Kurt & David Tour New Zealand

Bob's your uncle

2009-03-02T06:46:00.000-08:00

"Bob's Your Uncle" is an British expression that is also used in the commonwealth countries. It basically means, "there you have it". I fixed the link below in the "Final Words" posting so you can get a better explanation.

Final Words

2009-02-25T08:19:00.000-08:00

It was a great trip for many reasons:

It was a dream realized.When Barbara and I went to New Zealand in 2000, we agreed that it was beautiful beyond anything we had envisioned. We also both appreciated the kindness of the people and the hospitality we experienced. I said then that if it weren't for family I would love to live in New Zealand.

Since I started riding a motorcycle again in 2002 I've had the desire to ride around NZ on 2 wheels, even more so since my tour of the US and Canada in 2007. When David agreed last year to go with me I rejoiced and started making plans. David loves to ride and I knew how much fun he would have riding through the hills, mountains, and along the coasts of NZ.

Neither one of us was disappointed.

It is the most beautiful of places.

Yes, there are other places in the world as beautiful, in fact, there are places all over the US and Canada. But the amount of natural beauty in such a compact area is beyond anything I've experienced. You've seen photos so you have an idea but there is nothing like seeing it, feeling it and embracing it in open air. As pretty as the pictures may be the most awesome views are those that you only glimpse for a split second as you wind your way down the mountain. No place to pull over, no shoulder, no rail.

If you like mountains, rolling hills, rocky seashore, or beautiful beaches you'll love NZ. If you like any kind of outdoor sport be it on the water, on the mountain, or in the air you'll love NZ. If you understand Cricket you'll like it even more. If you desire cultural diversity you'll find it here. If you like unspoiled, natural, colorful, you'll experience it.

Beautiful, breathtaking, awesome, unbelievable, fantastic, inspiring, humbling, and gratifying, just some of the words that describe the scenic beauty we rode through.

We felt accepted, even loved wherever we went.

When you travel you expect a certain amount of customer service. You often appreciate the hospitality you experience when someone does a little extra. In NZ the overall hospitality we experienced was phenomenal. Many people went out of their way to help us, direct us, and listen to us. Everyone made us feel welcome and sincere in their desire to make our vacation great. All of the hosts at all the fantastic places we stayed, all the servers in the restaurants we ate at, all the petrol station attendants who answered our questions made our trip even more wonderful. It is interesting that in a country where tipping is not customary, service people are more, not less hospitable.

Of particular note are the B&B's we stayed at. With one exception the people were interested in spending time with us, getting to know us and demonstrating their pride of country. I am encouraged to be more hospitable as the result of our encounters with the folks in NZ.

For the first time ever David and I heard the expression "Bob's Your Uncle". It cracked us both up. We hope to be able to use it often.

The riding was great.

The roads were very good in general, even though there were almost no shoulders except on major highways in the higher traffic areas. The scenery from the saddle of our bikes was awesome, even though there are far too few scenic overlooks and turnoffs. The riding was great in spite of riding on the left and over innumerable one lane bridges. The signage was excellent and helped us greatly.

The twisties, the bendees, the hairpins, the switchbacks, and the sweeping curves coupled with the scenic surroundings make this motorcyclist heaven and trump all other considerations. The other thing about days of riding, sometimes in challenging situations, is that you become a better rider. Overcoming the bitter cold, the driving rain, the loose gravel, and cows in the road all made the trip more satisfying.

Our friendship grew.

David and I have taken trips before and had a good time. But spending nearly 3 weeks together mostly on the other side of the world is a little different than a few days in the smokies. We didn't always agree and occasionally feelings got hurt but it only served to strengthen our relationship. When there are two and you are on motorcycles you have to be able to trust each other. The leader has to make good decisions that will make sure he doesn't put his riding partner in danger, and the trailer must feel confident following the leader into an unmarked curve. We had some tense rides but we never were in fear.

My faith grew.

Being in a place that demonstrates the beauty of creation in such a dramatic way raised my awareness of what God has given us. Experiencing the good will of the people of New Zealand increased my faith in mankind, God's most complex creature. Trusting God for our safety throughout our ride increased my reliance on him.

I had a fine set of wheels.

We rented our bikes through Reuthers, but they were supplied by dealers in Auckland. I picked up my 2009 Harley Road King Classic from Auckland Motorcycles & Power Sports. It only had the break-in kilometers and was brand spanking new. Ray Pratt Managing Director and Greg, the rental manager handled everything in typical friendly Kiwi fashion. I enjoyed the 6 speed transmission and even more the anti-lock brakes. The one occasion when I had to put on the brakes hard the rear wheel did not lock up and the bike stayed perfectly straight.

I'll treasure this trip for the rest of my life and feel blessed to have taken it with David. "Bob's Your Uncle"

Day 16 and 17 Back to the North Island and Auckland

2009-02-20T19:29:00.000-08:00

We left Blenhiem at 8 to make sure we were early for the ferry at 10. There was New Zealand's H.O.G. rally in Wellinton and a lot of Harley riders from the South Island we going across for the rally. We tied down on the ferry with about 20 Harley guys. We visited a little about the rally. I should have planned to be there for it, but I don't think David could have handled that much Harley stuff. Our crossing was rougher than our south bound crossing but not too bad. It was a warm sunny day as we headed north from Wellington. It took awhile for the traffic to clear out but we were soon rolling up SH 1 at 110 klicks per. It was a nice day and the traffic was quite light. We also ran into a couple of guys riding old Indians. They were having their own rally in Hamilton.

