gijoe1313's piccies from his invasion of the mainland!

[gijoe1313]

Well as I am now finally completing my magnum opus of the trip to the South Island, I have finagled and finally finished my photo processing.

Residing in the small plastic chip is a brief acquisition of my few shots I did. In truth, I keep the memories firmly shuttered in my mind's eye, able to recall the splendor and vivacity of the events within. I'm sure as I get more feeble minded I will be appreciative of the shots I have taken!

So in the usual vein of my reporting I will be glib, I will be not serious, I will pisstake and be irreverent of my material! So come with me my salubrious friends and walk in the footsteps of the red camo ninja.

I'm sure you will find that it is agreeable in its entirety and the surfeit of emotion you feel will be that of a resonance with the craft of our life's pursuit.

Motorcycling and all the wondrous and wacky and weird moments that accompany it!

Welcome to my world.

I hope you will stay a while, and perhaps pursue it with your own innocuous contributions!

Let's begin. Sitting comfortably? Excellent.

This is the original ride report with a blow by blow account http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=89265

And this is a tribute thread to the KBer I rode with for two long weeks http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=90405

[McJim]

Errr....Pics or it didn't happen! :Pokey:

[gijoe1313]

So gentle readers, as we stroll through the beginning of these pictures, I hope in some small way that Gremlin's journey with me across the lower half of our fair nation has sparked some pang of wanderlust inside your hearts.

The biking heart that needs to go explore new vistas and ride new roads. To meet new people and breath and live in land unknowns. It is most invigorating and ascends the senses and feelings to another plane of metaphysical existence!

So anyhow read on my fellow purveyors of fine mechanical contraptions of transportation!

Pic 1 : We had a stowaway in my luggage! A little raccoon dressed in his wetsuit was snugly tucked away in a corner of my bag. He popped out to make himself known!

Pic 2 : Picolo was his name and he surveyed all around him, master of his little corner of the universe! He intimated he would be around for a while and would not be a bother to anyone!

Pic 3 : This is the cheaparse chinese comm units I purchased a year ago or so. Finally got to use them with Gremlin's blingbling units and they did come in handy!

Pic 4 : Mmmm lasagne from the ferry cafe. Was delicious. I did stress to Gremlin to go get some, but he hates queues and was adamant he would go get some later. Hours later he was hungry and had to wait for the gallery to cook more food. Lasagne no longer available and he had to make do with chicken.

Pic 5 : At Nelson, got a shot of Gremlin's bars of Katoom gadgetry. Decked out with the usual addition of GPS and radar detector.

Pic 6 : For those eagle eyed readers of other threads, this is a backwards shot of the Nelson room we stayed in.

[gijoe1313]

Still with me gentle reader? I take it as an encouraging sign as you trip-trap over the internet to purvey more of the pictures I had occasion to take.

I do so hope you are enjoying your time in this thread so far. Feel free to go put on a cuppa. I shall be here patiently waiting for you to continue the journey through the progression of an alternative viewpoint of the trip.

Through my eyes and Picolo's so to speak. Tarry not longer with my musings and continue on with your visual tour.

Pic 1 : In Nelson, there was opportunity to use the computer to have a wee game of CounterStrike. Highly appropriate when I was garbed as I am. I think Gremlin had trouble holding camera steady and was fixated on the German cutie next to me ... :rolleyes:

Pic 2 : Gliding through on vulcanised dinosaur goop, we landed in Hokitika. Very nice little town, plenty to see on our 10 minute walk through the entire township. A shot of the room we were allocated. I did tell Gremlin not to break anything. I did move a delicate glass vase earlier. Gremlin still managed to bang door quite hard into wall :pinch:

Pic 3 : Our gear stashed higgle-de-piggedy about the place. Tch. Typical filthy biker scum!

Pic 4 : A view of the lounge of Mountain Jade Backpackers. If you find yourself this way and needing of lodgings for the close of night, this may be a suitable accommodation for your needs.

Pic 5 : The long corridor leading to our room, to the left is the shower and kitchen and toilets, to the right is a mixed dorm and a males only dorm. Place was remarkably empty of residents.

Pic 6 : Picolo was quick to scout out his lodgings and bedding for the night, quite cunning is our little Picolo!

[Kaptain Banzai]

So Justin you got down South. Thats why I couldn't find you! Anyway going North tomorrow. Cape Reniga.

Kaptain Henry Banzi

[gijoe1313]

Well my esteemed and treasured reader, I see you are still biding a while in this little corner of our fine virtual establishment. Picolo has taken a shine to this hostel and bustled himself about the place.

