TOTO gets lost

[Sharry]

Early Thursday morning TOTO and Gremlin packed up and set off on their TT200 challange. Any unusual or eventful activies getting to the ferry will be posted by the riders responable.

Apparently all went well untill Picton. When they disembarked the ferry they then split, Gremlin going strait to Christchurch while TOTO took a scenic route.
By 1700 Gremlin was already in Christchurch drying his sodden leggings and gloves by the heater, and awating his companion. He recieved a txt after a while saying TOTO was trying to find the accommodation.
About an hour later TOTO txt to blame Christchurch for being a difficult city to navagate and Gremlin txt back to say he could collect him if TOTO would give him an intersection then patiently waited and waited................
I even txt TOTO to ask if he needed me to nip down and lead him to the accommodation, I wouldn't have minded at all.

No answers......... I was hoping TOTO knew to turn around at the light house.

Finnaly around 9pm a call from TOTO to say he is close, Gremlin doesn't hold his breath. Instead he goes to the local pub in search of food.
After he had eaten he recieved the call he was waiting for, after two and a half hours TOTO had found the accommocation

And the TT2000 hasn't started yet

Gremlin's tale of how he slowed down to 100kph in zero visabilty rain with lightening strikes will have to be told by himself

[crazyhorse]

LOl - good read. hope the rest of the trip went better than the beginning

[Sharry]

This is the internet and KB so firslty that means this is true and secondly it also means I didn't say it

[MadDuck]

TOTO took a scenic route.

I blame GIJoe for this kind of silly behaviour

[EJK]

lol where are they now?

[Genie]

This looks like it wil be some interestingn reading, please keep me posted.

The scenic route, well there's a lot of scenery to be covered.

[EJK]

Just got a text from Mr. Toto. He is in Christchurch (and Gremlin). Seems hes fine now.

[Sharry]

What are they doing in Christchurch? I thought they were doing 1000kms today?

[Genie]

Maybe they're still trying to find their way out, it's like a maze, once you're in the middle get out again is difficult.

[Maha]

What are they doing in Christchurch? I thought they were doing 1000kms today?

Maybe they have already done it and will do it again later, you know what they're like.

[Gremlin]

Maybe they have already done it and will do it again later, you know what they're like.

I think he made several passes at me... I've dodged them all so far. Damn you honda riders are scary

Ride report (and adventures so far) coming in a few min once I write it up

[Genie]

come and hurry up.....we're waiting, can't hold my breathe forever........

[Gremlin]

So Sharry has already given you the highlight of the escapade before the real ride had even started.

Thursday morning, we packed and set off. Toto proudly claiming on MSN he had barely looked at the website, had just finished planning his routes and generally giving the impression that he was following me, so it shouldn’t be too difficult. (There would be a recurring theme that Toto barely ever knew where he was, didn’t know any town names, and couldn’t remember any from the discussion we had had for the past 5 minutes).

Set off from the BP Autobahn on Thursday at 10am (a bit late, but still in time for the ferry) and spent an uneventful 7.5 hours trekking down to Wellington (at least completely quiet by our usual standards). I had just got my bike back from the shop on Wednesday afternoon, after a service and more custom work, and Katie was now sporting a 11.5L marine tank strapped to the back seat and fuel line running into the main line. In theory, it would increase my main tank from a max of 250km before reserve to 400+ km before reserve. I say in theory, as this was completely untested, right before a 2000km+ journey that would depend on it. Excellent The ride down was of course, the best way to test it, so stopping in Tokoroa for Toto to gas up (and asked him to fill his spare tank as well), I noticed my 2nd tank hadn’t gone down at all. Good sign for the next 200km to Taihape!

Yes well… the first 3 attempts to get the 2nd tank working failed. The bike would run for 5-10km then grind to a halt. Giving up for the moment, we poured Toto’s spare tank in (y’know, to help make his bike lighter) and we carried on to Taihape. While riding, I remembered the shop advising the breather could be left closed as the fuel pump would draw the gas, but thought, just how strong is the suction? Air has to get in somehow to replace the lost fuel, and this would explain why I can go for a few kilometres, then it dies. Opened the breather and sure enough, the tank had gone down when I checked in Wellington.