We were headed toward Lake Taupo where we had a resv. at the Rainbow Motel at the south end of the lake, in the thermal village of Tokaanu. We passed Tongariro National Park again, this time to the east side. We had even closer views of the centerpiece Mount Ruapehu, than on our previous pass to the south. A fault line runs through the center of the country so the expectation of a potential eruption or earthquake is always present. Like us with hurricanes. When we turned off to go to Tokaanu, a guy who had been following David alerted him to the fact something had fallen out of his saddlebag. another good Kiwi followed up with the item, David's laptop. Sorry he lost it's use, but happy he has insurance, David handled it well, thankful he got it back and, hopeful he can recover his photos from the hard drive. It fired up but the screen was badly busted up, so there was no way to tell if the hard drive is damaged.

We got to the Rainbow Motel which turned out to be a modest, retro motel, with mineral baths. We met the owner Bob Lambert who showed us to our 2 bedroom apt. furnished in a fifties motif. Bob said he has worked hard to keep the fifties theme but it is hard to find the furnishings anymore.

We took a good hike through the small thermal village of Tokaanu past a thermal resort, a hotel, a petrol station and 2 little churches down to the marina. We met some locals fishing and found out a little about the lake, NZ largest. We were told this is the trout fishing capital of the world. Both Brown and Rainbow trout run the lake and the streams feeding it.

The entire area is thermal with steam rising out of ponds, vents in people's yards and high on the mountain sides. It make me feel very close to the center of the earth. We had dinner where Bob suggested, unfortunately the food was only mediocre.

We went back and enjoyed a mineral soak in one of the Rainbow's open air hot pools. The stars were out so we hoped we would arise to clear skies instead of the rain clouds that were forecast.

But alas, when we awoke the next morning it had rained and you could tell there was more on the way. We donned our rain gear telling ourselves we were lucky because the rain was steady but light and it wasn't cold. We rode SH 41 and SH 39 which were great roads and would have been fun without a steady downpour. We had planned to stay our last night on the Cormandel Penisula but the forecast of rain all day all over the country changed our mind. When we stopped for breakfast about 2 hours into our ride I cancelled and we headed toward Auckland. It never got cold but the rain got heavy, it got windy, and the traffic got heavier and heavier. We didn't want to stop until we found a place we could stay. Even on the main hwy. SH 1, there are not motels at every exit like the U.S. , so we were happy when we reached the exit for the airport south of Auckland certain we would be able to find lodging.

We got lucky, very lucky, not only did we find a nice motel, near a shopping mall, with restaurants, but we found some more outstanding Kiwis. Neil and Gaynor Barker own the Manukau Motor Lodge on the south side of Auckland and welcomed us graciously. They are absentee owners most of the time but we were fortunate enough to be there when they were. Neil helped us do our laundry and get everything dry (a lot) even feeding the dryers money when they stopped. You don't expect this kind of hospitality at 36 unit hotel, but like so much in New Zealand the unexpected is usually good. Gaynor pointed us to the Republic a trendy restaurant in the mall. It was hip and upscale with American music videos playing on large screen TVs. David had some pizza and I had the Lamb Rump, without question the tastiest lamb dish I've ever had.

We went to bed early, it had not been a long day but it had been a hard one. 5 hours in a hard windy rain is like 10 on a sunny day.

We slept well and got up to what seemed like a sunny day, I worked on the blog, we went out for breakfast and hung around the motel until noon. We weren't scheduled to turn in our bikes until later but were able to arrange for early transport to the airport so we headed out under now threatening skies. We avoided the rain, returned our bikes and awaited Hermann of Reuthers the outfit we rented from. We got to the airport early and I am posting my last while here.

There will be a least one more posting to wrap up our overall impressions and experience.

Day 15 Hamner to Blenhiem

2009-02-20T09:47:00.000-08:00

We left Hanmer Springs in a foggy mist, but it was warm so we didn't mind. We shortly found the road we wanted which is part of the Triangle Pacific Route. It was a winding country rode through foothills and pastureland. I came close to hitting a cow that bolted across the rode in front of me and had to stop for another until it moved. Nonetheless, it was a fine ride to Kaikoura a coastal town on the Pacific (east) coast. We stopped for a latte then headed up SH 1 which hugs the coast. It made for a fun, scenic ride as the sun shone and the day got warmer.

We were headed for Blenheim the heart of the Marlborough wine region. We arrived at Traminer View B&B and were greeted by our hostess Margaret. We were show to our comfy room with balcony and a large bath. Margaret took the time to give us a map of the area and tell us where some of the smaller wineries are located. She also recommended lunch at Highfield Estate a vineyard/winery. I had a yummy seafood chowder, David had soup and salad, and we both had a fine vineyard view. I also had a glass of their award winning Sauvignon Blanc the varietal that this area is most famous for. We headed out for a few more tastings. I knew there we some good Pinot Noirs from this area so that was what I was tasting. Of the four I tasted my favorite was from the Bladen vineyard.

We got back to Traminer View in time for a walk before joining our hosts for some wine an cheese before dinner. Because I had told them of my preference for Pinot Noir they had 3 for us to try. All were good but both David and I preferred the Huia, which also, it turns out is one of Margaret's favorites. Both Nick, who is a doctor and Margaret are very wine savvy and shared some of their knowledge. Traminer View is not only a B&B but a small vineyard growing Gewurztraminer grapes for a local winery.

