DougieNZ
6th November 2007, 17:42
The Longest Day – 1000km Top Of The South Island Ride Report
The Longest Day – 1000km ride departing (for us) Blenheim to ChCh, Arthur’s Pass, Greymouth, Coast Road (SH6), Buller Gorge, Murchison, Nelson, Blenheim.
The start of this adventure for me (ST1300) and Alyson (Bandit 1200) was an uneventful ferry trip from Wellington to Picton on Friday to meet up with Darryl (ST1300) in Blenheim. We quickly decided that 0630hrs was a little early for us to be up and away so aimed to be at the Blenheim Railway Station at about 0715hrs for the off.
We duly arrived for the start at 0720 and took a quick ride through the station car park to ensure that no check in was required. The weather was fine, temperature mid teens and the road was dry. We were off! Traffic was very light for the first leg. It was nice to see the nice new 2 lane bridge at Awatere (albeit with a 70km/h restriction). In some ways though I will miss the old clunker single lane road/rail one with the shifty floorboards!
Riding through Clarence past the Stone Church, we came across a guy walking along the road with his helmet. Not a good sign! We stopped and he advised us that he has stopped to take a layer of clothing off and then his bike wouldn’t start. I was just about to call Darryl to give me a hand on pushing duties, when he hit the starter and it fired in to life. Whew! He was a fellow Ulyssian from Invercargill and was delivering some whitebait. Crisis resolved it was a lovely ride through the Kaikoura coast and Hundalee's (one of my favourite stretches of road).
Traffic built considerably from Waipara south, but before we knew it we were pulling in to Shell Yaldhurst for fuel and the checkpoint. When we arrived there were quite a few bikes parked which I assume was the Blenheim group that left at 0630hrs. This was the first of many times we would see them during the day!
We checked in and got our nice looking badges here, and were supplied with a magnificent breakfast by the Canterbury Ulysses Branch. Hash Browns, sausages, eggs, bacon, and toast – all washed down with coffee, tea, or OJ. Our hats off to the team for a wonderful spread.
After brekky it was straight back on the road again for the trip over the Arthur’s Pass. This has to be one of the best roads in this great land of ours. Through Springfield and then the climb over Porter’s Pass then the slow climb to the summit. This really is a magnificent road with some awe inspiring scenery. We are very lucky to live in such a beautiful country! The temperature dropped slightly at the top of the mountain, but by the time we got to the next stop at the Jackson Pub, the temperature was well back to a comfortable level. The Jackson Pub is a great place to stop of you are ever over this way. It has had a huge amount of money spent on it and has been renovated in a very tasteful way in keeping with the surroundings. I even managed to pick up a couple of souvenir pint glasses here for $7.50 each! The pub has a house across the road for hire if you ever want to stay the night.
After a short break here it was off for our next fuel stop at Greymouth. After fuel it was up the Coast Road. A few spots of rain started to fall here and we stopped to quickly don wet weather gear. As usual Murphy’s Law applied and we didn’t see much rain until later. The coastal views heading north were still spectacular – another great scenic road. Then it was in to the scenic and windy Buller Gorge. We had a quick refreshment stop at the Berlins Café/Bar. After Murchison, the rain really did start to come down, and wet roads slowed our progress somewhat. There is nothing like that slippery worn tar feeling.
Amusingly enough we arrived in Nelson right behind the rest of the Blenheim crew and followed them straight to the next checkpoint at Golf Road. There were heaps of bikes there of all descriptions, and the BBQ looked really nice. It was tempting, but we had a prearranged dinner date back in Blenheim, so pressed on after checking in. On the way out of Nelson after another fuel stop it really started to chuck it down, so it was easy does it through the Rai Valley to Blenheim and the finish. 1000km of wonderful roads and scenery! If you haven’t done this ride, I would heartily recommend it. For me, 2007 has included the Southern Cross, Grand Challenge, Longest Day and next month the Chatto Creek 1000 miler. It’s been a BIG year!
