Adventures Down Under - New Zealand and Australia

[majicmaker]

Breathtakingly Stunning.

Thanks for bringing us along.

 

[Uncle Hud]

Schweet photos! I see how you stay young at heart -- sneaking wine back to the hotel for a nightcap!!

 

[rogdeb]

Marvelous scenery Ty

You take a mean photo - but you already knew that,

Great stuff, just keep it coming.

And, Japanese tourists ! Seems we pick 'em up wherever we go also. Pretty cool for them

And there's my 3k )

 

[Jer]

Tyler I am really enjoying your pictures and narratives. Will pass them along to Terri. She really likes your pictures.

 

[escapefjrtist]

Lovin' it Tyler, thanks for sharing the trip with us!

--G

 

[Mihalis fjr]

I really enjoy it Tyler,thank you!Great photos!

 

[Gramps]

Maybe next year you can tell me your whole story again in person.

Thanks!

 

[beemerdons]

Lovin' it Tyler, thanks for sharing the trip with us!
--G

+1, Gunny; Outstanding Ride Report and Amazing Photos, Thank You Tyler! JSNS!

 

[Tanker]

WOW, great photos Tyler. Loving this adventure and adding it to the bucket list.

 

[08FJR4ME]

Love this photo!

This picture just says it all,

Dave

 

[Morecowbell]

Wow, what a fantastically awesome ride report. Your photos are soooo much better than the crap I posted last week. I wish I was set up to take pics as we headed down the road. I know that if I tried that, I'd drop the camera and it would go bouncing down the road.

Sally took a left turn onto a side road, Summit Rd. which took us up along the ridge overlooking the lake at Akaroa... there was virtually no traffic so we had the road to ourselves...

Summit Road looks like a LOT of fun. I wish I would have spotted that on the map so I could have hit it.

Once we got past Christchurch, the roads were pretty uninspiring... lots of straight and the temperature kept dropping as we went...

Yep, those roads were rather boring...but I guess we got lucky, since it was sunny and warmer as we passed through that area.

Day 2 - Methven to Cromwell

That's so cool to see your route that day...we retraced much of your route that day in the opposite direction.

Until we came around a corner and BAM... Lake Pukaki came into view... and yes, the water really is that blue...Mount Cook is looming behind it... we didn't have the time to ride the road to the top of Mt. Cook so we'll put that on the list of things to experience next time...

Lake Pukaki...when we saw it, we were in awe of how blue the water actually is. And Mount Cook in the background...stunning. We didn't get to ride to the base either, since it was 30 miles each way from the road we were on. Didn't have time. I'll make sure I hit it next time.

Then it was up through Lindis Pass as we neared Cromwell...
I'm glad we ran into him because he told us about the lodging issues in Queenstown due to all the tourists...

Lindis Pass is where we saw the sheep being herded down the road. One of the funniest things I've seen on the road in a long time.
Sucks that the damn tourists book up all the hotel rooms! I spent several late evenings using wifi to find a room for the following night. A few nights I though we might have to sleep on a park bench somewhere. Luckily it never came to that.

I can't wait to see the next part of the story.

 

[hppants]

Most assuredly subscribed. This is good stuff.

The last picture on the first page of this thread is M-O-N-E-Y! I picture myself there and I just have to know what's behind the next set of hills.

I can't help but notice that there is no traffic anywhere on the roads. Perhaps you timed and/or cropped your photographs, but if not, the desolation of the countryside must have been wonderful.

Madam - we peasants beg you.... more please.

 

[Tyler]

Schweet photos! I see how you stay young at heart -- sneaking wine back to the hotel for a nightcap!!

That's one of the ways!

Tyler I am really enjoying your pictures and narratives. Will pass them along to Terri. She really likes your pictures.

Give her a hug for me too, will ya? :wub:

Maybe next year you can tell me your whole story again in person.

Thanks!

Aren't you going to SW-FOG in May? You may not have to wait that long... B)

WOW, great photos Tyler. Loving this adventure and adding it to the bucket list.

