Friday
The weather forecast on friday when I left home wasn't looking too flash, so I tried to time it to ride between the fronts. It was dry all the way from home to Clyde, then it started to rain. It rained all the way to Cromwell where I stopped for fuel, then rained from there to Tarras. The road started to dry out through the lindis Pass, then just short of Omarama the clouds opened out and it started to rain. This time it only rained as far as geraldine where I stopped for lunch. I was supposed to meet RedKLR650 here, but he was still in Timaru fitting his Radar detector. (little good it did him though). By the time I left geraldine the rain had stopped and I could see blue sky away in the south. By Mayfield the weather had changed and it was raining again. The rain only lasted as far as Christchurch.
Saturday
Saturday morning and I was up at 5:00 am, and on my way to the start. I found one of those traffic lights that don't change for motorcycles, and by the time I arrived at the start shortly after 6:00 am many riders had already left. I got underway at 6:10 am. It was a bloody cold ride and despite 2 layers of icebreaker under my shirt and a woolen jersey on top, then my leathers, the cold was noticeable. I discovered why when crossing the Hunderlees and seeing snow drifts on the side of the road. This snow continued right down to sea level on the Kaikoura side, and I later found out that some north island riders on their way south on friday struck hail, sleet and snow in this area. The first checkpoint at Kaikoura was at 8:06 am, so I had made up the 10 minutes I lost at the start.
Through the Inland Kaikouras it finally started to warm up a bit, and I had a great ride to Hamner Springs for fuel at 09:37. I was riding carefully the last few kms as I overstretched slightly and been on reserve (well, last bar on the fuel guage) for almost 40 km. On leaving Hamner I passed more bikes still on their way in, so i figured I must be around mid field. Over the Lewis Pass was just a great run, and I had set myself a target time of 10:40 at Springs Juction if I was going to attempt the Inungahua loop. I passed through there at 10:39, 1 minute to spare, so continued west instead of north. It looked like rain as I approached Reefton, however there were only a few spits and it was into clear air again to the north. I arrived at Inungahua at 11:27 and decided to make this my brunch stop. The required proof here was a computerised till receipt, so i had a pie and a fruit juice and asked for the receipt. I received a piece of paper with a stamp on it and the price, not quite what was required. In order to get a computerised receipt I had to pay by eftpos: Oh well, another fruit juice to take away did the trick.
I arrived in Murchison for fuel at 12:12 and had to wait for another rider to move his Triumph Triple from pump #5 to give me room to fill up. He and his group had just come straight to Murchison without any flyers, and he was a bit surprised that I’d already done one. As I hit the road again I saw him and his group stop at the cafe, obviously their lunch stop. I wasn’t sure about doing the Belgrove Flyer as I knew that if I did that one I wouldn’t be able to do the Cape Farewell one. The Belgrove flyer would give fewer points and the Farewell flyer would make the timing very tight so I set a generous timetable at Kawatiri as my decision point, and a very tight one at takaka for Farewell. I arrived at Kawatiri at 12:39, a full 21 minutes before my decision time, so it was onto Belgrove. I reached Belgrove at 1:19 pm and after a short stop for a photo I headed on to Top House. On the way I passed a couple of bikes headed towards Belgrove, but in the opposite direction. I later found out a few riders messed up at Kawatiri and did this flyer in reverse, and two riders had a serious (fatal) accident at around the time I was passing through.
It was a straight forward ride through to Picton and fuel, but once again I had to wait for another rider to move his Triumph Triple from pump #5 to give me room to fill up. He and his group had just come straight from Murchison without any flyers, and he was a bit surprised that I’d already done two. We agreed that at Takaka he would have his bike already moved.
On Queen Charlotte Drive to Havelock I caght up with a group of 3 bikes that appeared to be going rather slowly. It still took a while to pass them as they weren’t prepared to move over for a Jap bike. Bloody Hells Angels on their Harleys. You would think that if they want to be considered bikers that they would either know how to ride or be on bikes that can handle.
My decision time at Rai Valley for the Okiwi Bay flyer was 4:05 pm, and I got there at 4:01 pm, so once again I was cutting it close. This was a high point flyer, so it was one I really wanted to achieve. The sign said 22 km (30 minutes) to Okiwi Bay and I arrived there at 4:23. 22 minutes for 22 kms on that road wasn’t too bad. Of course that meant I reached Nelson at 5:15 pm, and right in the middle of rush hour. Once through Motueka though, it was a great trip over the Takaka hill and up to Takaka at 6:50, just 10 minutes before the petrol station closed.
I was till cutting the timing close as my decision time for the Cobb flyer was 7:15pm at Upper Takaka, and I reached there at 7:12. This road is a perfect ride for a VStrom; narrow, windy and very scenic. I had allowed myself 49 minutes for this return trip including 5 minutes for the photo, but I did the whole lot in 36 minutes, so I was finally ahead of time and could take it easy on my last flyer at Marahau and Kaiterteri, or so I thought. While riding down the Motueka side of the Takaka Hill I met two riders just coming up. They were cutting it very fine for time, and I hoped they had plenty of fuel.
