Christchurch

MikeO

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Dereham, Norfolk, today...
13th February 2017

I wake at around 0700 to the sound of steady rain - bugger...
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The website I am using for weather - Weather New Zealand - seems to be updated each morning around 0700. When I went to bed last night, the forecast for Dunedin was good for the morning and clouding up with a little rain later in the afternoon. I'd therefore made plans to head up the coast to Christchurch for a couple of days, as the weather there was forecast to be windy but sunny.

I check the computer - heavy rain all day today in Dunedin...
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Hey-ho...

I get the bike packed, backing it under the balcony to get some protection from the weather, and then get kitted up in wet weather gear. By the time I'm ready to leave, the rain has abated, although the roads are still wet. I set off at around 0945...

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I really like Dunedin - it is a vibrant and bustling place and I could happily spend several days here off the bike just exploring it...

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It has odd bits of graffiti, and some great murals...

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What do you think 'Interior Stopping Services' involves?
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I love the name of this barber-shop - 'Bloke' with the tagline 'Where men come first'...
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Moving swiftly along...
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...I'm soon heading up the A1 towards Christchurch - about 340km away. The rain has cleared and it's not a bad morning, although the temperature refuses to rise above about 50° F at the moment. In a moment of weakness I turn the heated grips to 'low' and find the results more than acceptable...
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I follow this horse box for a mile or so - clearly carrying deformed horses judging by the sign on the back...

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The sea comes into view - the weather is definitely improving on the coastal strip - the hills inland are still wreathed in cloud. Since my route sticks to the coast, this is fine by me...

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I turn right following a sign indicating a scenic coastal road. I am immediately rewarded by a view of a rail bridge. In trying to take its picture, I drop the camera from the bike. This is the first time I have done this in 14+ years riding and taking pictures. I stop and walk back to see the damage...

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Turns out I was in luck - it must have hit the ground just right (I was only doing 15mph or so) and narrowly avoided breaking the screen.

My cameras get a hard life and are lucky to make it through more than two years. I take this picture with one of the five spare cameras I am carrying with me...
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The scenic route does not disappoint - particularly as the sky is now clearing to the east and the day is starting to warm up...

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It's a beautiful part of the world...

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Back out on the A1, heading north east...

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...I remember I have not had breakfast, so make a stop at The Coffee Cup to rectify this...

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Where I order a flat white...

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...and Eggs Benedict...

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Which arrived looking like a banana split - or something. Way too much gloop poured over it - but once I'd scraped most of it off it was very tasty...
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Frankly, after that breakfast, I wasn't in the mood for a visit...
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I ride past mile after mile of deserted beaches - golden sand and rolling surf...

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In Hampden, I spot this impeccably dapper gent at the side of the road...

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Can anyone give me make/model/year without enlarging the picture to read the sign on the front?
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Brilliant...
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Wait a minute - there's a Saint Kevin?
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I ride through Oamaru - a mid sized town on the coast...

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Some interesting artwork at the Holden dealership (Holden is the Australian General Motors company - very much like Vauxhall in the UK, or Opel in Europe)...

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Just north of Oamaru, it clouds up a little and I run through some light rain - it only lasts a couple of minutes...

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Intrigued by this sign, I stop at 'Nosh'...

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The Driver Reviver is a pot of filter coffee that anyone in need of a rest and a pick-me-up can have for free - what an excellent notion.

I wish I'd delayed brunch until I got here...

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The food looks great...

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...and Rachel (centre) and her team are a great bunch - when I asked for a team photo, Jean (back row, middle) said "Shall we get our tits out?"
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I decide to settle for a flat white coffee and - at Rachel's suggestion - a caramel and nut slice - "I'll heat it up and put some cream with it"...

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I feel that my arteries must now look like the LA freeway at rush hour...
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The cafe has been there over sixty years - I can thoroughly recommend it...
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Just up the road is the Masonic Hotel - built in Art Deco style. This is one of my favourite types of architecture (when it is done well). There is a town called Napier on the east coast of North Island which is on my list, as it has some famous Art Deco buildings...

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This basilica - dating from 1911 - seems a little incongruous in the relatively modest town of Timaru...

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I spot this ageing muscle car to the right of the road...

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Don't know about the pink wiper blades, though...
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Onward!

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This garage forecourt still appeared to have working (card-only) pumps...

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...and somewhere for you to sit...

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...but no signs of life at the garage premises themselves. There were loads of old British car parts in the window - perhaps he was just closed for the day. He had an old Riley sign on the wall - "As old as the industry, as modern as the hour"...

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A little further down the road was this Triumph Herald. I have owned (and really liked) a few of these in the past - but this is a pile of crap and I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole...

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Here's how to advertise your business...

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When I was a kid, these old Bedford vans were everywhere - real workhorses...

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Somebody has taken a lot of time and trouble getting this looking so good...

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Time well spent
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I press north and eventually arrive at the outskirts of Christchurch at about 1600. I refuel at a BP station just short of my destination (the fuel light has been on for 10 miles or so). Opposite the petrol station is this old girl...

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One of my favourite memories from my aviating days was an hour on a scorching summer's day doing aerobatics in one of these over Stonehenge. We had the canopies pulled back - it was glorious.

I was 16.

I ride on to my apartment, which is slightly different from the normal accommodation I have been used to so far...

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It seems like the landlord has bought a few apartments in this block and rents them out via Booking.com.

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The Adv gets its own garage, and I get a three bed apartment built on three floors...

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...which is clean, bright and airy - I'm booked in for two nights...

Good day
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Great job, fancying NZ when I retire. I will look back and find the previous posts on this adventure.

One question, before I do, was using your own bike a must or a financial decision ?
 
Nice I would like to go to NZ at some point too. :D
 
I have to ask, others will surely want to know .... is the camera still working :eek:

Good one Mike :thumby:

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Greasy Beaver's.... shag point..... shall we get our tits out....

Sounds like a perfect day there Mike :thumb

Oh and the Bedford van, was a 3 speed column change if I remember correctly.
 
Actually I got Mech and Melch mixed up..... a slip of the 'l'

Ignore our dyslexic old sod of a leader Mike O. I'm currently in Gisborne in the North Island. Move onto Napier tomorrow. There will be no traps laid :D

I was in the South Island a couple of years ago. Gorgeous ain't it. I'm reading your reports with interest. Enjoy the rest of your trip. (Golden Bay in the North of the South Island is lovely if you get the chance.) :beerjug:
 
Great pics pity you didnt get to the steam punk museum in Tyne St Oamaru, weird but interesting. The basilica is very much like the one in Waimati a nice little inland town, was there end of Feb last year and coincided with a missive Biker rally. ..have a drink at the Crash Palace in Christchurch( temp bar made from a coach and shipping containers ) a great real ale pub with very friendly staff and customers. If you have time there is a great ride to Akaroa, (great fish n chips)
 


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