Follow his little adventures and I have translated his Raccoon speak into English using the Tanuki-Eigo dictionary. (It transpires he is a japanese Raccoon and thus is known as a Tanuki)

Pic 1 : "Chuweet-hweet-heet-hee" <-- Tanuki speak for "It's cold in here, reminds me of Japan in winter! Good nosh though!"

Pic 2 : "Kuphweet-chee-chee-hee" <-- Tanuki speak for "I think this is where you can return keys for your room"

Pic 3 : "Khweep-phee-mee-hee" <-- Tanuki speak for "good show, good view of buttocks too!"

Pic 4 : "Mwheep-phweep-peep-hee" <-- Tanuki speak for "Your move!"

Pic 5 : "Juweep-jeep-meep-phwee-hee" <-- Tanuki speak for "I like easy listening channel please!"

Pic 6 : "Deeep-bweep-hwee-hee" <-- Tanuki speak for "I seem to have fallen down the stairs and in need of some assistance please!"

[gijoe1313]

I am currently eating a resplendent dish of vittals prepared by mama. Please bear with me as I savor this repast and give it the due attention it deserves.

Normal service shall resume shortly.

Righto it is now back to the trip down memory lane again! Gremlin and I touched down in Franz Josef and checked in our gear so we could go riding to see the roads and the glaciers.

Pic 1 : Our little room in the lovely Chateau Franz : Sir Cedrics backpackers.

Pic 2 : View looking out to the entrance of the hostel.

Pic 3 : View looking into the entrance of the hostel.

Pic 4 : The spa pool building, rustic it is. No nubile young lasses lounging in it though :mellow:

Pic 5 : Front of door parking, what more could a biker want - apart from being able to part the bike inside! :niceone:

Pic 6 : Picolo doing his little bit and going through the equipment inventory. Quite the little rummager is he.

[gijoe1313]

So Justin you got down South. Thats why I couldn't find you! Anyway going North tomorrow. Cape Reniga.

Kaptain Henry Banzi

May your weather be fair, roads be clear and cagers absent! Enjoy the ride for you are doing it before it is tarsealed over completely and it will be the end of an era.

Ride safe and enjoy!

[gijoe1313]

This region is certainly breath-taking. The rugged nature of the mountainous region and the coastal regions is primordial and the schisms of tectonic movements is evident in the violent upheaval of the Alps.

Gremlin and I pulled into the area just left of the bridge which accesses the Franz Josef glacier. A short ride on metal roads (where Gremlin on his katoom o'doom ripped ahead, creating showers of rocks and dust meant I dallied at a safer distance behind him)

The carpark was filled with trippers eager to walk the trails to get to the glacier. Gremlin declined to walk since his riding boots had previously crippled him walking short distances. I tramped the route quickly and took a comm unit to keep in contact. It took me five minutes to quickly view the spectacle.

A moment to reflect how it had changed so much from my visit four years ago, the face receding from the last point. I banged out some photos and quickly tramped back.

Somehow I don't think people were prepared for a biker in red camo pants and bulldozing ahead at military walking pace!

[gijoe1313]

Well Picolo told me when we were gallavanting about to see the glaciers, he remained behind to get some rest and poke about the place!

[gijoe1313]

Well in the same day we also visited Fox Glacier. A large beautiful glacier which resonates the power of nature's ways. The vestibule upon which we took pictures from was most gratifying. Away from the nebulous crowds and we had a clear view of the face.

Gremlin also purported that it would be great to ride down on the lower plains, strewn with rocks and pitfalls :slap: :thud:

Also, proving how small NZ is, we encountered Danny from Botany Motorcycles, one of the people who sold me the Big Ol'Hornet was there! He was without bike and was traveling with his family.

Also Karla from KB was visiting the glacier as well. Noticed the red camo ninja with the KB patch and she wandered over to have a wee chat.

She thought us mad! Good to see that she managed to catch up with the other ride report thread and put some semblance of sanity on the pair of us!

[NZsarge]

Again, outstanding. :niceone:

[gijoe1313]

I shall take a brief break from my natterings, mama has required my assistance in her every day business of gathering produce and supplies for our family business.

Being asian has it's own unique tweaks to one's life experiences. I will post further pictures anon!

Be patient dear readers and as the saying goes, good things comes to those who wait! Normal service shall resume shortly.

[madbikeboy]

I shall take a brief break from my natterings, mama has required my assistance in her every day business of gathering produce and supplies for our family business.

Being asian has it's own unique tweaks to one's life experiences. I will post further pictures anon!

Be patient dear readers and as the saying goes, good things comes to those who wait! Normal service shall resume shortly.

