April 12th, Christchurch to Nelson – 448 kilometers

It was overcast with just a hint of drizzle as we left Christchurch and Dave was not pleased with Wells Fargo when he went to a cash machine and they had frozen his account, and no way to deal with it until Monday night! We headed up the coast to Waipara (the Waipara valley is the fastest expanding wine region in New Zealand) and then through fertile farming country past Culverden and then on towards Lewis Pass. Near Culverden, the sun broke through for the rest of the day!

Lewis Pass is only 907 meters high but the road down towards Mauia Hot Springs was spectacular as it twisted its way in tight turns between kawhai trees that blotted out the sun overhead. At Spring Junction we took the Shenandoah Highway to Murchison, a road with little traffic, long sweeping turns in a beautiful agricultural valley. We turned off at Howard Junction and came across a hand gliding club where they used a car to launch the gliders. Then we went to St. Arnault in the Nelson Lakes National Park and then on to Nelson along a twisty rural road.

We decided to go out at 10:00 to sample the local bar scene; but it was deserted; apparently no one goes out until after midnight!


1. The Rocking Frog Near Waikari 2. The Hope River Valley


3. Glider Landing Below St. Arnault

April 11th, Christchurch

We had a great workout at the gym and then walked around the downtown. It is great to see a downtown area that hasn’t been decimated by shopping malls. They also have old street cars riding on tracks through the down town area. In addition, New Zealanders must be the biggest coffee consumers in the world; they are even more coffee mad than Italians, Spaniards and Australians! There are coffee shops everywhere.

We stopped in a Triumph motor cycle dealership and the proprietors had set a world land speed record for a 1000 cc motorcycle with side car of 276 kph! He recently sold the bike to a double amputee from California who was a ski lift technician who lost both legs when a cable came off. The bike has only hand controls so he is going to try and set a new record at Daytona and the proprietor, Phil Garrett is flying over to help prep the bike.

We then went to the Brittan motorcycle museum which commemorates the Brittan motorcycle, the fastest motorcycle in the world in the early 90’s. He built everything himself, including casting all the motor parts. Everything was built out of carbon fiber. The bike was lighter, more powerful, better performing than all the best efforts of Ducatti, Yamaha, Honda and Kawasaki with their major factory teams. Today the fastest vehicles developed by these teams strongly resemble the early 90’s Brittans. It won at Daytona and held world records in top running speed, and quickest in the quarter mile! Unfortunately John Brittan died from a melanoma at 42 years of age; an engineering and inventive genius who had only begun to show his vision and creativity.


1. Trolly in Christchurch 2. Ian and Brittan that won at Daytona



3. Dave in Race Mode 4. Brittan Memorabilia

April 10th, Westport to Christchurch 358 - kilometers

There is a high over New Zealand that should result in sunny skies right through the weekend! The 104 kilometer journey down to Greymouth follows the coast with tight turns and constant changes in elevation and with beautiful surf breaks on deserted grey sand beaches with jagged rock outcrops. At 17 mile bluff there is a stunning view down the coast as well as many “cribs” or “batches” (cottages) hanging close to the shore. The views of the Tasman Sea and the lush hills are breath taking swells bringing in surf breaks. Greymouth, although it only has a population of 13,500 is the largest town on the west coast of the South Island.

After coffee in Greymouth, we followed the Grey River up to Stillwell and then on to Lake Brunner. This is lush dairy and farming country until Otira when the climb to Arthur’s Pass begins. The road spirals up to approximately 1000 meters through lush hills with bare rugged tops. The decent on the other side is equally dramatic until you end up in the valley of the Waimakariri River where they is lush farmland crossed by long straight stretches of road with sweeping turns. After rising to go through Porter’s Pass we descended to the Canterbury Plain and on to Christchurch through farming and horse country. We saw hundreds of race horses, all grazing and covered with blankets although the temperature was about 18C!

Christchurch is a modern city of 350,000 and a vast array of cafes, restaurants and bars. It is pristine and lush with homes having immaculate lawns and gardens. We got in early enough to go to the gym. Then it was off to the local watering hole to see the Miss Bakini Christchurch selected.


1. Sheep in Field 2. Beach Belowc Westport


3. Coast above Greymouth 4. Mountains With Snow Near Adams Pass

April 9th, Nelson to Westport – 250 kilometers

We awoke to crystal blue skies coupled with bright sunshine and went to a small coffee shop where the owner roasts his own beans; great coffee! The drive down to Motueka was fairly bland but the town is a major base for excursions to Abel Tasman and Kahurangi national parks. We had a coffee at a stand that also was a tour office that had posters for ultra light flights. As we headed out of town we watched some skydivers land at the airport and also an ultra light landing so we drove in to inquire. Shortly after we were aloft, flying over Motueka and down the coast to Abel Tasman Park. It is mainly composed of completely forested marble and limestone hills right to the seawater’s edge. The park is accessed from the water and there are water taxis, sailboats and kayaks all along the coast. The ultra light I was in had a top speed of 84 mph and was incredibly agile. Dave was in the trainer so the pilot let him take the controls for 60% of his trip! The view was incredible and it gives an entirely different impression of the area than from ground level, huge expanses of wilderness as well as numerous vineyards, and orchards in the non hilly areas. There are million dollar homes along the coast outside the park, in large part due to the sunny climate and beautiful scenery.