After our tasting with the hosts we walked about 1/2 mile up the road to Astons on Main Restaurant where we enjoyed a fine meal with good wine. The Coconut and Bacardi Panncotta was the best dessert I can remember. Our cute waitress and owner (with her husband) was one of the most efficient servers I have ever seen. We walked back full and ready for sleep.

Nick and Margaret are a very kind and generous Christian couple whose 7 children are all grown and enjoy their role as hosts. We had a lovely breakfast with plenty of fresh fruit. M even made me a flat white coffee, which is like our latte, even though they have a latte that has more foam. As we were getting ready to leave, I handed Margaret a card and she noticed our "God is Love" motto. she appreciated it and shared that they were Christians as well. We were able to let them know how blessed we were to be there, and how we had enjoyed God's protection. We said goodbye to Nick, Margaret and their 2 cool Burmese cats, one who meowed for a while at our door as we were going to sleep, and headed for the Picton Ferry.

Day 14 Christchurch-Hanmer Springs

2009-02-19T19:46:00.000-08:00

We headed north to Hanmer Springs a thermal resort on the way to Lewis Pass. It was a sunshiny cool day, that warmed as we rode and was shirtsleeve weather by the time we got there. It was only a 3 hour ride, through placid countryside before we turned east and started to wind up through the foothills.

Hamner is a popular small resort town that has a ski area making it a year round destination. We got there early enough for lunch and after meeting Len, our host at Cheltenham House and getting the layout we walked 2 blocks into the 4 block commercial area. We immediately found a menu that appealed and both ordered the Smoked Salmon Salad at Springs Deli Cafe. It was Mount Cook Salmon which we had missed in Lake Tekapo. It was wonderful.

Len had told us that a couple of other Harley riders we coming that night and as we returned from lunch I could see as we walked up the street that they had arrived. As we got close I recognized the bike. It was the o3 Road King with a lambswool seat cover ,Wayne Martin, the guy from Georgia we'd met in Lake Tekapo was riding. As we rounded the corner we saw Greg and Katrena parking the other bikes. We were happy to see them and thank them face to face for their generosity in Lake Tekapo.

I needed to gain some ground on the blog, so I worked for a couple of hours while David took a ride toward the pass. When David returned we headed for the thermal pools with the towels Len had provided. Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools and Spa is a nice very commercial thermal experience. We enjoyed the sulfur pools, but not the locker setup.

We returned to the B&B in time to shower and join the wine reception provided by our hosts Len and his vivacious wife Maree. I had a chance to visit with Greg about his (other) life as a psychologist and marriage celebrant. Meanwhile David visited with Wayne discussing a number of topics including his life as an FBI agent. David and I headed out for dinner. Even though we had Indian the night before we liked the menu at an upscale Indian fusion place called Malabars. I had the pork belly and David had duck. Both very good.

We returned to Cheltenham House and found Greg's group, including old friend Bruce gathered in the billiard room. We learned Snooker on the regulation table (big). Greg whipped me while we drank some fine New Zealand Pinot Noir.

We got to bed late but were ready for breakfast by 7:30 which was beautifully prepared and served in our room. We said goodbye to our new found friends and our gracious hosts (including their dog and cat) then headed to the east coast for our trip to wine country.

Note: a lot of theses restaurants we visited had no web site, therefore no link.

Day 13 Christchurch

2009-02-16T19:55:00.000-08:00

When we left Lake Tekapo the sun was shining on our side of the mountain but there were clouds up the hill where we were heading. Before we reached the top we saw a bus coming toward us with wipers going and decided to stop and don our rain gear. It was a good decision. We didn't see the rain the rest of the day and road in cold steady rain. Next to the gravel road experience it has been our most unpleasent time in the saddle.

With a little help from a gas station map we found our room for the night at Centre Point on Colombo, a small but well appointed luxury motel just a few blocks from Cathredral Square, the center of Christchurch. We were greeted by Jeff Peters who runs the place with his wife Naomi. Jeff was very helpful in directing us and telling us good places to eat.

We walked to the square and back, but without our camaras, deciding we needed to return in the morning for some photos.

We ate dinner at Himalayas, a little Indian place Jeff had reccommended. We were not disappointed. Everything was fresh and tasty and we went to our rooms for an early bedtime.

The next morning we headed back toward the square looking for breakfast. We stopped at the Starbucks for a Latte and decided to eat there since they had a good looking bran muffin.

We went to Cathedral Square to take some photos. Christchurch Catherdral is beautiful both in and out. It sits at one end of the central square. The square is large enough to host concerts and events, and today had a small market set up. It is a nice city but with all the natural beauty NZ has to offer the city held little appeal for us.

I did have the chance to go by Rolling Thunder Motorcycles and get a Harley shirt before we headed north to our next stop, the thermal resort of Hanmer Springs.

Day 12 Mount Cook-Lake Tekapo

2009-02-16T10:03:00.000-08:00

We headed down the hillside from our farmstay toward Mount Cook, New Zealand's tallest. It was a sunny cool day, perfect for a ride. We headed up the coast before turning inland. We had a pleasant winding ride along the Waikati River. We soon came to the dams at Lake Waitaki and Lake Aviemore and began to see the beautiful unique blue green water of the lakes in this region. The color is caused by "rock flour" which comes from the grinding of rocks as glaciers move down the mountainand sunlight.

It was a fine day and the roads were bendy but not twisty. We got to Omarama, got lunch and gassed up. We headed out on State Highway 8 unfortunately I took us in the wrong direction. It took us 65 kilometers (40 miles) before I realized my error. It was such a nice ride back and forth over Lindis pass that we didn't mind the detour. We gassed up again in Omarama and headed to Mount Cook.

