dougman1
Part of the furniture
And NZ is EXXY, holy-schmoly
A 6 pack of VB is cheaper than 500 gm of spreadable Butter: Go figure!
And it’s quite nice on toast !
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NZ_24 - A South Island Adventure Odyssey
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- Start date
A 6 pack of VB is cheaper than 500 gm of spreadable Butter: Go figure!
And it’s quite nice on toast !
Zuckerbaron
Long Timer
Nice foto Pete! The start of a perfect long gravel run down the Molesworth. Enjoyed it!Hanmer 6am, looking into the Tekoa and Organ Ranges to the south-west.
The DR 650 tractors made the climb up Jollies Pass easy, he pulls you up, just look for the right track.
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Zuckerbaron
Long Timer
Let‘s put it this way: We all were pretty sure to be at the right gate for the Stock Road but the farmer forgot about us.300k's.... due to a shorter route planned but barred by a farm gate I couldn't find.
After having organized permission to pass weeks in advance, damn!!
Still...the pics tell the story
Zuckerbaron
Long Timer
Marty and Pete in formation flight mode on the Molesworth.
Zuckerbaron
Long Timer
Dave and me turned around for a good reason, we got the last two bottles of Coke at the Café before closing. Well, Dave missed a shot of Bourbon.Too warm for the 30min slog up the dunes in bike gear?....gorgeous Wharariki Beach!
A 6 pack of VB is cheaper than 500 gm of spreadable Butter: Go figure!
And it’s quite nice on toast !
But who the hell would buy VB in NZ where there is so much excellent local-brew around?
Speight's Old Dark proved a good find, as did a few others (CHC Harringtons etc).
Agree though...the place has gotten pretty expensive all around. (pretty much like Tassie, apparently).
After plucking Ant out of the Cobb Dam cow-paddocks and some en-route brake lever replacement, the previous day had ended with a main roads/ twisties run under a blotchy sky to Murchison.The newer version of the State Highway 6 is still a brilliant run, even when packed up and on knobbies.
The day was getting long and finding a place to stay in Murchison proved another challenge as it turned out (unknowingly), that a lot of folks were leaving the storm-damaged Westcoast, flowing back towards the EastCoast across the ranges.
Next morning's brecky at the River Cafe started another awesome day on the roads and tracks.
Starting south up the Matakitaki Valley for the start of the Maruia Sadlde ...making sure of the map before Tassie-Dave shoots up the wrong track again
He's got a bit of a history t on that score
Oh yeah....noice one!
Ant still seems to have his nose-outa-joint somehow.... that DR front just doesn't look right on that pic.
This time the Maruia proved a bit more technical, lots of soft and sandy stuff... nothing tricky, just a little messy.
Marty somehow re-appeared in my mirrors after a short, muddy side-trip among the trees....then it was on for young and old on the SH6 again, this time through Buller Gorge after a coffee at the local bike hang-out of
Berlins Cafe. Busy place, plenty of local riders.
Got some intel about a massive landslip closing the (only) WestCoast road between Fox Glacier and Haast for at least a week....and a 250 bike Poker-Run affair at Westport across the entire weekend.
Shit!!....getting beds for a bunch of 6 anywhere was starting to become a real squeeze.
First though...blue skies, sun out....this was a joy.
Ducked into Cape Foulwind for a short walk up the lighthouse and some views up the coast towards Westport.
Tried a few B+B's, Caravan Park and Cabin places along the way....no luck.
Booking.com from a windy carpark produced a 6-bed bunk room at a Westport Backpackers....PUNCH that one!
6 old farts in a pigeon hole....who cares, let's go up the coast and hillside twisties to that weird coalmine on top of a hill....the Denniston Plateau.
Things were going to get tough.....but that's for later.
Having been up here a few times, the place still feels totally whacky and somewhat unreal....but it's still all there.
A coal-mine on top of a hill is certainly somewhat "down-under".
OK....there was this well hidden 4WD Youtube clip of someone taking an old Landcruiser up Mount Rochfort, a rocky nose jutting out over the escarpment of the Denniston Plateau wearing a communications tower covering most of the northern WestCoast.
It looked spectacular in the video....and it sure was even more so in real-time. The access road is found by dead-reckoning, no signs or markers.
After that, it's mostly "I-shit-myself" on steeeep and loooose rocky and shaley climbs and drops, 10"rock-ledges and steps peppered with anything from dirt and sand to loose head-sized rocks...."God-bless-the-DR" once again.
The ancient tractor stomps up the climbs in 1. gear relentlessly, without a hiccup.
90% up, there's a little flat patch, Gero and I quit the climb here.
It's getting too hard for this couple of old farts....and some reserves are needed for the way back down to the Plateau.
Marty keeps going and completes the last, looong, climb to the top.
COOOWEE, mate! Well done!
The descent is a slow-ish affair, no sense in deckingh it so close to the end of the day.
Gero is sweating buckets....while Marty and I like our Downhills.
Cruising the last 8k's of sealed twisties into the coastal plains.....Westport in the distance.
Need a cot for the night? Better cuddle up!
It looked spectacular in the video....and it sure was even more so in real-time. The access road is found by dead-reckoning, no signs or markers.
