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April 2018 Club News

2018 Old Bike Ride | Old Pix | Walmsley | Toolbrunup | Indian | NZ | Cheynes | Frenchman | Membership | Calendar

New Zealand 2018

Story and photos by Antoinet

Looking forward to the trip on the R100GS BMW.
Well, well, well, where to start! We've just finished riding around both islands of New Zealand on a 1991 BMW  R100GS. All up we did 6,997 km. Yes, I know, we should have ridden another 3 km and it would have been 7,000 km. We were planning to do so when it started to rain and so we headed for our friends Dave and Gail's place. They own the BMW and we had left their place exactly 6 weeks ago.

In 2008 we met Dave and Gail up in Kununurra when they travelled through WA on the exact same bike. We kept in contact and they came over to Albany a couple of times to see us. Dave always said if we ever came to New Zealand there would be a bike for us to use. How generous and what an amazing bike to tour around on. We were two-up so I could relax and enjoy the scenery, something we have definitely done, what a great country.

Near Ohope.
We left Dave and Gail's place in Waihi on the 20th of January and went to visit our friend Sarah's mum who lives in Papamoa just down the road from Waihi. We had a nice catch-up with Helen who we met over in Albany a few years ago. We then travelled east via Whakatane to Opotiki where we put up the tent in a holiday park (that's what they call the caravan parks here). The New Zealand roads are very different to the roads in Australia, you have to allow more time as they are twisty and windy and hilly.

We were amazed by the huge camper's kitchen, full of pots and pans, cutlery, plates, cups, a couple of fridges and freezers, 6 stoves, dishwashing liquid and tea towels. Lots of backpackers work here so while we had our dinner that night we listened to all the different languages. The next day we enjoyed riding further east along the coast, looking back down to black/grey sandy beaches and blue water.

We had brought over our small New Zealand handy atlas that fits in our tank bag and looked at the places further up. On the map they looked quite big and we were planning to fill up in one of the towns along the coast. When we got to the little towns there was no petrol stations. We thought we had found one but it turned out to be a  charging station for electric cars! A Maori guy pulled over and said you won't be able to charge that old bike here! We asked how far it was to the next petrol station and he said only 15 minutes down the road. Lucky, we got there and had a laugh. Only our second day on the bike and we had nearly run out of petrol already!

We booked a tent site at Tokomaru Bay and enjoyed a beer at the nice Te Puka pub while looking across the ocean. Lots of fishermen came in by boat and hopped across the road to have a meal and a beer. Apparently lots of people ride their horses there too and have a quick beer before heading off again. The local supermarket had shut already to we treated ourselves to a burger and chippies from the take away shop right near the camp ground.

Both nights it had rained a bit but in the morning when we packed up it was dry. The temperature is nice, quite warm, so no need to wear all our gear. We had a look at the longest wharf of New Zealand in Tolaga Bay while we had our morning coffee and biscuit. We always fill up the thermos and have biscuits or muesli bars on board.  

We rode through beautiful hills, along bays, through small towns and saw lots of Maori meeting grounds called marae with carved buildings. You see these a lot more in the north island.

The next night we camped in a DOC (department of conservation) camp ground. No shops around so we had cup a soup and sardines on toast that night. It got pretty hot the next day as we rode through Napier and Hastings and when we got closer to the hills it got very black. We had to pull over quickly at the driveway of a farm to put on all our wet weather gear and soon enough it absolutely poured down.

The farmer was just driving to town and said you'll get wet! He also said it will stop in 10 minutes and we said have you seen that sky? He just laughed and said goodbye. But he was right, we got so drenched but 10 minutes later all the clouds were behind us and it was hot and humid again. Ronnie's wet weather pants we had bought in Canada in 2012 hadn't done a thing, his jeans were soaked so the wet weather pants ended up in the bin, they had worked well in the past. We rode a bit further and pulled up at a council camp site in Pahiatua which was cheap but very nice.

The next 2 nights we stayed in Martinborough, a nice town with lots of wineries surrounding it. There was a huge American car show and get-together so lots of chatting with the people driving these old American cars. We went for a ride to the Cape Palliser lighthouse which we thought was really worth it. You have to climb 252 steps to get to the lighthouse and the view is absolutely stunning. On the way there you can see lots of seals on the rocks near the beach. The beach here is very black, very different to the white sandy beaches over in western Australia.  

We had booked the ferry for the next day to go across to the south island. It was a shame it was overcast and drizzly because the ride over the range to Upper Hut would  have been beautiful with clear skies. The ride to the ferry was easy and very well signposted and it all went smooth. The rain stopped when we left Wellington and after about 3,5 hours we arrived in Picton. The ferry trip over is very nice, especially coming into the channels and sounds. We booked a tent site on the old holiday park in Picton and headed off the next morning to explore the south island.