It was a wonderfully scenic ride as we moved toward the mountains along the shore of Lake Pukaki on one side and the Ben Ohau Range on the other. The road was bendy with sweeping curves as we were funnelled ever and ever closer to New Zealands highest peaks. Mount Cook is 3754 meters high and it's neighbor Mount Seftton 3157. The glacier packed peaks got bigger and bigger till we reached the village and Alpine center. We took some photos and headed back toward our lodging for the night at Lake Tekapo.

The ride to Lake Tekapo was as lovely as the ride to Mount Cook, especially as we rounded the end of Lake Pukaki and looked back at the mountain range. It wasn't a long ride to Lake Tekapo, but it was a tough one. The wind was gusting to at least 40 mph and not always from the same direction. It was one of those "if it doesn't kill me I'll be a better rider" rides. Lake Tekapo is a pretty little village on the end of the Lake with it's own great view to the Two Thumb Range. Before we got to our lodging we met a fellow biker who told us to make sure we stopped by "The Church of the Good Shepherd' at lakeside. We saw it and the dog statue close by honoring the Collie's contribution to the successful herding of sheep in the region. It was quite impressive in such a beautiful spot.

We finally reached our lodging for the night, Three Rivers Lodge, which to our delight turned out to be a almost new, nicely turned out, two bedroom guest house. We were greeted by our host, Oliver, and directed to the restaurants in town. We got cleaned up and walked 20 min. back into town. As we passed over a bridge we looked below to where a young man was fishing. We could see the fish from above and were able to tell him where the big brown trout below were located.

When we arrived in town we found a pub, ordered some beers and I let David beat me at pool since I had earlier whupped his butt. There were only a few restaurant choices and we opted for Pepe's Pizza and Pasta. We were feeling our beers when we arrived and encountered our bike acquaintance from earlier, who asked us to join his group. Greg Oz and his lovely partner of 26 years, Katrena run Road Hawk NZ Harley Tours LTD, and are touring with their clients from Athens,GA, Wayne and Ellie. We happily joined them and had a splendid time, talking Harley, New Zealand, the touring business and music. We wore them out and they left before us.

David and I have been trying to find the most beautiful girl in NZ and we thought maybe we had found her in our bartender. For further study we decided to have an after dinner drink. Turns out Jensine is not a Kiwi but a Canadian. Liz, the other young lady working the bar was not a Kiwi either, but Welsh. When we got ready to pay our bill we found that Greg had bought us dinner. Just another example of the kind of Kiwi generosity we have experienced. This though was over the top. Greg knows touring and Harleys and shared some of his thoughts regarding the possibility of David and I creating a rental touring business for the gulf coast. Greg and Katrena sometimes tour in the U.S. (they've even been to Seaside in the past year) and I hope we can hook up next time they do. We walked back to our abode for the nigh under a sky filled with more stars than I've ever seen at one time.

Day 11 The Southern Scenic Route

2009-02-15T20:19:00.000-08:00

We got some help from Lindsey at Cat's Whiskers on our ride for the day. He told us it would be a 10 to 12 hour day if we did the entire Southern Scenic Route, so instead of heading south we headed east to Gore before dropping down to the southern coast. The ride was cool but not cold. The roads were winding but not twisty, There were lots of sheep and cattle. It was hilly but not mountainous. It was pretty but not breathtaking.

We bypassed the city of Invercargill to get to the Scenic coastline. We entered an area of rolling seashore with nice curvy roads and glimpses of the shoreline. We saw a sign Curio Bay 35 kilometers via coastal route so we took it. We didn't read the fine print and found the last 13 meters to be the worst type of gravel road, loose everywhere, plus some tight turns. It was the most unpleasant 45 minutes we had spent so far. Scary! Your bike just seems to go wherever it wants, pushed by the gravel.

We got some nice views of a coast different from the west coast we'd come from the day before. After our gravel experience we enjoyed our ride through the Catlins.

We continued on to Dunedin and beyond to our lodging for the night, Purakaunui Farmstay. It was a twisty ride up the hill to the farm. 1600 acres, over 5000 head of sheep, 150 plus cattle all high on a hill overlooking Purakaunui Bay. We were met by Shona our hostess and dog Wally. We had not planned for dinner and I asked Shona if we could possibly get something from her rather than go back down the hill. In spite of feeling under the weather she prepared us a fine home cooked meal, including lamb from the farm as well as home grown veggies. The cauliflower with cheese and walnuts was unique and tasty. As well as being a fine cook, Shona is a gardener extraordinaire. Check out the pictures of just a few of her plantings.

Part of the farm that John, Shona's husband farms has been in his family for 80 years. The stone parts of their home date back to 1900. It is a beautiful place with stunning views.

John and Shona went way above and beyond to give us a special stay. We had a big breakfast the next morning and said goodbye to one of our favorite stops and headed for Mt. Cook.

Day 10 Queenstown-Te Anau-Milford Sound

2009-02-15T11:11:00.000-08:00

We left Queenstown at 6:30 to make sure we would have time to drop our luggage in Te Anau and make our Milford Sound cruise. John at the Chalet-Queenstown had packed us a breakfast of fruit, 2 sandwiches each, juice and cookies. There was enough for both breakfast and lunch. We have been well accommodated everywhere we've been, but no place better than the Chalet. It was cold when we left, 3 degrees C and damp. We bundled up including rain gear and headed out. It had snowed during the night in The Remarkables, a mountain range just outside of Q-town. We were concerned we might find some frost on the road as we worked our way up the hill but thankfully did not. We stopped to have a Latte at cool cafe in the middle of nowhere and to thaw our fingers. The sun came out before we reached Te Anau and it warmed up enough for us to be comfortable. We stopped and dropped our gear at Cat's Whiskers B&B where we were booked for the night. Our hostess Anne Marie let got us settled and told us what to watch for on our ride to Milford Sound.

