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Published: October 19th 2011
Oct 4 - Oct 18, South Island New Zealand
After 24 hours in transit from Phuket to Christchurch, NZ, I was greeted at the airport by 2 very good friends, Phillipa Saxton and June Taylor. I met them on my trip 2 years ago in the Balkins. We spent the night at June's son's house in Christchurch. The next morning we toured Christchurch to see the damage from the 2 major earthquakes that happened in the past year. I had no idea how serious this natural disaster was. The city is basically shutdown. Two of the oldest cathedrals in the city were essentially destroyed. Since the last earthquake in February this year, there have been over 1000 aftershocks - in fact this week there was one that was 5.5 on the Reichter scale. They dont want to rebuild the city until things stabilize, which could be a while.
We drove 3 hours south to Fairlie, the village where Phillipa and June and her husband, Malcolm, live. Fairlie has a population of about 500 people and is set in an agricultural area surrounded by mountains and lakes. In the winter this is a significant ski resort
area, and in the summer there is lots of boating activity, hiking, cycling and golf. Before I left Canada, I purchased a used motorcycle through Phillipa. It is a 1992 Honda 1100 touring bike in excellent shape. It needed a little mechanical attention so we put it in the shop for a tune up, oil change and new front tire.
Phillipa and I decided to take advantage of this time to tour the southern part of South Island in her 4x4 Hilux SUV. First stop was visiting my new friends that I met in Phuket - Mike and Nikki Brown. They own a 400 Hectare farm in Omakau, Centrol Otago, where they raise cattle and sheep. Mike's mother owns a lodge on the hiking trail and they offered it up to us, gratis. It was absolutely stunning - the facility, the view and the hot tub!
Nikki trains and manages race horses. The next day after we arrived, she had 2 races in Dunedin. I asked her if she had any tips, and she thought that her horse in the 5th was looking good. She left at 7 am for the 2 hour drive, while Mike and I
played around of golf at the local course. Drop $10 in the box at the first tee and off we go. Following golf, we went to the pub to watch the races , and do some off track betting. Nikki's first horse was running in the 3rd race. I chose her horse with the one below it in the program, and bet $10 on the quinella. Surprise! They came in 1st and 2nd and I won $50!
In the 5th race, I went for Nikki's tip and bet $10 to win and $20 to place on her horse. Guess what? It came in first place and I won $100! Mike was pretty impressed and realized I was a bit of a gambler. Canada was playing New Zealand in the World Cup Rugby that evening, and he asked me if I wanted to bet $100 on the game. He took NZ and game me 50 points. We lost by 70! Oh well, can't win them all.
From Central Otago we headed to the Southern most point of South Island, a town called Bluff. It was cold and desolate, so we decided to catch a ferry to Stewart Island, about
30 miles south. We did a package deal, which included the ferry there and back, and a nights stay at the Stewart lodge, the finest place on the Island. Keep in mind that the population of the Island is 400! We met the head of the France Rugby Association and his wife, and they invited us to join them for dinner.
After we returned from Stewart Island, we drove back to Fairlie, through Dunedin. I was anxious to pick up my bike from the shop, get the paperwork and Insurance organized, and prepare to start my Motorcycle trip.
Sunday Oct 10, 2011
My bike is packed and I'm ready to go! (I should write a song about this!). By the time I get the bike ready, pack my bags, gas up, and say good-bye to everyone, its 1pm. Thats fine, as my first stop is Queenstown - about a 4 hour drive. It was very cold when I left, about 8 degrees celsius, but it quickly warmed up to about 15. I was quit comfortable, as we had done a day ride the previous day on part of the route. I
arrived in Queenstown about 5:30 pm and immedidately went to an information Center (that are conveniently located throughoout NZ) and asked if there was an "upscale" backpacker lodge nearby. As it is still off season here, there was a room available at the Aspen Lodge Backpackers, a 5 minute walk from downtown. I had a private room, double bed and an ensuite. Awesome! I spent 2 nights there, which could easily have been 5 nights, as it is the main outdoor activity center of New Zealand, most famous for Bungy Jumping. On my free day, I went Jet Boating through the canyon with Shotover Adventures, then hopped on the bike and went for a 2 hour ride along the coast of Queenstown Lake.
For the following day, I booked a flight to Milford Sound in the Fiordlands. The plan was to fly there on a small plane, take a 3 hour boat ride through the Fiords, and fly back. However, in the morning I went down to meet the ride to the airport, I was informed that due to bad weather conditions, the trip was cancelled.
