These pictures were taken on a motorcycle trip around the top of the South Island with a couple of guy’s from work.
We finished work early on Friday and caught the ferry over to Picton. From here we rode to Nelson via the Queen Charlotte Driveway.
The next day we rode over to Motueka and then onto Takaka. The road to Takaka is steep and twisty and climbs up to about 800m before dropping just as steeply down the other side and onto the town itself. This makes for some demanding riding and I really pushed it on this section leaving the other two a long way behind. I was doing my best Valentino Rossi impression when I was promptly over-taken by three other bikers who were riding so fast that it felt like I was going backwards! Oh well, a dose of reality then – mind you one of the riders overtook on the wrong side of the road on a blind bend, so I guess there is a fine line between riding “enthusiastically” and riding like a complete idiot.
The next day we rode over to Motueka and then onto Takaka. The road to Takaka is steep and twisty and climbs up to about 800m before dropping just as steeply down the other side and onto the town itself. This makes for some demanding riding and I really pushed it on this section leaving the other two a long way behind. I was doing my best Valentino Rossi impression when I was promptly over-taken by three other bikers who were riding so fast that it felt like I was going backwards! Oh well, a dose of reality then – mind you one of the riders overtook on the wrong side of the road on a blind bend, so I guess there is a fine line between riding “enthusiastically” and riding like a complete idiot.
After lunch at Takaka we headed back to Motueka and from there the 150km or so to Murchison. Riding wise all three of us thought this was the best part of the trip with seemingly endless wide sweeping bends and great scenery.
We stayed the night in Murchison and then headed back to Picton via St Arnaud and the Nelson Lakes NP. This is a stunning part of New Zealand and reminds me very much of the highlands of Scotland. Unfortunately we had rain on and off for most of the last day which made the roads very slippery indeed (we are in the midst of a major drought and it hadn’t rained for over a month) which put paid to any more heroics on the bike.
A short but really enjoyable trip along some of the best biking roads in New Zealand.
Waiting for the ferry.
At the top of the Takaka Hill.
At St Arnaud in the Nelson Lakes NP.
Ditto.
Back at Picton.