The ride to the sound and back would have been enough scenic beauty for any day, it was truly one of our most scenic rides. But that was not the best of it. The cruise on the sound, which is not really a sound but a fiord , was spectacular. I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

This kind of majestic beauty is humbling. It makes me feel so insignificant, but at the same time help me to appreciate how significant is our creator.

When we got back to Te Anau we asked about a dinner place and were told about several but, settled on a place called The Fat Duck. David had the whole snapper, and I had the leg of lamb. We shared and both were excellent, as was the NZ Pinot Noir I had. We got to bed early but had difficulty getting to sleep. We another big day planned so we wanted a good start.

Day 9 Queenstown

2009-02-15T01:38:00.000-08:00

Queenstown is a 4 season resort town in the middle of the beautiful New Zealand mountains. It is the adventure sports capital of the country, maybe the world. It is a clean, pretty town with good shopping, good restaurants and multiple accommodations. The permanent population is about 30,000 but it has a holiday pop. of 100,000.

We awoke to a dreary, rainy day. We had resv. at noon to para glide. They picked us up downtown, we went up the mountain, hearts pumping, excited about the idea of flying. Oh no, it was raining and we couldn't see the valley below. No jump. We went back to town, had lunch, really good mac and cheese for me. Went back to the room, David took a nap, I caught up on the blog. 3:30 we got a call the rain has stopped, it's a go if you want to. "You bet, can you pick us up at our B&B?" "Sure, what's the address?"
We went off at about 5:00. It was overcast, it was cold, but the wind was blowing up the valley and creating lift off the mountain. We flew!, Like a bird, we flew. We were up for at least 30 min. What a thrill. Have you ever seen a seagull float on the wind and say, "I wish I could do that"? We did that! My pilot, Mark has done this around the world and I was totally confident in his capability. He is the epitome of the Kiwi adventure sport enthusiast. I would highly recommend Elevation Paragliding if you want to fly.

We got back, and went to town for dinner. Our Paragliding pilots recommended a gourmet pizza place called Winnie's for dinner. It was good and it was the hippest place in town. It had the prettiest NZ women we had seen and the roof hydraulically opened and closed.

When we got back I settled up with John at Chalet Queenstown and he told me I put some sandwiches in your fridge for your early departure tomorrow. I left my card, saying check out Hibiscus and our blog and thanking him again for his hospitality.

Day 8 Haast to Queenstown Spectacular to Majestic

2009-02-11T18:25:00.000-08:00

This was one our shortest rides but it was also the most Scenic. We left Haast and headed into the Southern Alps. We started on a broad plain that soon narrowed into a valley, then narrower still as we began to climb, following the Haast River up the mountain toward Haast Pass. We were in bigger mountains now. We had been riding a mountainous coastline, but now we were going to the top. On the way up we stopped at the Blue Pools. These are pretty blue pools in a river flat, the color the result of glacial melt. We had to cross this swing bridge to get there.

We had followed Hasst River to the top , we then followed another river down the other side, to Makarora. Here starts for me the best part of our ride so far. Riding above beautiful Lake Wanaka, through bends and curves with each view new. This and the subsequent ride along Lake Hawea was the best of the best. It is pristine beauty of the highest degree. It was exciting as I rode over "the neck" that seperates the two lakes, suddenly going from a beautiful lake on my right side to another beautiful lake on my left.

When we rode into Wanaka it was lunch time and we headed for this cool looking health food store, then we noticed right next door was a place called "Uncle Mike's BBQ. Turns out Mike Oxley is a transplant from Kansas City that has recently started this new place. The barbecued ribs were great, as were the beans and slaw.

Lunch finished, we gassed up and headed for SR 89 the scenic shortcut to Queenstown. The scenic part started when we reached the top and worked our way down enjoying many views of Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu. When we got into Queenstown we easily found our accommodation Chalet Queenstown B&B. We were greeted by our host John Oaten, who I immediatly liked when he helped me push my bike back on the loose gravel. We got settled in a newly refurbished, nicely furnished room. I asked John if he knew where we could do our laundry. He insisted on taking it (2 big loads). Not only did he launder it all but he folded it as well, (what a guy). We went out to explore down town Queenstown and find a place for dinner. We wanted to jump off a cliff so we made reservations to paraglide the next day. We booked with Elevation Paragliding for a noon fllight.

We ended up having a spicy and delicious Thai dinner at Tham Nak Thai with a pretty Jin waiting on us.

Day 7 Franz Joseph to Haast

2009-02-11T00:54:00.000-08:00

We got up early so Alastair could show us around his farmette. He has 3 sheep dogs he brought with him when he sold his farm. We got to see one of them work as it herded a group of sheep close so we could feed them. One of his dogs is a Huntaway, a much larger and stronger breed than the collies you usually see herding sheep. It was a treat to watch him jump the fence.

Before we left Oak Lodge I had the opportunity to get a massage. Robin did a great job in getting the stitch out of my shoulders and relaxing my back muscles.