We rode from Picton to Blenheim and along the coast to Kaikoura. The road to Kaikoura, the state highway 1 had only been opened a month before after being closed after the devastating earthquake in 2016. There were still a lot of roadworks and in a lot of sections we were only allowed to do 30 km/hr. This was fine though as there was so much to see, you could still see the damage the earthquake had done. Sea containers were stacked up 2 high to make huge barriers for rubble that would still come down from the mountains and the hills. The big landslides had brought down massive pieces of rock that had ended up in the ocean, just next to the road. These rocks are home to the seals now and we saw so many of them along the road.

Kaikoura was very busy, it was a Saturday and I think a lot of tourists have come back after the road has been opened, it was good to see things are coming back to normal. We looked at the forecast for different places and because it was still overcast we decided to head inland towards Hanmer Springs. As soon as we came over the hills it was fine and all the clouds were gone. We got to Hanmer Springs and it was really quite warm. We set up our tent at a big and green camping ground and had a look in town.

Hanmer Springs is famous for its thermal pools and because it was a Saturday it was super busy. We rode over Lewis Pass and ended up in Greymouth the next afternoon. We found a bit of grass behind the backpackers where we could put up our tent for $42. Yes, that is quite a normal price for a tent site here in New Zealand. We’ve paid anything between $20 and $46 to put up the tent. Most sites have got lovely green grass which is very nice. And like I said before the camper’s kitchens are great with pots, pans, plates, cups, etc. for anyone to use.

At Fox Glacier.The next day was very exciting because we headed for the glaciers; Franz Joseph and Fox glacier. There was still a lot of snow on the mountains and we enjoyed walking the Fox glacier walk. You walk though a huge riverbed/gorge to get to the lookout, big mountains all around you.

We met a Canadian couple who have travelled around the world for the last six years, on their website you can read about their adventure: www.worldwideride.ca (if you have a look at “Peeps” you will find a photo of Ronnie and me, second to last)
We rode the Haast Pass which was so pretty with all the clear blue water in the streams next to the road we travelled on.

We ended up in Wanaka, a touristy town north east of Queenstown. It’s not as big as Queenstown and we thought it had a nicer feel to it when you are travelling on a motorbike, not as hectic and busy in the traffic.

Both towns/cities are amazing though  with all the mountains surrounding them. We camped at a huge holiday park right in town and enjoyed a walk through town in the evening. Ronnie started talking to an American guy who travelled on a Moto Guzzi and was heading down to Invercargill too for the Burt Munro challenge.

We had seen a lot of motorbikes heading that way already. The next day was another exciting one as we were going to stay at Ronnie’s aunt and uncle; Iepie and Rudolf who we last visited in 2007 when they were living in the north island. They moved down to the south island 2 years ago and live on a beautiful property just outside of Alexandra with amazing views onto hills and mountains. Lots to catch up on and we met some of their neighbours, had barbecues and some cold beverages and ate a lot of delicious venison for dinner. Rudolf and Iepie enjoy hunting in their spare time, hunting is very big in New Zealand and people from all over the world come to NZ to do just that.

Beautiful Haast Pass.
The weather forecast was very bad for the next day and that’s why we had asked already if it was okay to come a day early. When we got there it was very warm and very windy, especially when we were riding through the gorges we had to hold on tight in the wind. That night it started to rain and it didn’t stop at all the next day. There was a cyclone that dumped rain and a lot of wind on the west coast. Roads were closed because of the landslides, the roads into and out of Haast were closed and 800 people were stuck in the town until the roads were cleared again. We had only travelled through there 2 days before. 

Wanaka: the Frysians.
The next day Rudolf took us for a drive in their car to do some sightseeing. We saw fresh snow on the mountains as the temperature had gone down quite a bit. We had a camping trip planned to Glendhu Bay, not far from Wanaka and we wanted to walk the Rob Roy glacier walk. Rudolf and Iepie own a beautiful motorhome and they told us we could sleep in it that night. They slept in the tent on our Exped camping mattresses to test them out, they were looking at buying some so this was a great way to see if this is what they wanted.

I was blown away by the motor home, so comfortable and so easy to just pull up somewhere. Everything you need is in there, shower, toilet, stove, fridge, very comfortable beds, sitting area and lots of storage space. The Rob Roy glacier walk was really nice, we walked, took photos and had morning tea and lunch along the way and we were back at the car park 5.5 hours later.

When we left Rudolf and Iepie’s place we headed for the east coast but riding through the hills it got really cold and it started to rain. We ended up in a motel in Palmerston (south) for night. We looked at the weather forecast again and saw that the weather at Milford Sound was good for the next few days, we wanted to go there after the Burt Munro challenge but decided to head that way now while the weather looked good.

