NZ_24 - A South Island Adventure Odyssey

glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
What happened in Westport, stays in Westport.

I knew there was something behind the 250 Harleys in town.....:whistle::doh:

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The morning has cirrus clouds and those funny, blob-shaped sharp-edged white-to-grey lonely lumps that seem to float below the diffuse muck like a different species.
No idea what to make of it, but it's dry and the mountain tops start clearing.


There sure are shorter ways from Kurow to Cromwell.... but they're for useless, old farts :gulp:
320k's for the day, half of that gravel and dirt.
A couple of signature-routes like the Danseys Pass and both parts of the Old Dunstan Rd., the Crawford Hills, the Rocklands....it'll be a long day.


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First up it's down the main drag to Duntroon for the tack south.....a quick side-trip to the quite weird and impressive Elephant Rocks....




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Oh no....they're cooking up something!



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Then up the Danseys Pass...


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"Sync'ed Lefties"....



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glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
Around the historic Danseys Pass Hotel....



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...before a scenic twisties and sweeper run down to Middlemarch for lunch at Maggies, the only shop in town nowadays.
I quickly ducked into the reception of what used to be Blind Billy's Holiday Park and found a cheery young couple had taken over the place, which looked spic'n span at first glance.
They still rent out the converted railway-wagons, the camp kitchen is still the same....if it was a later in the day,I'd love to stay again.


Short-cutting the Clarks Junction stretch via the Rocklands Road dirt proves a bad choice for the Hima.....it's a bugger to pick up in that deep and loose gravel/pebble/ dust mixture underfoot.
No hurt, no damage....hello Dunstan, here we come! :)


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The eastern half of the Old Dunstan proves to be a doozy....close enough to a dirt-highway.


Dropping into the Gimmerburn Flats.
The skies are leaden and there is some hesitation to tackle the western half of the Dunstan.
If it's as soft/clay/powdery as the first part....and being a LOT steeper + deeply rutted in parts .....one single half-arsed shower will see this caper turning into a gigantic F'-UP. W-)W-)
Then again, if it's as smooth and quick as the first p[art we might just dodge that black stuff chasing us.....maybe we're lucky.




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glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
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"Fist of the Gods"


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Made it!!
Poolburn Dam towards Alexandra is a semi-maintained road, not a track, phew!



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Dunny-on-thge-rocks!


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The one bringing you those fabulous pics!




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Scooting down the Crawford Hills on the last gravel of the day.....



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.....and finally into Cromwell, base for the next 5 nights.
My Gosh, has this place grown or what?


There's even a Thai Takeaway doing home deliveries, sheesh!!


Oh, that clock up there on the wall?
It's 8 o'clock....ALL the time, I like that :clap:



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glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
Got some shots off Bernard via email



French Pass


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Wharakiki Beach, near Farewell Spit


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Rain-out at Collingwood

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The Hima getting a turbocharger?



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Pancake Rocks, south of Westport


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Aliens over Kurow



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glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
First to get some fuel after the longish day yesterday, then trying to have another crack at Thomson Gorge and back to base in Cromwell.
Coming off the Old Dunstan the day before we got as far as the bottom gate of the Thomson, the hills thick with rain after the black clouds that had chased us all afternoon, finally broke.
In hindsight the right decision as 2 days later the creeks were still up considerably.

Bannockburn.... then up the Hawksburn Track, an easy and very scenic option to get across to Clyde


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The hills were awash with this pretty ground-cover :2thumbs-up:


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Oops....this one needs some fresh paint. :)


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Clyde Dam/ Clutha River from the Hawksburn Lookout



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Some of Ant's cracker shots



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The vineyards of the Earnscleugh Farmyards, towards Alexandra


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glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
What a pleasant surprise to see the old historic bridge at Ophir back open to traffic, yay! :clap:
Missed out years ago getting to it a couple of weeks after it was closed. It still was impressive then, but now much better.



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Ophir


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Marty told us to go ahead to the Cambrian Historic Gold Mining town near Becks (before getting into the Thomson).
Stopping at the White Horse Pub we thought we'd wait and get some lunch and have a look at this part-pub/part-shop/ part-museum/part curiosity shop.

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"I got a flat front, still at the Ophir Bridge, you guys got the spare tube".

Lets grab an extra burger for him then and go back.
Well into it already....


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So, who's doing the shopping for dinner tonight?


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A mobility scoot in a full-sized parking slot?
Weird sight....despite getting an earful about the legalities from a passerby after having a giggle about it. :)


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glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
Weather has pulled in, only the afternoon shows enough dry patches to go for a walk down the old Cromwell town by the river.
At least the washing got done, things repaired, money-stuff sorted....maintenance day.

Different kind of garage....

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"Those who don't work, should at least eat well".


So we did. :)


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Looks like the weathergods agree, Otago is smiling on us again.


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glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
Lower Shotover from the historic Shotover Bridge at Quail Rise
Looks like the weather-frog did his job....that "snow down to 900m" looks about right




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Swinging the bends up to Coronet Peak Ski Resort


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The Ski-Bowl of The Remarkables right opposite, the road curling around the shoulder and up into the bowl


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A bit closer still


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