Going solo on my South Island trip. 29th Jan - 14th Feb

**dangerous** · 2nd February 2005, 19:41

Originally Posted by Paul in NZ

This is what I'm telling Dave... btw if you aint booked that ferry yet it's full!

Mangell6 and Mrs Mangell and going the night before and will be joining us!

Paul N

Is that the BBH ride that I think I read somewere that you guys are doing? are you prepared to leak any info out bout it

**Paul in NZ** · 2nd February 2005, 21:22

Yeah, it's in this forum some place. Probably got lost in all the important threads on camel bothering and ego stroking... (oh hang on, that wus me...)

I'll find it tomorrow from work as it's a zillion degrees at home right now (just back from da beach) and I'm getting PO'd with the dial up!

Paul N

**StoneChucker** · 2nd February 2005, 21:37

Is the ferry booked up for the day you're leaving??? How! It's bloody March

Maybe I can look at getting there a day or two early, and annoy the folks at the blackball?

See, see... I told you I was cursed

**ajturbo** · 3rd February 2005, 09:33

and here i was thinking i was the ONLY one in her life...

i got one this morn..(txt)

stating that her "friend "and her are DRIVING up to Karamea!!!

don't worry .. i sent one back that should sort her out

sounds like she is in the best part of the country ( weather wise,!)

**Paul in NZ** · 3rd February 2005, 10:29

Originally Posted by StoneChucker

Is the ferry booked up for the day you're leaving??? How! It's bloody March

Maybe I can look at getting there a day or two early, and annoy the folks at the blackball?

See, see... I told you I was cursed

No you are NOT cursed!

You just didn't book when I suggested and some touring group has co incidentally booked all the bike spots. I can call the ferry people and see what can be done or you can go over the night before with Mangell6 and Mrs Mangell...

No biggie. This shit happens every day!

You could easily take the later ordinary ferry and on your wizzer bike either catch us up OR we could wait for you. Aint no biggie either way!

Relax... It's a holiday...

Paul N

**Skunk** · 3rd February 2005, 10:35

Originally Posted by Paul in NZ

No you are NOT cursed!

You just didn't book when I suggested and some touring group has co incidentally booked all the bike spots. I can call the ferry people and see what can be done or you can go over the night before with Mangell6 and Mrs Mangell...

No biggie. This shit happens every day!

You could easily take the later ordinary ferry and on your wizzer bike either catch us up OR we could wait for you. Aint no biggie either way!

Relax... It's a holiday...

Paul N

I take it this is not the March 2006 (and date was wrong) trip, but another one I have missed hearing of?

**Ms Piggy** · 4th February 2005, 20:08

Originally Posted by ajturbo

and here i was thinking i was the ONLY one in her life...

i got one this morn..(txt)

stating that her "friend "and her are DRIVING up to Karamea!!!

don't worry .. i sent one back that should sort her out

sounds like she is in the best part of the country ( weather wise,!)

Yes I do confess, I was driven to Karamea!

Well it was just that he had a big 4WD and a great thumping stereo!!

So I arrived on Greymouth and met up with my friend Craig - he's a possum monitor and cruises all around the SI, he just happened to have a few days off.

So the very short story is: we drove to Karamea from Greymouth and back as far as Westport. We left Betty & his dogs at Craigs mates in Greymouth. We went and looked at the Pancake Rocks (oooooo ahhhhh) and saw dolphins in the surf, we went to the seal colony at Cape Foulwind (ooooo ahhh some more), we also went up to Denniston (OMG it's hopt & windy), we stopped at Grnity at a superb cafe/bar called Drifters. Arrived in Karamea and immediately went for a swim, then to the pub and then drove back to Westport.

Left Westport this morning and drove back to Greymouth, I picked up Betty and we rode over to Reefton (cruising through Blackball for a quick squizz, sadly I ran out oftime to stay there). In Reefton I met up with Kickaha and Diesel Pig (who had been waiting an hour - oooppppss) and we haeded off. I had fuelled up there and was told it was 31 degrees! It got hotter! And hotter! And hotter! It was actually too hot to ride! Also! I lost 1 of my side panels! The LH one - bugger!!

It must've blown off along the way, so someone on the road between Reefton & Culverden there is a newly painted side panel.

We were all reeeeeeeeaally hot by the time stopped to fuel up again at Culverden and so headed to the Hurunui River. Fuck it was nice. I promptly attempted to drown Kickaha (he started it!!) and I suceeded...well a few times anyway.

Diesel Pig headed home and Kickaha and I stopped in at the Hurunui Pub for a cold one and a bit of food. Lovely in the shade.

From there we headed back to Rangiora.

All beautiful, gorgeous, lovely and fantastic. Now I am buggered! It was a hard ride today in that heat but, great.

Thanks to those of you who have kept in touch.

See some of you tomorrow.

