Today it was back to Christchurch so that Robyn could catch her 6.45 am flight back Melbourne.
Early morning rains delayed our departure from Greymouth and it was full wets most of the day. The Lewis Pass between Reefton and Hanmer Springs is a little gentler than Arthur's Pass. The dense pine forest was dark and misty, almost eerie. But the road is exceptional and I have to admit to exceeding the speed limit, ever, ever so slightly on the odd occasion. Ahem.
A piece of roadwork along the way was pretty tense. They are building section of road bed on the pass which we had to drive along as there is no other way. The gravel was very,very coarse and deep in parts, I would say 4-5 cm pieces and it was all on a slope. The bike was all over the place, like riding on snotty jelly and it was all I could do just to keep it upright. The grey gravel pieces looked very sharp and jagged; "there goes a set of tyres" was the thought going through my mind. A couple of times I thought I was going to lose it, but in true Dakar style, with a lot of sideways motion we eventually hit terra ferma. I had to pull over and stop, check my tyres and underwear before continuing. I must have sat there for 10 minutes, cooling down and restoring my heartbeat to normal levels. Phew! That little jaunt took all the paint of the bottom-front of the alternator cover - drat!
Lunch at Hanmer Springs was literally a picnic in the park. Very nice too. And then straight to the airport hotel in Christchurch where I am now writing this. 350 k's today and rain forecast for tomorrow. Goodee!
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