ADV new recruit

[220 Ohms]

Hi guys, nice little corner of the site here in Adv.
I'm new to off road riding but hope to glean some good info from the learned ones here.
I have for a few years now wanted to ride the Molesworth/Rainbow station roads and have finally planned to do it next year when they open.

In my search for a suitable bike I was initially looking for a low capacity 70's-80's dual purpose bike, reason being; 1 I like old bikes, and 2 doing big trips on small bikes is a lot of fun.
I was only looking to spend about $1k but unfortunately there just weren't any decent ones around, they were either knackered or out of my price range.
In the end I picked up an 06 NXR125 for $900, not bad considering it had wof/rego and just over 10,000k's on the clock. It also can haul my 85kg arse along at 100kmph with a little bit to spare.

So I'm gradually getting prepared for it and getting some practice in on the bike.
I plan to spend a few days in the area and will be camping out.
One bit of info I'd like to know is what is the climate like on the stations, in particular over night temperatures. I hope to keep my gear to a minimum but don't want to freeze as I hear it can be cold there even in summer.

Also where are some good places in Welly to ride? The south coast looks like it could be some good gravel/sand fun. BTW I'm in the central suburbs

Cheers

[junkmanjoe]

Hi there 22ohms..

welcome to the site.

i have ridden the Molsworth and Rainbow roads, i was a bit gob smacked with the scenery down that ways.. it well worth the ride.. we stopped at a Lake Tennyson, on our way through, i believe camping is allowed up there..

as for riding in the lower north island, your more than welcome to tag along with our band of merry men.... rides have been a bit quite lately with winter in all, but we get out and about when we can.. im up in the wairarapa and heaps of great roads for you to gain experience on up here..
from mild to wild...gravel, grass, and this time of year...MUD..tracks and old roads..but we go beach riding, castle point, matakona, and riversdale and we pop out to ocean beach and cape palliser quite often.

so enjoy the bike, enjoy the ride...

JMJ

[JATZ]

Hello Mr Ohms welcome

Yip, what Joe said, camping available at Lake Tennyson and Also at either end of Molesworth station.
Take a set of thermals just incase it gets cold at night and you should be right. When do you plan on riding through ? Also... there is a charge to go through Rainbow $15 last year

[junkmanjoe]

if it rains you can stop in here.... on the molesworth road.. aye Jatz



JMJ

[Howie]

Hi 220 Ohms, molesworth, and rainbow are both worth doing, do a search on this site, and you should find plenty of info from previous people's rides. The Department of conservation site over Here has quite a bit of info, there is a link to a a reasonable PDF brochure on that page.

[JATZ]

Mate, I still rate that ride as my favorite trip through there : despite the rain

[junkmanjoe]

even when you got us lost and had to check the maps...



JMJ

[JATZ]

even when you got us lost and had to check the maps...

insert pic of handsome guy reading here

JMJ

Joe...... your a bastard

[junkmanjoe]

this is paladin acting like a bastard on the ferry...



JMJ

[220 Ohms]

Cheers guys, some good info there and pics
I should be going through about mid January, starting from the Blenheim side.

Can't wait to get down there, taking one of my old film cameras so hopefully will get some good pics.

[gav24]

Hi, Also keep an eye on the 'kapiti coast ride out' thread as well. We have some pretty good riding on our doorstep here on the coast. When the weather is better (drier!) we'll be headin out exploring our hills and beaches again.
Last proper ride was June (I know- ages ago!) and the pics are on the first few pages of the thread, should whet your appetite...