Definitely worthy of the bucket list... I've been and it's still on my bucket list to go back!

Love this photo!
This picture just says it all,

Dave

Thanks, Dave... you may find a few more coming up that say it again! :lol:

 

[Tyler]

Wow, what a fantastically awesome ride report. Your photos are soooo much better than the crap I posted last week. I wish I was set up to take pics as we headed down the road. I know that if I tried that, I'd drop the camera and it would go bouncing down the road.

Summit Road looks like a LOT of fun. I wish I would have spotted that on the map so I could have hit it.

Yep, those roads were rather boring...but I guess we got lucky, since it was sunny and warmer as we passed through that area.

That's so cool to see your route that day...we retraced much of your route that day in the opposite direction.

Lake Pukaki...when we saw it, we were in awe of how blue the water actually is. And Mount Cook in the background...stunning. We didn't get to ride to the base either, since it was 30 miles each way from the road we were on. Didn't have time. I'll make sure I hit it next time.

Lindis Pass is where we saw the sheep being herded down the road. One of the funniest things I've seen on the road in a long time.

Sucks that the damn tourists book up all the hotel rooms! I spent several late evenings using wifi to find a room for the following night. A few nights I though we might have to sleep on a park bench somewhere. Luckily it never came to that.

I can't wait to see the next part of the story.

I have two cameras – a small, inexpensive one (Canon PowershotA4000) for the “on the go” shots. If I have to drop the camera quickly for any reason, it doesn’t go anywhere since it’s attached to a lanyard around my neck. It takes some practice as you have to shoot left-handed and I get a lot of crap shots including the side of my helmet and such but out of the many there is usually a good to great shot. Part of it is seeing the shot and part of it is luck! The other camera is a Nikon D5000… I only bring the big girl out when not moving.

Summit Road was a ton of fun… we turned down toward town too early as the road continues further. Guess it will go on the “must do next time” list along with Mt. Cook… that list seems to be growing by the minute! We didn’t encounter the sheep drive although that would have been fun to see… were you nervous at all that you’d get knocked over on the bike with being in the middle of that many sheep on the road? I did encounter a cow herding once near Camanche Reservoir a few years ago… those suckers are big animals so we pulled to the side of the road and got out of their way!

And yeah, we were a bit nervous as well with the lodging situation and there was some late night wifi-ing going on with us as well! We were lucky too… I’m not into park benches either for a restful night’s sleep.

 

[Tyler]

I can't help but notice that there is no traffic anywhere on the roads. Perhaps you timed and/or cropped your photographs, but if not, the desolation of the countryside must have been wonderful.
Madam - we peasants beg you.... more please.

We actually were amazed at how little traffic there was on many of the roads given the extent of issues trying to find hotel rooms... we figured they all must have just gone somewhere and stayed there!

And Pants, I like it when you beg...

 

[Surly]

Hi Tyler,

Love you and your work.

Best regards

Steve

 

[Tyler]

Hi Tyler,Love you and your work.

Best regards

Steve

Thanks, Steve... bummed we couldn't make a sighting this trip... but as Arnold said, "I'll be back!"

 

[BkerChuck]

Thoroughly enjoying being along for the trip even if only through reading these reports. Wonderful photography! Thank you so much for posting!

 

[lonerider]

Looks like an excellent place for a riding vacation. Thanks for the outstanding pictures and the ride report. Glad to hear you had a good time.

 

[Tyler]

Day 3 - Cromwell to Te Anau

A good night's sleep and we were up by 7am, got breakfast, Sally surfed the web and found lodging in Queenstown, packed the bikes, and on the road by about 8:30am... we had another big day ahead of us and lots to see... we awoke to sunny skies and slightly warmer temps... an omen for a good day ahead!

The road out of Cromwell ran alongside the Clutha River...

And then we turned onto Moa Flat Rd. toward Herior which is a wonderful 2-lane stretch winding its way through the farmland...

We see wisps of clouds hanging over the nearby mountains...

Had to take photos of signs so I could remember where we were!

Hey look...