Dansey's Pass(ed it) [30th Dec 06]

After cooked breakfast at Fawlty Towers I headed back to the Old Dunstan Road South. Disappointingly, the surface was easy except for a few muddy sections. The biting southerly wind got colder, my nose freezing and dripping until I wrapped my neck tube round my face. The area was suddenly less rocky than the northern section, much more reminiscent of Dartmoor. The Otago Press was reporting that the Met Service had issued a severe weather warning from the previous night, saying rivers were running high and the Otago region was due 5cm of rain, with snow settling on some of the pass roads above 700m. Widespread rain still to come. So much for Christmas in the sun. It could easily have been mid December on Exmoor.

I reached Clark’s Junction with no real challenge from the road. It seems they did in fact have a bit of rain in the valley...



I linked back on to the State Highway 87, and headed north for Dansey’s Pass as the weather brightened and the scenery changed again. The Pass road became more winding and rough, the green of the hills taking on a sudden burst of bright yellow flowers or moss.






















A brief stop half way for a photo and a chat with the first trike I have seen here,
















He's brave
and I pushed on to north of Oamaru and into Glenavy for a fuel stop. Now Gary, the proprieter of the Mobil garage proved an interesting and informative contact. He collects 70s motorcycles and Harley Davidsons. We talked for a while and I discovered among other things that he used to race motorcross bikes and knows all the off the map, off-road routes around Queenstown. I will definitely be heading that way again it seems.

I considered doing another off-highway route home but realised I had had enough. Three days riding had taken its toll, and apparently there was yet another barbeque at Matt’s house in Christchurch so I folded away the map and headed straight back up the highway just in time for a sossie sizzle and a glass of wine.

New year’s will be very quiet, I aim to catch up on sleep and organise some more work. I have the chance to become a lettuce picker for a week. Oh the life I lead.

Happy New Year to you all. I hope 2007 brings you blessings and adventures wherever you are.