great pics.You dont need them any larger,we can click on them and they come out great.You can get much larger pics if you have the pics hosted somewhere else but that makes it slow for anyone with limited or slow data or internet.The ataachmnet thumbnail is the best way imho peple can view the larger pics if they want or just view the thumbnail
Great to see your photos Frodo.
Cheers
Merv
Yeah I enjoyed seeing your pictures. Well done that man.
seeing the shots along the West Coast just makes me want to rush back down again...and it's fine
Happiness is a means of travel, not a destination
Great reading and really nice pics, hope all your gear held up well in the rain!
Moe: Well, I'm better than dirt. Well, most kinds of dirt. I mean not that fancy store bought dirt. That stuffs loaded with nutrients. I...I can't compete with that stuff.- The Simpsons
Great pics and I enjoyed reading through your descriptions. Lucky that the cop didn't bother to turn around and good to see that the tire repair kit came in handy. I used to carry one around, then stopped, but may start doing that again.
---------------------------
Disclaimer: Any lapses in spelling, tact, or fact are transmission errors.
---------------------------
Thanks for sharing your pics and experiences. I'm sure you enjoyed yourself despite the weather.
Thanks for sharing. The south island is definitely on my bucket list
Day 5: Manapouri to Omarama
Originally I’d hoped to ride along the south coast, including the delightful Catlins, camping at the aptly name Porpoise Bay (a stronghold of the endangered Hector dolphins). I flagged that away a couple of days previously with a forecast of strong southerlies. I’d hoped that taking an inland route to Gore would give me better weather. But with predicted rain and hail, I decided to backtrack to Queenstown.
I delayed leaving Manapouri, hoping the rain would ease. It didn’t. I thought riding in rain at 4 degrees, it would only get better. It didn’t.
This is a photo from the backpackers as the rain started.
I rode east from Manapouri then turned north on the road up from Invercargill, and the black clouds to the south told me I had made the right decision. I was pretty cold at this point and knew that I needed a break before the planned coffee in Queenstown. The inside of the café at Kingston was like a sauna and the smell of fresh coffee and baking drew me in. The double flat white was a good as it smelled as was the gluten-free slice. I had some urgent work to attend to, which the dodgy wifi added a challenge.
A biker stood alongside me, shook my hand and introduced himself with an Irish accent, saying he’d lived in New Zealand for years. His hand was as cold as mine must have been a half hour ago. He was riding a Harley Road King with his friend and another couple on another Harley, and asked about the weather further south. I gave the answer he expected, but didn’t want to hear and he went out to report to his friends. The Harleys were the first bikes I’d seen since Murchison on day 2. And then an FJ1200 rode past, heading north, away from the rain. Bikes were no longer rare
The rain eased a little in the bustle of Queenstown, and in spite of the ever-threatening rain, I was pleased to leave. The Kawarau Gorge is like a scene straight out of the Lord of the Rings – and it is – the River Anduin was filmed here. And a great bike road, when dry.
The rain increased alongside Lake Dunstan and it got colder as I climbed slowly towards the Lindis Pass. At the top it was just 3 degrees and it felt like snow. Steam rising from the warmer road belied the real temperature.
The other side of the Lindis Pass - the rain had almost stopped.
Heading north. I hoped the desert like Ahuriri Valley would be dry.
Just the other side of Omarama, I turned right into Buscot Station, where I would stay the night. Strange to see a plume of dust behind the bike. And to see the lawn of farm house being watered, but then the rain arrives and I had to bring my drying saturated gloves in.
It rained most of the night and became the most significant rain Omarama had seen for months. The owner of the station said I could stay for free next time if I brought rain!
(View from my bedroom window).
Nice work Frodo
It's a right pain when the weather turns to custard day after day, but still better than working... right ?
Re photos: I host mine on Photobucket and "embed" them when posting trip reports
Absolutely right about riding in rain rather than working! There is another thread here somewhere called "The pleasures of riding in rain". There is a limit and after about 300km of rain at around 5 degrees, the pleasure wanes!
I have my photos on Picasaweb and will try that. But some have reported that they prefer thumbnails.
Will post the final 2 days later today (including the dry Day 7!).
Day 6: Omarama to Waipara
I woke to scattered sun, light showers and a rainbow.
There was fresh snow on the hills (to the left) as I packed the bike.
Optimistically, I left the rainpants in the pannier as I rode off.
It was cold, but dry, although dark clouds were hugging the mountains, obscuring Mt Cook, so I flagged away the planned side trip. Light rain started and the temperature dropped to 5 degrees as a bunch of about a dozen bikes, all BMWs, approached. Clearly an organised motorbike tour. I hope they have better weather than I! I will be back, but that may be difficult for them.
Enjoying reading and seeing photos of your trip, the photo with the lupins is wonderful...
yeah, I know, DoC doesn't like them but they add colour in a spectacular way in grand scenery.
Thanks for sharing.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Bookmarks