Checked into Interislander just after 5.30pm for the 6.30pm sailing, had a chat to a Speed Triple and Street Triple who were separately heading down for their own rides, but nothing TT related. Helped them tie down their bikes, all secure, and headed upstairs for dinner. Chat, banter and food for 3 hours, explaining the South Island, TT, routes etc to Toto, unfamiliar with the position of newbie (his first time to South Island). Off the ferry at Picton and across the road to Tombstone Backpackers (excellent accommodation really).

I used my GPS software to give Toto an overview of the South Island, main routes, particular roads etc as he didn’t have a single map yet (good sign huh?). Had what sleep I could that night, with the freight training snoring next to me. Morning dawned fantastic, ended up leaving Picton at 10am, with Toto now in possession of a big map and map book, and a rough idea of where to go. I had to go direct to Christchurch to visit a client, while Toto was doing Takaka, West coast and Arthur’s Pass to Christchurch. A great opportunity to test the tank again, and with no Toto following, it was the last test before the actual TT2000. Finally, it worked smoothly, and I made Christchurch without a single stop, and getting a weird feeling of seeing the trip meter casually tick over 300km and keep going

I got a hearty welcome north of Christchurch by the storm front that swept up the east coast. I could see the black clouds ahead, so stopped to put my rain jacket on, leaving the pants off, as it wouldn’t be too bad. Little did I know, it was the wildest weather I have ever ridden through. Rain so thick I could barely see the tail lights of the vehicle in front, which was vital, as I had no idea where the road was going and couldn’t see it either. Two sets of lightning and I was thinking about the clever idea of being on top of metal in the open country. When the wind came as the rain started to ease (making it normal heavy rain) and I started seeing cars almost get blown off the road it certainly put things into perspective. Arrived in chch, bottom half soaked, and sent a warning txt to Toto (who missed the whole lot).

Sorted client and found accommodation. Settled in and waited. And waited. And got bored and waited some more. Sporadic communication, and he’s somewhere in Christchurch, thinks the town is shit, and evidently lost. More txt, offering to come get him if he can tell me where he is, and at 8.30pm I give up and go to pub down the road for dinner. I’ve missed the meals, so settle for a pie and wedges. 2.5 hours after entering Christchurch he appears. It turns out that despite my instructions to go through the city, stay on SH1 and you will find it, because I said it several times, he thought it better to go through the city centre for an unknown reason. Idiot. He loses one map along the way somewhere, and that evening, I go through all the required points for each day… again. I had also emailed him an A4 page of all the accommodation, address and contact details. He decided that, along with the website, it was far too much text, didn’t print it, didn’t read it… have I already said he’s an idiot? He was starting to make me look far too sorted for my reputation.

Up at 5am (after another freight train went through my head during the night) and we filled up, went to the shop and signed in. We received our starter tickets, and the TT2000 was all go.

Going to leave it here for now, got stuff to do, and by the time I’m probably posting the ride itself, Toto may have come across this thread…. hehehehehehe

I am currently working in Christchurch, and will be in Picton this evening. Toto has had lunch in Arthurs Pass, and will do a long trip round to Picton for this evening. Give he's done a lot of the roads on the TT2000, I think he will be OK... He's also been to the accommodation on Thursday, so *fingers crossed* he's going to make it.

[Sharry]

Fabulous Gremlin, after all the hullabaloo that his royal TOTOness has gone through, organising and navagating his way to Christchurch, you have let him try and find his own way off the South Island on his own?

[Shadowjack]

Toto? Ah, that Toto, *penny drops*, the Toto I met at my first fuel stop at Springfield, and shared a few checkpoint comments with all the way to the end. And then, usually, seen disappearing into the distance (I'm a slow old codger, really) in a haze of lime-green howlingness. Nice to put a face to the name, if rather belatedly.