Anyway I turned off to Marahau in the dark for what I thought was going to be an easy task: ride to Marahau, take a photo of the bike outside the fire station, ride to Kaiteriteri, take a photo of the bike outside the fire station, then rejoin the main road near Riwaka. For this simple wee ride I had allowed myself 32 minutes, 22 minutes riding and 10 minutes for the photos, plenty of time or so I thought. The trip into Marahau only took 8 minutes, and then I rode the length of the only street in town looking for the fire station. I rode back along the length of the only street in town looking for the fire station, then I rode the length of the only street in town looking for the fire station. There were no buildings that even looked like a fire station. On my 4th time along the street I saw road warning sign with a picture of a fire engine, followed about 150 meters later by another one, but no fire station in between. Finally I found a driveway that appeared to lead to an empty building and, sure enough, that was the fire station. On to Kaiteriteri, and once again there was no fire station to be found. However I was a bit wiser this time and I found it on my third trip through town. By the time I got back to the main road the 32 minutes I had allowed myself had stretched to over 50 minutes and I was running tight on time to get to the day’s finish. Fortunately I had a great run back to Nelson (despite many radar detector warnings) and arrived with almost 20 minutes to spare, and 5 flyers already completed.
Sunday
I was enjoying a very pleasant sleep when I was rudely awoken around 1:00 am by the invisible man trying to tie my right leg in a knot. I know it was the invisible man because I couldn’t see anyone, but my calf muscle was in excruciating pain. I got out of bed to tried and put pressure on it, but the pain just got worse, then spread to my thigh. I couldn’t stand, I couldn’t sit, and then it spread to the other leg. A short time later I found myself in an ambulance and off to hospital. By time I had been treated with pain killers, muscle relaxant and blood thinning drugs, and advised not to ride that day, it was almost 5:00 am. So day 2 of the TT2000 was cancelled for me. Instead it just stay at the backpackers, sleep, read a book, sleep some more etc.
Monday
9:00 am an it was a beautiful day for a ride, so I decided to take the Kaikoura route back to Chrischurch. Fuel was needed in Blenheim and also a good chance for some breakfast. Heading south along the Kaikoura coast I felt like it couldn’t be better until each group of TT2000 riders heading north made me jealous as hell. Still I was on a bike and out riding so it wasn’t all bad. Around 11:30 I pulled into a rest area by the coast and found a group of seals resting right by the road. I was surprised just how close I could get before getting a warning growl from a large male seal.
Near Parnassus there was a cop at the side of the road parked where bikes approaching from the south wouldn’t be able to see him, but he would get a clear shot with his radar at anyone approaching. For the next 10 km or so I was flashing all motorcyclists and waving a “thumbs down” signal at them. I think most got the message. I arrived at my sister’s place in Christchurch before 3:00 pm, that is slower than even a cage could do it.
Tuesday
The forecast was for deteriorating weather with strong winds and snow flurries. I didn’t like the idea of the Tekapo – Pukaki area in strong winds so I just headed south on SH1 intending on either Waimate – Omarama or the Pig Route. It was cold to begin with as I fuelled up at Hornby, but the day soon warmed up to another fine blue sky. I could see the cloud hanging around the Southern Alps in the distance, so I guess my decision was the correct one. Just past Timaru I could see what looked like frontal weather approaching from the south, so I turned inland through Waimate. I just love that ride through the gorge and on to Ikawai. Then the wind hit. I was heading straight into it, and it was hard work. I’m glad it wasn’t more side on or it would have been difficult to stay on the road. The next stop was Omarama for more fuel, and now the rain clouds were beginning to form.
On leaving Omarama the wind died down and I could feel the occasional spot of rain starting to hit: Nothing heavy, but just a reminder that there was moisture in the air. Coming through the Lindis Pass there was a cage driver who obviously liked the pace I was setting. He did everything he could to keep up with, including passing other vehicles where it wasn’t really safe to do so. He finally fell back just short of Tarras when he couldn’t get past a bus on a hill. Down the other side of the hill I was woken from my day dreams by the radar detector going suddenly to full alert, and there right in front of me was a cop coming the other way. Fortunately my speed was only around 108 and he left me alone.
I arrived home at 2:30 pm, pleased with a lovely ride, but disappointed that I’d only achieved a TT1000.
Data
Leg Distance Fuel
Cromwell - Geraldine 281 15.85
Geraldine Ch'ch 170 9
Ch'ch - Hamner 322 20.65
Hamner - Murchison 222 14.2
Murchison - Picton 261 14.68
Picton - Takaka 258 17.32
Takaka - Blenheim 299 19
Blenheim - Hornby 332 17.71
Hornby - Omarama 314 17.41
Omarama – Home* 140 8
Total 2599 153.8
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Originally Posted by vifferman
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Great reading and no doubt there is gold in your future 
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