You're Asian???? WTF? Why do you pick on me so much for me being Asian???

[zeocen]

He's not your average asian, that's for sure.

But I saw the gleam in his eye when I said I got a new kitten .... ;/

[gijoe1313]

Ninja has been velly busy, ruck you! Is hard work killing people, poisoning sheep and hanging upside down all day! This bweach is called Gillespie bweach, has many fwat stones, good for paddock pwucks! No know? Ruck you!

On horiday, ninja goes to bleach! Berow is pictures fwom horiday, no can see ninja? Ruck you!

Pic 1 : Karamuri ninja skills ... brend in with suwwoundings! No can see ninja? I laugh at you!

Pic 2 : Karamuri ninja skills ... when ninja is tired, adopt log like position! No can see ninja? I scorn your upbwinging!

Pic 3 : Karamuri ninja skills ... when you think I am nwear, I am far! When I am far, I am nwear! Fwear my ninja skills!

[gijoe1313]

Righto me hearties, I see you has been keelhauled for the duration of this post! Arr! After Franz Josef we rode to Invercargill to stay at the mighty manor of McJim and Chickadee!

They be two hornswoggling the finest jackanapes a squabby can latch their landlubber legs on! A cabin fit for a pirate captain king and with booty enough to plunder for vittles, drink and a hearty shelter to get yer head down fer th'night! Yo ho ho!

McJim's thunderous Scottish voice was like a cannonade to the mizzen mast! He be a canny man an' no mistake! Arr!

Using this port as a base to begin our raiding explorations inta' th'soft underbelly of the South Island, we sallied out many a time ta' find unexplored highways to plunder! Avast ye scurvy scallywags!

Pic 1 : At Daffyd's place to have a bit of a group ride, waiting for Jantar to turn up

Pic 2 : Angel, Daffyd and Gremlin, arr Gremlin, ye be spying a good hindquarter ta boot? :msn-wink: Arr Daffyd, ye be spying a good hindquarter ta boot as well? :msn-wink:

Pic 3 : Arr! A ninja! They be treacherous asian scallywags! Those eastern slant eyed pirates deserved to be shotweighed and sent to Davy Jones locker arr!

Pic 4 : Piratical plundering pirate fleet getting ready to sail the seven seas for some rapacious raiding, rapine and riding!

Pic 5 : Bluff the bluffer arr! When all was said and done, there was to be more pirating ta be done! In the dead o'night I unfurled the sails and betwixt the long yard arm of night and dawn, I rode to the furtherest point on the Isle yaarrr me hearties!

Pic 6 : Ghost ships parlay in th'night with will o'wisps and other supernatural ken... shivers me timbers mateys!

[gijoe1313]

Well the days still did not have enough milage for me, I had to keep riding and since I was in night city Invercargill, I could not help myself and had to check out the local night scene.

Boy racers driving up and down the main drag in endless repetitions ... around the roundabout at the end, drag each other up to each set of lights, turn around near the monument stele at the end, rinse and repeat!

Mind you, getting flashed by girlies getting their girly bits out for me made it a great night :love: :o :woohoo:

Pic 1 : The big umbrella ... oh yeah baby, this is a modern marvel in NZ! Check it!

Pic 2 : Big Ol'Hornet putting on the bling bling lights, yeah yeah man!

Pic 3 : Massive respect for the war dead who allowed us to have our way of life. Respect.

Pic 4 : Big Ol'Hornet acknowledging the irony it is a japanese built machine in front of those who fought its possible ancestral makers in the great conflict of 1940-1945

Pic 5 : Something you don't see everyday much less at night, a blinged out LED Big Ol'Hornet, a giant Tuatara and a pyramid! Madre por dios!

Pic 6 : In the botanical gardens a Hornet swarms tonight ... ooo eee ooo wee ooo wim wum wum a wayyy ( sung to : In the Jungle, the mighty jungle...) And yes, I did ride illegal into the park. Between locked gates, but I am filthy biker scum ain't I!

[gijoe1313]

Nothing like cruising the mean streets of Invers, the lads are keen, the girls even keener! Rode past the Toad tavern where four years ago I was manhandled in my manbits, had my shirt ripped off and molestmacated by the local lasses there! :o :buggerd: :2thumbsup

But seeing as this is a wholesome family site I will divulge no more! :innocent:

Pic 1 : Just doing penance for the whole sinful filthy biker scum lifestyle thing.

Pic 2 : I luvvies my Big Ol'Hornets I does! :love:

Pic 3 : Angel entertains McJim and Chickadees bairns! They be loving her! It was always "Angel this!", "Angel that!", "Play with us Angel!" and that was just Gremlin and I! :o ... the kids loved her too!

