It is late and other than a couple of rowdy local cockies, the bar has almost closed- the patience of the landlord of a country Pub cannot be over estimated, the pissed rowdies keeping you up tonight are tomorrow's income. Mickey and I have enjoyed the last of several "roaders" and finally wandered off to our respective rooms, long after our smarter buddies decided enough was enough. That being said, please excuse any errors. We'd decided that a 9:30 departure from Lake Tekapo was the appropriate compromise between a little bit of warmth on the road and the distance we had to travel - probably spot on. We all dressed for the cold, and were pleased to have been so prudent, especially until our breakfast stop at Omarama 45 minutes of quick cruising across the plains. Our High Country breakfast was our best yet, and by a long way - and while we ate, our bikes were surrounded by ever changing waves of Chinese tourists eager to take photos of our Harley's (and perhaps Craig's Indian, now well behaved). [ Layers of clothing removed in deference to the sunshine, bound for Benmore Dam - God smiled and we all enjoyed what was without doubt the most spectacular scenery of our tour to date, the autumn colours, the magnificence of the countryside, and the shear joy of enjoying being on our bikes. Next stop, Kurow, birthplace of arguably New Zealand's greatest ever All Black and husband to Gemma, Richie McCaw - a very small town, but obviously a place where great foundation stones are laid. More kms, and into Oamaru (never mind the lovies on the telly, locals pronounce "Oamaru" not O Armaru"). We enjoyed an hour wandering the Waterfront area and visiting the Steam Punk Museum, weird and wonderful, straight from Mad Max, but quite cool none the less. Mickey had been talking up the Mutton pies from a bakery in Palmerston, but what may have been fabulous at noon was certainly past its best at 3pm...To eat one would be to risk days of discomfort (and worse). Palmerston through to days end at Middlemarch was a bit of a blast, a combination of nice straights and gentle turns, all of which could be taken at speed, with very little traffic (or traffic cops) to impede our fairly rapid progress. So, our accomodation for tonight is the South Taieri Hotel in Middlemarch, and a real contrast to previous digs, probably a one star establishment ($50 per room per night), but clean and hospitable, although whoever is in the adjoining room is snoring! 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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