Morning dear readers, let’s start with today’s T’s, not matching but matching because they are both from Animals Asia’s Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre at Tam Dao where my named bear, Olly, and Gitte’s Bibi both reside.
Today’s plan is to ride up through Arthur’s Pass towards the West Coast, cut across to a more northerly road and drive back towards the East Coast where there’s the spa town of Hanmer Springs. Where we also catch up with John and Kirsty too, in the mothership with Mungo and Jerrie too! A big ride but at Hanmer a day off to enjoy the Geothermal spa! Eventually covering 474kms and taking Suzi through 4,000kms!!
Once again a little drama after Troy’s radar detector came off as we were barrelling along the Canterbury plains outside of Christchurch. I can vouch at that speed it bounced well! Oooops and damn! Stopped for a quick stomach fuel stop aka breakfast in Springfield. We noted that there was a giant ring donut at the side of the road just by our cafe - an homage to the other Springfield? This town is the gateway to the Trans Alpine Highway and as we climbed to Arthur’s Pass the views once again became dramatic and beautiful.
We had the good fortune of running alongside the Trans Alpine train to which then pulled into Arthur’s Pass station as we were there stretching our legs.
Then a quick stop at Otari Bridge by apparently “death corner”. We managed ok! 
Now time for a quick aside.... when we stopped yesterday at that, let us say, quiet, shady spot that Troy led us to we were surrounded by piles of road grit/gravel and it has become a thing to now point out stopping opportunities where there are huge piles of grit to Troy! There was a particularly impressive one at death corner, even had footprints on.....
A lovely ride down out of Arthur’s Pass through mountains and rain forests markedly different from the East side where the scenery is drier, rockier as in the pix above. Eventually we turn off the Trans Alpine before we hit the coast and ride up to Brunner Lake for another stretch and photo op.
Forests...
Brunner Lake...
Once again loving the roads and this one passed Brunner Lake and onto Reefton, we hardly pass a soul it’s great fun riding and you know, keeping to the 100 speed limit, wink wink..... we stopped at Reefton for a very nice lunch which included blueberry smoothies, presumably from blueberries harvested locally as we passed a few fresh blueberry for sale signs. Reefton is known as the City of Light as it was the very first town in New Zealand to have full electricity! Lovely looking town, I like these straight line towns with wide boulevards and turn of the century wooden shops, I think it’ll be an abiding memory of motorcycling around NZ, anyway, a couple of pix
After lunch it was about 150 kms ride to Hanmer Springs over the Lewis Pass back initially through forest in the west to drier less wooded in the east after the Pass. It really is noticeable ride east-west and then west-east how the climates change (well I suspect it’s down to the rain in the west!). In the drier east the roads tend to be less twisty and more wide open making for good speed (once again I mean 100 officer). We couldn’t stop in the Pass, not allowed so took a break by the Lewis river and Karen took a lovely photo of Gitte
And one with me
Phew it’s a picture laden blog today, must be because we are up late (it’s after 9!) after having a bit of a party night last night! After all no riding or driving today and we are all together; The Adventurers Before Dementia 
I’ll leave you with pictures of the 2 that unfortunately couldn’t join us last night but have been great on this journey, Mungo and Jerrie 
This featured blog entry was written by Ollielodge900 from the blog NZ19 - An Adventure Before Dementia.
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