We got out of Greymouth about 10 headed for the glacier region. As we left town we experienced one of New Zealand's bridges that is used for both train and auto traffic. It is a one lane bridge with rail running over it. It was strange for us as we rode up on the bridge and suddenly realized we had to stay between the tracks or be in danger of losing it. About an hour down the road it started to rain steadily and we stopped to put our rain gear on. There was some winding road on the way to Franz Joseph Glacier but we forged on through the rain and it had let up by the time we reached the village at the entry to the glacier. Like other glaciers the world over this one is shrinking. Global Warming? We took a brisk uphill walk to view Franz Joseph before getting back on the road down the mountain. It started to rain again as we had a tense trip down the twisty road. Eventually, the rain let up and we found ourselves at rocky beach with waves crashing. We found hundreds of rock stacks visitors had create along the shoreline.

As we continued we once again rose high above the sea revealing more wonderful views. As quickly as we had ascended, we descended finding ourselves on a broad plain. Our stop for the night was at Haast home to the Haast World Heritage Hotel, and little else. We had a nice room and were once a gain treated to some fine Kiwi hospitality.

We particularly enjoyed watching the locals downing pint after pint, getting louder and more boistrous as the evening wore on. We had a fine dinner of venison salad and a seafood platter of scallops, mussels, squid and whitebait. Naomi, a sweet young lady from Toronto, brought up to speed on the the controversy surrounding the chemical 1080 which is used extensively in NZ to control the possum population and prevent the transmission of bovine TB, but is destructive to bird life. We also learned a little bit about cricket which is seemingly being played shown on every telly in every pub in the country. The little bit we learned did little to help us understand the sport. David asked the bartender, "why do they run with there bats?" He looked at us like we were crazy and said what else are they going to do with it." After dinner we went to our room and watched a movie before returning for a nightcap. The same guys were there downing beer after beer. How they made their way home, I have no idea.

Day 6 Headed for the West Coast

2009-02-09T08:49:00.000-08:00

We left Nelson headed toward Abel Tasman National Park. The Park can only be explored on foot or by the sea, so we were going because we were told it was a great ride and we had enough time. The first hour was nice as we rode past orchards and vineyards. The next 1/2 hour was fantastic as we took the winding road through Kaiteriteri, a seaside village with a pretty beach that is also a place to catch walking and boat tours of the park. The next hour was even better as we wound our way up Takaka hill (mountain to us). The view from the top was grand.

After a latte at the cave on top of the hill we wound our way back down and rode through the Motueka River Valley. It was a beautiful day and we had a beautiful ride ride along the river past several vineyards.

While fueling up in Murchison we got some advice from a local biker on the route to take to Greymouth where we were spending the night. We took the suggested road and were glad. As we rode through the 3 different mountain ranges, along the Buller River and through Butler Gorge we were treated to fantastic view after marvelous view. All around us was thick native bush, never cut, never damaged.

By the time we reached the coast it was pretty foggy and we were not able to fully experience the dramatic rock formations along the coastline. We did however stop and take a 15 min. walk down Truman Track to a rock shelf that gave us a satisfying taste and panoramic view of the Pancake Rocks.

We reached our destination for the night, Oak Lodge, just north of Greymouth about 7Pm and were met by Alastair and Shirley Inman our hosts for the night. They just took over the lodge in July after selling their 700 acre sheep farm. We had nice visit and a cold beer, thanks Alastair, before going into town to pick up some Chinese takeaway.

Day 5 Crossing Cook Straight and on to Nelson

2009-02-08T01:15:00.000-08:00

We left Levin early with our rain gear on in a light mist, praying that it wouldn't get wetter. We were blessed, and by the time we arrived in Wellington for the Cook Straight Ferry the sun was high the sky. We had to strap our bikes down on the ferry because there is a great deal of turbulence in the straight which separates the North and South islands. The turbulence is the result of the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea meeting in the straight. High tide in the Tasman occurs about 5 hours before the Pacific.

The ferry ride was a nice respite after 3 days of hard riding. 3 hours to let someone else do the driving. There are two ways to get to Nelson from Picton, the main route or Queen Charlotte Drive. As we like to do we took the road less traveled, QCD which is a cliff hugging road down the coast. David and I agreed that it was the most twisty yet. At the end of QCD is the seaside village of Havelock, Green shell mussel capital of the world. We had some, they are big, fat and tasty. We finished our beer and mussel snack and headed for Nelson a pretty city that is a popular, holiday home and retirement haven.

We had an experience that demonstrates the kindness virtually all we have met in NZ have shown us. I had what I thought were good directions to our B&B, but we ended up in downtown Nelson without finding our turn. As we turned around to head back up the street, two women got out of their car and I asked if they knew where the street we were seeking was. They said no but where are you going, I said the Monaco Shells B&B on the Monaco penisula. they said we live on the penisula, and proceeded to try and tell us the way. We were confused so they said we'll just show you then come back and get our Chinese takeaway. We said no we'll wait for you, thinking it must be close and we didn't want to put them out. They got there takeaway and we followed them to our B&B which was about 20 mins. away.

We arrived at Monaco Shells about 5 PM and were greeted by our host Paul Shelling who operates the B&B with his wife Ruth. They are both empty-nester schoolteachers with 3 grown daughters. They are fine Christian couple that spent 2 years with their family in a teaching ministry in New Guinea. We had a great room and bath and had access to another room to spread out. Paul left early so Ruth provided us with a fine continental breakfast as well as family history and directions to our early destination. The photo is Ruth and Carley.