The Longest Day – 1000km ride departing (for us) Blenheim to ChCh, Arthur’s Pass, Greymouth, Coast Road (SH6), Buller Gorge, Murchison, Nelson, Blenheim.
The start of this adventure for me (ST1300) and Alyson (Bandit 1200) was an uneventful ferry trip from Wellington to Picton on Friday to meet up with Darryl (ST1300) in Blenheim. We quickly decided that 0630hrs was a little early for us to be up and away so aimed to be at the Blenheim Railway Station at about 0715hrs for the off.
We duly arrived for the start at 0720 and took a quick ride through the station car park to ensure that no check in was required. The weather was fine, temperature mid teens and the road was dry. We were off! Traffic was very light for the first leg. It was nice to see the nice new 2 lane bridge at Awatere (albeit with a 70km/h restriction). In some ways though I will miss the old clunker single lane road/rail one with the shifty floorboards!
Riding through Clarence past the Stone Church, we came across a guy walking along the road with his helmet. Not a good sign! We stopped and he advised us that he has stopped to take a layer of clothing off and then his bike wouldn’t start. I was just about to call Darryl to give me a hand on pushing duties, when he hit the starter and it fired in to life. Whew! He was a fellow Ulyssian from Invercargill and was delivering some whitebait. Crisis resolved it was a lovely ride through the Kaikoura coast and Hundalee's (one of my favourite stretches of road).
Traffic built considerably from Waipara south, but before we knew it we were pulling in to Shell Yaldhurst for fuel and the checkpoint. When we arrived there were quite a few bikes parked which I assume was the Blenheim group that left at 0630hrs. This was the first of many times we would see them during the day!
We checked in and got our nice looking badges here, and were supplied with a magnificent breakfast by the Canterbury Ulysses Branch. Hash Browns, sausages, eggs, bacon, and toast – all washed down with coffee, tea, or OJ. Our hats off to the team for a wonderful spread.
After brekky it was straight back on the road again for the trip over the Arthur’s Pass. This has to be one of the best roads in this great land of ours. Through Springfield and then the climb over Porter’s Pass then the slow climb to the summit. This really is a magnificent road with some awe inspiring scenery. We are very lucky to live in such a beautiful country! The temperature dropped slightly at the top of the mountain, but by the time we got to the next stop at the Jackson Pub, the temperature was well back to a comfortable level. The Jackson Pub is a great place to stop of you are ever over this way. It has had a huge amount of money spent on it and has been renovated in a very tasteful way in keeping with the surroundings. I even managed to pick up a couple of souvenir pint glasses here for $7.50 each! The pub has a house across the road for hire if you ever want to stay the night.
After a short break here it was off for our next fuel stop at Greymouth. After fuel it was up the Coast Road. A few spots of rain started to fall here and we stopped to quickly don wet weather gear. As usual Murphy’s Law applied and we didn’t see much rain until later. The coastal views heading north were still spectacular – another great scenic road. Then it was in to the scenic and windy Buller Gorge. We had a quick refreshment stop at the Berlins Café/Bar. After Murchison, the rain really did start to come down, and wet roads slowed our progress somewhat. There is nothing like that slippery worn tar feeling.
Amusingly enough we arrived in Nelson right behind the rest of the Blenheim crew and followed them straight to the next checkpoint at Golf Road. There were heaps of bikes there of all descriptions, and the BBQ looked really nice. It was tempting, but we had a prearranged dinner date back in Blenheim, so pressed on after checking in. On the way out of Nelson after another fuel stop it really started to chuck it down, so it was easy does it through the Rai Valley to Blenheim and the finish. 1000km of wonderful roads and scenery! If you haven’t done this ride, I would heartily recommend it. For me, 2007 has included the Southern Cross, Grand Challenge, Longest Day and next month the Chatto Creek 1000 miler. It’s been a BIG year!