After that, it's mostly "I-shit-myself" on steeeep and loooose rocky and shaley climbs and drops, 10"rock-ledges and steps peppered with anything from dirt and sand to loose head-sized rocks...."God-bless-the-DR" once again.
The ancient tractor stomps up the climbs in 1. gear relentlessly, without a hiccup.
90% up, there's a little flat patch, Gero and I quit the climb here.
It's getting too hard for this couple of old farts....and some reserves are needed for the way back down to the Plateau.
Marty keeps going and completes the last, looong, climb to the top.
COOOWEE, mate! Well done!
The descent is a slow-ish affair, no sense in deckingh it so close to the end of the day.
Gero is sweating buckets....while Marty and I like our Downhills.
Cruising the last 8k's of sealed twisties into the coastal plains.....Westport in the distance.
Need a cot for the night? Better cuddle up!
More snippets of info had floated around the Westport pub, the single WestCoast road (SH6) through to Wanaka, Queenstown, Otago and the Southland was blocked by a landslide, no go for at a week, if not longer.
Can't wait that long....we also had a 5-day booking for a holiday house in Cromwell, hmmmm.
Better make tracks then and start the-long-way-around.
Working as many perks and gems into the routing as possible while using a bare minimum of highways and main roads.
"You've got 5 minutes and your time starts NOW"
6am and Mt. Rochfort is looking down on me.
Westport is quiet and deserted, the 200+ Harleys still clustered around Motels and Cafe's.
Down the coast first, a total stunner that leaves Victoria's Great Ocean Road for absolutely DEAD. No traffic at all, twisties and vistas chasing eachother for the entire run south to Punakaiki/ Pancake Rocks
for breakfast as soon as the cafe opens.
Early morning sun, the tiniest whisp of morning fog on the river up the gorge.... an instant to stomp the picks at Pororari River bridge and take a couple of quick shots.
Getting frazzled a bit with the turn-offs trying to avoid Greymouth and loop around Lake Brunner instead, hitting Arthurs Pass at Jacksons for the run east.
Fuel will be an issue if Arthurs Pass doesn't have a working pump....might not make Methven via the backroads/ gravel at the tail of the day, we'll see....
Can't wait that long....we also had a 5-day booking for a holiday house in Cromwell, hmmmm.
Better make tracks then and start the-long-way-around.
Working as many perks and gems into the routing as possible while using a bare minimum of highways and main roads.
"You've got 5 minutes and your time starts NOW"
6am and Mt. Rochfort is looking down on me.
Westport is quiet and deserted, the 200+ Harleys still clustered around Motels and Cafe's.
Down the coast first, a total stunner that leaves Victoria's Great Ocean Road for absolutely DEAD. No traffic at all, twisties and vistas chasing eachother for the entire run south to Punakaiki/ Pancake Rocks
for breakfast as soon as the cafe opens.
Early morning sun, the tiniest whisp of morning fog on the river up the gorge.... an instant to stomp the picks at Pororari River bridge and take a couple of quick shots.
Getting frazzled a bit with the turn-offs trying to avoid Greymouth and loop around Lake Brunner instead, hitting Arthurs Pass at Jacksons for the run east.
Fuel will be an issue if Arthurs Pass doesn't have a working pump....might not make Methven via the backroads/ gravel at the tail of the day, we'll see....
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Otira Gorge, trying with a full zoom....
Our luck holds and there's fuel at Arthurs Pass Village....phewww
Dropping down the long eastern ramp.....
The place makes you weep with joy
Wringing the Suzie's neck.....
Time to get stuck into the bought lunch sandwiches after chasing everyone down to backtrack to Lake Lyndon, the weather holds, we're good for fuel and Methven should have plenty of beds.
Somehow the 2 creek crossings across the gravel to Lake Coleridge no longer exist but it's still a gem if going this direction, the vistas are magnificent.
How's that for a riverbed?
Rakaia River
I goof up at the Raikaia Gorge bridge and the crew is strewn all over the place, Marty getting everyone back to base.
The very friendly host of the Methven Motels is happy to have us, the Green Parrot Grill in town follows suit for some great tucker.
330k's incl. some back+forth....and the main stretch of the 3-day bail-out-route is in the bag.
And certainly not a shabby one at that
Our luck holds and there's fuel at Arthurs Pass Village....phewww
Dropping down the long eastern ramp.....
The place makes you weep with joy
Wringing the Suzie's neck.....
Time to get stuck into the bought lunch sandwiches after chasing everyone down to backtrack to Lake Lyndon, the weather holds, we're good for fuel and Methven should have plenty of beds.
Somehow the 2 creek crossings across the gravel to Lake Coleridge no longer exist but it's still a gem if going this direction, the vistas are magnificent.
How's that for a riverbed?
Rakaia River
I goof up at the Raikaia Gorge bridge and the crew is strewn all over the place, Marty getting everyone back to base.
The very friendly host of the Methven Motels is happy to have us, the Green Parrot Grill in town follows suit for some great tucker.
330k's incl. some back+forth....and the main stretch of the 3-day bail-out-route is in the bag.
And certainly not a shabby one at that