Haroon,

It is such a pleasure to read your travelogues, and this one from New Zealand has to be a special.

Looking forward to seeing more photos from you on this.

Thanks Sunil for the quick approval and kind words. Indeed, its a lot of pics...esp since the passenger did not have anything else to do

Yeah... I remember you telling me in one of your replies that a trip was in the making and I was sure it'll be special. And you know what, I'd a hunch you'll head to Australia for it. Darn, missed it just by an inch on my globe!

Next part please.

Haroonbhai your triplogues are always special, hooked onto it

A lovely start Haroon bhai!! Let the details roll please

Thanks divya. So you were pretty close. An inch on the globe is an additional 3 hours on the plane!

Thanks mansuryayas. I shall make the pics do the talking.

Thanks Sunil. Its on the way as I have to post from my home computer.

Day-1 15 December (Christchurch to Twizel)







Had an early start with a nice continental breakfast served by our host Pam and some nice chatting on varied topics on life in NZ, the earthquake etc. Staying at homely B&Bs always has this wonderful advantage of meeting local people & getting to know about many local traditions & practices.






With Pam, our B&B host




Soon we are joined by Carole, one of the owners of South Pacific Motorcycle Rentals from where we rented our bike. She has arrived with her minivan to take me to their facility which is set amidst beautiful farm country just outside Christchurch. I meet her husband Mike, a graceful gentleman and a passionate biker like me and we soon go thru the formalities while our wonderful companion for the trip, the Dark Grey Metallic R1200RT- fondly named “Naomi”, is all decked up and waiting for me. Yeah, all their bikes have names, and I was like a kid in a candy store admiring their range of spanking clean BMWs, Triumphs, Honda Goldwings/VFRs, Harleys etc

Mike from South Pacific Moto rentals













This arrow is to remind Americans & Europeans (probably a rider from Saudi Arabia as well!) that you ride on the left side of the road in NZ



Mike also plays me a wonderful DVD showing safety instructions, do’s & dont’s, as well as tips on signs & practices specific to NZ that new bikers should be familiar with like- one way bridges, curve speed warning signs, road bridge with railroad in the middle, sheep crossings, the dreaded kea mountain parrot etc. I pick up the bike and head back to our B&B. Leaving our heavy travel bags at the B&B, we soon load up our panniers, clip the Tankbag, sync the Intercom, set the GPS and are all ready for our seven day biking extravaganza in the South Island of NZ.
Kick up the side stand, thumb the starter and the road trip begins……..





Despite the best intentions, we didn’t break with tradition and somehow managed to yet again have a fashionably late start to our first day of riding at 12:00noon! With close to 350kms to cover, only rain could slow us down, since sunset was anyway late at 21:30hrs. Besides, staying on the edge of the city made it easy as we didn’t have to navigate thru heavy city traffic and soon we were riding our way thru nicely laid open roads with sparse traffic & perfect climate. We are riding in the Canterbury region of the South Island heading west passing towns of Yaldhurst, Kirwee and before Sheffield, we merge left onto the scenic route 72 passing Homebush.















That’s a deer farm…..tasty meat (more on that later!)

















Refreshed we proceed ahead on Rte 72 passing Alford Forest, Mount Somers, Mayfield, Arundel and stop at Geraldine for Coffee. From there we turn right onto Rt 79 and head towards Fairlie and then negotiate the nice winding roads on Burke Pass.





Cows really looked confused- Is this extra-terrestrial or astronaut!!










































The all too familiar LUPIN plant of NZ







After some kilometers at a distance the turquoise blue awe inspiring view of a lake are slowly coming into view just before we finally see the full blown spectacular- Lake Tekapo on our right. What a sight!! Deeper into the trip we are mesmerized by the water colors of most major glacier fed lakes in NZ, which we learn is created by the rock flour deposited in the lakes from the glacier and these fine suspended particles in combination with sunlight create this unique blue color water. Nature’s own special effects studio!















