South Island Holiday Tour

[mylodon]

Thanks warewolf... I got new years sorted out, i guess i should get christmas as well! thanks for the link. also i may have exaggerated a bit about the french pass unsealed length but on the way back i was rushing to catch a picton ferry so it seemed extra long.

greerADV -- i'm going to be down around those parts probably from the 28th-30th or so... if you're free then i'd love to go on a ride with someone who knows the area...

[Jantar]

It doesn't rain much in california and you don't see many fires there, do you?

Ha, ha; Good one.

i also think blanket campfire bans are stupid, especially considering the number of burned out cars i've seen along the side of the road. do the feral children set forest fires? no. it's not that flammable out there. nothing wrong with a nice fire ring in a clearing.

Wait till you see the area down here before making that statement. We only get 350mm of rain per annum compared to San Francisco's 500mm per annum. Right now it is so dry that any grass that isn't irrigated has dried off and crunches as you walk across it. In february 1999 in conditions not as dry as at the moment there were massive grass fires in this area. A civil defence emergency was

"Declared at 1800, lifted 1200 next day. Declaration by Mayor for whole district. Purpose: to assist Emergency Services in evacuating properties. 40 properties & in excess of 200 people evacuated; 2 houses destroyed by fire; 1 person died from heart attack - shock of event; many farm buildings, fences & numbers of livestock were destroyed by fire. No actual costs."

The fire went right through the property we now own, and our neighbour's house was one of the ones destroyed. It is so dry that most property owners even have a smoking ban, let alone camp fires.

anyhow, i'm looking forward to the trip, gravel roads and all... being on a bike and seeing new things, especially if i get a chance to run into keas and dophins... that's the thing.

In that case there are many roads that you will enjoy. Come down via the Hakataramea and Danseys Passes, and go home via the west coast.

[warewolf]

i also think blanket campfire bans are stupid, especially considering the number of burned out cars i've seen along the side of the road. do the feral children set forest fires? no. it's not that flammable out there. nothing wrong with a nice fire ring in a clearing.

Actually, it IS that flammable out there. The problem is not so much the fire itself, but the way the sparks are carried on the wind.

Cross-post from the DB thread, but worth adding here: South Island fire danger soars.

[RedKLR650]

i also think blanket campfire bans are stupid, especially considering it's not that flammable out there. nothing wrong with a nice fire ring in a clearing.

It doesn't rain much in california and you don't see many fires there, do you?

Oh, the huge fires on telly a few months ago that killed people, burned lots of houses and were generally out of control for weeks must have been somewhere else. Oh that's right, it was Malibu......

On a more serious note, they have just banned all fires in the McKenzie Basin due to high fire risk

Stu

[mylodon]

well i wouldn't say the south island is dry. but it was a good trip, especially when it wasn't raining. And I did get to light a fire in the fijordlands. bought me some dirty looks though.

also many of the offroad trails seem to have turned gravel, and most of the gravel roads seem to be paved. i want my money back.

just kidding.

[Jantar]

Glad you enjoyed your trip. And that is a great photo of the upper Hollyford (Road into Milford for the North Islanders).

Next time, get in touch with us southerners while you're down this way and we'll send on the best roads.