Fantastic Monday afternoon, decided to go for a ride after lunch.
Thought we would roll on up to Mount Cook (Aoraki) and check out the two side roads to Hooker and Tasman and see if anything has changed that might be of interest to bikers on KB.
We were taking it easy and stopped to take a pic of the scenery but just missed including a whole string of bikes on tour. Damn it. (Pic No1)
Soon after resuming our quiet ride a bloody van got on our tail, right up close and personal like.
I accelerated away and put a bit of distance between him and us and then settled down to a leisurely pace again. (100/108kph)
Before long here he is back again right up close (And I mean close) and personal again. I moved hard over to the left but he did not pass and stayed up our jack, so I gunned it up and put space between us again.
Not long and here he is again. Two one way bridges coming up and a few cages so we put space and a few blocks between us this time.
Some time later here he is again!! I am starting to get a bit pissed with this turkey so I think let the prick pass and piss off out of our day but no he sits on our back wheel!!
He was obviously flat out at about 120kph and we were not in any hurry so I thought I would pull right over and stop and "make" him go away!
A couple of licks on the hand brake leaver to catch his attention and then a left indicator and SHIT the bastard nearly rammed us and it was as close as he could be without actually touching us. In fact I am sure that if we had had our side boxes on he would have hit the right one.
Mrs Oldrider got one hell of a fright and was very upset and I was less than impressed.
We followed at a reasonable distance so as not to loose sight of where he might stop. more me than Mrs O/R she was just wanting to avoid trouble judging by the noises she was making which I ignored in my most rationale manner.
The van turned off at the Mt Cook airport apparently to drop off passengers.
We pulled up beside the van and I ascertained that the guy I thought was the driver was correct and confronted him about his driving behaviour.(Politely)
He was an Asian of some sort (Not a matter of concern to me) and either couldn't or wouldn't speak or understand English so I couldn't remonstrate or make my protest effectively at all.
I pointed to him then to his nose and then back to me and stuck my fist under his nose and then pointed at the bike but it was like remonstrating with a block of bloody wood.
I went and got my camera and took his photo then took some pics of his van while muttering Police, Police! That got him going, he rushed off and got his camera and started photographing my bike muttering that I had stopped and that I should not have stopped. Bloody wanker. He shouldn't have been so close I said to him. (Pics of driver and van)
We got back on the bike and left before I lost my cool and got into something that I couldn't resolve in my favour. There is a good reason why not and it's not my age.
Any way we enjoyed the rest of our ride and took some pics of what there is to look at at the end (For cars road bike etc) of the Tasman turnoff! (see pics of the area)
Pics are of the Tasman glacier (almost out of sight now) sort of panning "right" towards the road up. Probably will have to post twice.
We rode home via Twizel canal roads round the back of Twizel then stopped and had a meal at the Wrinkly Ram at Omarama then rode on liesurely home.
Apart from that twit in the van it was a nice afternoon. (Shades of Dangerous's truck experience no less) Cheers John.
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