Pearls On Wheels

Another great day for a ride,  Riding in glorious sunshine The Queen Charlotte Track is quiet in the early morning. We ride through Reader country, Havelock Through the Pelorus valley to the Foresters Cafe at the Rai To Nelson for our obligatory stop at the Suter Gallery, a gem of a gallery with a great cafe. South to Murchison and  Beeches Cafe, another of our favourites  Through the Lewis Pass.  The majesty of the scenery in the Southern Alps always blows us away. So does the extent of the road works ‘They’ mightn’t be fixing your favourite piece of road but  ‘They’ are busy  everywhere else.  Foresters are busy milling pine forests in the Rai, Golden Downs, and lots of other places, There is a mountain of logs at Shakespeare Bay in Picton  Dwarfing the huge cruise liner Celebrity Solstice berthed there All is quiet in Hanmer It’s almost as if everywhere is on ‘pause’ Waiting for the holiday influx. Next morning we choose the inland southern scenic route With that we choose gusting w

After three full days in Auckland catching up with friends and a memorable afternoon tea at Pt Chevalier with Mary and friends, it was time Time to head home South via Paeroa, Hubbard territory To Waihi Beach for lunch with cousin Marie, and on to cousin Brian in Ohope. Arriving just as the fisherman arrived home with his bag filled with flounder, my favourite. Fresh fish for dinner and dawn-caught flounder for breakfast... Then south through the Waioeka Gorge, We were lucky because flooding had closed the road the day before. For us the sun was shining, the road was cleared, hallelujah. Through myriad types of landscapes Farm scapes Seas scapes and threatening cloud scapes To Masterton for the night An early start, over the Remutakas (the new road signs spell it this way) Over the Hayward Hill to cousin Margaret and Jim at Titahi Bay To Karori to catch up with Team Kiwi originals Shirl (Ken was away fishing) Down the hill, past the Beehive the NZ seat of government To the InterIslande

Wherever we ride around the world we love to meet family and to meet friends, new and old. This time we get to meet family and friends in various parts of NZ. Sometimes we remember to take photos, sometimes we forget. It’s all a bit of serendipity because we are never quite sure where we will be and when. Sometimes when we call ahead folk are home Other times we just miss seeing folk.  Next time, Ken. The Redhead takes us to places where there are plenty of summer flowers Especially red pohutukawa, lavender, and lupins.  And my all time favourite, peonies. Flourishing vege gardens, almost a family trait And lovingly tended flower gardens, too With Loving Memory rose to remind us of those who have loved us.

It feels wonderful to be on the road again. People to meet, places to see, time to contemplate Food to eat. From Wellington along the coast  Traffic is quiet, maybe it’s a Sunday  I have already lost track of what day it is. A charming new Cherry Cottage  cafe in Bulls caught my eye. It was the pearl clad models who lured me in,  But it was the cupcakes that were my undoing. Onward to Whanganui, Stratford for fuel. It’s 4.30pm no cafes are open Along the Forgotten World Highway to Whangamomona Through lush farmland and regenerating bush Is that a Grader leaving town? A beer, a delicious meal and a good rest at the Whangamomona pub, any motorcyclist’s favourite. Next morning we get to ‘enjoy’ the work of the grader driver. Reminds us of a similar experience in Patagonia. Squadrons of angels come and keep us upright. Such a delight to stop at Lauren’s Lavender farm near Taumaranui. The sun is out. Farmers are making hay and the woolshed yards are bleating with sheep waiting to be shorn.

We are on the road again. We wanted to test our mettle with a ride with some long days because we are planning to ride from Japan to London 2019. We rode to Auckland and back to Queenstown over a ten day period in early December 2018. The weather forecast for ten days in early December looked good.  Day 1 525km Queenstown to Hokitika via the Haast Pass  Day 2 560km Hokitika to Koromiko  via Arthus Pass and  the Kaikoura coast road Day 3  465km + ferry Picton to Whangamomona Day 4 215km Whangamomona to Taupo Day 5 280km Taupo to Auckland. A three day stopover. Day 6 310km Auckland to Ohope via Paeroa and Waihi Beach Day 7 623km Ohope to Masterton via the Waioeka Gorge and Gisborne. Day 8 167km + ferry Masterton to Koromiko via Titahi Bay Day 9 457kmPicton to Hanmer Springs via Nelson and the Lewis Pass. Day 10 475km Hanmer to Omarama via the Inland Scenic Route Day 11 170km Omarama to Queenstown 4247km  386km Average/day  Blue skies Friendly welcomes from family and friends who hosted u