I had to go to Plan B. As a little bit of
background, my son Jeff had travelled to New Zealand in his early 20's. When he arrived in Queenstown, he phoned me and said "hey Dad, I'm in Queenstown. This is the home of Bungy Jumping. Do you think I shoukd try it". I said, "O course go for it! What have you got to lose. So he did. He sent the video home a few weeks later, and I couldnt believe it. So yesterday, I phone Jeff, and said, "Hey Jeff, I'm in Queenstown. This is the home of Bungy Jumping. Do you think I should try it". He Said "Dad, I dont think you have a choice." So I went to Plan B - Bungy Jumping on the Kawarau Bridge, the very first ever commercial Bungy Jump in the world. You jump from a bridge into a canyon over a fast flowing river. As the bungy guy was getting me ready tieing the harness to my legs, we had a great conversation about my trip. Obviuously, his plan was to distract me so I wouldn't be thinking about the jump. It worked! He asked me to stand on the platform and inch myself forward to the edge, and smile
at the cameras for some photos. I was not nervous at all. Then he sais "1,2,3 jump" and I did without hesitating. About 2 seconds later, I realized what I had just done, and started screaming. What a rush! It totally succeeded my expectations. I would highly recomend it to anyone.
Back on the bike, still enjoying the buzz from the jump, I headed off towards the west coast - a 3 - 4 hour ride. About an hour into it it started pouring rain and the temperature dropped as I rode through the mountains. About 5:30 pm, I arrived at the first coastal town, Haast, population about 100. All I wanted was a hot shower, so I checked in the first (and probably only) motel in the area. While checking in, I noticed that the bar was very busy. After a 20 minute shower, I went to the bar for a well deserved beer. While sitting at a table by myself, a fellow came over and asked me where I was from and about my trip. He asked me to join them at there table for a beer. As it turned out, they were a group of friends,
mostly businessmen from Christchurch, and they were in Haast for the annual Whitebait run. Whitebait are a very small fish, there are about 1000 fish to the kilo, and a kilo sells for about $90 NZ. After chatting it up, the "host", Gavin, who owns a cottage on the river leading out to the ocean about 12 kms away, invited me to join them for a mutton dinner back at the cabin. The other friends were Trevor and his dad Barry, Steve and Garry. All around my age, except for Barry who was celebrating his 80th birthday. So naturally after dinner we had a birthday cake, sang Happy Birthday and took some photos. By the end of the evening no one was sober enough to drive me home, so I slept over, sharing a room with Steve.
After breakfast, we headed over to do some whitebaiting. The conditions weren't ideal due to the low tide, but they showed me how they fished from a jetty, throwing nets out to catch the little guys as they swim upstream to spawn, similar to Salmon.These people were truly genuine and friendly and made me feel so welcome in their beautiful country!
After getting a ride back to the motel, I packed the bike up and headed north up the beautiful West Coast of South Island heading to my next destination, Greymouth. The whether wasn't too bad, a few showers, some sunny and cloudy periods with a high of around 15 degrees. Along the way I stopped at the Fox Glacier, and the Frans Josef Glazier. Both are unique in that they run almost down to the ocean.
When I was in Bosnia and Croatia last year on my motorcycle trip with Phillipa, I met 4 couples from New Zealand. One couple, Malcolm and June, live in Fairlie very near to Phillipa. They were very helpful in getting the bike organized (in fact it is in their name to avoid problems with foreign ownership and insurance - thank you Malcolm and June!!!!) and in showing me around the South Canterbury region.
Another couple John and Jan live in Greymouth. Phillipa, God bless her soul, is helping to keep me on track and organized for my trip. She contacted John and Jan and asked if they would host me for a few days. John likes his toys! He has a warehouse
where he stores his motorcycles and cars, including a BMW R1200 MC, a three wheeled BMW MC, a three wheeled Bombardier Spyder MC, a dirt bike, and numerous collectible cars. All I knew was that they were in Greymouth. The idea was that I would call them when I arrived. About 30 miles south of Greymouth, I passed a Bombardier Spyder heading south. I assumed it was John, so I pulled over to wait for him to turn around. John escorted me to their beautiful home on the hills of Greymouth overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
I spent 2 nights there with Jan being such a wonderful hostess. She even made Whitebait patties for me. They are made by mixing Whitebait (eyeballs and all) with a batter and then frying them. Superb! John toured me around the area on our bikes. The highlight was a ride up the coast on a beautiful sunny day to the Pancake Rocks, An incredible rock formation at the edge of the ocean.
