the vet's Blog; Wandering NZ

Eager to get to the West coast I watched the weather while spending a few days in ChCh. When it looked like the winds were changing and the West clearing I picked a day to go, but had a day to kill. I decided on an overnight trip up to Kaikoura. The ride up was sweltering, record temps recorded in Canterbury. I drove to the mouth of the Hurunui R. because it was known for Salmon and trout fishing. I almost spent the night there, but some folks camping there knew nothing of Salmon, so decided to head back out. Kaikoura, although beautiful is a tourist trap and therefore a big disappoint for me. It is known for its beauty because the snow capped mountains kiss the sea along the Eastern coast here. The sea depths drop off quickly here and there is an abundance of sea mammals which also make for a good tour industry.....”whale watching, dive with dolphins, diving, seal tours, etc.”. So the natural beauty, the sea mammals and the crayfish (lobster) make it quite the tourist destination....and so it was. Everything overpriced, the accommodations full, a tent site for $32! Traffic, and tourists everywhere.....swimming with dolphins twice the cost in Akaroa. Kaikoura, another destination on the tourist trail. It felt like some grand kiwi is herding tourists with limited time along this trail, seeing the most famous sites in NZ.....”OK, now you’ll all stop here, fill the hotels and campgrounds, swim with the dolphins, pay too much for the seafood, say hello to the whales and seals....you have 1.5 days....GO! and then they’re off again to the next stop on the tourist trail. The place did not have a good feel to me. I did not want to compete with the Japanese and the Europeans as to who could pay the most for a tent site or dolphin tour.....it was beautiful, reminiscent of Monterey Bay, but it didn’t feel like NZ, and that is what I am really looking for. Funny, when I first came over on the ferry, I camped at the DOC campground in Pelorus. I met a chatty kid there interested in my motorbike. He was from Kaikoura, and his family came to this campground every Christmas for a week. At the time, I’d read about Kaikoura and thought, why do they leave Kaikoura for a holiday, its supposed to be so beautiful there?.....now I understand. Had a beautiful sunset from the campground 6 KM out of town....$12 instead of $32!
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That was 2 days ago. I had ridden to Kaikoura up Hwy 1. I rode back by the inland road, a bit out of the way, but far fewer cars, more rural, more beauty.....I felt a sense of relief leaving and traveling back to ChCh by a road less traveled. I stopped and fished and napped on the Hurunui R. for a few hours: http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/al...ictureid=14470
before getting on to ChCh where I spent the night at a few English Pubs with Kenny and Margarita and some mates of Kenny, then slept at their house.....Thanks again guys! Noodle makes me miss my dog Murphy. The next day I awoke to clouds and some rain from the West. Hit the road, despite the soft rain and clouds, Arthur’s pass is beautiful, alpine.
View from Bealey Hotel, just E. of Arthurs Pass: http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/al...ictureid=14466
Amazing that nearly as soon as you hit the summit and start down to the West the landscape changes. On this day, the clouds gave way to blue sky and sunshine, and the barren hillsides on the East side of the pass became lush green growth on the West side, with waterfalls here and there....Pretty cool.
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Short of the pass, I stopped for brunch at Bealey Hotel. where i noticed a handwritten sign....”Kumara race day, Yeeha!” Once a year rural horse races at Kumara....betting, drinking, lots of locals, very few tourists....in contrast to Kaikoura, this sounded perfect, and off I went.....and a great day it was. Worth the people watching in and of itself. Live music,
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10 races,
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and loads of people having loads of fun on a beautiful sunny day.
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I took quite a few photos, they tell the tale. I made 5 bets on 3 horses in 3 different races.....I picked the horses purely based on their names: ‘Born in the States’, ‘McDreamy’, and ‘PeterPorter’. Each horse ran second in each race and I won 3 place bets....enough to pay for my food and drink for the whole day.....the karma continues to roll. The environment was great, no gate fee, no parking fees, reasonable prices for food and drink....nothing to make you feel like someone was trying to make money from you, just provide the tools for a fun day. People of all ages, families with picnic blankets or tents, women gowned up as it attending the Kentucky Derby. I tented on the grounds for the night, then left the next morning......Good day....no more Kaikouras for me until the off season. I’ll take a day at the local races any time.
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/al...ictureid=14477
I'm out of time: See the rest of the pics here: http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/al...p?albumid=1353