Limbimtimwim rips the face off the South Island

**limbimtimwim** · 20th February 2008, 19:53

Shouldn't do this, it's gay.

But I don't feel like reading my book right now.

So today I went to the South Island. The ferry cross was pretty smooth. Went to dear ol' dads house near Picton, took of most of my bags and rode around Port Underwood Road, with a minor detour (18km round trip) to Ngakuta Bay*.

The tarmac section of Port Underwood Road is heaps of fun, the road is bumpy and quite twisty. It's like an 8 out of 10 for twisty (If the Akatarawa Road is a 10). There is the odd log truck though, but they seem to be driving pretty sensibly, so if you do as well there should be no problem.

The detour to Ngakuta bay was fun. The road is has a lot of up, down and corrugations. The road was very dry and the gravel just slides around on top of the hard dirt. Good fun up hills though. From the road you can see a whole lot of mussel farms. You follow some power pylons out. And the pylons go between the hills in a way best described as 'flamboyant'. The designers had some fun putting these up. I assume these power lines are part of the cook strait cable system. They don't hum at 50hz.

The gravel section of PU Road is quite sensible. Only a few bits are corrugated so badly you have to hum as you go over the bumps. You hum so you sound like a motorboat when you hit a bump. There are several bays as you go around, each with a few houses. Each one seems to have a novelty plaque engraved with a note about the local history and an item of relative antiquity, like a iron pot I presume was for boiling up whale blubber. MMMMmmm blubber.

At Robin Hood Bay there were some surfers enjoying themselves. Once round a few more corners I could see for miles along the Marlbourgh coast.

I then got stuck in some sand, but managed to extract myself. I felt like a pro. Of course a pro wouldn't have got stuck. And would have read the signs saying 'Soft ground'. I felt like a challenge.

Tomorrow, Keneperu Sound and/or French Pass.

I took some photos.

* There are several Ngakuta Bays, it appears

**koba** · 20th February 2008, 20:38

You bastard.
Im jealous.

**Hitcher** · 20th February 2008, 20:57

Bastard! Roll on March...

**skelstar** · 20th February 2008, 21:05

Ahahah... I told you it had to be done. Tell all the kids how you're posting this Simon... hope its not using the satelite that the Navy is shooting down next week

Oh yeah, hows the tank range going?

**sAsLEX** · 20th February 2008, 21:09

Originally Posted by limbimtimwim

They don't hum at 50hz.

DC.

Some nice pics, I aint jealous at all, though looking forward to a little pootle down to Fielding this weekend.

**Grub** · 20th February 2008, 21:10

Now you stop that ... this instant! Any more of this and I will start thinking about advencha bikes.

I am a sprotsbike rider. I am a sprotsbike rider. I am a sprotsbike rider. I am a sprotsbike rider. I am a sprotsbike rider. I am a sprotsbike rider.

**Deano** · 20th February 2008, 21:14

Now that beats painting the house in your holiday.

**sAsLEX** · 20th February 2008, 21:35

Originally Posted by Grub

Now you stop that ... this instant! Any more of this and I will start thinking about advencha bikes.

I am a sprotsbike rider. I am a sprotsbike rider. I am a sprotsbike rider. I am a sprotsbike rider. I am a sprotsbike rider. I am a sprotsbike rider.

HTFU.

He doesn't sound like he has stretched the Adventure part of the bike, any bike will ride on gravel......

**Grub** · 20th February 2008, 21:40

Originally Posted by sAsLEX

any bike will ride on gravel......

Yeah but not every rider ... lol

**limbimtimwim** · 21st February 2008, 07:06

Originally Posted by sAsLEX

DC.

Yeah I know. I'm fascinated by the whole Manapouri thing.

Originally Posted by Grub

Yeah but not every rider ... lol

I wouldn't do that Ngakuta bit on a plastic bike.

Oddly enough, when I got to Whites Bay I met a V-Strom at the join between the seal and the gravel. They turned around.

**Blue Velvet** · 21st February 2008, 09:06

Nice pics. Number 4, wow, the colour of that water.

Kinda makes me miss my dual purpose bike. But the gixxer is actually quite nimble off road. Heh

And I thought the pro's do get stuck on purpose, just so they can get un-stuck?

