The run from Taupo to Wellington was fairly straight forward, and reasonably quick despite the rain. We ran the gauntlet of traffic cops along the Desert Road and emerged unscathed... There were a bunch of bikers already waiting when we checked in for the ferry, but we were soon waved aboard and lashed down the bikes before retiring to the lounge -$45 well spent, food, drinks, comfy chairs (floor in Mikes case) and no screaming kids (!!!). Off the ferry, a tank of gas in Picton then a quick run to our motel in Blenheim. I was again reminded why I am not a travel agent - I'd made our booking was for a week hence, and they were full. Not to worry, we were soon checked in just across the road, and only 100m from the Speights Ale House. Just for a change we stayed away from beer and pinot. I had a dodgy curry on the ferry so was impressed when vodka soda settled things down - topped off be the best Caeser Salad ever - goos stuff! We started the day at the Warehouse, replacing socks and jocks discarded along the way - we travel light. The forecast was not good anywhere so we opted for the east coast, leaving Blenheim and the burnt soil of Marlborough (and these guys would really love some rain) bound for Kaikoura. The smell of the sea completes the transition from wine to crayfish country, with hundreds of resident seals adding to the economy, a real tourist attraction. The pups frollic in sheltered pools, mum's fairly close at hand, dear old dad sunbathing away from the racket. Brunch in Kaikoura, great all day breakfast and achance to rethink the day. Whilst the forecast was awful, the sky was devoid of any clouds at all, and the sun was turn on full blast. We opted for Hanmer Springs rather than the straight route to Christchurch and were treated to a fabulous day of unbeatable riding (the scenary was ok too!). We're in heaven, (especially me), the bark of my engine instantly becoming a magnificent snarl with the merest twist of the throttle, reminisent of the Spitfires V12 Merlin- very cool, but 100km/hr passes in a flash and before you know it there is the very real and ever present risk of walking home... All good things come to an end, and the last hour or so brought with it the rain we'd been promised - worsened by having to negotiate Christchurch's rush hour traffic (and nearly dropping my bike in the process - phew). Comments are closed.
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Don MalcolmA perfect day involves being on my Harley with a long ride ahead.
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