboyz]

at least I didnt run out of gas?

[Highlander]

Good wite up Jantar - bling issued accordingly.

Thanks to you and Shafty for letting me tag along with you.

Hey Shafty, I did the whole thing on a NAKED.

Don't know about the hours riding but suspect it would be similar to Jantar, 5350 Km from home to home, and I was gone a week.

Do it again??

DEFINITELY - see you at the start.

Hopefully I have attached photos of Shafty (at Te Araroa) and myself (at Bluff) SOrry Jantar the phot of you waving to me at Okato is too big.

For those who didn't work it out I was the one flying the Highlanders flag all the way.

[STDavid]

Nice write up, Jantar. Thanks. david

[DesmoJohnny]

Cheers for the extra pics too nadroj - much appreciated(especially the 'prescratch' title :lol: )

[banditrider]

Friday 27th.
As I left Balclutha I noticed a couple of riders join me on what appeared to be matching bikes. I later recognised them as a pair of Bandit riders that I had seen earlier on the ride.

That would be me & Mark (Blue Bandito). Good fun following you through to Mataura (first time through there - missed the turn-off last time round) and onto Invercargill. Should've stuck behind you when you turned off eh?:scooter:

[cold comfort]

hey there-great pics of the Southern X-always interested in the experiences of other Bandit riders and hope to link up one day( ?2009) Have managed most rallys in the last yr, the Brass to come and anything thereafter. Changed the end can (Leo Vince) with pleasing response and am booked for jetting/dyno

[Jantar]

That would be me & Mark (Blue Bandito). Good fun following you through to Mataura (first time through there - missed the turn-off last time round) and onto Invercargill. Should've stuck behind you when you turned off eh?:scooter:
Yes, next time you know where to turn off, or just follow me again. :scooter:

[banditrider]

hey there-great pics of the Southern X-always interested in the experiences of other Bandit riders and hope to link up one day( ?2009) Have managed most rallys in the last yr, the Brass to come and anything thereafter. Changed the end can (Leo Vince) with pleasing response and am booked for jetting/dyno

Yeah, like my bandits - onto my second one. They definetly go better when allowed to breathe. 99.9% sure I'll be on the 2009 SCRR. Check out my Bandit page: http://andrew.l.thomson.googlepages.com/bandits

[cold comfort]

Gidday-a great little web site.Have to check it out in detail but am off to work soon. (I work in an Emergency dept and ride with Paramedics -hows that for denial!) Wish i'd kept some photos of the many bikes i've had over the years-Yam RD350,suzi 550, kawa 750 H2, Kawa 900, etc. Ayeah forgot to mention this is my second Bandit-had problems with the carb on the new 2005 and ended up swappin for the demonstrator
Changed my rear to a Bridgestone last month. Did the Dunlop in under 3000km. A bit of two up to be fair tho