How far are you riding limbimtimwim, how long are you taking, etc...

**sAsLEX** · 21st February 2008, 18:53

Originally Posted by limbimtimwim

Yeah I know. I'm fascinated by the whole Manapouri thing.

Manapouri pretty much feeds the Ali plant down south not much comes north from there....... Jantar or K14 could confirm.

If you ever get the chance go for a look around the station down there, carved out of the rock into a huge underground cavern which cost a few lives.

**limbimtimwim** · 21st February 2008, 23:13

Today the goal was to go to French Pass.

Going to French Pass involves going along Queen Charlotte Drive, which one of the most fun roads around. It winds left and right again and again. It's heaps of fun. The speed limit is a joke, 60km/h now. Whatever. Some prick decided to try and ruin it for me though when I went to pass him, he thought it would be funny to straight line the corner infront of me. So I pull over and have a smoke rather than infect their rear-view-mirror any more. It's a good morning for a smoke looking down on Ngakuta Bay*. The sun is shining and the tar hasn't melted yet.

I stop in Havelock for a coffee, a sandwich and more nicotine, the coffee is better than expected. And she undercharges me. I inform her. "Don't worry about it". Sweet. She must like my face. Which you can't see for the facial hair at the moment.

I stop at Pelorus bridge and take a photo. The water is so clear you can see each stone on the bottom. And it's quite deep.

I fill up at Rai Valley, the fuel tank on the DR-Z is 10 litres, and doing a consistent 105km/h I'll hit reserve in 125km.

The road to Okiwi Bay is good fun, it starts off going up a valley with only a few corners, then it tightens up a bit and you climb up and down a bit till you reach Okiwi. I note a sign advertising petrol. The road from Okiwi to Elaine Bay right now is a bit of fun. It's quite bumpy and plenty curvy (About an 7/10) and is starting to melt. Logging trucks have flogged it quite a bit. I encounter one on the way up and he pulls over with a wave. Chur bro. Up up we go. Through the forest you can catch glimpses of the ocean below and landmasses off to the side.

I go down to Elaine Bay since the sign promises it is only 2km. It's a real nice spot down here. There is a kayak hire place a thin jetty and a couple of young South American type looking ladies changing into their bikinis. Sorry no pictures, that would have just been blatent perving. They get a nod, I get a wave.

Back at the top of the Elaine Bay hill is where the gravel road to French Pass starts, 20km of it. This is a great road, and even the most gravel timid could tackle this road in summer. It is smooth and wide. It begins in native forest, but this changes to farmland rather abruptly at a cattle stop. I stop and consume nicotine and stretch my legs. I look back at the bike and.. lo.. tyre tracks head up a hill. The view would be better up there. So I'm a little cheeky and leave the road for a better shot up the hill. Weee!!! Go little DR-Z!!! Oh fuck who hid those rocks there? And those bumps have transformed into jumps... Anyway, I didn't die. And the view was even more spectacular.

Once rolling through the farmland the views from the road, which clings somewhat tenaciously to the side of the hills, is just amazing. You are quite high, and the sea is all the way down there. It's cool.

French Pass, the village, is quite a busy little place. To my suprise, you can buy fuel here (91) so I fill up.

So I head back and make the decision to go to Bulwer. More spectacular views. There is one spot with Cissy Bay on one side and Admirality Bay on the other. It looks pretty cool.

This is a 'hum like a motorboat' road. It's not like the French Pass road. It's rough and ripped up. It's steeper and the corners tighter. Plastic bikes need not apply.

More clinging to the sides of big hills. I ride down to Bulwer the town, there isn't much to see. There is a golf club near the shore and a box full of golf balls. So there isn't much to do in Bulwer. There is a fish farm. The road itself is pretty fucked. So I start to ride home.

For some reason I ride like a man possessed. I have no idea why, but all of a sudden I am on fire. Braking stupid hard on gravel. Spinning it up out of corners. No slowing down for rough bits. I stop at the crazy remote mailbox and take a photo.

And now I see my mudguard is about to fall off. Again. Fucking crap design. I tie it up with shoe laces.

Still possessed by the spirit of Rossi I ride home only pausing to take a photo of the valley.