Day 4 Many Kilometers/Much Fun

2009-02-07T21:54:00.000-08:00

When we left Auckland the 2nd time heading toward the South Island we didn't have high expectations as far as scenery was concerned. We knew we had a lot of Kilometers to cover to reach Levin where we were spending the night before getting the ferry the following day. We did however decide to take our Gold Wing rider friend's advice and take the less traveled road west of the mountains. We are happy we did. Once we cleared the traffic outside of Hamilton we had a delightful ride.

After 2 intense days of riding twisty roads we were happy to find ourselves in pastoral farm country with big rolling hills and sweeping curves. The lack of traffic combined with the beauty of the landscape made for a couple of hours of relaxed but fun riding. We saw dairy farms, cattle farms,sheep farms and goat farms. I can say that cow poop smells the same in NZ as in the US.

After a few hours we found ourselves once again climbing to higher elevations with tighter curves. Some places canyon walls rose up on both sides of the road enhancing the thrill of riding through the mountains. It was lunch time when we reached the town of Taumarunui. We were directed to Ruddie's Place, a local cafe. We both had the hot roast beef sandwich. It was served on ciabatta bread with a garlic aoli, fresh greens, onion and a tomato carmel chutney. It was outstanding, as was Ruddie herself.

As we approached Tongariro National Park we found ourselves riding a high plain that was very desert like. There were hills and mountains in the distance, but a ways off. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere we spotted a mountain peak covered with snow. We had no idea until later that we were seeing the top of Mt. Ruapehu the biggest of three active volcanos in the park. The mountain disappeared and reappeared several times as it hid behind closer hills and around many curves. We kept taking photos as we got closer and closer never knowing if we would see it again. Eventually, we landed at Wanganui, a pretty river town close to the Tasman Coast. From that point on the ride was pretty flat and boring as we crossed flatlands on our way to Levin. I had been unable to find an available B&B near where we wanted to be so I settled for a local motel. Unfortunately we had some inconsiderate neighbors that woke us up and made for a poor nights sleep. We did however have a nice home cooked meal at the restaurant next to the motel.

Day 3 Northland 2

2009-02-06T21:21:00.000-08:00

We left the Plane Tree Lodge and headed south. It took about 20 mins. before we reached the turnoff to cross the mountain heading for the car ferry at the Narrows. We were crossing to Rawene so we could follow the Twin Coast Hwy. down the Tasman Sea Coast. Once again we found a wonderful motorcycle road with tight curve after tight curve. Up we went. lean left, lean right, down we went, lean left, lean right. An hours worth of great fun early in the morning made a terrific start to our day. We went through unspoiled mountain forest without seeing a soul. We arrived at the ferry about 5 min. late to make the ferry which runs hourly. It didn't take us long to be glad that we had missed it. We met Pat a friendly woman serving fine Cuban coffee out of her fully equipped van. I had a latte and David had a hot chocolate, both outstanding. Pat comes over from Rawene every day to provide for those awaiting the ferry, she said she doesn't need the money but does it because of all the fine people she meets.

There was also a young couple standing outside their camper van, (painted up with the colors of the Moari flag), the young lady smiled at David so he went over to talk to her and I soon followed. They had been travelling for the past 18 months in New Zealand and Australia. There plan is to travel as long as possible, there hope being to catch a ride in NZ's fall to Asia. Kalo and Jackie are from France and shared with us their vision of spreading unity and harmony wherever they visit. All their belonging were in the little van they lived out of. Their enthusiasm was refreshing to say the least.

It is a scenic wonder as well as soul satisfying experience when you find yourself at places where the mountains and the sea come together. It happens all over NZ and we experienced a great deal of it this day. One place that was unusual as well as spectacular was a massive Dune the entrance to Hokianga Harbor.

We turned South and were soon in a sub tropical rain forest. The Waipoua Forest is home to the massive Kauri trees, biggest (around) in the world. We saw "Tane Mahatu" the largest living Kauri in NZ . It is 168 feet high and 46 feet in girth. This is David and his new Indian friends in front of "god of the forest"

After leaving the forest we continued down the Hwy. catching some awesome views of the Tasman Sea from the mountainside. We had a great ride back to Auckland and because it was "Founders Day" (celebrating the signing of the treaty of Waitangi ) the traffic was light. We found our way to our B&B "Campbell Clan House" at about 6PM and were greeted by our hosts Anna Mieke and Colin Campbell. I knew right away I'd like Colin because his garage held two antique restored cars; a model A Ford and an Austin.

We got settled and Colin pointed us to Italian restaurant we could walk to. We had a fine Italian meal with enough garlic. While eatng a guy pulled up a on a Gold Wing for some take-a-way.

David engaged him in converstion and the guy spent the next 15 mins. talking bikes and our trip. We told where we were headed the next day. He offered us an alternative route which we intend to take. He was typical of all the folks we have met here, willing,even happy to give you as much of their time as you want,

After a good nights sleep at the campbell lovely home we were treated to a mighty fine continental breakfast, including the best homemade muesli I've ever had and some to die for peach muffins, hot out of the oven. Colin was a wealth of information about things to see and do down south, as well as roads to take. We thouroughly enjoyed out time at the Campbell's, short though it was.

