February 26th 2025 – Wellington, New Zealand

It was a scenic drive over Arthur’s Pass. We stopped several times to enjoy the views or stretch our legs. During one of our stops we got harassed by a circus of kea – intelligent, inquisitive, and highly endangered mountain parrots with a mean streak.
Shortly after cresting the pass summit we walked to the base of the spectacular 131m Devil’s Punchbowl Falls. On the way back from the waterfall we passed a naked girl posing in the river, right next to the trail, while her friend took pictures. Katrine decided it might have been one of the elusive Kiwi mermaids.
Later we spent time scrambling around the rocks on Castle Hill.

By the end of the day we arrived in Christchurch. We stayed with the same Chinese lady that hosted us when we initially arrived in the country almost 4 weeks earlier. The visit to the city allowed us to stock up on supplies, prepare for the coming days and to meet up with Shane and his wife Kathryn.

A couple of years earlier in a ride report I did about a trip to Georgia (the country) Shane had asked me to get in touch if I ever made it to New Zealand. I had reached out a couple of weeks earlier and received a time and a place for us to meet up. It was at a restaurant in town that welcomed dogs. That allowed them to bring their severely spoiled and charming bullterrier.

We spent a very pleasant afternoon together. Up until now we had been driving around with a suitcase full of motorcycle clothes and gear. It took up half of the trunk and made it difficult to pack everything else. It would be great not to have to carry it around for another 2 months in the car. Not only did Shane and Kathryn offer to store the suitcase for us until we return in April (we’ll be leaving NZ from Christchurch), they also offered us to stay with them when we pick it up. We’ll be looking forward to that!

Katrine and I managed to squeeze in some urban exploring both before and after the lunch appointment with Shane and Kathryn. It revealed that Christchurch is a quite interesting city. Several old industrial buildings were being restored and converted for other purposes. Like every other town and city we have visited in NZ it was easy and convenient to get around on foot. With Katrine being a gartner we also had to pay the surprisingly big and diverse Botanic Gardens a visit.

On our last day in town I left Katrine at home while I went to the “Air Force Museum of New Zealand”. It was quite interesting but after a visit to “National Museum of the US Air Force” in Dayton, OH a few years back I’m very hard to impress when it comes to aviation exhibitions.

The only inconvenience of a morning shower, as we left town, was that I had to turn on the wipers. The clouds parted at Lewis Pass and we went for a short walk in the alpine setting. Later in the day we stopped at the trailhead of the “Duffy Creek Route”. We set out under a clear blue sky. The trail started to climb and turned into an obstacle course as we made our way deeper into the rainforest. It clearly saw little use and even less maintenance.
About an hour into the scramble, near the end of the trail, it started to drizzle while a flock of fantails flitted around us like we were staring in a Disney movie. In Māori mythology, the small birds are messengers, bringing death or news of death from the gods to the people. Combined with a darkenings ky, we saw it as a sign to turn around and head for the car.
We reached the car just as the clouds burst in earnest. We admired the torrential downpour from inside the car as we made our way out of the mountains. On days like this it’s a bliss not to be on a bike.

An old house in Taylorville was to be our home for the night. It used to offer accommodation and a place to drink for people working in the local coal mines. Now it pretended to be a hostel. The place was an absolute dump but charming at the same time.
We relocated to another hostel in Greymouth the next day.
The reason we extended our stay by the Grey River was a weather forecast promising heavy showers throughout the day and us having a list of things we wanted to see and do on our onward route that would be more enjoyable in dry weather.
Between the two hostels, and the showers, we paid Brunner Mine Historic Area a visit. It was the location of the most deadly mine accident in NZ ever and stood as a memorial to all the people who have spent their lives wringing the black stuff from the earth.

After a day’s rest we continued north along the coast while the previous day’s dark clouds retreated towards the horizon. A short morning walk along Pancake Rocks and Blowholes Track set us up for a day full of interesting trails and sights. Next up was a 10 kilometer loop walk along the Pororari River, over a mountain ridge and back up the coast to the car. Along the way we stumbled across Punakaiki Cavern where our phones’ flashlights were put to good use.

