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Jo and I only took a week off this year to do the Annual Rally in Twizel but, if you didn't make it, you missed a cracker. The Canterbury bods really did a great job and everything went pretty well.We left home on Wednesday 30 December and enjoyed a smooth sailing on the 8:30 ferry from Wellington. One thing I do like about the Kaitake is the simple system they have in place for bikes. Roll on, locate the front wheel in the brace and loop the fixed ratchet tie downs over the bars, job done. We arrived in Picton about 11:15 and headed south (sadly bypassing the Molesworth, which I would have done had I been on my own) for a late lunch at The Store in Kekerengu. Nice place to stop that.We could see the Southerly front that was forecast coming at us up the coast so elected to head across Inland Road, just after Kaikoura. We missed the worst of the weather but still, after 26 degrees in Blenheim, the temperature around Mt Lyford dropped to around 6 degrees and we ran straight into the biggest hail storm I've been in for a while. After that it was just cold and wet pretty much all the way to Amberly. We were aiming to be with friends in Temuka that afternoon, so elected the straight run down the coast rather than the scenic route (SH72). It was boring to say the least, but not much traffic and surprisingly few police vehicles given the season.A couple of days with our friends included a ride on Alex's new MV Augusta Brutale.
Nice bike, much faster than mine and cetainly uses more gas!!New Year's Eve was celbrated at the Chequred Flag on SH1 in Rangitata. Great place this run by a couple of hardcore bikers, Cor and Helen. The food was excellent and there's a massive display of biking memorabilia and models, mostly Harley and Ducati but still worth a look around. Dinner over we headed down to Caroline Bay in Timaru for the fireworks to see the New Year in.Friday morning I left Jo to get to Twizel on her own road trip and headed over to Geraldine to catch up with Ross Williams and whoever else was with him to go gravel hunting. As it happened Noel and Maria Walker and Peter and Irene Hadfield were there with Ross and Sally so, after much fluffing around with a car of all things, and probably one too many coffees, we headed off to see what we could see.As always it involved the obligitory photo stop at the Richard Pearce memorial in Upper Waitohi before crossing the Opihi River and heading up toward Raincliff.
The others split off electing to take a more direct and sealed route to Fairlie while Ross and I headed further south to some of the gravel roads around Mt Gay. Despite Ross doing his best to get us totally confused with his GPS we ended up at the Hazelburn Memorial.
We soon found ourselves on Mt Gay Road before turning on to a great section of gravel called Rockwood Road.
This took us over to Cricklewood then out through Limestone Valley and onto MacKenzie Pass. So far so good, it was hot and sunny and we had the road pretty much to ourselves.
By the time we got back out onto the main road just west of Burkes Pass the wind had got up. We took a right hand turn a couple of kilometres past Tekapo and headed over Mt Cox on Braemar Road. Great gravel route but the wind was so strong it literally blew me off the road and into the heather, fortunately after we'd passed the first of a number of rather large and deep culverts. I held it together just, but it was more hard work until we got down from the peak and alongside Lake Pukakai where it was marginally calmer. 
From there it was a straight run alongside the lake back to the main road and into Twizel in time for registration, a bit of a chat with Warren and the rest of the organising team before heading out to tea (Thai it was).
Saturday was gorgeous and much planned for the day with the Concourse (which I didn't win, again) the Gymkhana and a couple of organised rides for roadies and gravel surfers. It would have been dumb being so close not to take a ride down Danseys Pass and back up Thompsons Track, so that's what Ross, Sally, Peter, Irene and I did instead. We left just as the Gymkhana was starting and got back around 6:30 after a great day stopping off at the Maori rock drwaings by Duntroon.
And a refreshing beverage at Danseys Pass Hotel.
Sunday was the day we'd been looking forward to, despite the fact it dawned cold and wet. The GS route inlcuded access to Black Forest Station, lunch in Kurow, a run back over the Hakatarameas and a loop back over the Iron Bridge to twizel for anyone keen enough after all that. About 25 bikes, quite a few with pillions, left for Black Forest Station. It didn't stop raining until we were well into the track and it was quite misty at the top of Beacon Hill but gorgeous views all the same.
David Ceasar seemed to be enjoying himself.
So was Ross
So were Gerard and Reinhert
Even those whose men made them walk!!
By the time we got down to Benmore Dam it was getting hot and the sun was out.
Oddly, after lunch, most people decided to go back to Twizel on the main road. Only 8 bikes, with Gerard and Kathy being the only two-up combo, headed across to Cattle Creek then over the Hakataramea. A great run all the same, no other traffic at all.
Gerard and Kathy turned right and headed up to Dog Kennel Corner at the end of the Hakataramea while the 7 remaining bods - Ross, Brent, Jeff, Adrian, Peter, David and I - decided we'd not miss the chance to cross the Tekapo River on the old Iron Bridge and then bounce our way across and up the Pukaki River to the spillway just outside of Twizel, so we headed back down Haldon Road to do just that.
We all made it back, albeit at slightly different times due to an oversight on one of the forks in the route, but a suitable adventure had by all.Monday we said our goodbyes and headed off back to Temuka for the night. The others took the highway, I just couldn't resist MacKenzies Pass and a bit more of the Limestone Valley just one more time, who knows when I'll be back.Post count: 128Post count: 2Post count: 2Great report and picsA selection of more pictures from the rally can be found onhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/bmwor-cantab/sets/72157623010781723/
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