Original publication: BikerTrash.com
Original byline: Staff
Escaping The Winter Blahs!
The weather in Tennessee had been cold – and raining. Definitely not the kind of weather that really makes you want to get the bike out. Sitting in a recliner I made a decision – I would take a motorcycle trip through New Zealand!
When it is the “dead of winter” in the United States it is the middle of summer “down under.” – perfect for that mid-winter escape.
“The cold, wet winter was far behind me as I wound my way through the wooded foothills just below the Southern Alps. The village of Geraldine lay just ahead and I could tell that it had the charm of an English Country Village. A short stop for food and then another 48 miles would bring me to the glacial blue waters of Lake Takapo. It was here that I planned to camp for a few days. The views are as phenomenal as anything I had ever seen in Colorado or Switzerland.
I went through my schedule for the next few days – Makaroa, Lake Hawea, Crown Range, Dunedin, Macraes Mine and Shantytown”
The sound of a passing train startled me back to the reality of a cold, rainy Tennessee afternoon. But, ah, for those few minutes I had been so caught up in “Great Escapes” it was as if I could still smell the smells and hear the sounds of New Zealand.
If I am ever fortunate enough to make the trip to New Zealand this handy guide book for motorcyclists will be indipensable to me. There are almost 50 separate trips laid out in the book. Where to go, what to see, distances, what to take and what to be careful of. Each of the trips is marked with a “grin factor” – from two grins, “A welcome escape from the ordinary” to five grins, “Heaven on Wheels, with world-beating scenery. Surely joy riding doesn’t get any better; more smiles per mile.”
More than just a travel guide the book also contains some very helpful, basic safety information for riders. Do you know what the “vanishing point” of a curve is? Or how to practice “defensive cornering”?
Information abounds on lodging and camping and websites for more information. Whether you make your NZ trip by Harley, Crotch Rocket or Recliner Chair this book is well worth the cost.
“Now, if you will excuse me, I am going to get a cup of coffee and then visit Taupo, Turangi, Kinloch and Acacia Bay . . . .”
Great Escapes
A Guide to Motorcycle Touring in New Zealand
Peter Mitchell
Longacre Press, NZ
$19.95
PacificIslandBooks
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Want to learn more?
Visit this great website for New Zealand Bikers
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