3 hours driving, broken up with a fuel and food stop in Westport, brought us to Karamea. It was getting late in the afternoon so we secured a room in town before heading for Box Canyon Cave. To get there we had to navigate a winding gravel road through Oparara Basin. We didn’t meet a single soul on the way in and had the cave all to ourselves. It was much bigger and more complex than we had imagined. This time we had remembered to bring our headlamps. They came in handy as we left daylight behind and explored all the twists, turns and passages of the cave.

The sun had dipped behind the mountains when we returned to the car. We had to hurry if we wanted to get back to Karamea before nightfall. Despite that we had to stop, when we passed a sign saying “Moria Gate Arch”. The reward for a 15 minute brisk walk through the darkening forest and a descent into a cave was access to a spectacular location by a river that had carved its way through the rock. I understand how the place earned its name.

If we had known just how spectacular the Oparara Basin was, we would probably have planned for more time there, but as it was we had a great experience and arrived back in Karamea as the first stars appeared in the sky.

A really good breakfast at a newly opened Dutch bakery in Karamea prepared us for the 100 scenic kilometers back down the coast to Westport. It’s the only road that connects the area with the rest of the island. The geography combined with low population density and limited resources means that such dead end roads are quite common on the South Island. So far the detours have always been worth the effort.
From Westport we followed Hwy 6 all the way to Nelson. With a general speed limit of 100 km/h, many curves and little traffic it was a pleasant ride surrounded by nice scenery.

Colin, a fellow Advrider inmate, greeted us when we arrived in Nelson. He and his wife Shar had invited us to stay with them. They were lovely people. It was a privilege to get to know them. We ended up staying a couple of days over the weekend. Saturday they both had plans so Katrine and I spent the day exploring Nelson on our own.
The town had a good vibe, scenic setting and much to offer. After a stroll around the weekly market we dropped by Jens Hansen’s renowned gold and silver smithy. Jens passed away a few years back. He was a Dane that set up shop in Nelson back in 1973 and became world famous in 1999 when he created “The One Ring” for the LoTR movie trilogy. The ring was on display in the store.
A hike to the top of a hill at the edge of town took us to the center of New Zealand with a good view of Nelson Bay.
We returned to Colin and Shar’s house with tired legs and full of impressions.

Colin had things to do Sunday as well, so Katrine and I invited Shar to join us on an excursion to the northernmost part of the island. We had a lovely day together in the car. First stop was Wharariki Beach. A walk through the hills and across the sand, rewarded us with a view of the Archway Islands, made famous by Windows 10 Wallpaper. 2 seal pups on the beach added to the experience.
On the way back to Nelson we swung by Wainui Falls. It required some walking to get there. I like how you often have to put in a bit of effort to reach your destination here in NZ.

Colin had just got home when we arrived in Nelson late in the afternoon. Like the previous day he had been busy acting as a tour guide for a group of riders from Wanaka Motorcycle Club visiting the area. The Club Captain was along for the ride. It was no other than Andi, who had hosted us when we visited the town. Colin would be going out for dinner with the gang in the evening. I was invited to join them. It was a boys night out, so the girls stayed home.
Some of the guys were already a bit tipsy when we met up. They had been without female supervision for a few days and it showed. It was good to see Andi again and meet his crew. After a couple of drinks I got better at picking up their lingo. Being a handshake kind of guy I appreciated when Pete, the most senior member of the party, proclaimed that “Hugs are for stupid young cunts”. It was an enjoyable evening.

Eventually it became time to say goodbye to Colin and Shar. They had been wonderful hosts. We hope to see them again. Leaving Nelson also meant that it was time to say goodbye to the South Island for now.
We took the scenic route to Picton and the ferry that would carry us across the Cook Straight to the North Island.
It was a pleasant 3 ½ hour crossing. The wind had picked up significantly when we disembarked in Wellington, the country’s capital. We are going to spend a couple of days in town, to have a look around and prepare for the next leg of the journey.