Glenorchy Rally 2006 - Day 1

Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 January 2006; Glenorchy Rally. I was meant to be travelling down with a load of bikers on the Friday to this rally, but what with everything that was going on and the sleepless nights I'd had I wasn't well enough to ride that distance so I cried off. However, after the house was put on the market I did some hard graft and got two good nights sleep so I was off to the rally!

I've been asked a few times what the roads are like. They're made with gravel taken from the extensive rivers you've seen pics of. Not good when first made with that scattering of loose gravel, but a good grippy surface once worn in. Mostly they are well maintained, there are pots and patches but these are easily seen as they appear darker than the good bits.

We have had a few comments about the number of pictures of my truck. The following pictures are submitted in an attempt to address this comment. The ride until Cromwell was a repeat of the journey we'd made after Christmas, so I made a point to collect a picture where we'd stopped before. That, and fuel breaks, meant that I overtook some bloke in his Astra at least 8 times that day!

If you want to look up some places try http://www.wises.co.nz/ or I've posted the route on http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/4295/route1yd.jpg

Packed and ready for the off, 9.30 am. Headed via Oxford for the Inland Scenic Route SH72. The day started cold and overcast.

Rakaia Gorge. SH1 originally came inland and crossed the river here, near Mount Hutt, until the longest bridge in New Zealand was constructed and SH1 became straight as a rule.

A North Otago view, if I'm not mistaken those are the mountains of the Albury Range from the Graldine to Fairlie road, SH79.

Lake Tekapo. I missed out on the shot of my bike against the Church of the Good Shepherd as 5 coaches had turned up and it was packed.

Having passed Fairlie the temperature got considerably warmer and the scenery golder. The gentle, sweeping road climbs through Burkes Pass until you emerge with a view over to the snow capped Southern Alps.

Onto Lake Pukaki, quick photo opportunty with Mount Cook just about visible against the white sky.

I'd dreampt of riding SH80 along Lake Pukaki towards Mount Cook. The surface was perfect, the skies were clear and practically no traffic at all. It's a blisteringly quick road. Needless to say I was too busy riding it to stop and photo the road, but the image above mine is what I'd seen the year before. Didn't need to go all the way to the end of the road, I'd been there and it didn't get anything better than this, so I stopped, snapped off a pic and rode it again!

Refuel (3rd tank already) and pizza in the square in Twizel. Between Twizel and Tarras is the Lindis Pass, a very long climb following an old Maori trail but well surfaced and too much fun to stop.

I took an intrepid off road trail to get this shot in the woods near Tarras. In The Fellowship of the Ring, this is where they filmed 'flight to the ford', where Arwen carries Frodo away from the Black Riders across the river.

Just south of Tarras a tin man motorcyclist!

View over Lake Dunstan, Cromwell Town on the far shore.

Says it all on the photo.

Kawarau River below an historic power station 'Roaring Meg'.

Probably not visable in a reduced for web size, this is one guy in mid bungee jump.

Queenstown might be busy, but with no reason to stop there it was a quick weave through the traffic and crowds to this fantastic view of Lake Wakatipu.

Daryl, a friend I've made at KB, described the road between Queenstown and Glenorchy as the best 50km of biking road in NZ. It was certainly fabulous, running through the lush green tree tunnels where the road borders Mt Crichton Scenic Reserve, climbing up and then dropping down to the shore as you pass through 4 more scenic reserves. My 4 mega pixel can't capture the depth of colour and the scale of it, or the wind that picked up at the end buffeting me and bike.

About 500 bikers attended the event, chatting, drinking beer and chilling out. Later it did chill and rain, but it didn't dampen spirits.