After taking in the scenery, we continue further on Rte 8 and after about 45kms we are welcomed by an even bigger & overwhelming blue spectacle- Lake Pukaki. This lake is massive and even more fabulous especially with the background of the unending line of majestic snow capped mountains. At the lake side we meet a very friendly travelling couple from Germany- Stephan & Sara who are spending a good 3 months backpacking & driving thru NZ. I am jealous of such people….We exchange stories from the road and soon part in separate directions.













This is Lake Pukaki











Stephan & Sara from Germany




Jai Hind







Thereafter, we slowly make our way into the tiny & serene town of Twizel where we check into the Mackenzie Inn and call it a day after a simple dinner of Chicken Salad & Garlic Bread.














Total distance 334 kms

Day-2 16 December (Twizel to Mount Cook to Wanaka)





Waking up & looking out of the window, it was a fine & sunny day. Especially with a planned helicopter ride to Mount Cook (highest mountain in NZ) today, I was screaming to myself we are going to have a glorious day to enjoy up in the air as well as on the ground.








After making the best of the buffet breakfast at the Mackenzie Inn, we roll out of the hotel parking with the warm sun gently hugging us. We tank up at a nearby gas station and head towards Mt Cook.



















Soon the tranquil blue waters of Lake Pukaki is accompanying us on the right while the imposing jagged mountains with their majestic snow covered peaks in the background makes for a picture perfect riding day…what more does a rider want with a powerful 1200cc boxer engine under his command, while the pillion is happy with the fantastic scenery & sunlight for her camera shutter. With unending long curves and dips and rises, this ride only gets better with every kilometer.

















After some more enjoyable riding, we arrive at Glentanner Park, which is a major Helicopter & scenic flight base for aerial views of Mt Cook. We buy our helicopter tickets (ouch pricey!) and to make a wonderful day even more wonderful, they decided to merge 2 trips into one so we get a 45 minute trip for the cost of a half hour trip. Ofcourse, Mrs Adventure smiled at the prospect of getting the bonus, but inside I am sure she was saying “15 additional minutes of misery for someone with fright of heights!”.














The helicopter takes off and from inside the cockpit it looks like we are moving very slowly. It hovers over the edge of lake pukaki and then starts its ascend over the massive mountains just going close to their tops. Along the way the deep gorges, jagged razor sharp edges make for spectacular views and also are sometimes scary especially with lots of turbulence in air pockets the helicopter keeps dancing around a bit!! Not for the faint hearted…under such circumstances I notice that Mrs Adventure has perfected a technique of clicking pics without looking at the viewfinder or even looking below….(for obvious damn reasons!)








That’s a brave girl….












Soon we are seeing only snow that has blanketed the mountains all around below and the bright sun on top. Moments later the skilled pilot makes a soft & perfect snow landing. We disembark from the helicopter onto the snow and to our surprise our feet are going into the soft snow losing our balance. But the experience of being surrounded by the snow & the massive mountains gives us the full appreciation of our tiny existence amidst the vast expanse of nature. Farzana I think wanted to play out her fantasy to lie & roll on the snow, but was detested by the fright of sinking in soft snow & freezing off.




















After spending some unforgettable moments to cherish for a long time, and clicking as many pics, we get back onto the chopper and it lifts off taking us over all the main peaks- Mt Tasman, Mt Cook as well as some of the prominent Glaciers, each view even more breathtaking than the previous one. After some more turbulent flying we safely land back at the base. This was a truly extraordinary, spine tingling & fully engaging experience.






















We recoup our senses and soon get on the bike and continue on the same road we came, towards the base of Mt Cook. Some more fun filled spirited riding with long sweepers and nice dips & climbs etc.