After a quick lunch we headed off towards Murchison through the Motueka river valley on a twisting route through sheep and fruit farms and then through forests on over Mount Saddle into Kahurangi park. After Murchison the road hugs the Buller River which rushes through a long spectacular gorge on its’ way to the Tasman Sea. The road is continuously turning and falling and with minimal traffic is a dream ride. When Buller explored this gorge it took him 6 weeks in constant rain; we did it in two hours and sunshine! The river gorge itself is a water sports Mecca with white water rafting, jet boating and kayaking. We stayed at the Black and White, a bar/ hotel/ betting room combination in the British pub tradition.


1. Dave and Coffee Grinder in Nelson 2. Coffee Van in Motueka



3. Just Before Going Aloft 4. Abel Tasman Park Coast Line




5. Film Clip of Take Off 6. Hedges Protecting Kiwi Fruit Orchard

April 8th Wellington to Nelson – 125 kilometers

Wellington is aptly named the “Windy Wellington” since it was blustery the whole time we were there! When we showed up at the Interislander Dock there were seven other bikes waiting to board. One biking couple had a man on a Boulevard and his wife on a Honda CB1300. They were both large people and had just gotten married the previous weekend. She has always been into bikes and was a “tracker” – a racer. When she met him, she asked if he rode a bike and when he said “no”, she said “well you’d better buy a bike if this is going to work!”

The three hour ride on the ferry was great. There was an elderly woman who had lunch with us who is from New Zealand and had been in Newfoundland and traveled across Canada with three girlfriends in the sixties. We arrived in Picton at the head of Queen Charlotte sound after a three hour ferry ride.

After leaving Picton, we were very quickly in wine country, passing over 20 wineries in the space of 10 minutes, including ones I recognized like Nautilus, Cloudy Bay, Forest Estate and Matua Marlborough. The scope of New Zealand’s wine industry is truly amazing, with 530 licensed wineries and 873 registered grape growers. Since 1996 the amount of land used for growing grapes has tripled. Gisborne specializes in Chardonnay, Hawke’s Bay is best known for its’ Cabernet Sauvignons while Marlborough is the home of Sauvignon Blanc. Talking to people, Pinot Noir appears to be the next major success.

We stopped at Havelock, the green lipped mussel capital of the world. I had visited the Sanford plant and their grow-out sites in 2003 when I went to the America’s Cup. Havelock has a huge marina for a village of only 500 people. From there it is only 75 kilometers to Nelson with a nice section of twisties when climbing over the Richmond Range. Nelson is a city of about 45,000 people with a major fishing industry, as well as a major jumping off point to three of the most popular nation parks (Kahurangi, Nelson Lakes and Abel Tasman). It is one of the sunniest areas in New Zealand and although it was cloudy all day, when we neared Nelson the sun came out! Due to our early arrival we washed the bikes and made it to the gym.



1. Ferry at Wellington 2. Going Between Islands Off South Island



3. Heading Into Picton 4. Marina at Havlock

April 7th, Masterton to Wellington – 115 kilometers

After a “flat white” (cappuccino with minimal foam) we were on the road in pouring rain. Unfortunately there is a 45 kilometer stretch of twisties over the Rimutaka mountain range from Featherston to Upper Hutt that is a fantastic motorcycle ride but we drove through at low speed due to rain and minimal visibility due to cloud. However, just as we arrived across the harbour from Wellington, the sun came out and the city looked gorgeous. Wellington is the capital of New Zealand and has a regional population of about 416,000.It is a seaport, business and center of government with steep hills, spectacular views, an active arts and entertainment scene, great shopping and beautiful parks and buildings.

After settling in at our downtown lodgings, we went on a walking tour and went up the cable car. It was first installed in the 1880’s to allow access for housing development above the city. It was an incredibly successful venture with over 2 million passengers in 1912. We then toured a museum and the botanical gardens. Later we went for a workout at the aquatic center. We have tickets booked on the ferry to South Island at 10:30 tomorrow morning.



1. Cattle Country Near Masterson 2. Main Street in Typical Small New Zealand Town



3. Wellington From Top of Cable Car 4. Dave in Front of National Museum



5. Dave in Front of Cable Car

April 6th – Gisborne to Masterton – 506 kilometers

After the obligatory stop for a cappuccino we were on our way to Wairoa for a refill on a road that runs a few miles inland from the coast. It has a tremendous number of sheep ranches and also an active timber industry. The road twists, climbs, falls with few straight stretches. It is a beautiful sunny day with a blue cloudless sky.

We then enter the Hawke Bay agricultural region, a fertile area specializing in wine production with over 15 wineries. We stopped for lunch in Napier, a trendy vibrant costal city with long grey sand beaches. The town was destroyed by an earthquake in 1931 and was completely rebuilt in the art deco style. Across from the café where we had lunch, a vintage Porsche car rally with over 50 cars was on display.

As you drive through rural New Zealand, you certainly have a strong sense of isolation. It must contribute significantly to the friendliness of everyone as well as inspire a strong desire to travel to areas with more people around. Reportedly there are over 1,000,000 kiwis living abroad.

We then followed route 2 through Hastings on to Waipukurau where we headed down the old Wellington coach road towards Porangahau. Initially the road had long sweeping turns through green hills dotted with sheep and some cattle but south of here the road narrows and there are continuous tight turns as it rises and falls beside river valleys and over ranges of hills. Just outside of Porangahau, we pass the place with the longest name in the world;
Taumatawhakatangihanakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhe
nuakitanatahu!

The last 120 kilometers of driving were in drizzle and rain, which reduced our speed on the twisties considerably. Masterton is an innocuous town of 16,000 people and we stayed at the Empire Lodge in the center of town. We had dinner at an Indian restaurant served by a waiter who was light in his loafers.





1. Coffee at Wairoa 2. Art Deco Building in Napier



3. Porche Rally in Napier 4. Countryside near Porangahou



5. Longest Place Name in World