**StoneChucker** · 4th February 2005, 21:52

Originally Posted by Paul in NZ

No you are NOT cursed!

You just didn't book when I suggested and some touring group has co incidentally booked all the bike spots. I can call the ferry people and see what can be done or you can go over the night before with Mangell6 and Mrs Mangell...

No biggie. This shit happens every day!

You could easily take the later ordinary ferry and on your wizzer bike either catch us up OR we could wait for you. Aint no biggie either way!

Relax... It's a holiday...

Paul N

The person that cursed me would beg to differ hahahaha No, look I know I'm not actually cursed, I never meant to imply it literally. I wasn't even to worried when I posted that. I knew I could use my royal influ... um, nevermind I've said too much. I'm booked, lets leave it at that

I DO have another WHOPPER of a "cursed" story, which I'll post in another thread...

Hey, these annoyances let you know that you're alive

**Paul in NZ** · 4th February 2005, 21:57

You are OK.

This is the 2005 reconissance mission behind friendly lines. Apparently there is some new beer that needs testing before we let you lot loose on it.

Paul N

**Hitcher** · 6th February 2005, 16:40

Originally Posted by Paul in NZ

You are OK.

This is the 2005 reconissance mission behind friendly lines. Apparently there is some new beer that needs testing before we let you lot loose on it.

Paul N

Beer testing! Excellent, Smithers...

**Kickaha** · 6th February 2005, 17:16

Originally Posted by Celtic_Sea_lily

We were all reeeeeeeeaally hot by the time stopped to fuel up again at Culverden and so headed to the Hurunui River. Fuck it was nice. I promptly attempted to drown Kickaha (he started it!!) and I suceeded...well a few times anyway.

.

I think the ratio of heads being shoved under water was about
Celtic Sea Lilys head 20
Kickahas head 1

I woke up about 7.45am and had told Neil I'd be round at 8am,but gambling on his inability to get out of bed before lunchtime didn't think a few minutes would make much different,rolled around to his place and he was ready and waiting so off we headed,just as we get into the Weka we hit the first traffic through the best part which holds us up a little bit but we get around that and head through to Culverden and gas up.

We head out of Culverden (after push starting Diesels pigs bike) and a few km down the road we hit the first roadworks at Mouse point with the lollipop men playing stop and go,we get the green and off we go,the ride up is pretty uneventful with us sticking around 110-120 and not getting held up by the traffic,we gas up at Springs and I ring Cathy and find she's still in Greymouth so we decide to ride through to Reefton to meet up,between Springs and Reefton there's more roadworks and grit spread on the road but nothing that isn't managable,arriving in Reefton we grab a drink and something to eat and hang about waiting for Cathy to show up,an hour later she shows up and grabs a drink before we head off.

I swap with Diesel pig and hop on his GSX1100ET,which has decided it needs a push to start,lucky for me I'm not doing the pushing in 31 degree heat,first impressions are a very linear power delivery and for a bike weighing well in excess off 200kg fairly easy to turn,perhaps helped by the wide bars,
compared to the XJ550 its a rocket twist the throttle in any gear at any speed and away it goes we cruise back through to springs and gas up again and head off to Culverden,by this time I think the temp is over the 31 degrees and even with a 110kmh breeze it's not much fun,so we head to the Hurunui river and splash about for a while and feel a hell of a lot better for it.

Diesel Pig heads back off to Rangiora to sort his starter and a minor carb problem while Cathy and I head off to the pub for some food and drink and then after that we head off back through Waikari the Weka and home,stopping off at Diesel Pigs place to show Cathy a fuel tank with her bikes new name on it(Black Betty)and then around the corner to home and blob out

**dangerous** · 6th February 2005, 18:02

Originally Posted by Kickaha

I swap with Diesel pig and hop on his GSX1100ET compared to the XJ550 its a rocket twist the throttle in any gear at any speed and away it goes

now you know how the honda bucket riders feel up against gn buckets

and ummmm.... compairing a xj...... errr your xj with any bike bigger than a cg110..... just dosent compute

**Ms Piggy** · 6th February 2005, 20:18

Well ust when I thought the scenery couldn't get better it did! And then again and oh hang some more gorgeous scenery!!

Short story - rode to Akaroa yesterday & stayed there the night.

Today - ride from Akaroa to Fox Glacier. Had a bit of a ride on Kickaha's bike, now I know why people are agog I would ride long disanhce on Black Betty.

Thanks to all those who rode to Akaroa - it was great to meet a lot of the ChCh lads. 1 gals and all those leather clad men....

Just had a HOT shower & a cold beer. Blisssssssssssssssssssssssssss.

Fox to Oamru tomorrow via Lindis Pass and maybe with a stop off in Waimate.

The biker & waether goddesses have been so good to me!

(love that new dancin' banana Wari!)

Time to go to bed soon...I am aching but happy, happy, happy.

Oh yeah - too much stoopid grit in paces! Eeeeeeppppp!