There Is quite a bit to explore along the northern edge of the South Island. I recall from my last trip that the road from Nelson to Picton, where you catch the ferry, was a memorable ride, so I was keen to do more in the area.
Reading up in Peter Mitchell's Great Escapes as well as the New Zealand Motorcycling Atlas, some great rides are described in this area. So with nothing better to do, I plotted a route in my GPS that would take me exploring the northern coastline.
The route clearly outlined in Great Escapes took me to the fruit producing capital of NZ, Motueka via St Arnaud on a fantastic back road. I hardly saw another car all the way. The road twisted and turned up and over the mountain in an almost endless series of switchbacks giving me an ear to ear grin. I must say that I find it really frustrating trying to communicate the experience in writing, and taking pictures that do it any kind of justice is just folly.
Wow! not much could top this.
At Motueka, I decided to do a diversion to a place called Kaiterteri which purports to having a great beach. It was only 15 k's further so what the hell! What I discovered was the South Islands prettiest beach resort, potentially world class.. Nestling on this little bay of calm water, with the mountains in the distance, is a township of the most luxurious homes set on a hillside overlooking the beach. And what's more, the beach has white sand. It reminded me a little of Noosa but without the commercialization. If you like beach holidays, then this is a definitely worth checking out.
I was impressed with what I has discovered so far that morning, so what else was there? Looking at my map and inspired by what the guide books said , I decided to push on to Golden Bay and a place called Takaka Hill. Only another 80 k's!
Turns out that Takaka "hill" is the NZ understatement to end all understatements. It was more like an Alpine Pass. I thought the mountain road I had been on earlier was spectacular, but this was in a different class entirely. The tortuous hill is stunning 5-star riding, climbing 943m (according to my GPS) and down the other side in a series of tight hairpin bends. I was down to 1st gear a number if times. Luckily it was not too busy and I had a sensational ride. I stopped at a few lookout points but the excellence of the view and my very ordinary camera skills was an equation that did not compute. That's the reason one has to keep returning to this place.
It was a long day in the saddle. I got back at 6.30 pm with 501 k's on the clock for the day and pretty pooped. Probably the best riding of the trip today!
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