New Zealand South Island Tour - Update - end of day two.
There’s about 30 of us on this ride plus a couple of NZ locals who have decided to join us. That, plus a couple of support staff on bikes, including a Doctor, and a couple of support vehicles picking up the pieces.
What could possibly go wrong.
See captions below.
All the bikes are hire bikes with a large selection to choose from. Yamaha, Triumph, Honda, lots of BM’s. I chose a F800 GS. Enough horses for this type of riding.
A range of the bikes parked up outside the Novotel ready for departure the following morning.
After two days of riding we have arrived at Queenstown, the Adventure Capital of the World!
Some of the track surface can be slippery underfoot catching some off guard.
The F800 with a typical backdrop. The dust trail from another rider is visible in the background. Very still wind conditions resulting in long dust trails.
Ol’ mate lost it coming down a slope and dislocated his shoulder and broke a couple of ribs. He was only centimetres away from going over the edge. Each hire bike has a $4,500 accident excess. OUCH!
The track had been consumed by runoff from thawing snow. No option but to cross as best you can. Not everybody had dry feet by days end!
Lunch on the banks of Wanaka Lake…think Byron Bay or Ballina but inland. Very relaxed and cosy atmosphere in town.
We stay at the Holiday Inn for two nights while in Queenstown. Tomorrow is a Loop Ride locally. Skippers Canyon and Glenorchy.
Link to Garmin InReach.
https://share.garmin.com/YZW3R