Day 2 Northland

2009-02-05T00:16:00.002-08:00

We went to pick up our bikes a at 9AM. I rented a Harley and David rented a Honda so I had to ride to meet him. It was a little disconcerting because I had to get on the Northern Motorway during heavy traffic a block from where I picked up my bike. I've driven a car in New Zealand but never a motorcycle, so the importance of staying left becomes critical. As soon as I met David we headed north on State Road 1. which is the main north/south hwy. Traffic was pretty heavy and after it became 2 lane it passed through small towns. We were following the Twin Coasts Discovery Highway scenic route and this part of SR 1 was the beginning of the route. It was somewhat scenic but not a lot of fun. The fun started when we turned off SR 1 and took the coastal road to Russell. It was a good road and from the get-go it was filled with the twisties bikers love. The first several kilometers were a twisty climb up a mountainside. It was time for lunch and we soon came to the cafe we were told about when we stopped for gas before turning onto the Russell road. The Gallery and Cafe at Helena Bay Hill was a delight as was the view from the dining deck to Helena Bay. David had a wrap and I had seafood gumbo, both delicious. After lunch we continued on the road to Russell, up and down the mountainsides from pretty bay to pretty bay. There was almost no traffic and we soon felt comfortable negotiating turn curve after curve on the "wrong" side of the road. It took a while to reach the village of Russell which was a whaling port in New Zealands early days. This part of NZ has many holiday homes but is not at all crowded in spite of this being their "high" season. We had a beer at the pub which is part of the Duke of Marlborough Hotel, the first hotel in NZ

We finished our beers and headed for the car ferry which took us to Opua another seaside town and we continued our Northland ride. This area known as the "Bay of Islands" is a popular holiday area but it is not at all crowded. We continued to have a fun ride on good roads with great views, especially Doubtful Bay.

We were headed for Kaitaia a town north of our first B&B stay. It turned out to be an unattractive farm community with only one good restaurant, The Beachcomer where David had the seafood platter and I had the duck.

Our B&B the Plane Tree Lodge was located about 10 klicks south of Kaitaia, where we were greeted by our hosts Rosemary and Mike Wright and their 2 golden retrievers. The lodge is in a quiet country setting with a monster Plane tree in the back yard. Our accomodations were much more than we expected. We had an entire 2 bedroom apartment, which was great since it enabled us to have our own space.

We had a good nights sleep and looked forward to a hearty breakfast to start our day. We got far more than we expected. We started with cereal and fresh fruit followed by a full plate hot breakfast, including bacon, sausage, beans, hash browns, scrambled eggs, mushrooms and toast. As hard as we tried we could not eat it all. Mike and Rosemary were great hosts and we appreciate their hospitality. Mike is about to start a new business with his son selling the 10,000 palm trees he started raising 4 years ago. Say a prayer for his success, anyone who invests that much time before a return deserves it.

Day 1 Auckland

2009-02-03T19:03:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Auckland about 6AM. I was over a 12 hour flight, and we crossed the international dateline so Tuesday was lost to us somewhere over the Pacific. It kinda makes you feel like you are in a episode of "Lost".

I was happy we were able to get a little sleep so we wouldn't feel wasted In Auckland since we only have a day here. As soon as we got checked in we went out and found breakfast at a nice little cafe just up from the Copthorne Hotel where we are staying. David had the "French Toast" which was nicely presented with a berry base, and a slice of Canadian bacon on top and surrounded by fried bananas. The people a Copthorne, especially Kelly was very helpful with directions, taking care of our luggage and getting us checked in by 9:30.

We cleaned up and went out to explore downtown Auckland. We could see the Sky Tower from our hotel room and decided to head toward it. On the way we passed by the lovely downtown campus of The University of Auckland. We walked through pretty Albert Park. We kept getting different views of the tower. The tower is 60 stories tall and they have a ride called"Sky Jump" which is a 630' cable controlled base jump, where you freefall to within a few feet of the ground.

Auckland is almost surrounded by water and a highlight of our day was the waterfront area home to more pleasure boats per capita than any city in the world. We had a nice lunch at one of the many waterfront restaurants on the harbor. I had scallops for the first time that included the roue. I liked the scallops better than the roue.

We plan to get a good nights sleep for tomorrow we ride.

Ready

2009-01-28T07:36:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Covington yesterday to stay with our grandchildren while there parents vacation in Punta Mita. David and Linny are on their way to Los Angeles to spent some time with son James.

We are both packed and ready. We'll meet at LAX Monday evening for a 13 hour flight to Auckland. We are required to spend an overnight before we can pick up our bikes and roll. Probably a good rule, considering we'll need rested minds to remember to stay in the left lane. During our flight we cross the international date line, so we lose a day in the air. We leave the PM of the 2nd and arrive the AM of the 4th.

We will have plenty to do during our day in Auckland.

Getting Ready

2009-01-12T11:14:00.000-08:00

My friend David Delahoussaye and I are about to embark on a motorcycle adventure more ambitious than any we have undertaken. Our plan is to spend 17 days traveling the North and South Islands of New Zealand. Barbara and I took an auto tour of NZ about 8 years ago and I've wanted to go back since and do it on 2 wheels. We will be staying in B&B's throughout the country and I expect to come back with some ideas that will help Hibiscus Coffee and Guest House.

Planning for a two wheel trip requires better planning than a auto trip because space is very limited. The idea is to take only what is needed. What a concept. Why can't we do that on all trips? Most of our preparation except packing is done. I found a great website that was helpful in booking accomodations as well as identifying routes. If planning a trip to New Zealand check out 100% New Zealand.

Both of us will be leaving home the week before we meet at LAX Feb. 2 to head down under. David and Linny to visit son James in Los Angeles, Barbara and I to take care of three of our awesome grandchildren (Bella, Luke, and Ethan) in Covington, LA.

We are hoping that our families and friends will follow us on our adventure and make comments. As I did on my trip around the US I'll be posting photos and commentery about our travels.