As I write I’m sitting in the sun in the back yard of what was on the Constables Cottage in St Bathans. Because I am the organiser, I get the pick of the rooms, which does have its perks. 8am saw us up and away, with a short journey to a local cafe for breakfast - muesli and a local delicacy, a cheese roll, not really found anywhere else, and we’ve come to the conclusion that it is the amount of butter smeared on the outside that really differentiates a good roll (you can’t get a bad one), and an exceptional one. From there, another short hop to E Hayes Hardware, Home of Burt Munro’s Worlds Fastest Indian, and emporium of all things hardware related - quite possibly the most comprehensive selection of just about everything that you’d find anywhere. Richardson’s Truck Museum was the reason we’d come back to Invercargill, and was an absolute must - talk about a world class collection. I’d read Bill Richardson’s book “Wheels and Deals” in the mid 90’s and after writing to him and subsequently receiving a reply, enjoyed his occasional mentorship until he died not to long afterwards. Truely a remarkable man, and a great role model. We frequent travellers to Southland know from experience where to find the best bakeries about, and our regular stop in Gore was not a disappointment, other than s slight shortage in selection due to their inability to keep up (nearly run out by mid day despite going nuts in the kitchen). Craig decided to not to follow us (dreaming of his darling Sarah perhaps), so we had a short delay rounding everyone up, then into the guys of Southland, rolling hills, huge herds of content dairy cows, and the odd cop, some on the road, others hidden away in the shadows, but none troubling us, cruise control set at a very acceptable pace, quickly eating up the kilometres, Roxburgh, coffee in Alexandra, then destination for this last night on tour, St Bathans. We have made our annual Pilgrimage here for a number of years, and consider it a highlight, including the trip in and out, the quick country roads proving a tonic, hopefully too far off the beaten track to warrant any passing traffic cops. On arrival we caught up with hosts for the night, Mike and Jude Cavanaugh, (Irish heritage being a bonus on St Patrick’s Day), before setting in for a rest, a shower then dinner, and inevitably a celebration of sorts, mindful that we have 550kms to cover tomorrow. Craig and Chris are sharing the cottage with me - Chris’s eyes lit up at the kindling beside the fire, and quickly got a raging blaze underway - a true pyromaniac! 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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