After 2 nights there, I packed up again, said my thanks and goodbyes, and headed inland towards Nelson. Once again Phillipa came through. She had notified 2 other friends, Mick and
Trina, that I would be in the Nelson area. Naturally, with the now almost expected Kiwi hospitality, I was invited to spend 2 nights with them. I was told again to call them once I arrived in a town called Takaka. When I got there I pulled into a i-site (tourist information) and phoned Mick. I had several numbers, but could not get an answer. I asked the girl behind the counter if she knew Mick Brown or Trina Mitchell. She looked up in the phone book and gave me a street name at Ligor Beach, about 8 kms away. I road there and started asking around if anyone knew Mick Brown. Sure enough, the second person I asked directed me up a gravel road. I rode upand found their house, but no one was there. The door was open so I helped myself to a beer, while trying to decide what to do. All of a sudden, I remenbered John (from Greymouth) telling me that Mick and Trina had 2 places - one near Takaka, and one near Onetaka. So I thought I would ride to Onetaka, about 20 kms away and hope that I would find them. Onetaka
is more of a region than a town. Once I entered the region, I thought I would stop at a cafe and asked if anyone knew Mick Brown. As I pulled of the road I looked in my rear view mirror and guess what, there they were!! What a small country!
I followed them to their "Bach" the NZ term for cottage. Mick's family has owned a 50 acre property on the ocean for over 100 years. The original cabin was built in 1907. About 5 years ago, Mick cleared a piece of land near the ocean and moved the cabin there, placing it on a new foundation. They fixed it up and put a new addition on, but retained to original look andfeel. It is totally self contained with water coming from a sistern, power from solar panels, and from a wood burning fireplace, and a composting toilet. What a little piece of heavon! Well done Mick and Trina!!
After one night there we rode our bikes up the peninsula to the Northern most point of South Island. It was an awesome sunny day for riding, with spectacular views. We rode back to their other place in
Takaka. Mick is in the fish farming business, focussed mainly on Mussels. He took me to the fishing docks, and explained to me everything there is to know about Mussel farming. Trina prepared a wonderful meal that evening, including Venison filets. We enjoyed dinner while watching New Zealand beat Autralia in the semi-final of the World Rugby championships to advance to the finals against France next weekend.
The next morning as I was loading up the bike, Mick noticed that the front forks were leaking oil, so I made a note to get this fixed sooner than later. Mick and Trina were heading back to Nelson, where there main house is, as Mick was scheduled the following day for an operation on his shoulder. He wasn't happy about it as he would likely be out of commission for 6 weeks, and Mick has trouble standing still for 6 minutes. Hope all goes well, mate!! And thanks Trina for everything!
As I approached Nelson, on my way to the ferry, I stopped at a Honda dealership to get the front forks fixed. They had to order parts, which would take a day to get the parts, so I spent
a night at a very nice motel in Nelson, had a massage, went to the Indian Cafe for a wonderful Indian dinner, and then to the Freehouse pub for a beer. I met a wonderful couple from the states, Tom and Jennifer. They were on their honeymoon in a crazy camping van from Wild One, and attending as many Rugby games as they could fit in.
The next morning I took the bike in to get fixed. I called 2 more of Phillipa's friends in Nelson - Willy
and Lorraine - both serious adventure motorcycle enthusiasts. Lorraine is the President of the local
Chapter of the Ulysses Club. Ulysses in an organization for motorcyclists over 50 years old. There motto
is "Adventure before Dementia". My kind of group. They gratiously invited me to stay at there beautiful home atop a hill overlooking the sea. Among other pets, they had goats, sheep, peacocks, cats, and dogs. Willy is busy planning an around the world trip by himself! I wish him every success. Thanks for being great hosts.
It was an hour and a half ride the next morning to Picton to catch the ferry to Wellington on the North
Island. Lorraine and Willy recommended that I take a short cut on Queen Charlotte drive, a very narrow road through the mountains. Definitely worthwhile. I cant get over how beautiful this country is.
I could live here - just need to find a polo field!
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Rod
non-member comment
Outstanding!
Another great adventure Mr. Bungy Man! The whitebait (aka young herring) meal makes me craving for some right now. BTW, you are a very loyal Canadian betting on Canada against the NZ All Blacks rugby team and getting only 50 points on the spread!! Have a good one mate.