Page 32 - Riding On Autumn 2023

Our New Zealand trip
Our New Zealand trip

Riding in New Zealand can be challenging at times. On some sulphurous odour that can be smelt throughout the town. The
100kph roads, advisory signs recommend 15kph through the water is reputed to have therapeutic values and you can soak in
hairpin bends. Add to that, landslides or boulders on the road, large public pools overlooking the lake or book a smaller private
constant roadworks with loose stones and the occasional plunge pool by the hour.
wandering goat means you must be on the alert constantly.
On the ferry trip back to the South Island, we thought we
Then there’s the weather. We were very lucky most days, but would get some sleep on the way across, so we booked a
one day between Westport and Murchison, we were hit by cabin. Unfortunately, the ferry was late, so we didn’t board until
a horrific thunderstorm. Torrential rain, thunder, lightning, 2.45am, and we were woken at 5.30am so that we would be
and hairpin bends all made riding at any more than 25kph ready to disembark.
dangerous!
Another memorable moment on our trip, was watching a herd
One of the highlights of our trip was a day cruise down Milford of Fur seals frolicking on the rocky beach at Kaikoura with the
Sound, with its steep volcanic mountains either side with large males standing guard and the mother seals leading the
waterfalls every few hundred meters and trees seemingly babies through the rocks to a resting place on the sand.
growing straight out of the rocks. The mean annual rainfall in
Milford Sound is 6,813mm, and it rains there on average 182 New Zealand is a beautiful country. Both islands are covered
days a year. Over the course of 24 hours, 250mm of rain can with lush green vegetation, amazing steep mountains and
fall in the area. flowing rivers running over grey volcanic pebbles. The people
were very friendly, and the small bakeries in every town had
In Queenstown we took the Southern hemisphere’s steepest great food. The riding was amazing. The mountain passes with
gondola to Bob’s Peak, where there were amazing views of hairpin bends and winding coastal roads overlooking the ocean
people hang-gliding the 450 metres to the town below. meant there was always stunning scenery to admire. If you ever
travel to the South Island, try to visit the E. Hayes and Sons
Rotarua is famous for its hot springs, which give off a pungent hardware store in Invercargill. Here you will find the original

RIDING ON 32