However this delightful ride was briefly interrupted half way with extremely hard & brutal cross winds due to the vast open space between mountains on either side. Me, Farzana & Naomi were dangerously drifting across the road. It reminded us of our painful cross winds ride in South Africa the previous year. I tried all combinations, maintaining higher speed, lowering gear & maintaining a higher rpm, body positioning into wind etc., but it was a really hard wrestling match with almost 500kgs of bike, riders & luggage. At one point with beautiful scenery, we stopped for a short photo op and I had to sit tight on the bike to avoid the bike flipping over in the wind while my co-pilot took the pics. Nonetheless, the ride was still nice & ‘adventurous’, surely something cagers don’t get to see often! We rolled into Mr Cook National Park, a world heritage site and enjoy a nice lunch at the restaurant on the foothill of Mt. Cook.





















With stomachs full, we started the trip back and fortunately the cross winds had subsided and I blasted thru those empty roads at good speed as there was no civilization or men in uniform in sight for many miles ahead. Absolute biking bliss with the blue lake on the left and grass carpeted mountains on the ride.



















We pass Twizel and proceed further on Rte 8 crossing Omarama and then negotiating the very enjoyable & engaging twists & turns of the Lindis Pass. After that we are riding thru lush green farm lands on either side and the irritating cross winds are again in full force necessitating me to wrestle with our darling Naomi. Some more miles later and we land at the small & beautiful town of Wanaka, a town of roughly 6000 inhabitants which is our stop over point for the day.

























The all too familiar ‘one way bridges’ of NZ












Our GPS takes us to the Montrose B&B where the owner Barbara takes very good care of us. An absolutely wonderful home that Barbara & her husband Phil have built. She recommends the McGregor restaurant where we finish the day with some NZ food- Blue Cod fish & Chips with salad and Burger.









Making use of their pantry




Mrs & Mr Ride for Passion with Phil & Barbara









At 9:00pm after dinner, the sun is still bright, but there is not a single soul anywhere in sight, so we enjoy a lonely peaceful walk back to our B&B!






Strolling back to our B&B at 9:15pm (yeah sunset is very late)





Distance traveled 274 kms

Haroon you do not fail to amaze us with your international tours.... and it becomes more amazing with your wife always accompanying you. helmets off to her..... and its a blessing that you both always tour together.....keep it up bro. Keep pouring more pics.....

Mind-blowing pics ...another treat for us after SA.

Thanks Shivanshu for the nice words and encouragement for both of us. Sure there are plenty of pics and few videos to come

Thanks Jayakrishna. Glad you also liked our South Africa log & pics

Day-3 17 December (Wanaka to Glenorchy to Queenstown)






After all the chit chat we start the day visiting 2 of the local attractions- The Puzzling World first where we do some crazy puzzling stuff and then head to the fascinating Toy & Transport Museum, which is basically a private collection of Mr.Gerald Rhodes (whom we were fortunate to meet and click a pic since he rarely obliges). Mr Rhodes has collected over a period of 50 years an assortment of every imaginable toy, Dolls houses, rocking horses, prams, bicycles, suitcases, construction & earth moving vehicles, military vehicles, automobiles, motorbikes, teddy bears, movie & TV memorabilia etc etc. (www.wanakatransportandtoymuseum.com




































































Mr Adventure doing some serious rectal examination..!!













From here we tightened our belts and headed towards Queenstown passing the scenic Alpine Route which is an absolute fun filled ride with steep descends & lots of hairpin bends requiring tight & technical riding to hone your motorcycling skills especially with a relatively heavy sport touring bike fully loaded. A few miles later entering thru Frankton we are dumped into the wonderful, scenic & touristy city of Queenstown which lies in the Otago region of the South Island.






Remember, its summer here in the Southern Hemisphere...hence the caution















































































































Room with a view (well fabulous view!)






We ordered dinner from room service (Chicken Parmigiana & steamed vegetables with herb butter) and finish this momentous riding day hitting the sack early.



Distance travelled 179 kms

Great New Zealand is indeed one of the most beautiful places to live in...... later on at the end of your travelogue can you go ahead and just brief what are the process for renting the bike and how much it cost... if thats ok with you

exactly!

And we are loving the pics that you are sharing! More please.