Pic 4 : Oh I say Angel, that is a rather large pimple on your face!

Pic 5 : Never mind Angel, it seems to have gone now!

[gijoe1313]

The trip looming past half way, we left the merry abode of chez McJim and Chickadee, riding to Wanaka was a good experience made bitter-sweet that we would be leaving Angel at this stage of the journey (she has work to do to earn her keep on her holidays here in NZ!)

Picolo came out of wherever he was hiding and mooched around Wanaka for a bit. I do believe he enjoyed the balmy days and sunny climes!

Pic 1 : Always is Picolo in the kitchen. He is always hungry om nom nom! Backpackers always loved this little guy and would treat him nicely!

Pic 2 : Ah postcard picture perfect purrs Picolo!

Pic 3 : Picolo playing "10 guitars" and "duelling banjoes"

Pic 4 : Pecking up a reply on Tanuki-Facebook, he has raccoon friends all over the world you know!

Pic 5 : Aha! A storehouse of sustenance left by some unsuspecting hoarder! It's mine! All mine ... now how do I get into it?

Pic 6 : Ummm ... a little help here please? I seemed to have got stuck!

[gijoe1313]

With Angel gone, Gremlin and I rode to Christchurch where we would stay with Trump Lady's parents. Did the local roads around Akaroa and enjoyed it immensely. Local knowledge is always the best!

Of course, I had to keep riding. I did it at night and in the early morning!

Pic 1 : Parting shot from Picolo .. "these boots are made for walking ..." in Wanaka outside the backpackers we stayed in.

Pic 2 : Akaroa by night, a jetty extended out and I rode the Big Ol'Hornet over the rickety planking.

Pic 3 : "Hold it right there! Perfect!"

Pic 4 : "Fantastic! You make a fabulous model darling!"

Pic 5 : In front of another war memorial, in honor of the valiant who fell to defend their heath and the security of generations to come. Dulcet et decorum est, pro patria mori.

Pic 6 : The lighthouse. Moved from original position to make it easier for tourists to take their photos next to it! :scratch:

[gijoe1313]

After I came back from Akaroa, my pootling instincts, long denied on this SI ride due to the conspiracy of Gremlin came to the forefront. I was strongly surprised at how I missed doing what I love doing most!

Getting lost in cities and streets and roads I don't know. I remembered Christchurch from four years back and I wanted to revisit it again with a vengeance! I basically criss-crossed the entire city in a grid fashion. Up and down every road.

Pic 1 : The Cathedral in Cathedral square. Funny that.

Pic 2 : Bemused people saw a red clad ninja doing picture taking things. I like making peoples lives more surreal! :innocent: :devil2:

Pic 3 : Crikey, looks like someone made a giant waffle cone and left it when they ate all the good bits out of it!

Pic 4 : Remarkable how few people there were here, guess they were trying to cram into the watering spots to try and get a hook up for the night! ;)

Pic 5 : The spirit of adventuring ... to go explore, to chart new courses, to find places you have not been. I get that.

Pic 6 : I loved this place, images of romans marching beneath its arches and the tread of hob-nailed sandals resonated in my imagination ...

[gijoe1313]

Well my lovelies, at this point that is about all I can do to entertain you for a while. The other candid photos I did take all reside in Gremlin's possession and it will be a while before he will sort it out for some semblance of posting.

Thank you one and all for those who took the time to peruse through my assorted offerings.

Mayhap it may has given you a kernel of an idea that will ignite your own passions to go and ride afar to vistas anew.

I do so hope you will share that journey with us if you do.

For now, may the fair gods of the riding winds be behind your back and long may you keep your rubber to the road.

[Sharry]

Wonderful finale gigoe.
You have shown what has been achieved :first::rockon:
what can be achieved :clap::clap:
what should be achieved :banana::banana: and what will be achieved by others inspired :2thumbsup:2thumbsup

[Gremlin]

I think Gremlin had trouble holding camera steady and was fixated on the German cutie next to me ... :rolleyes:
Hey... she was cute, and judging by how close she was to the screen... had an eyesight problem... perfect for me!!


Also, proving how small NZ is, we encountered Danny from Botany Motorcycles, one of the people who sold me the Big Ol'Hornet was there! He was without bike and was traveling with his family.
Poor bugger... we're probably two of the people who give him the most grief (and business) and he has to bump into us in the middle of the South Island, and we're all on holiday :killingme


Ninja has been velly busy, ruck you! Is hard work killing people, poisoning sheep and hanging upside down all day!
The number of weird looks you earned from people... and there was I, having to the take shots of your... well... the beach.