Crown Range lookout.
That day we did the most kilometres of the trip and ended up in Te Anau. We booked the Milford Sound cruise for the next afternoon and settled in to the great holiday park in town for the next 2 nights. Here you can even hire plastic tubs with everything you need for cooking. There were 5 stoves available and big fridges and freezers, there were so many hitchhikers and walkers in this park and we have also seen a lot of cyclists along the way. Very easy travelling here and the hitch hikers told us it is very safe and easy for them to travel around the country. People are very friendly and pick up hitch hikers, often taking them home for a meal and a bed and the next day they drop them off again in the next town.

Milford Sound cruise.
The 240 km return trip from Te Anau to Milford Sound was beautiful and so was the cruise, we really enjoyed it. And then the time was finally here: The Burt Munro challenge was on this weekend. This was one of the big reasons to come to New Zealand now while the event was on.

Ronnie’s imagination is going crazy, though that’s not unusual.
Ever since the movie The World’s Fastest Indian came out in 2005 we have been fascinated by this true story of Burt Munro from Invercargill who loved speed and went to the Bonneville salt flats in Utah, America to set records. In 2012 we went to Canada and America and stood on the salt flats in Bonneville which was pretty cool and now we were here in Invercargill where it all began. The event was fantastic and we are were so glad to be part of it.

Antoinet at the Burt Munroe Beach Races.
We camped at the rally site and could walk to most events like the speedway and drag races. There was a bus service to take us to Oreti beach where Burt also won a lot of events when he was still alive. The whole event was very well organised and we recommend people to go there one day. They changed the event from November to February which was a great move I think, there were apparently so many more people because the weather is so much better. There was music, food, drinks, merchandise and a lot of interesting people to talk to, we had a great time.

Our mate Huw from Perth had told us his cousin and her husband live just north of Invercargill and we had met them already when we went for a ride around the area. We were welcome to stay the night after the Burt Munro event had finished. We left Invercargill to have a look at Bluff. We had our morning tea stop there after having a look at Bluff hill where the hillclimb was held on Thursday afternoon. We had missed that event as we hadn’t arrived from Te Anau yet.

Back into Invercargill the heavens opened and we heard from some motorbike riders that the street races, the last event in the Burt Munro Challenge, had been cancelled. Too dangerous with oil spills of the old motorcycles onto the wet roads. A shame but I think the rest of the weekend was a huge success. We rode to Otautau where Huw’s cousin Thelma and her husband Keith live and by the time we got there the skies were clear of clouds and the sun came out. We caught up and went to the local pub for a very nice meal of blue cod, a popular fish to eat in New Zealand, it was delicious.

The days are long here, something we love coming from the Netherlands. All the way here in the south the sun doesn’t set until 9.15 pm in February, so we sat outside having a drink and a chat to Thelma and Keith until it got a bit too cool.

We left their place the next morning and were going to say goodbye to them at their workshop in town. We hadn’t ridden 100 meters and something struck Ronnie in the face, his second bee/wasp/whatever sting on this trip. It really hurt and he straight away took an anti-histamine. Luckily it didn’t swell up much, it was just really itchy for about 4 days after.

Our next stop was Curio Bay along the south coast. All the towns looked decent size in our road atlas but when we got to all those places there was hardly anything there. We needed fuel again and didn’t have any food with us. We got to Curio Bay, which is just a big camp ground with a small shop and a restaurant. We were going to treat ourselves to a meal at the restaurant and after talking to the people who work there we found out that we would make it okay to the next service station tomorrow morning.

There were signs everywhere about the yellow eyed penguins, they arrive every night down onto the rocky beach. We had a look after we had our meal and spend the next 2 hours there enjoying watching these funny looking animals come to shore, bellies full of fish for their waiting children. It was so nice to watch them waddle up to their kids and feed them.

We took off the next day, got our supplies and petrol and headed inland from Balclutha. What a nice road that was, high up and twisty we were looking across green paddocks full of sheep and cows. We ended up in nice small towns called Lawrence and Lumsden where we stayed the 2 nights before riding up past Lake Wakatipu to Queenstown. The last time we were in Queenstown we wanted to go for a ride to Glenorchy. The last time it didn’t happen because it was so super windy and rainy, this time we had exactly the same problem so we had a look in Arrowtown instead.

Back to aunt Iepie and uncle Rudolf to spend some more time with them and Rudolf’s (and Jacob’s, Ronnie’s dad) 2 sisters and husbands from the Netherlands. They arrived the next day and it was one big family reunion. I had never met one couple and Ronnie wouldn’t have seen them for 20 years or more! We had a great time with more venison on the barbecue and some cold drinks to go with it while catching up.

