So now I've seen some of the Abel Tasman National Park, especially the Takaka area.
Now it would be good to catch-up with Dave the merrycan again before his return flight to the USA takes-off from Aukland Int'nl Airport in just a few days' time.
We have kept in touch by fairly regular text messages over the course of the last near fortnight since we parted company in Whangamata on Thursday morning, 15th Feb.
He will be in Kaikoura on the northwest coast of SI by tonight, so I decide to have dinner with him over there.
During the ride back through Nelson ~~> up to Havelock ~~> across to Blenheim ~~> and on then way down to Kaikoura, I meet-up, by pure chance, with a Honda ST1300 Pan-European owner, called Stephen, at a set of temporary roadwork's traffic control lights. In view of the obvious common ground we decide to ride together down the coast and into Kaikoura. It was a great ride tailing and following in the wake of such a fantastic motorcycle (but I would say that wouldn't I .. :o). By around 6:30 pm we're both parked-up outside a 'Speights' bar-come-restaurant
Coincidentally, Stephen's ST13-Pan is exactly the same colour as Merrycan-Dave's, so there is a lot the three of us have even more in common.Here's David - Me - and Kiwi Stephen
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The following day, Thu-01-Mar, Dave takes the opportunity to go Whale Watching, which is an activity that Ellen and I had enjoyed in Kaikoura back on Mon-22-Jan. So I take the opportunity to catch-up on some blogging and Skypeing in a cyber café.
That afternoon Dave and I scoot-up the coast to the Picton-based Ferrport, sometimes at breakneck speed, mostly in fabulously warm sunshine, but with a vicious easterly wind gusting inland off the Pacific. It was tough going from time-to-time, which often involved some hard leaning to my right-hand side, just to keep the Trannie upright on several occasions.
We then say our goodbyes; at 5:00pm he heads off to the embarkation point to catch his ferry back to North Island, whilst I head west back along the Queen Charlotte Drive to Havelock, where I check into a nice motel.
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Next morning, Fri-02-March, I head further west and south to the township of Richmond, just south of Nelson City, where I meet-up with my good mate John-the-Jones from Otematata, North Otago, who is in Richmond to collect his new motorcycle; a gleaming blue and silver Triumph Tiger 955i. We then ride-off westwards ..
.. through the Buller Gorge towards the setting sun and the township of Westport in particular, which is located along the northern end of South Island's West Coast region.
By early evening we're checking into our pre-booked Motor Camp cabin .. and
.. retire to one of the local [eh-hem] establishmentsI've heard it said about this country, that: 'If you want to see Switzerland, then go to Queenstown - but if you want to see New Zealand, then go to the West Coast!'
With this saying in mind, needless to say that I'm looking forward to the riding over the course of the next 24 hours or so.
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