Christchurch Weather Eye and a day trip to Kaikoura
February 6th 2008 07:49
Its that time of year again when the sun starts to rise later and on Tuesday whilst cycling to work, I could see that it was going to be a cracker, so decided to take a detour and watch the sunrise.
Looking towards New Brighton
At the beginning of the day, there is something quite refreshing about sitting on the beach, watching the sun rise and the sounds of the waves upon the shoreline. So worth a try one day.
Wednesday was a public holiday here in NZ, so when a work colleague suggested a bike ride to Kaikoura for lunch, why not I thought. The weather was bright, dry and sunny, perfect biking conditions. You head out of Chch north on state highway 1. The speed limit is 100kms generally apart from the villages which drop the speed to 50kms. Road conditions were very good and traffic was well behaved. After a quick coffee and muffin break at Cheviot, it was onwards to Kaikoura.
Before hitting the coastal road, you have to go through the Hundalees, up and down twisty stuff, narrow too in places and more than once we got a fright from a big rig hugging the white line around a corner. The road conditions were interesting too as there was diesel in places on the road surface which made the back tyre skitter from time to time and also new road chippings, just a patch here and there, again was skittery to ride on.
Once through here, it was onto the coastal road and the great sea views, before coming to Kaikoura.
Main St, Kaikoura
We parked up and looked for a cafe for lunch, and it seems we found the only place that actually charged a 15% surcharge for being open on a public holiday, this basically means that they charge you (the customer) extra to be a patron of their business!! Daft or what? So a chicken panini, chips & coke cost $20.00!! What a rip off.
Kaikoura beachfront
You get alot of tourists stop here as you can dive, whale watch, scenic flights etc.
Overall though a good day, bike rode well with no problems although I found my aches on a longer ride and can see now why people have the big touring bikes 'comfy seats'. There was a lot of traffic on the roads, big rigs, a lot of cops, camera vans and I got blitzed by a Suzuki 'Busa'. I was 3/4 way through a dual passing lane at about 110kms, saw in my mirror, a headlight way in the distance behind me, I looked ahead before glancing back in my mirror(time about 4-5secs) just as the bike overtook me!! I couldn't believe just how quickly he had made the distance up until I saw it was a Hayabusa (190bhp & 200mph), then he was gone into the distance, stunning looking machine though.
words & pics by Heath
At the beginning of the day, there is something quite refreshing about sitting on the beach, watching the sun rise and the sounds of the waves upon the shoreline. So worth a try one day.
Wednesday was a public holiday here in NZ, so when a work colleague suggested a bike ride to Kaikoura for lunch, why not I thought. The weather was bright, dry and sunny, perfect biking conditions. You head out of Chch north on state highway 1. The speed limit is 100kms generally apart from the villages which drop the speed to 50kms. Road conditions were very good and traffic was well behaved. After a quick coffee and muffin break at Cheviot, it was onwards to Kaikoura.
Before hitting the coastal road, you have to go through the Hundalees, up and down twisty stuff, narrow too in places and more than once we got a fright from a big rig hugging the white line around a corner. The road conditions were interesting too as there was diesel in places on the road surface which made the back tyre skitter from time to time and also new road chippings, just a patch here and there, again was skittery to ride on.
Once through here, it was onto the coastal road and the great sea views, before coming to Kaikoura.
Main St, Kaikoura
We parked up and looked for a cafe for lunch, and it seems we found the only place that actually charged a 15% surcharge for being open on a public holiday, this basically means that they charge you (the customer) extra to be a patron of their business!! Daft or what? So a chicken panini, chips & coke cost $20.00!! What a rip off.
Kaikoura beachfront
You get alot of tourists stop here as you can dive, whale watch, scenic flights etc.
Overall though a good day, bike rode well with no problems although I found my aches on a longer ride and can see now why people have the big touring bikes 'comfy seats'. There was a lot of traffic on the roads, big rigs, a lot of cops, camera vans and I got blitzed by a Suzuki 'Busa'. I was 3/4 way through a dual passing lane at about 110kms, saw in my mirror, a headlight way in the distance behind me, I looked ahead before glancing back in my mirror(time about 4-5secs) just as the bike overtook me!! I couldn't believe just how quickly he had made the distance up until I saw it was a Hayabusa (190bhp & 200mph), then he was gone into the distance, stunning looking machine though.
words & pics by Heath
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