The legendary Lewis Pass to .. The leafy spa town of Hanmer Springs

Sunday, 4th February

Under the influence of a reasonably stable high pressure weather system, most of New Zealand has been basking in warm summer sunshine for at least the last two weeks. I hope it continues for another month or so. But this prevalent anti-cyclone system is tending to drift-off north eastwards under the threat of nastier low pressure fronts pushing in from the southwest corner of the country. I hope the 'high' wins the day.

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Now it's time for another temporary parting of the ways. John must head south this morning and get back home with his shiny new steed before nightfall. Whereas I must stick to my plan of touring SI in the opposite (clockwise) direction compared to the last occasion when Ellen and I were touring here during mid-January, when we circled in a broad anti-clockwise loop.

So after another hearty full-on fried brekky at the Formerly Blackball Hilton, complete with black pud (JJ's first taste, of which he is approvin') we say our temporary farewells to each other. Then John does indeed head south .. I continue eastwards, on my own and quite content, through the legendary Lewis Pass over the Southern Alps to my next decent and wanted rest break.

It's a fine day to be out riding a motorcycle, with hardly any traffic to be seen. Just me, the humming Trannie and herds of grazing cattle .. with the Southern Alps as our backdrop.

'Why-oh-why isn't the whole world out motorcycling this morning?' - I ask myself.

I traverse through the Alps via the Lewis Pass, with still hardly a car, truck or another motorbike to be seen .. anywhere

.. 'tis their loss

The end is in sight. I decide to call it a day, quite early on for me (tis around 1:00pm) at the leafy spa town of Hanmer Springs. This tourist town is located around 10km (6¼ miles) off my Lewis Pass track. Just right then!

Set amongst exotic forest and oak trees, the healing properties of the naturally occurring thermal pools are world renowned.

Besides, I need to catch-up on me laundry .. and stuff! ..

.. and they sure do know how to pattern the froth on a cuppa coffee here!

The weather outlook. My current location, at Hanmer Springs, is annotated and marked for ease of reference

The journey around South Island, so far

The Karemea tropical top end Return Run .. then I'm Blackballed

Saturday, March 3rd

Originally founded on the wealth created from mining coal, Westport is now enjoying a resurgence and offers the visitor some charming old buildings set amongst a modern-style one-main-street shopping centre that typifies so many townships around NZ of this size and resident population.

But after a hearty fried breakfast John and I leave Westport and ride northwards to explore the 'no exit' route to the top of the West Coast, namely the remote settlement of Karamea, aka 'The Last Resort'

Once the road to Karamea diverts inland from Summerlea our riding gets very twisty as it follows the lush Mokihinui River valley, before climbing upwards to a height of 420m (1,378 ft) to View Hill Saddle.

After a brief reconnaissance of Karamea and a Whitebait sandwich (a 'first' for me), we return down south the way we came up; it's the only way outta town .. you see.

Soon I spot, what at first view to me, at least, is a forest fire on a clifftop directly ahead of us. But I'm soon assured that it is a 'controlled burn-off'.

Nevertheless, I wonder just how much carbon tax this farm owner would need to pay in just a few years' - or maybe even months' - time?

Further along the way back to Westport, just passed Hector, at Ngakawau, we spot the beachfront house that last night's barman is currently constructing for himself and his family. I recall him saying, "Just where else in the modern world can a mere barman afford to buy the land and build his dream house right alongside the beach?"

Good question.

These will be his views from his veranda when the project is finished.

Not bad .. eh?

Straight through Westport, with just a quick refuelling stop, we head on down southwards towards Greymouth.

John acknowledges a courteous campervan driver who pulls over to let us pass ..

.. as we continue our afternoon's journey



Taking a break at Punakaiki to look and marvel at the ancient pancake limestone rock formations

This is my third brief visit to the West Coast of SI. I had always thought of it as a wild and wet place. How wrong I was?

After a personal refuelling stop (KFC shite 'n chips for John - with buggerall for me as I'm not hungry) and returning 5km (3 miles) north of Greymouth, we turn-off and head off-the-beaten track to visit the little township of Blackball.

This old coal town is set in a time warp where we stopover for the night in the ‘Formerly Blackball Hilton’ hotel, which provided us with extremely motorcycle friendly accommodation and food in the morning.

Goodonyuz both, Pat and Jane .. ;o)

A Return to Kaikoura .. then Back Westwards again

Wednesday, 28th February

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] establishments

I'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.