Mt Cook National Park.
We rode to Twizel the next day and saw Mt Cook, which was very exciting as the mountain is often hidden by clouds. It was still very windy but we enjoyed the scenery while riding to Mt Cook town and we loved the walk up to Tasman Lake, so pretty with the glacier and icebergs floating in the lake.

There was another cyclone on its way and we had contacted Wander and Lieneke if we could hide at their place on the farm for a few days. Wander is a very good friend of my nephew Bjorn and in 2011 Bjorn and Wander came over to Australia as 18 year olds. They stayed with us for 2 weeks before heading to Perth and Cairns. Now Wander and his girlfriend live and work on a dairy farm and they were happy to have us for 2 nights while the rain was forecast. It rained a lot for the next 2 days and Ronnie kept busy servicing the four wheeler, something he had done too while we were at his aunt and uncle’s, very handy to have a mechanic.

Arthur's Pass.
A lot of roads in the north of the south island were cut off again because of land slides, mud and water on the roads. There was lots of fresh snow on the mountains across from Wander and Lieneke’s place and we put on all our gear to keep warm as we were going to ride over Arthur’s Pass. We had a perfect day, sunny and warm and the scenery was so pretty. Bob and Chris send us an email a while ago asking if we had done the Arthur’s Pass already. When they were in New Zealand they had ridden it 3 times! I can see why, it’s beautiful.

We ended up in Greymouth again and booked into a holiday park this time. Cheaper than staying behind the backpackers hostel and very close to the beach. We watched the sun sink into the ocean after dinner and enjoyed listening to the waves crashing onto the pebble beach that night.

Westport was next and then back inland to Murchison where we found a great holiday park near the river. It was so busy there as the road to Christchurch had been closed again with all the rain and landslides so all the traffic came this way. The camping ground was huge though and they cater for everyone. Most holiday parks have tent sites, powered sites, basic cabins with just a bed and cabins with kitchen, shower & toilet.

We were planning to book the ferry to go back to the north island so we had only one more full day to enjoy the south island. We rode to Motueka where we also saw lots of damage from all the storms they had. The road was open but it said at the start to take extreme caution, mud and water everywhere and trees had washed up from the rivers and from down the hills, it had all collided on the lowest point. It’s amazing how much damage water can do.

We enjoyed riding along Queen Charlotte Drive to Picton and booked a tent site in Waikawa, just north of Picton. The ferry trip back to the north island was very interesting as it was very windy when we got closer to Wellington. Big waves crashed against the boat and when we had a good laugh when Ronnie’s sunglasses flew away.

He ran after them but thought he had lost them but a guy had found them onto the deck below. We rode into the strong wind to Levin where we were going to stay for 2 nights. We were putting up the tent when one of the poles snapped, the wind had pushed the tent away while we were trying to put it up. We ended up in a cute small cabin that we booked for 2 nights as there was a lot of rain heading our way.

I was a bit excited when I found out there was a proper Dutch windmill with a Dutch cafe up the road. That was our first stop the next day, we had hot chocolate and Dutch croquettes, yum yum. We also had a look at the library full of Dutch history, very interesting.

Lake Pukaki.
The weather wasn’t flash for the next couple of days and we booked a motel room in Ohakune near the skifields and also a cute cabin when we got to Taupo. You can get these cabins for $55 to $65 and when you look at sometimes paying $46 for a tentsite this is a much better option. Bruce and Kylie had told us about it already but we hadn’t needed it until now, we had been really lucky with the weather all the other days. 

We enjoyed our time in Taupo as we had only driven through in 2007. It’s much bigger with lots of shops and we enjoyed visiting all the camping stores to look at all the different camping equipment you can get. Of course no room for anything on the bike but it was still nice to have a good look around. We rode to the Huka falls and we arrived just in time to see the Aratiatia rapids.

Picton Ferry Bike Riders Shelter.
The night before we got back to Dave and Gail’s place we stayed at Helen’s (our friend Sarah’s mum) it was great to see her again. And then the next day we got back to our starting point. The trip meter said we had done 6,997 km. Let’s get to 7,000 km Ronnie said, and we rode past Dave and Gail’s street to do another 3 km. It started to rain though and Ronnie turned off to get to the house. We had 3 lovely days in Waihi, catching up with our generous friends. Ronnie and Dave took off this morning to ride the Coromandel and I stuck myself behind the laptop to write this story.

We had a great time exploring this amazing country and will definitely be back one day. It was so good to catch up with friends and family and one day we hope to do something back for all these great people.
Back to Australia tomorrow afternoon and we will start to plan the next chapter of our lives.

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